Report – 26 November 2020
Fishing has been very mixed in general recently – one day fish have been taking whatever has been put in the water where other days they are being much fussier, although generally a slow retrieve has been working with the usual suspects for this time of year in the guise of damsels, montana, buzzers & gold head daddies with fish still being caught at all depths. Many of you will be pleased to hear that (unless the tier placing states otherwise) we will resume “normal” service of complementary tea & coffee for anglers as well as we will be back in the kitchen with the bacon and sausage baps on a takeaway basis as soon as lockdown 2.0 comes to an end next week. Access to the Lodge will however remain restricted to the log book and fly table only.
We are continuing to see plenty of lovely fish being caught –so many of which were over the 3lb mark so for this report I will just list those recorded over 4lb. Most notable of recent is Brian Wood who, just days after a new Brick Farm record (since our ownership) smashed the record with a lovely 12lb rainbow. Kelvin Hinton landed a brilliant 8.4lb and Sinclair with a 7lb take the top spots for this report.
Brian Wood - 12lb
Kelvin Hinton - 8.4lb
Sinclair - 7lb
Jim Pelling - 6.4lb
Russell Rikards - 5.4lb
Ron Dear - 5lb
Caroline Cutmore - 4.9lb
Pete Roberts - 4.8lb
C.Markwick - 4.8lb
Mark Denman - 4.6lb
B.Francis - 4.4lb + 4lb
Pete Ballard - 4.4lb
Danielle Adams - 4.4lb
Josh Wood - 4lb
D.Barton - 4lb
We are certainly now in a more favourable season for trout fishing, and with the recent announcement of another lockdown we are pleased that the government agrees that angling is a solitary sport and there are no problems with social distancing so we can remain open! We have had to make some slight adjustments for this current lockdown by way of not serving any refreshments from the Lodge. This is unfortunate for some as I know many of you really enjoy our bacon rolls and a nice cup of tea, but it’s definitely great to be open as a fishery. Access to the Lodge is still limited, and will remain so for some time, but you can still purchase flies and tackle and record your catches which help us with restocking. We are still stocking weekly, and are continuing to see regular larger fish being caught. We have a new record for Brick Farm Lakes since we took over last year – Peter Simmons landed a stunning brown trout weighting 10lb 8oz out of Spring Lake! He caught it using a sinking line with a bobby which shows that the fish are still deep at times. Other stand out catches of recent include Keith Farmer with a nice 9lb brown and Tony Benton who had a 9lb 13oz rainbow – both were caught on a competition day held by Kent Police where they cumulatively landed 27 fish with a total weight of 88lb 6oz and an average weight of 3lb 4oz!
The Fishing for Schools event has been cancelled on 14 November due to government restrictions on competitions, and so we will be open to the public on that day as normal.
Catches over 3lb 8oz for this report:
Alan Franks - 9.13lb
Tim Tyrrell - 8.2lb
Ivor Smith - 7.4lb
C.McWilton - 6.10lb
Tim Tyrrell - 6.10lb
Brian Wood - 6.5lb
M.Clark - 6lb
C.Mick - 5lb
P.Hunter - 5lb
M.Bristow - 4.8lb
D.Fullager - 4.7lb
N.Mold - 4.4lb
Tim Ashnom - 4.4lb
P.Clementson - 4.4lb
A Hurdle - 3.12lb
Mike Shine - 3.8lb
Graham Goddard - 3.8lb
D. McCabe - 3.8lb
Richard Larkin - 3.8lb
October has seen temperatures remaining low. The leaves are just starting to drop which has peaked the interests of some of the trout as they can regularly be seen patrolling the floating leaves hoping to find an easy meal amongst them!
We are yet to have a frost but they can’t be far away. The squirrels are frantically running around each day collecting the fallen acorns and stashing them ready for the imminent winter.
Congratulations to Brian Wood for catching one of our prize Albino trout which weighed 3.6lb as well a lovely 6.1lb rainbow!
Fishing has remained fairly consistent over the last couple of weeks. All lakes are fishing well and producing fish most days.
There have again been numerous large fish caught, listed below are again the most successful over 3½lb. These include a couple of stand out catches, being Chloe landing an 7.8lb rainbow on her 14th birthday outing. Also Mark Denman from Eastbourne District Fly Fishers caught a stunning 9.7lb brown from the far end of Brick Lake on a daddy long legs.
We are continuing to stock weekly including larger fish most weeks and the odd albino mixed in which are still rewarded with a 2fish ticket for use on your next visit.
Please note we have a Fishing for Schools event on 14 November. This is a pairs competition and anglers of all age and ability are encouraged and welcome to participate. If you are new to competitive fly-fishing this is an ideal opportunity to experience a unique event in a relaxed and informal setting. We will be closed on this day for the private function – if you would like any more information please email r.p.barden@btinternet.com or call the Lodge for bookings.
Notable catches:
3.8lb – Peter Finnis
3.12lb – Graham Goddard and C.Smart
4lb – C.Farley, Mark Donaldson and G.Manley
4.4lb – Peter Buss
4.8lb – C.Blackman and A.Mortimer
4.9lb – K.Lee
4.10lb Brown – Matt Robbins
5lb – J.Elkins
6.1 – Brian Wood
6.4lb Brown – Caroline Cutmore
6.4lb – W.Hardy
7.8lb – Chloe
9.7lb – Mark Denman
We are now beginning to see some good amounts of rain coming through which will always be welcome in relation to pond levels following the recent dry spells, October has also brought with it a mass of Daddy Long Legs as can be seen not only from the surrounding areas, but also the log book with catch reports.
The last week or so has seen some very good catches including the following all over 3lb 12oz…
3.12lb – Mike Richardson, Rob Barden, M.Lane and Colin Cornford
3.14lb – Brian Brawn
4lb – I.Harris and John Lindley
5.9lb – Peter Finnis
6.8lb – Ashley Singer
6.12lb – P.Johnson
7.3lb – Dennis Wellman
7.4lb – Mick Pass
And fish of the moment goes to Derek Hill will a lovely 8.3lb!
The last week has seen some un-September-like weather, but thankfully for the fishing we aren’t getting several hot days in a row and the cooler nights and overcast days are ensuring that the fishing remains good.
This week’s fish of the week was caught by Paul Doin with his catch of 4.8lb, closely followed by Peter Buss with 4.4lb and P.Buick with 4lb exactly. Other notable catches include A.Norry who landed a good 3.8lb and Ian Workman, A.McLoan and S.Dawson each catching fish weighing 3.4lb.
Successful flies continue to include damsels and buzzers but we are beginning to see some good catches on daddies and black ants too so it is clear that Autumn is well and truly on the way!
We continue to be stocking weekly and now that the water temperatures are getting back to where we like them, we are regularly going to be putting in some larger fish, including several over 8lb so we are excited to see these coming out in the coming weeks!
Fishing continues to be very good with some good bags this week – notably Ray Burt with a 4 fish bag of 14.15lb the largest of which was 6.9lb – well done Ray! Other notable fish of the week were Dudo Rae at 4.1lb, Colin Penfold at 4lb, A Singer with 3.12lb, David Harris & Steve Novis both with 3.8lb and Simon Price with a fish of 3.2lb. By far the best fly of the week was the Damsel in its various guises. Other significant flies include buzzers, diawl bach, cat’s whiskers and black and green lures.
Tuesday 8th marked 1 year since we opened the gate and we ran a special offer of free ticket upgrades. It was fantastic to see so many regular as well as new faces join us for the day and there was some great fishing to be had. Fish of the day was caught by Paul Strevens – a lovely fish of 4lb. The rod average for a 3 fish ticket was the day was 1.6
Getting back to the weekly reports – after the hot spell and now that the weather has turned cooler, the fishing has picked up dramatically with some good bags being caught, notably a 3 fish limit of 10.4lb which included the largest fish of the week at 4.12lb caught by Simon Price. Second largest fish of the week was caught by David Goldsmith weighing in at 4lb, closely followed by a fish of 3.9lb caught by John Inch. Most successful flies at the moment include damsels, daddies, buzzers, montanas, cat’s whiskers and sedges. Even though the evenings are drawing in, there are some really good rises and good fishing to be had!
Tuesday 8th September marks exactly 1 year since we opened the gates at Brick Farm Lakes - to mark to occasion and thank you all for your support, we will be offering a free ticket upgrade on all tickets, for example if you buy a 3 fish ticket then we will upgrade it to a 4 fish ticket for free. This offer is only for Tuesday 8th September and excludes voucher purchases.
Thank you all for your support over the last 12 months - here's to looking forward.
Cooler weather and even some rain has helped and the water temperatures have dropped slightly. Fishing has been good, with lots of fish coming out. On Saturday 18th Peter Johnson had 3 fish and purchased 3 additional fish ending the day with 6 fish to 3½lb all from Spring Lake. On 16th Mr Clarke enjoyed a successful day catching his 3 fish including a lovely rainbow of 4lb 13oz. On 12th Lee Holden caught his 3 fish from Brick Lake with a total bag weight of 10lb 4oz including a 6lb rainbow, caught on various flies in the changeable conditions.
In general buzzers are still working well down deeper and when the fish are coming up in the water both damsels and montana have proved to be fruitful.
During the day we are seeing various rises when the cloud comes over. Most evenings have seen fish rising consistently in all lakes, with some great sport being had on the dry flies including Sedgehogs and Snatchers.
Yet again we had a strange week weather wise - it started off a little better with some cooler days and then the wind really picked up and was gusting in all directions providing for some challenging casting. Again Spring Lake seemed to be the general favourite amongst our anglers wish the majority of fish early in the week being caught down in the depths. However the last few days have thrown everything you would think into the air and literally blown it in every direction possible. As always Damsels have been catching and also small buzzers, but blobs and boobies have proved fruitful too, particularly at the far end of Brick Lake. Despite a recent quiet spell, Well Lake has started to produce some catches again in the last day or so, notably on a retrieve with a fast stripping action. The largest fish for this week was a 3 ½ lb rainbow caught by Mr Richardson from Brick Lake on 3rd July despite it being a windy day. 3 other 3lb fish were caught by Lee, Nigel Hayden and Tim Smith.
Last week was a funny one weather-wise which reflected in the fishing. Earlier in the week it was very bright and warm, which whilst nice for the partners who came along to enjoy the scenery, it did reflect with the fishing being more challenging - this is where fishing to the conditions is really important. Spring Lake is 24ft deep so the fish will be down at 18ft +. Fishing deep with a slow retrieve proved to be essential for a good catch, particularly using black buzzers on your main fly, with some catching on a Daddy at the top of a very long leader! As always blue flash damsels proved popular, particularly in the evenings. Again our Saturday morning 5am early opening proved popular and well received with several anglers catching well before the usual 7.30am start! The end of the week has brought some cooler weather, cloud cover and slight winds which has reflected in the fishing somewhat picking up. The forecast for the following week is looking to continue on the cooler and cloudier side so there should be some good fishing. Despite the warmer weather we are currently still managing to get a stock in weekly so as always there are plenty of fish to be caught!
