Latest Report!

ESTHWAITE WATER TROUT FISHERY REPORT – 15/3/2012

TROUT FISHING

What a fantastic start to the season we have had here at Esthwaite, with many good reports of double figure bags, and all methods producing the fish and some spring like weather to cap it all off, can’t be bad! The lake received its first stocking on the 1^st March and right from the word go, the fishing was excellent. Hawkshead Angling Club member Jamie Timmins enjoyed an epic session, landing 30+ trout from the ticket office banking, mostly Rainbows on worm and spinning tactics, however he accounted for a beautiful over wintered specimen Brown Trout of 4lb+, which was released safely (see attached picture). Also bank fishing David Telford from Bootle landed 8 rainbows to 2lb+ on legered worm. Cameron Johnson aged 13 from Leigh in Lancashire fished worm and sweetcorn from the car park and took another over wintered Brown Trout of 5lb (see attached photo). Meanwhile season ticket holder Joe Reynolds from Barrow landed 8 rainbows on spinning tactics. Mike Japp from Blackpool also fished the spinner and landed a rainbow of 4lb 6oz.

Fly anglers have also been doing well. Richard Maddox from Barrow boat fished the North basin and took 5 rainbows on sinking line and appetiser lures. Fishing similar tactics John Gardner from Morecambe also took 5 rainbows on cats whiskers and orange fritz combo’s.

While practicing for the open pairs heat, HAC member Bob Swann took 20 rainbows from the boats over 2 days. Bob employed a variety of lures and nymphs on a sinking line. Meanwhile Jon Henderson, also on a practice day landed 12 rainbows and a 10lb Pike on similar tactics!

Bill Hethrington, a season ticket holder from Barrow landed 5 rainbows while fishing from the boats. All Bill’s fish were taken on cats whisker and orange fritz, fished on a sinking line. Also Ian Ferguson from Brampton took 8 rainbows to 2lb+ on Dawsons olive’s fished from the boats!

Stephen Fletcher from Consett boat fished the North basin and landed another grown on Brown Trout which was safely returned and must have been 5lb+ (see attached picture). Stephen caught the brownie on fly and landed 4 other rainbows too.

The Peregrine team Esthwaite lads fished the venue last weekend and landed 26 rainbows and 2 brownies between them. All of them boat fished and took fish on early season favourites such as black and green damsels and  boobies fished in conjunction with sinking lines!

Our open day on Sunday 11^th March was a blast. Heat 1 of the 2012 Open Pairs competition was contested with 16 anglers landing 64 rainbows for a total weight of 109lb 1oz. In second place Bob Swann and Colin O’brien weighed in 12 fish for 22lb 2oz and in first place Mike Frith and Mike Henshall weighed in 12 fish for 23lb 6oz, including the time bonus. Both pairs now go through to the final in September. Also on open day James Atkinson and John Macintosh from the England Youth Flyfishing team conducted a fantastic fly tying demonstration which kept everybody amused in the tackle shop. Our discounted fly fishing tuition session was well attended with our resident instructor Ian Jones giving participants all the help they needed to get started. There were many people who just popped down for the craic and the camaraderie was fantastic, as was the weather which stayed mild and spring like for a change!

For all the latest information log onto our website www.hawksheadtrout.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Best Regards

David Coleman M.I.F.M

FISHERY MANAGER

Latest Report!

ESTHWAITE WATER TROUT FISHERY REPORT – 28/2/12

TROUT FISHING

The cold weather, has now been replaced with spring like temperatures and the trout have been moving near the surface and taking the odd buzzer. Catches have been slow still, however there have been a few nice fish taken.

Hawkshead Angling Club member Dave Bell landed a nice brace of Brown Trout, that were successfully released on legered worm from the ticket office banking. Dave’s best fish was a cracking 3lb+ fish.

Meanwhile John Brown from Lancaster fly fished fry patterns from the boats and took 3 nice rainbows to 4lb from the South basin.

The lake will receive its first stocking of the year on March 1^st, so expect sport to pick up no end. The mild winter has had a positive effect on the over wintering stock and so prospects for March are looking very good indeed.

Our open day will take place on Sunday March 11^th. The day will include heat 1 of Esthwaite Pairs competition. There will be a discounted tuition session running from 10am until 2pm. The cost for this is £10 per person, anyone is welcome, just remember to bring a hat and a pair of sunglasses. Each participant will need an EA licence, which will need to be purchased in advance of the day. There will be a fly tying demonstration, conducted by the England Youth squad members and you can learn how to tie that ‘hot’ Esthwaite pattern. Also special offers on fishing tackle and complimentary food and drink will be available, as well as general camaraderie. Feel free to come and chat to our friendly staff, everyone is welcome. Please contact the fishery for further details!

PIKE FISHING

The Pike fishing has been on top form since the thaw and static deadbaits have reigned supreme for the majority of anglers visiting the fishery.

Chris Oakes from Lincoln experienced the best session, taking 5 Pike to 28lb on sea deadbaits from the boats (see attached picture)

Meanwhile Mark Jones from Colwyn Bay employed the guiding service available at Esthwaite and took 2 Pike to 20lb 8oz, again on static deadbaits from the boats.

Peter Bragg from Whitehaven took a 22lb fish on Mackerel deadbait.

Chris Harris lure fished and landed a 20lb 8oz fish, again from the boats!

Paul White from Carlisle used smelt to land a 21 pounder.

H.A.C member Dave Roscoe took a 19lb 4oz fish to similar tactics. Meanwhile Ian Spence from Barnard Castle fished a static deadbait and landed a 21 pounder.

James Goodall from Grasmere took a 25lb 10 oz fish to legered mackerel ( see attached photo) and Mark Billington from Sedbergh fished with an Esthwaite guide and took a cracking 24lb 8oz fish (see attached photo).

Don’t forget the Pike season runs until the end of March, please telephone the fishery in advance to reserve your boat, tightlines!

Best Regards

David Coleman M.I.F.M

FISHERY MANAGER

Latest Report!

ESTHWAITE WATER TROUT FISHERY REPORT – 1/2/12

TROUT FISHING

With the colder weather kicking in, the trout fishing has slowed some what since the exceptional sport we experienced prior to the new year. However one or two fish have been reported on worming tactics.

Hawkshead Angling Club member Dave Bell from nearby Windermere fished legered worm next to the ticket office and landed a fine Brown Trout of 2lb+, which was safely released.

Meanwhile Kate Watson another H.A.C member from Burton in Kendal fished bubble float and worm and took a beautiful 3lb 10oz rainbow.

Don’t forget the fishery will receive its first stocking on March 1^st and our open day will take place on Sunday 11^th March and will include the usual camaraderie of the first heat of the open pairs and a discounted tuition session in the morning. There will be a fly tying demonstration conducted by two members of the England youth fly fishing team and they will be offering practical tips and you can learn how to tie that ‘hot’ Esthwaite pattern. Also there will be special offers on fishing tackle and complimentry food and drink will be available. Feel free to come and chat to our friendly staff, everyone is welcome. Contact the fishery for further details.

Hawkshead Angling Club, which is affiliated with Esthwaite Water is now recruiting for the 2012 season. Membership fees are £135 for adults and £31 for juniors. There is now NO eligibility boundary, so anybody can join, it is no longer restricted to locals. For those who want to take up this fabulous offer, please contact the secretary Dave Armstrong on 01946 691889 or email mrdarmstrong@sky.com. Members benefit from a 60% discount on boat rental.

PIKE FISHING

Well what can I say, the pike  fishing has been fabulous recently with a number of leviathans reported.

First up Robert and Tom Clarke from Fleetwood employed deadbaits from the boats to take 3 pike up to 10lb.

Mike Atherton from Blackpool also deadbaited and took a 16lb snapper. Warren Hessey from Blackpool took an 18 pounder, again fishing deadbaits from the boats.

Meanwhile John Ashurst from Wigan also landed an 18lb 12oz fish from the boats, again static deadbait was the key!

Venue regular Dave Roscoe from Bury took a string of fish with boat partner, young James Macdonald aged 11. They also deadbaited from the boats and landed 4 doubles to 17lb and a 21 pounder , a 22 pounder and a 23lb 8oz specimen respectively! (see attached photo).

John Lodge from Colne in Lancashire fished the ticket office banking on day ticket and took this pb pike, a 28lb cracker. This one fell to a mackerel tail. ( see attached photo ).

However I always save the best until last! Feast your eyes on this Lake District lunker of 30lb 4oz to Nick Stopford from Kendal.( see attached photo ) He enjoyed a fine afternoons deadbaiting from the boats and his mate Graham Mclean also took a 21 pounder to round off.

The coarse fishing is still good. Martin Winward from Barrow has been getting 10lb+ bags every visit and 18lb 8oz of roach and perch on his last visit.

Remember our pike season continues until the 31^st March and our general coarse fishing continues until the end of February. Please contact the ticket office on 015394 36541 to reserve your boat. Or log onto our website www.hawksheadtrout.com for all other information required.

Best Regards

David Coleman M.I.F.M

FISHERY MANAGER

Latest Report!

ESTHWAITE WATER TROUT FISHERY REPORT – 12/1/12

TROUT FISHING

The mild winter continues and so does the excellent trout fishing. The ticket office frontage is still the best place to fish with the worm, however the boat anglers are reporting one or two fish as well.

Fishing legered and float fished worm adjacent to the ticket office seems to be the most popular and effective method and area at present with numerous fish reported from here.

Hawkshead Angling Club member Dave Bell from nearby Windermere has landed 7 trout in 3 visits. Dave has taken both rainbows and browns to 2lb+, all on worm from here.

Also doing well is season ticket holder Richard Maddox who has been catching on similar tactics and methods. Richards best fish was taken over the festive period and weighed in at approximately 5lb.(see attached photo)

Meanwhile Paul Forsyth from Derby fished from the boats with fly to record 4 Rainbows to 4lb+ on sinking line and booby/floating fry combinations.

There are very few Cormorants on the lake this winter, so providing the weather stays mild, prospects for the trout fishing over the forthcoming weeks looks good!

PIKE FISHING and COARSE FISHING

Once again there has been a number of Pike reported in recent weeks. Geoff Birtwistle from Bury has taken quite a few fish over a number of visits. One session produced 3 doubles to 18lb+ on deadbaits from the boats. Other sessions have produced the odd double, however Geoffs best fish was a 21lb beauty taken on a smelt deadbait (see attached photo).

Mike Atherton from Blackpool took a fine 16lb Pike while static deadbaiting from the boats.

Nigel Wood from Lincoln took a brace of snappers. A 9 pounder and an 18lb 3oz fish to similar tactics.

Big s club member Chris Harris has landed plenty to 15lb+ on lures fished from the boat.

Robert and Tom Clarke from Fleetwood also deadbaited and took 3 Pike to double figures.

Chris Presland from Newcastle took a nice 18 pounder on the fly from the boats and new Big s club member Joe Southern from Bacup in Lancashire took a  fine 21lb Pike , again on static deadbaits from the boats.

The coarse anglers are still reporting excellent sport with quiver tipped maggot tactics, with plenty of double figure bags and given the right conditions 20-30lb bags have been commonplace.

Please telephone the ticket office for all the up to date information!

Best Regards

David Coleman M.I.F.M

FISHERY MANAGER

Latest Report!

ESTHWAITE WATER TROUT FISHERY REPORT – 17/12/11

TROUT FISHING

         Despite the cooler weather kicking in the trout fishing is still very good, for the time of year. Boat anglers are reporting good numbers of  fish, however the bank anglers are really producing some good bags also. The ticket office frontage is the hotspot at present and the fish are still in the shallow water hunting the fry and anywhere there is structure or decaying weed will be a good spot to try as the fry are shoaling tightly with  the onset of winter and are seeking the sanctuary of these areas. Swimming pool, Weather bay, Strickland bay , the ticket office frontage and Stockie bay have all been producing fish or showing signs of fish activity.

         One angler who took advantage of the fry feeding was Peter Scott from Edinburgh, who fished the swimming pool from the boats and took 5 nice rainbows to 4lb+ on sinking line and floating fry imitations.

John Prescott (not the famous left jab Prescott), from Wigan fished zonkers and boobies, again on sinking line tactics in Stockie bay and landed 3 rainbows to 3lb+.

Bank anglers fishing worm outside the ticket office have been doing best of all. Season ticket angler and venue regular Richard Maddox has landed 7 trout in 2 visits. 4 rainbows and 3 browns to 3lb+. Meanwhile Hawkshead Angling Club members Ed Edmundson and Tony Hudson from nearby Kendal landed 1 brownie and 2 rainbows, again on legered worm. The duo also missed countless other bites.

Once again Dave Bell, another HAC member has been getting in on the action taking 2 rainbows and another cracking grown on Brown Trout, which was released over 4lb ( see attached photo ).

Prospects are looking good for the festive period, with plenty of fish still showing and no sign of a freeze up. Please contact the ticket office for all the latest news and advice!

PIKE FISHING

Once again there has been some nice pike reported over the last couple of weeks. HAC member Tim Carswell from Cockermouth legered deadbaits and took a nice brace of toothy critters of 18lb 6oz and 20lb 14oz respectively. Meanwhile Jason Jones from Cleveleys  reported a 22 pounder and 2 back up doubles again to  static deadbaits from the boats. Also fishing deadbait John Hicks from Grange took a 14 pounder from the car park banking.

Fishing lures from the boats Chris Harris, a Big S club member from Lancashire has reported several doubles to 18lb+ and a fine 20lb 8oz specimen.

However the best recent pike was taken, again by a Big S club member John Ashurst who took an impressive 27lb 14oz specimen on a lure fished from the boats ( see attached photo).

The fishery will be open throughout the festive period and for all those customers that can’t make it until the new year we would like to wish you a Happy Christmas and a fantastic rod bending new year, all the best !

Best Regards

David Coleman M.I.F.M

FISHERY MANAGER

Latest Report!

ESTHWAITE WATER TROUT FISHERY REPORT – 1/12/11

TROUT FISHING

The trout fishing is excellent at present and with this mild spell of weather set to continue, prospects for the forthcoming weeks looks fantastic, with good numbers of trout still showing in the lake! The fish are definitely on the fry, big time. Best areas include the ticket office frontage, strikland bay, weather bay and the swimming pool area of the lake. Find the decaying weed or structure and you have pretty much found the fry that the trout are searching for!

Esthwaite Peregrine and England international squad members Alistair Beaumont and Dave Morris fished boobies and blobs and took 7 rainbows to 5lb+ from the boats.

Paul Gratton from Blackpool fished the swimming pool from the boats and landed 4 rainbows to 2lb+ on sinking line and cats whisker’s.

Meanwhile employing spinning tactics Andy Murray from Lancashire took 3 trout to 3lb and a 6lb pike!

As well as the boats, the ticket office frontage from the banking is producing big style. Hawkshead Angling Club member James Timmins took a cracking rainbow of 5lb 8oz on worm.

From the same swim, Anthony James and Chris Lawler, from the Manchester area, fished worm again and landed 6 rainbows to 5lb (see attached picture).

Season ticket holders Richard Maddox and John Gardner have also taken a good few fish from the same area using legered worm. A mixture of browns and rainbows to about the 3lb mark.

However the in form angler at present on the trout front is Hawkshead Angling Club member Dave Bell from nearby Windermere. Over 4 visits, Dave has taken 14 trout. A mixture of both rainbows and browns. Again using a combination of legered and float fished worm, he has taken rainbows to 5lb and browns to a similar weight. Yesterday he produced the goods again. Catching and safely releasing 4 trout. All of which were Brown Trout (see attached picture of the best one- 5lb).

PIKE FISHING

The predator fishing is also good at present with a number of fish being reported from both boat and bank.

Hawkshead Angling Club member Alan Dixon from Ulverston fished the car park banking with deadbaits and landed 3 pike to 16lb.

Meanwhile Big S club members Steve Hincks and Darren Lord from Blackpool have been boat fishing the lake and have reported plenty of doubles taken on a variety of methods, including fly, lures and deadbaits.

Ian Sorvel from Widnes landed a 2olb pike on lamprey section from the boats.

Nathan and Brent Dransfield from Leeds also fished lures from the boats. Using big pike spoons the father and son duo took pike to 10lb+ and 2 trout of 5 and 8lb respectively!

Best reported pike was taken as part of a 3 fish haul by Ian Johnson from Crewe. Ian fished from the boats and landed 2 on float legered static deadbait. However his best fish a 24lb 2oz specimen was taken on a lure!

Anyone wishing to join Hawkshead Angling Club for the 2012 season should contact the secretary Dave Armstrong , by telephoning 01946 691889 or email mrdarmstrong@sky.com. The annual fee is £135 for adults and £31 for juniors and entitles you to 12 months unlimited fishing on beautiful Esthwaite Water. Remember it doesn’t matter where you live as there is now NO eligibility boundaries!

Best Regards

David Coleman M.I.F.M

FISHERY MANAGER