The first thing to tell you all this month is the fact that we are definitely remaining OPEN throughout the summer this year. Other years we have closed for a few weeks for hot weather holidays, but this year it is still all systems go as normal! The recent hot weather has definitely made a difference to the fishing as you would expect but the Lakes are still fishing surprisingly well and we are still stocking on a weekly basis, also … don’t forget it is the perfect time to bring a novice for some casting practice, encourage a non-fishing partner to come along and enjoy the scenery or just bring a picnic and chill! This time of year forces us to change our ways; to think outside the box and try something new thus expanding our knowledge and learning even more from this wonderful sport.

To give our customers a helping hand and fair crack of the rod through August we will be offering an “up-grade” of ticket at a cost of £5 per fish if you catch your bag too quickly, (yes it is still possible!) We hope you will appreciate this offer is not normally allowed but in this “feast or famine” time of the summer we want to play fair.

A review of each Lake…

WELL LAKE… This lake is still proving popular with anglers at the moment. The fish are clearly visible in the clear, spring water and have been at or just below the surface and feeding actively throughout the day and well into the twilight. The recent weed clearing does not appear to have put the fish off the fly, in fact the opposite would seem to be the case! Ever the opportunists the trout are picking their way through the food stirred up by weed removing activity and the coots with their chicks are having a field day! Looking through the returns book the flies working are buzzers (small black), dry flies such as sedges, daddies and small blue damsels. Down deeper definitely black and green nymphs, cats or flash backs are catching fish.

STAG LAKE… Our “new” lake is starting to come into its own now! The water is remaining clear and clean and a recent check showed good oxygen levels in spite of the heat. We have fixed a syphoning system from Well Lake to keep the level from dropping too low and the plants put in recently are doing well. The fish are feeding right through the day, even in the full sun on emerging insects, (generally black) taking them just below the surface and often at your feet! Don’t forget to cover every inch of the water in front of you and to each side along the banks! Many anglers lift their lines off the water much too early and thus miss a large target area to hook a fish. Small, natural flies are best on this lake at the moment and the dam end of the lake is the deepest area and has been the best spot, even in the wind, but this obviously can change day to day so just remember to ask us in the Lodge for the latest info and fly of the moment.

BRICK LAKE… The shallowest of our lakes, fed by the small stream at the top Lodge end of the lake is proving tricky at the moment and has been for a while now. The fish are down deep, feeding no doubt on a huge range of natural food and surfacing in the evening. Early morning is the best time to fish this lake at the moment and then you can have take after tug after pull down deep as the fish feed enthusiastically at the start of the day. Damsels and small Montanas hit the spot and then the odd orange fly has been thrown into the mix. One chap caught his four fish bag in a couple of hours on an orange hotspot the other day when others had been struggling, he handed his fly to a friend who caught almost straight away. It’s good to share! Sometimes it is all about being in the right place at the right time so do keep on the move in the true hunter gatherer style. Dave (Woody) Wood caught a six fish bag before lunchtime the other day, fishing a black and white Boobie on a sinking line (normally this is a floating line lake) but not left static, still with a retrieve about half way down. We have no fly restrictions here at Brick Farm Lakes so you really can experiment! This Lake showed it had the coolest water temperature on a recent check.

Just tome to remind all you ladies out there of the next B.L.T’s meeting on the 10th August. This is extremely informal so don’t be afraid to just turn up and share a coffee and some angling info.

Tight lines everyone!

JULY - AT LONG LAST AN UPDATE!!!