Hello everyone,
October has been a very dry month, and it shows. The storms last week brought plenty of wind but not nearly enough rain to make a difference underground, so the water table is still well down. With Winterborne Zelston remaining closed, every catch return this month has come from Rawlsbury, and the message from all of them is the same: it has been hard going.
November Offer at Rawlsbury
Rawlsbury day tickets are available throughout November, and with the fishing as tough as it has been this month, I am making a special offer to members. Normally a day ticket covers a single day. During November, a day ticket will stay valid until you have caught your limit. Here is how it works:
•Buy a Rawlsbury day ticket on any day in November, as you normally would.
•If you catch your limit that day, you are finished for the day as usual.
•If you do not catch your limit, you are welcome to come back and fish again on another day in November, using the same ticket, until you have caught it.
•Once you have caught your limit, that ticket is used up.
In other words, in November a day ticket does not have to mean a single day. It is there to give everyone a fair chance of a few fish after such a tough month, so I hope it tempts a few more of you down to the lakes.
Winterborne Zelston
WZ stays closed. The lake is waiting for the aquifers and springs to come back to life, and until they do there is nothing we can do to bring the level up. A few of us were there on Friday 30th doing some clearing and tidying the margins, which at least means the place will be looking smart when the water returns.
Brian Cross called in the same day and said the level still looks to be receding, which took him back to WZ in 1976, the year he first took up fly fishing. Several of you have asked whether the recent rain might fill it. I wish it would. We will let you know the moment there is any change, and I will be the first to announce the reopening. For now, please keep praying for rain.
Winterborne Zelston: the water is still well down, with a bank showing in the middle of the lake.
The view across WZ towards the club hut, with the margins tidied.
Rawlsbury Catch Returns
• Unfortunately nothing could be tempted onto the hook, so this catch report was short.
• Arrived about 10.30 to find the lake to themselves, in what looked like perfect autumn conditions. The water in Chapmans was clear and the weed was no problem following the recent cutting. One fish was seen to rise off the bullrushes early on and then not another all day, despite lots of damselflies about. Fishing was extremely hard going and they did not touch a fish until early afternoon, trying many flies from a few feet down to deep. Eventually they caught three a long way out, off the first platform in front of the concrete drain, on a green damsel fly: two of about 2¼ lb and one of 3 lb 12 oz with a full tail.
• Went down to Rawlsbury with a grandson and his father. It was very windy for most of the time and the catch return is, sadly, a zero, but it was lovely down there all the same.
• Hard going with very few fish seen. One angler managed a fish from Cowleaze and one from Chapmans, both returned, while a guest and another member had nil. A boost to the day was a barn owl in a field on the way home.
Notices from the Lakes
Trees down at Rawlsbury. A couple of trees have come down on the wooded bank, one of them a really big one, making it almost impassable in places. I am letting the farm manager know. Please take care if you are walking that bank.
Signal crayfish at Chapmans.
A member spotted about six very large signal crayfish at the top end of Chapmans. We do find quite a few whenever we clear weed there, and we have set traps with the Environment Agency’s permission, but I am afraid the numbers look to be increasing. Please keep an eye out and let me know what you see.
Weed.
The recent cutting has done its job and weed is not causing any problems at the moment.
Thank you to everyone who sent in a return, even the blank ones. They are all useful. Let us hope
November brings some proper rain.
Tight Lines,
Paul.