Peak season for trout seekers

The next few weeks should be one of the best times of the season.

Ghyll Head has produced its best rainbow trout catches ever for Windermere Anglers Club members. John Dixon took one of 16lb on a damsel nymph, Ian Johnstone one of 12lb on an olive nymph and Dave Whittaker a pair at 10lb and 8lb on buzzers.

Visitors have also caught well with David Errell landing 14 to 9lb mostly on gold head hare's ear fished deep. Tom Richmond caught one of 11lb on a green klinkhammer.

Boat users at Esthwaite have continued to record excellent catches. Harry and Matt Eastham had 50 plus rainbows to 4lb on small diawl bach fished just below the surface and suspender buzzers fished in the surface film. Paul Robinson caught 32 to 4lb plus on a variety of buzzers, nymphs and lures, while John Henderson and Bob Swann took 24 to 3lb 5oz on sinking lines and lures. From the bank Danny Black caught 30 on legered worm.

A free tuition half day for women will be held on Saturday, May 5. For further information and booking phone the fishery on 015394 36541.

Bigland has continued its top form with rainbows rising throughout the day to hatches of buzzers. Best recent catches were: Tom Clayton 35, including one of 8lb 4oz and another of 8lb 2oz on damsel nymphs; Bob Hopper 25 to 5lb 8oz on damsel nymphs and Dave Jack 14 to 5lb on green buzzers.

Others have recorded double figure catches to 8lb on buzzers, diawl bachs and damsels on a floating line.

Up on High Newton good catches have been recorded with a number of double-figure rainbows to beetle patterns, small black dries and small nymphs, including Tony Canipa with one of 10lb plus.

Buzzers have produced the best catches at Wych Elm including Paul Hatfield's 14, Andy Keith's 13 and Bill McGartland's 13 on bloodworm patterns. Steve Matthews took the heaviest rainbow of 5lb on a buzzer.

At Farletonview buzzers also accounted for the best catches with Paul Miller and Paul Watkins each taking 14 and Steve Cowperthwaite 11 to 8lb on small CDCs and buzzers.

Killington has fished well for rainbows to a variety of methods. Better weather has brought brown trout to the top at East Bay Lake at Kentmere with good catches to nymphs and dries.

Up on Knottallow regular Walter Fritters and those prepared to fish imitative tactics have caught well on small black dries.

It was a tough day at the annual fly-fishing competition between Windermere Anglers and Horwich, held at Stocks.

Windermere, who fielded 25 anglers, regained the trophy with an average per angler of 2lb 11oz with Horwich an average weight of 2lb 9oz from 27 anglers.

For the second successive year Windermere's Gordon Harrop weighed in the heaviest bag of five rainbows at 11lb 12oz. Tom Johnson, Horwich, landed the heaviest fish, a 3lb 11oz brown.

g g g g g RIVERS have been at a very low level for the time of year but are now rising and hopefully this will bring salmon and early sea trout into the Kent and Eden.

On the Eden only the occasional spring salmon has been caught. On the middle and lower stretches conditions have been good for wild brown trout, but on the upper stretches and on the Eamont and Lowther it has been more difficult due to the low water level.

g g g g g CHARR have been appearing in Windermere's south basin during the warm weather and have been caught low down on bottom baits. As expected after the winter, the charr are somewhat lean and in the 8oz to 12oz range.

Boat users on Ullswater have continued to record good catches of wild browns on black traditional wet flies.

At Thirlmere browns to 1lb 8oz have been caught on fly. For those thinking of a visit, there is logging and clearance work taking place for the next couple of months on the western shore. The road is not open along the full length but there is access to the water where logging is not in progress.

Windermere Anglers have re-opened a coarse fishery at Castle Head, between Lindale and Grange-over-Sands, and day permits are available.

See www.lakedistrictfishing.net for details under WADAA Permits.

Anglers have been catching roach, perch and carp to 4lb on pole with maggot with a number of double figure carp lost. When targeting the larger carp use heavy pole with pellets.

At Ratherheath, Chris Berton had a tremendous session with three mirror carp, all around 15lb, two common carp of 10lb, a 6lb bream and a small tench. Plenty of roach and skimmers have been caught on pole with maggot, bream to 6lb on either feeder with maggot or pole with maggot and carp to mid doubles on boilies.

A visit to Holehird by Steve Vandome yielded a 6lb 2oz tench to a boilie with others catching tench to 5lb on pole with chopped worm, sweetcorn or pellet.

On Windermere Joel Noon (age 16) landed a 28lb 9oz pike while boat fishing with his grandfather. Others have caught pike to 14lb using sea deadbaits.

Coniston has produced pike to 15lb but only small pike have been taken from Grasmere and Rydal.

Loughrigg Tarn has produced pike to 14lb on lamprey and sprat deadbaits, tench to 7lb on feeder and red maggot, good catches of roach to swim feeder with caster over hemp and perch to 2lb on spinners.

At Bigland Anthony Edwards landed a superb 14lb 4oz bream and, with his son Anthony, several other bream to 9lb 6oz plus two tench to 8lb, all on boilies.

While night fishing Angus Smith had 18 bream and tench to 8lb while Geoff Scott caught a number of bream and tench to 8lb all on boilies. Others have caught roach and perch.

On Ulverston Canal two carp to 21lb have been recorded on boilies, tench to 4lb and bream to 3lb on legered sweetcorn and boilies, also small pike to 4lb on spinners and deadbaits.

At Sandhall Ponds carp to low doubles have fallen to boilies.

At Stainton on the Lancaster Canal tench to 6lb have been caught with legered maggot and sweetcorn.

g g g g g SEA fishing has slowed with just the occasional flounder taken on lugworm around the Furness Peninsular from Plumpton to Priory Point. From Walney and Silecroft bass to 2lb have been caught on crab with small dogfish taken on lugworm.

Buzzer