The Complete Fisher Forum

[wylye]

Thought it was about time we got up to date.

[Fryfishing]

Indeed.
I am booked in for a boat on Tuesday, so look out for a report.
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[Fryfishing]

It was a cold but calm day for my first visit of 2022. The BBC reported light winds from the N/W and a temp of 3 degrees and that is what I got when I arrived at 10.30. The water temp was a steady 5 and gin clear.

It turned into a tuff day for me with very little interest to the boobies while back drifting. I tried tying up to a buoy for some cast and retrieve as well as mixing up the drifting methods, flies and leader lengths. I did manage to catch a cracking grown on trout which came up empty on spooning.

When back drifting it can get a tad boring (if it is slow) so I took along the fish finder, it was noticeable that there are large areas that seems to show no fish. At one point I saw cormorants diving and a trip through the area pinpointed a shoal of bait fish but no trout.

On returning to the dock and a chat to another angler and he reported seven fish to a pink snake which rather confirms that the fish are in shoals and if you do not find them you can’t catch them.
At least I did not blank.
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[tenet]

I was rather hoping that you may have smashed it Peter. Odd reports on FB show some folk scoring well, although boat returns were c4, but suspect that (a) they had a breeze to assist backdrifting and (b) found the shoals and really worked them.

Hope you've warmed up by now.🙂

[Allrounder]

Like you said, it sounds like they are podded up. Definitely an excuse to use your sounder.

Did you try close to the Star Wars walkers? There are usually a few fish holding around there although I've found the odd Esox is rather partial to that area too!

Alan
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Member of ...
The Angling Trust
BRFFA
B.A.S.S.
Pike Fly Fishing Association

If you see me on the bank, say hello... from a safe distance!

[Fryfishing]

There were only four trout boats out and one predator boat which spent the day fishing at the dock. I was away from the other boats so could not see people catching fish.
The fella I spoke to spent the morning tied to a buoy in front of the wardens office then moved to the east bank. Another boat kept doing a drift about a hundred yards from the dock and I saw them land a fish as I returned to the dock.
The two towers were devoid of fish, I watched one boat fish the tower on the south bank with out catching before I moved back to the causeway where I caught my only fish.

It would be useful if they published fish stocking dates so we could get an idea of stock levels. There is also no sign of any work taking place on the new dock on No1.
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[tenet]

Posted on FB 21st Jan:
Morning, we had a stocking this week, 2500kg of prime rainbows ready to grow on and provide you with the sport you have come to expect at Farmoor.
Bank averages are 2.1 per rod with the boats faring slightly better at 4.5 per rod.


Maybe the recent stock need to settle into some sort of feeding pattern which sometimes takes a week or 2.

[wylye]

I would say that the main problem would be the lack of breeze. There needs to be SOME movement to get the flies working down deep and to enable the boat to cover some ground. The club I'm in has their annual back dragging day on the 6th and I've agreed to go providing it isn't freezing.

[Fryfishing]

Hi Wylye, What I found watching the fish finder while waiting for some action was the complete lack of fish signatures coming back across large areas of the reservoir.
In previous years I would see fish across most areas, and would normally get a tug on the flies as they went over the areas which showed fish.

I know fish finders are not a bullet proof way of detecting fish because of the size of the sonar cone going down through the water.

I am planning to go again next week weather permitting.
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[Fryfishing]

My day did not go as planned. Due to the strong Westerly winds and my time of arrival it meant that the boats were no longer being let out. One boat had left the dock earlier before the wind increased and it remained out with one occupant.
I drove around to the west bank of No2 where it was considerably calmer and sunny, but I could not contact any fish, so I made a quick move to No1.
It was all feeling a bit hopeless but then I had a solid pull which made me think I was doing something right.
I did manage a HUGE rainbow of at least five pounds and in full Winter colours from No1 on a white boobie. That was it for five hours of fishing.

I learnt two things today.
1) Don’t book a boat if the forecast is 15mph westerly.
2) That there are signal crayfish in Farmoor 2 (and probably no1).

There was a great Northern Diver on No2 and a twitcher showed me a picture he had taken of it with a crayfish in its beak. He said others had similar picture of it feeding on crayfish.
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[tenet]

Tough and disappointing day Peter - I tend to cherry pick my days and often book just 24 hours in advance. Easy without work commitments.

[Fryfishing]

I tend to only half believe the weather forecast but on the last two occasions it has been spot on.

The waves were rolling in towards the dock , but not over it and there were no issues with letting the sailing boats and sail boarders out. No doubt health and safety for T.W.

The big rainbow helped improve the day.
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[wylye]

Seeing as the Thames is wall to wall signals I'd have been amazed to learn there were NO signals in the Farmoors.

The club I'm in have their annual back dragging day on Sunday and the weather does not look promising. Last time I looked at the forecast it was saying 16-18mph winds with gusts up to 33mph. Best to forget this one methinks.

[Fryfishing]

[tenet]

Latest missive on FB today.

8h  · 

F1 produced some good fish yesterday for bank anglers going deep with lures and fry patterns,

one RB of nearly 6lb and brownies of a similar stamp.

Farmoor 2 boats continue to fish well with 11 anglers catching 49 fish for a 4.5 ave. using Di 7 and boobies