Pitsford Open Day

Just warming up for the new season and I was at the Pitsford open day today. Not just looking around and getting some casting tuition - although I could use some! But working. Well, tying some flies and chatting about fishing, ok so not working then.





There was a great mix of anglers there, friends, experienced, beginners and even a few from Draycote - could be busy this year.

Peter Hartley seemed to draw the short straw and as a bit of a brush up on casting was popular it meant that Peter was out in the snow all day. It felt almost like spring in side!

I can't believe that Ravensthorpe opens in a week, I think i'll try and wait for Pitsford on the 12th.

If you need to follow up on a few conversations you can leave a comment here or contact me on kevrowley@live.co.uk.

Barclays Bank National 2010

The initial plan was to hold this again at Draycote Water because the fishing has been superb. However Severn Trent have put a spoke in with not renewing the lease so i have been looking around for alternatives.

We have decided to hold the event this year now at Eyebrook Reservoir and have managed to find a hotel fairly close by. We are still planning to hold it on 14th may and the invites will be going out early next week. This will be a great time of year at Eyebrook with the water warming up early and hopefully plenty of fly life pulling the fish up in the water.

If you are not included on the invite list or want to join us please e-mail me at kevin.rowley@barclaycard.co.uk and it would be great to see you.

Anglian Water and Pitsford Opening dates

I have heard a number of people asking about when the Anglian waters are opening this year. So here are the dates:

Ravensthorpe - 27th February 2010. A bit cold for me but there can be some nice days.

Pitsford - 12th March 2010. Still really a bit early but I don't suppose i'll be able to help myself

Grafham - 19th March 2010. There were plenty of fish around at the end of last year and mixed with some stockies it could be a good start.

Rutland - 1st April 2010. Now that's more like it! I might even get a trip off the bank around this time.

Hope your appetite is suitable whetted now! Theres still loads of flies to be tied and tackle to be sorted!!

MNTFA Chairman

We held a MNTFA committee meeting last night and Mike Philpott our current Chairman has decided to step down. He initially said he would do a couple of years and I think it must be 5 now and excellent ones they have been too. Leading the club through difficult times but remaining very strong and healthy. Additionally we do have a couple of spaces on the committee and have done for a while now. The jobs are not onerous but if you can take some minutes of the meetings, help with some communications or help inspire people to fish you would be welcome.

So just a little call to action if anyone would like to lead the Club and stand for Chairman or join the committee please let me know. Their is an official deadline of end of Feb but willing volunteers always welcome.

Walking on water

If you thought you could then it would have been easier today at pitsford, but after the sharp reminder this week in leicester I wouldn't recommend it. The photo's from today show the extent of the freeze at Pitsford. The small half is completely frozen and the large half probably 40%. I am pleased the season ticket isn't valid!





Mark Haycock is at the ON's on Thursday this week giving a talk to the MNTFA about his experiences fishing for England last year. Should be a good event.

I have enjoyed the blog last year so thought I would carry on again for this and look forward to a few comments as we go.

The last trip!

With a week off and the first main frost of the winter this week I didn't fancy much fishing but was determined to go and Phil and Steve were also looking for perhaps the last trip of the year.

I was hopeful that Elinor would continue to fish whatever the weather. There are loads of fish in there, Ed is still stocking and catch returns for the last few weeks had been at 3 per rod. Not bad for early December!!

It rained most of the morning but surprisingly the thing I found most difficult was the cold. Although there hadn't been a frost the night before, the wind increased as the day went on and that was biting. My fingers got so cold that every half hour I couldn't move one so had to put my gloves on and warm up before starting again. At the end of the day I felt chilled to the bone.

Having said that I still saw quite a few fish rising out in front of me so I had confidence that every now and again the fish came around and they were well up in the water. We started on the far side between the dam and the spinney, for me it was a bit shallow and didn't think it would fish until things warmed up around lunch. However Phil proved me wrong quite quickly and had a nice rainbow on a damsel. It kept us going for another 20 minutes but I fancied the other side and we headed off.

Phil and Steve carried on past the spinney into the next bay but I stopped just before the boats. I saw fish rising quickly and that did me for the day. I used a ghost tip and two damsels all day until the last half hour and managed 3 fish.

I was once again surprised how close in they were and on small waters they do tend to cruise the margins. With this on my mind I got out of the water and stood further up the bank. With the wind right to left and out a bit I could do a few short back casts and then punch it up into the wind and it flew out. It's surprising by going backwards 5 yards I got a 5 yard longer cast. I just had to remember to retrieve it right in close. My first two fish took this close in. My third took on the drop at range but all of them must have been in just a couple of feet under water.

Phil and Steve were struggling but we all tucked in close together. It was only after Steve had been nattering and heard that some one else has caught on buzzers that he came back to try one. He had two quick takes so I changed my point and had a take. Phil then changed his whole cast to buzzers and suddenly was full of action. He managed to land 2 fish as well as a few takes and Steve then came over and dropped in to also catch.

It went quiet again for a while and Phil and I decided to call it a day. However Steve had got the bug and carried on for a while without success. All in all in rough conditions we had seven between us which on the day was a great result, perhaps only being beaten by a guy on pensioners point who at least had his 6.

I think that will be my last trip of the year now!

Draycote closing for 2010

Just as i sent out the Barclays newsletter saying the National will be at Draycote again for next year I have received a letter from Keith Causer advising that Severn trent are closing the fishing in 2010 to facilitate alterations to the visitor centre and car parking.

I hope their plans add real value to the leisure facilities on site because the way they treated Phil Dixon last year after he made a great success seems to be repeated here. Keith has build a fantastic fishing water to rival Anglian Water. This will all be lost if they are not careful.

It is shocking!! I took the family for a walk round earlier this year and I had to get an icecream from a burger bar because the restuarant was closed as it did not pay to open. How do you get a state of the art facility and not use it correctly?

It is planned to open in 2011 but Keith's lease will have elapsed by then.