Elinor Trout Fishery - 2020

Welcome to our Elinor Trout Fishery Reports for 2021 ...
To view any particular months report, please just click on that month you wish to read shown below.

February March April May June July August September October November December

Elinor has been a trout fishery for over 50 years and I have had the pleasure of owning it since 1989. This will be my last season. Elinor will be open until December 31st for day ticket anglers from boat and bank. Season permit holders can bank fish during January. Hopefully someone will take on this thriving fishery. Many thanks to all the loyal customers who have supported Elinor. I’m taking a year off with obscene amounts of fishing planned! Ed.

December 6th - 12th

118 anglers caught 310 fish of which 229 were returned

Best Fish
9lb 10oz Ryan Stephens, black/green lure, bank
9lb 2oz Marius Bar, apps bloodworm, boat
9lb 0oz Tomas Maciunas, black/green lure, black/green lure, boat
7lb 8oz Mick Moseley, apps bloodworm, bank
7lb 3oz Andrius Papeika, black/green lure, bank
6lb 14oz Chris Scott, white/green lure, bank
6lb 2oz Phil Harris, boat
6lb 2oz Andrius Papeika, black/green lure, bank
6lb 1oz Chris Smith, damsel, bank
+ 8 other fish over 5lb

Best Areas
Bank - Goodfellow bay, gravel bar, shallow bay
Boat - Goodfellow bay, shallow bay, dam

Best Patterns
Black/green or white/green lures, damsel, red or olive apps, red cruncher, hares ear, small black buzzer.

The specimens continued to show last week (photo below) with decent fish caught from bank and boat. Fish are feeding on immature damsel, small buzzer, caddis and roach fry. On colder mornings the afternoon has definitely been more productive. Elinor is open every day over the Christmas period with the last day of the season being December 31st. Season ticket holders only can bank fish in January. Half day tickets now the clocks have changed are available 7am until 2pm or Midday until dark.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: TBC

Elinor has been a trout fishery for over 50 years and I have had the pleasure of owning it since 1989. This will be my last season. Elinor will be open until December 31st for day ticket anglers from boat and bank. Season permit holders can bank fish during January. Hopefully someone will take on this thriving fishery. Many thanks to all the loyal customers who have supported Elinor. I’m taking a year off with obscene amounts of fishing planned! Ed.

November 29th - December 5th

78 anglers caught 295 fish of which 217 were returned.

Best Fish
8lb 12oz Oskars Endzellis, white/green lure, bank
7lb 12oz Martin Bourne, bank
7lb 8oz Mark Draper, boat
7lb 2oz Jake Wenman, black humongous, boat (see photograph below)
6lb 10oz Steve Loveridge, candy fab, bank
6lb 8oz Pete Welch, black/pearl lure, bank
6lb 4oz Darren Oram, yellow dancer, bank
6lb 3oz Peter Granger, candy fab, bank

Best Areas
Bank - boat bay, dam, Goodfellow bay, gravel bar, shallow bay
Boat - lodge end, along lodge bank as far as shallow bay

Best Patterns
Small black/green or white/green lures, candy fab, black buzzer, red diawl/cruncher, damsel, damsel booby.

Elinor is on great form with some excellent quality fish continuing to be caught. In bright and breezy conditions the fish can be tricky with the water being so clear but on cloudy or calm days the fish are in the top foot and close to the bank. There are good hatches of small black buzzers from mid morning onwards so washing line on a floater is the best method. Some fish were taken on small black or dark green cdc. Fry patterns such as minkies and humongous also worth a try at this time of year. Bank anglers generally had the best sport although boats found fish over the shallower water. Anglers who have unused vouchers purchased in 2020 will be able to get a refund in January.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• December 11th (now fully booked) & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: TBC

November 22nd - 28th

91 anglers caught 258 fish of which 202 were returned.

Best Fish
12lb 2oz Steve Loveridge, pitsford pea, boat
9lb 1oz Chris Allen, white/green lure, boat
8lb 10oz Clive Trundle, chamois worm, bank
8lb 8oz Phil Harris, olive apps, boat
7lb 2oz Phil Harris, black buzzer, boat
6lb 2oz Roy Brown, black/pearl lure, boat
6lb 0oz Roy Hosmer, bank
5lb 13oz Chris Freeman, candy fab, bank
5lb 8oz Ray Ward, black nomad, boat
5lb 5oz Peter Frame, small damsel, bank
5lb 0oz Graham Wright, pitsford pea, bank

Best Areas
Bank - boat bay, dam, Goodfellow bay, gravel bar, shallow bay
Boat - lodge end

Best Patterns
Small black/green or white/green lures, candy/sunburst fab, black buzzer, red diawl/cruncher, damsel, damsel booby.

Strong winds and cold weather kept rod numbers down last week. There are still plenty of big fish showing up in catches with specimens over 5lb caught every day last week. Bank anglers had the bigger numbers in cloudy conditions but boats have the edge when the sun is out. Best method continues to be a washing line with a small booby or fab on the point, black buzzer/diawl/cruncher on dropper. Quite a few brown trout are showing. Please remember that they are now out of season and must be carefully returned.

The first predator weekend saw mainly jacks caught along with a few nice perch. Dan Wade had the best pike on a deadbait (please see the photograph below).

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• December 11th (now fully booked) & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: November 30th

November 15th - 21st

127 anglers caught 351 fish of which 229 were returned.

Best Fish
9lb 10oz Boris Rasic, black uv booby, bank
9lb 3oz John Crook, white snake, boat
8lb 3oz Aurelijus Petraitis, hothead cat, boat
7lb 8oz Adrian Wilkins, boat
7lb 5oz Lazloe Boden, amber apps, boat (see photograph below)
7lb 4oz Ray Ward, black nomad, boat
7lb 2oz John Thomson, cat’s whisker, boat
6lb 4oz Pete Nightingale, black snake, oat
6lb 4oz Darren Oram, small white/green, bank
6lb 1oz John Thomson, cat’s whisker, boat
6lb 0oz Martin Hollingshead, white/green snake, bank

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, Goodfellow bay, gravel bar, shallow bay
Boat - lodge end, boat bay, gravel bar

Best Patterns
Black buzzer, red/olive apps, small damsel, yellow fab, white/green or black/green lure.

There really is a good chance of a specimen fish at Elinor right now from bank and boat. When the sun is out the boats are fishing best but there are plenty of fish in range of the bank when cloudy. Fishing has generally been best middle of the day 10am - 3pm especially when there’s a frost. Best method has been a fab on the point with small buzzers on the dropper. Quite a few brown trout are showing. Please remember that they are now out of season and must be carefully returned.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th (now fully booked) & 28th
• December 11th (now fully booked) & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: November 30th

November 8th - 14th

152 anglers caught 502 fish of which 297 were returned.

Best Fish
8lb 10oz Andrius Papeika, olive apps, boat
8lb 3oz Chris Redhead, black buzzer, boat
8lb 3oz Dave Ogilvie, boat
7lb 12oz Ian Donaldson, fab, bank
6lb 0oz Alan Weatherley, blueflash damsel, bank
5lb 9oz Ian Donaldson, fab, bank
5lb 4oz Tim Hodkinson, bank
5lb 4oz Neville Silver, bank
5lb 2oz Dave Miles, cruncher, bank

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, Goodfellow bay, brookside, shallow bay
Boat - lodge end, gravel bar

Best Patterns
Black buzzer, red/olive apps, red diawl, blueflash damsel, tequila/candy/sunburst fab, white/green or black/green lure.

A good week for boat and bank anglers with fish better spread out and plenty of 4lb+ specimens caught. On calmer days there are decent numbers of fish rising to small black midges. The majority are being caught on floating lines in the top foot. Water clarity is excellent and the fish are fighting hard. Quite a few brown trout are showing. Please remember that they are now out of season and must be carefully returned.

Roy Crowther Memorial Fur & Feather Sunday November 14th
22 boat anglers and 20 bank anglers took part with 88 fish caught. Only 5 limits were caught so the result was in doubt until the final whistle. First to bag up at 11.48am was Vince Sparrow fishing from the bank in the boat bay. Vince also had 6 decent fish weighing 15lb 7oz with 6lb of time bonus to add on. With 10 minutes to go Ian Donaldson had moved to brookside point to try and land one more fish for his limit. His last fish was a 7lb 12oz resident which boosted his bag to 21lb 10oz despite not having any time bonus. Top boat angler who took 3rd place overall was Andrius Papeika who fished in front of the boat dock using olive apps and included the biggest fish of the match, 8lb 10oz, in his bag. In the top 12 there were 6 bank and 6 boat anglers.

1. Ian Donaldson bank 6 fish 21lb 10oz
2. Vince Sparrow bank 6 fish 21lb 7oz
3. Andrius Papeika boat 5 fish 16lb 5oz
4. Brad Gifford bank 6 fish 15lb 12oz
5. Richard Slater bank 6 fish 14lb 4oz
6. Graham Willis bank 6 fish 12lb 9oz
7. Mike Edwards boat 5 fish 10lb 13oz
8. Stewart Kerr boat 5 fish 10lb 4oz
9. Shane Dickerson boat 4 fish 9lb 15oz
10. Jamie Cheney bank 4 fish 8lb 9oz
11. Tomas Maciunas boat 4 fish 7lb 12oz
12. Ed Blain boat 3 fish 6lb 5oz

A fantastic £508.00 was raised for the Wheelyboat Trust. Many thanks to everyone’s generosity. The photograph below shows the winner, Ian Donaldson, in centre Janice Crowther and biggest fish prize, Andrius.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th (now fully booked) & 28th
• December 11th (now fully booked) & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: November 19th

November 1st - 7th

111 anglers caught 408 fish of which 305 were returned.

Best Fish
9lb 2oz Darren Oram, small white/green lure, bank (please see the photograph below)
6lb 0oz Clive Trundle, cormorant, bank
5lb 11oz Steve Carter, damsel, boat
5lb 4oz Bobby Dorrian, goldhead daddy, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, Goodfellow bay, brookside
Boat - lodge end, gravel bar

Best Patterns
Black buzzer, red/olive apps, red diawl, blueflash damsel, cormorant, white/green or black/green lure.

At last Elinor has hit form with the rod average almost doubling last week. Bank anglers are also enjoying good sport with Brian Carter landing 11 on Saturday on a hare’s ear and Darren Oram managing 10 on Sunday including the biggest of the week. Best boat catch was 26 on Friday to Chris Selby anchored off the boat bay using a floater with either black/green mini lures or bloodworm. There have been a few other double figure bags over the last four days. Water clarity is excellent and has hit the magic 10C. All boats are now booked for the Fur & Feather on November the 14th, but there is plenty of bank space available.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th (now fully booked) & 28th
• December 11th (now fully booked) & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: November 9th & 19th

October 25th - 31st

102 anglers caught 221 fish of which 165 were returned.

Best Fish
8lb 15oz Mick Moseley, black/silver lure, boat
5lb 14oz Chris French, bloodworm, boat
5lb 7oz Steve Carr, black buzzer, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, Goodfellow bay, brookside
Boat - lodge end

Best Patterns
Black buzzer, red/olive apps, red diawl, blueflash damsel, white/green lure, white/grey minkie.

Fewer anglers braved the windy conditions last week with boats unable to go out on a couple of days. I’m pleased to report that the water temperature has dropped substantially this week at 11.2C today. Catches have been much better since Monday from both boat and bank. Despite the storms water clarity remains excellent. All boats are booked for the "Fur & Feather" on November 14th, but there is plenty of bank space available.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th (now fully booked) & 28th
• December 11th (now fully booked) & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: November 9th

October 18th - 24th

137 anglers caught 257 fish of which 196 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 2oz Leigh Pond, bank
5lb 12oz Mr Holloway, fry imitation, boat
5lb 5oz Tim Green, cormorant, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, brookside, Goodfellow bay
Boat - down middle, especially lodge end

Best Patterns
White or white/green lures, pink lure, red or olive apps, roach/perch fry imitation, hoppers, cormorant.

The rod average last week continued to be dragged down by bank anglers struggling to get more than a fish or two. Water temperature today is 13.2C when normally at the end of October I’d expect around 10C. Fish being caught are in excellent condition. Just need a few more to open their mouths! There was a further stocking today.

Sunday October 24th ATTEFF English National Final
27 anglers qualified to fish Elinor for a place in the England bank team. Strong winds and at times bright sun made fishing even harder than the previous practice days. Many fish were lost in play with anglers using barbless hooks.
The six who qualified plus reserve (please see photograph below) are:

1. James Stephenson, 4 fish off 4 pegs, 8 points
2. Josh Piper 5 points
3. Andy Taylor 4 pts
4. Mark Harrison 4pts
5. Phil Shaw-Browne 4pts
6. Tim Joyce 4pts
7. Anthony Meadows 4pts

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th (now fully booked) & 28th
• December 11th & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: October 26th & November 1st

October 11th - 17th

137 anglers caught 294 fish of which 197 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 8oz Darius, black/green lure, daddy
6lb 13oz Jim Carter, white minkie, boat
6lb 6oz Peter Earle, daddy, boat
5lb 12oz Simon French, grey minkie, bank

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, brookside
Boat - most areas apart from west arm, lodge end holding most fish

Best Patterns
White or white/green lures, minkies and popper minkies, brown/orange/yellow hopper, red cruncher, cormorant.

The higher than average water temperature (14.4C today) is hindering improvement in bank sport with most fish out in open water apart from some fry feeders. Weed around the margins is only slowly dying back so bank anglers should bring waders. Boat anglers had decent catches with fish being caught on or near the surface particularly during cloud cover. Best method has been white or black lures on a floater or intermediate with a blob or cormorant on the dropper. A team of assorted hoppers fished wet continues to work with Andrius Papeika using this method to land 17 on Saturday.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th & 28th
• December 11th & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday October 24th - Team England Bank Fishing National Final (bank space will be limited for pleasure anglers, boats available as normal)
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: October 21st

October 4th - 10th

136 anglers caught 287 fish of which 202 were returned.

Best Fish
9lb 11oz Mel Dunn, cat’s whisker, boat
8lb 2oz Gary Ashman, pink booby, boat
6lb 8oz Bob Senior, black foam daddy, boat
6lb 3oz Greg Potts, orange fab, boat
6lb 0oz Neville Silver, green/white lure, bank
5lb 14oz Darren Oram, boat (please see photograph below)

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay
Boat - most areas apart from west arm

Best Patterns
White/green lures, sunburst blob, wet hopper, red diawl/cruncher, small damsel, white minkie.

There has been a decent improvement in catches for boat anglers although bank sport is still poor. Water temperature is 14.2C today and will hopefully continue to fall. The two best methods are a white lure on the point with tequila or sunburst blob on a floater or intermediate or a team of hoppers or crunchers fished wet on a floater. There are plenty of fish on the surface on cloudy or calmer days and water clarity remains good. Weed around the margins is only slowly dying back so bank anglers should bring waders.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th & 28th
• December 11th & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday October 24th - Team England Bank Fishing National Final (bank space will be limited for pleasure anglers, boats available as normal)
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: October 15th

September 27th - October 3rd

88 anglers caught 161 fish of which 110 were returned

Best Fish
7lb 2oz Nigel Cheetham, white lure, boat
5lb 3oz Paul Wood, white/green lure, boat
5lb 1oz Lazloe Boden, fry imitation, boat

Best Areas
Bank - boat bay, dam, brookside, east arm
Boat - most areas holding fish but lodge end best

Best Patterns
Daddy, black hopper, red diawl/cruncher, white minkie, tequila blob, white/green lure, black/green lure.

I’m pleased to report that the water temperature has dropped to 14.3C today. Fishing should be good for the rest of the season especially on calmer or cloudy days. Weed is starting to die back but boat anglers are getting the best bags. Washing line on a floater, dries or unweighted fry patterns are working in cloud cover. Boat anglers have caught using intermediates 2 foot down on brighter days. I’ve watched fry feeders in brookside bay and overflow corner chasing roach and perch this week. Keep an eye out for diving seagulls for the chance of targeting a specimen. There are still a few daddies hatching. 1500 fish have been stocked since the beginning of September.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th & 28th
• December 11th & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday October 24th - Team England Bank Fishing National Final (bank space will be limited for pleasure anglers, boats available as normal)
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: October 8th

September 20th - 26th

114 anglers caught 186 fish of which 130 were returned.

Best Fish
5lb 10oz Graham Manson, muddler, boat
5lb 6oz Peter Francis, daddy, boat
5lb 6oz Brian Carter, daddy, bank
5lb 1oz Mr Turner, tequila blob, bank

Best Areas
Bank - boat bay, dam, creek, east arm
Boat - most areas holding fish but lodge end best

Best Patterns
Wet or dry daddy, black hopper, red diawl/cruncher, white minkie, tequila blob, white/green lure.

Fishing continued to be slow last week with the water still warm. There has been a distinct improvement in catches since Saturday especially during cloud cover. Water temperature is 17.3C today and will continue to drop helped by much cooler nights this week. Plenty of daddies still around and huge numbers of roach and perch fry. Since Elinor reopened on September 1st 1300 fish have been stocked plus another delivery is booked for Friday. it should be an excellent back end to the season.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th & 28th
• December 11th & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday October 24th - Team England Bank Fishing National Final (bank space will be limited for pleasure anglers, boats available as normal)
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: October 1st

September 13th - 19th

138 anglers caught 181 fish of which 62 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 6oz John Fletcher, floating fry, bank
6lb 2oz Tony Milano, fry imitation, float tube
6lb 2oz Steve Loveridge, red diawl, boat
5lb 4oz Pete Welch, cats whisker, boat
5lb 0oz Jamie Wareham, bank

Best Areas
Bank - boat bay, dam, creek
Boat - most areas holding fish

Best Patterns
Wet or dry daddy, black hopper, red diawl/cruncher, black hopper, white minkie, tequila blob.

Fishing was slow last week from bank and boat. Water temperature today is 18.1C. Looking back at previous seasons, catches improve significantly at 16C or lower. Not long to wait now! Since Elinor reopened on September 1st 960 fish have been stocked plus another delivery is booked for Friday. Some fish are feeding on daddies when there has been a breeze to get them on the water. A few of the larger residents have started to chase the roach and perch fry.

Predator Fishing Weekends
Elinor will once again be holding two weekends when anglers can target pike and perch:
• November 27th & 28th
• December 11th & 12th
Eight boats will be available each day from 7am until dark. Lures or sea deadbaits only. Single angler boat £30.00 and Two anglers in a boat £50.00. Payment required in advance to secure booking by booking using details below.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday October 24th - Team England Bank Fishing National Final (bank space will be limited for pleasure anglers, boats available as normal)
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: September 24th

September 6th - 12th

112 anglers caught 221 fish of which 136 were returned.

Best Fish
6lb 6oz John Thomson, damsel booby, boat
5lb 6oz James Wilson, foam daddy, bank
5lb 2oz Graham Manson, purple lure, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, east arm, creek
Boat - most areas holding fish now

Best Patterns
Wet or dry daddy, black hopper, small damsel, red diawl, green, white/green lure, orange blob.

The heatwave last week pushed the water temperature above 21C and the fishing was hard. Water has dropped to 18.5C today with excellent clarity and catches are improving this week. There will now be good numbers of daddies hatching after recent rain. Anglers have already been catching on wet or dry imitations. A few 4lb+ fish are now showing after disappearing during the summer. These bigger fish will be switching onto the abundant fry soon.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday October 24th - Team England Bank Fishing National Final (bank space will be limited for pleasure anglers, boats available as normal)
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: September 17th

September 1st - 5th

109 anglers caught 313 fish of which 226 were returned.

Best Fish
5lb 8oz Bobby Dorrian, boat
5lb 5oz James Graham, black hopper, bank

Best Areas
Bank - creek, coarse bank, east arm
Boat - west arm, east arm, dam

Best Patterns
Wet or dry daddy, olive hopper, small damsel, red diawl, orange blob

Elinor reopened on Wednesday September 1st with a decent turn out of anglers. No stocking had gone in since mid July so there were some good quality fish caught. Brian Carter fished from the bank in the East arm and caught 6 fish weighing 22lb 6oz mainly using an orange pheasant tail. Lazloe Boden, anchored in the west arm, took 12 on a mixture of blobs, hoppers or cdc. A stocking went in at the end of the week and there will be a further delivery on Friday 10th. The two hot days this week certainly won’t help catches but thankfully normal temperatures return on Thursday.

Forthcoming Competitions
• Sunday October 24th - Team England Bank Fishing National Final (bank space will be limited for pleasure anglers, boats available as normal)
• Sunday November 14th - Fur & Feather
This year we will be raising funds for the Wheelyboat Trust in memory of Roy Crowther who passed away 10 years ago. Cost is £25.00 to fish from bank or boat (£5.00 for season ticket holders). 9am - 3pm

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: September 4th

August 31st

Elinor reopens Wednesday September the 1st.

The water temperature has dropped 2 degrees since last week down to 17.6C today which is better than usual for the end of August.

The fishing at Elinor tends to really switch on mid to late September after the summer doldrums but I’m hopeful that the fish will be in a feeding mood quicker this season having not endured a hot spell recently.

Boats will probably have the best sport at the start of the month. Bank anglers will need to keep their flies high in the water as the weed beds have only just started dying back.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: September 4th

July 12th - 18th

113 anglers caught 301 fish of which 206 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 7oz Steve Loveridge, red apps, boat
7lb 5oz Chris Selby, adult damsel, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, east arm, creek
Boat - down the middle

Best Patterns
Damsel nymph, adult damsel, red apps, cormorant, black snake, white/green or black/green lures.

Last week started ok but the hot weather since Friday has seen the fishing much harder. Although clarity is good the water temperature has hit 24C today. Boat anglers have the best chance of catching with the option of targeting damsel feeders on the surface or by by fishing the deeper water down the middle.

Please Note that Elinor will be closed for all anglers during the whole of August and will reopen on Wednesday, September the 1st.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: TBA

July 5th - 11th

138 anglers caught 427 fish of which 306 were returned.

Best Fish
9lb 2oz Ken Nicholls, daddy, boat
5lb 15oz Dave Macquillin, small damsel, bank

Best Areas
Bank - dam, east arm, creek
Boat - top of the wind

Best Patterns
Black hopper, wet daddy, damsel, red apps, cormorant, black snake, white/green or black/green lures.

Another reasonable week considering we are now in July. Warmer weather is forecast for later this week so boat fishing will give the best chance of fish. Plenty of damsels are hatching so there are surface feeders on most days with anglers using daddies, hoppers or unweighted damsel nymphs.

Please Note that Elinor will be closed for all anglers during the whole of August and will reopen on Wednesday, September the 1st.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: July 13th

June 28th - July 4th

131 anglers caught 475 fish of which 318 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 2oz Mr Sharpe, black snake, boat
6lb 10oz Steve Barker, damsel, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, east arm, creek
Boat - top of the wind

Best Patterns
Black hopper, wet daddy, damsel, red apps, cormorant, black snake, white/green or black/green lures.

A good week for the time of year with boat anglers enjoying good surface sport. A few anglers catching from the bank too. The water temperature remains under 20C. The most fish can be found at the top of the wind where the water is clear of algae.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: July 16th

June 21st - 27th

152 anglers caught 343 fish of which 232 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 5oz Chris Allen, black hopper, boat
6lb 8oz Steve Loveridge, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, boat bay, creek
Boat - lodge end, down middle

Best Patterns
Black hopper, wet daddy, cormorant, black snake, white/green or black/green lures.

Bank fishing continues to be very difficult. The water temperature has dropped to 17.6C today so I’m confident that bank anglers will start catching at some stage this week. Boats have enjoyed some decent sport with plenty of fish on the surface. Generally the fish have been at the top of the wind where the water is clear. The NE winds over the last few days has seen more fish at the lodge end. When there is cloud cover the method has been pulling daddies or a black snake on a floater or dry hoppers. If the sun is out, damsel nymphs or weighted black/green lures.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: July 1st

June 14th - 20th

96 anglers caught 306 fish of which 238 were returned.

Best Areas
Bank - dam, creek, east arm
Boat - lodge end

Best Patterns
Tequila blob/fab, damsel nymph/booby, red diawl, wet daddy, white/green lures.

Most of last week was very difficult fishing with the water temperature reaching 23C. Thankfully the rain on Friday along with much cooler weather improved the fishing at the weekend for boat anglers. Fish were back up on the surface with the water temperature today 17.9C. Best methods include floater with a blob or fab on the point and diawl bach or cruncher on the droppers, dry or wet hopper/daddy or white/green lures pulled near the surface. Bank fishing continues to be challenging.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: July 1st

June 6th - 13th

140 anglers caught 272 fish of which 183 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 4oz Chris Redhead, damsel, boat
6lb 3oz Andy Coleman, boat
6lb 2oz Steve Carpenter, tequila fab, boat

Best Areas
Bank - creek, east arm
Boat - pylon point, down middle

Best Patterns
Damsel, olive cruncher, red apps, wet daddy, tequila blob, white/green lures.

Fishing has been difficult during the hot weather, particularly from the bank. Boat anglers are getting some sport either by targeting the damsel feeders right on the surface or fishing over the deeper water down the middle with a sinking line. it looks like there will much cooler temperatures towards the end of the week which will help.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: June 18th

May 31st - June 6th

197 anglers caught 494 fish of which 301 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 9oz Mick Tracey, boat
7lb 3oz Nick Dunn, snake, boat
6lb 14oz Nick Dunn, snake, boat (please photograph below)
6lb 12oz Dave Thomson, white/green lure, boat
6lb 7oz Peter Simons, blue flash damsel, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, east arm
Boat - pylon point, down middle

Best Patterns
Damsel, white/green lures, black/green lures, tequila blob/fab, olive buzzer, wet daddy, olive cdc.

Please be aware that the bank fishing is vey difficult in the hot weather with early and late in the day being your best chance. Boat anglers who are prepared to fish a sink tip, intermediate or full sinking line have continued to catch in all conditions. Try and get your flies 8-12 foot down where the fish are holding in the cooler water. Plenty of fish are taking on the hang below the boat. The fish on the surface are proving difficult to tempt as they are preoccupied on the huge shoals of pin fry. The damsel feeders are a little easier to catch.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: June 11th

May 24th - 30th

229 anglers caught 703 fish of which 454 were returned.

Best Fish
7lb 6oz Pip Weatherington, boat (see photograph below)
7lb 6oz Chris Holland, blue buzzer, boat
7lb 3oz John Garwood, green squirmy, boat
7lb 1oz Mr Weaver, damsel nymph, boat
6lb 8oz Mark Britton, bank
6lb 6oz Dan Sugars, red apps, bank
6lb 0oz John Frain, boat

Best Areas
Bank - dam, brookside, east arm, boat bay
Boat - fish are well spread but easier to catch lodge end.

Best Patterns
Small damsel, olive cruncher, red diawl/cruncher, hares ear, black hopper, olive cdc, foam daddy, white/green lures.

As expected the fishing was trickier in bright sun especially from the bank. Early and late in the day has been the best time although with a bit of cloud cover the fish are on top and in range of the bank. Water temperature is still ok at 18.2C 2 foot down today. Boat anglers have more options being able to search over the deeper water. If the rising fish are difficult it’s worth using an intermediate with lures 4–6 foot down. Otherwise a midge tip with fab and buzzers. The damsel hatch has started. A size 10 or 12 unweighted olive pattern will imitate the nymphs swimming towards the shore line to hatch. It’s later in the summer when the fish switch to the adult damsel. From around midday there is a good mayfly hatch along the brookside bank. A large hares ear or Fraser nymph is working. Excellent late evening rise sees fishing feeding on emerging buzzer, small sedge and caenis.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: June 4th

May 17th - 23rd

128 anglers caught 473 fish of which 344 were returned

Best Fish
12lb 1oz Mike Bownes, olive snake, bank
10lb 8oz Chris Selby, black/green lure, bank
10lb 2oz Nigel Cheetham, red apps, boat
10lb 2oz Graham Manson, damsel, boat
9lb 9oz Darren Trumper, candy blob, boat (photo below)
9lb 7oz Chris Selby, black/green lure, bank
9lb 6oz Melvyn Hunt, wet daddy, boat
8lb 8oz Roger Bosence, black/green lure, bank
8lb 7oz Phil Musgrove, bank
8lb 2oz Andy Burgess, red diawl, boat
7lb 10oz Alan Calver, olive buzzer, bank
7lb 5oz Nigel Cheetham, cruncher, boat
7lb 2oz Nigel Cheetham, cruncher, boat
7lb 0oz Dean Yearsley, bank

Best Areas
Fish continue to be caught from all around the lake, biggest numbers from dam end, well mended torpedoes from east and west arm.

Best Patterns
Small damsel, olive cruncher, red diawl/cruncher, small black or olive buzzer, black hopper, olive cdc, foam daddy, white/green lures.

Less anglers last week in the windy, wet weather. However the fish didn’t mind and there were quality fish caught from both bank and boat. There continues to be hatches of mainly small black or dark olive buzzers along with good numbers of small daddies, mayfly and a few pond olives at last. The fish are high in the water with an intermediate the deepest line you’ll need. On a cloudy day with a lighter breeze dry fly fishing is excellent with plenty of rising fish to target.

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: May 28th

May 10th - 16th

265 anglers caught 952 fish of which 612 were returned.

Best Fish
9lb 4oz Alan Calver, boat
9lb 0oz Dave MacQuillin, black apache, bank
8lb 12oz Mike Bownes, black buzzer, bank
8lb 9oz Richard Cooper, boat
8lb 2oz Paul Wood, white/green lure, boat
7lb 12oz Neil Farr, damsel, bank
7lb 10oz Trevor Maycock, black hopper, bank
7lb 9oz Frank Parker, boat
7lb 8oz Mike Bownes, black buzzer, bank
7lb 4oz Dave McEwan, olive nymph, bank

Best Areas
Fish continue to be caught from all around the lake, biggest numbers from dam end.

Best Patterns
Damsel, damsel booby, black or olive buzzer, red or black cruncher, olive cdc, black hopper, wet daddies.

There was plenty of cloud cover last week and on many days the bank fished as well as the boats with some fine specimens landed. Fish are feeding on the surface at every opportunity on emerging black or olive buzzers, hawthorn fly and the first of the mayfly. Water clarity is good now and at a temperature of 15.2C conditions are perfect for imitative methods. Dry fly is working well during the day when light winds and on most evenings.

Scierra Pairs Heat
Sunday May 16th 9.45am - 5.00pm. 9 pairs fished this qualifier with the top 2 going through to the final in September. 83 fish weighing 185lb 8oz were brought to the scales and anglers who bagged up before the finish were permitted to continue fishing on catch & release after weighing in. The winning pair were back in with their 12 fish limit at 10.16am! Iain Barr and Richard Cooper (see photograph below) used a slow glass with olive or white snake and foam daddies on the dropper.

Top 6:
1. Rich Cooper/Iain Barr 10.16am 24lb 5oz + 13lb time bonus = 37lb 5oz (photo below)
2. Tomas Maciunas/Romualdas Kokstis 11.54am 25lb 14oz + 10lb = 35lb 14oz
3. Russ Jackson/Frank Parker 2.49pm 29lb 9oz + 4lb = 33lb 9oz
4. Dan Tranter/Ben Fox 2.30pm 26lb 9oz + 5lb = 31lb 9oz
5. Roger Kerrison/Mark Draper 4.55pm 24lb 12oz
6. Richard Winser/Philippa Winser 9 fish 19lb 10oz

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: May 21st.

May 3rd - 9th

177 anglers caught 797 fish of which 595 were returned

Best Fish
9lb 3oz Tomas Maciunas, boat
8lb 6oz Chris Redhead, red diawl bach, boat
8lb 2oz Steve Loveridge, olive buzzer, boat
6lb 12oz Chris Allen, black buzzer, boat
6lb 9oz Steve Carter, black hopper, bank
6lb 0oz Nigel Cheetham, uv cruncher, bank
5lb 11oz Peter Lewis, cats whisker, bank
5lb 8oz Barrie Cowland, diawl bach, boat

Best Areas
Fish continue to be caught from all around the lake

Best Patterns
Black or olive buzzers, small damsel, red cruncher/diawl, candy or sunburst blob, black hopper, black midas, white/green lure.

Elinor is in good form apart from on the very windy days. Good numbers of fish on the surface taking hatching buzzers and hawthorn as well as fish feeding on buzzer pupae 2 to 5 foot down. Water temperature is a cooler than average 13.5C so the fish are in sparkling condition and fighting hard.

Some boats are still available for the Scierra pairs heat on Sunday May the 16th. Bookings/further details: www.scierrapairs.co.uk

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: May 14th.

April 26th - May 2nd

236 anglers caught 895 fish of which 585 were returned

Best Fish
7lb 8oz Nigel Cheetham, olive cdc, boat
6lb 6oz David Cooper, damsel, boat (see photograph below)
6lb 5oz Graham Kempston, white/green lure, boat
6lb 3oz Graham Kempston, white/green lure, boat
6lb 2oz David Cairns, sunburst booby, boat
6lb 1oz Gordon Curtis, black/red buzzer, bank
5lb 13oz Chris Holland, black/red buzzer, boat
5lb 12oz Mal Broughton, damsel boat

Best Areas
Fish continue to be caught from all around the lake.

Best Patterns
Black or olive buzzers, small damsel, pheasant tail, red cruncher, candy or sunburst blob, white/green lure.

A wild variation in weather last week. On cooler days, lures on an intermediate or midge tip between 2 and 5 feet down was the best method. During calmer conditions there has been plenty of buzzers hatching. Washing line on a floater with a fab or small booby on the point with s12 black or dark olive buzzer on the dropper worked well. Also worth trying a team of lighter weight nymphs such as pheasant tail, diawl bach and cruncher. Andy Lane persevered with dries in a boat on Sunday and was top scorer with 14 fish. Small black cdc shuttlecock was his best pattern while anchored off the gravel bar. Fly hatches are at least 3 weeks behind a normal year so there is plenty of good buzzer fishing to come.

Some boats are still available for the Scierra pairs heat on Sunday May the 16th. Bookings/further details: www.scierrapairs.co.uk

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: May 7th, 11th, 14th.

April 19th - 25th

247 anglers caught 1008 fish of which 623 were returned.

Best Fish
11lb 3oz Peter Harris, diawl bach, boat
8lb 2oz Derek Benamore, boat
7lb 0oz Victor Vaitkus, bank
6lb 12oz Mike Bownes, black diawl, bank
6lb 8oz Andy Burgess, black/red buzzer, boat
6lb 6oz Lorenzo Serrano, black uv lure, boat
6lb 2oz Martin Hollingshead, black/green snake, bank
5lb 13oz Peter Clements, olive buzzer, boat
5lb 8oz John Allan, black buzzer, boat
5lb 7oz Chris Franklin, red cruncher, bank
5lb 4oz Ivor Fisher, cats whisker, boat
5lb 4oz Pete Welch, black buzzer, boat

Best Areas
Fish are well spread.

Best Patterns
Black or olive buzzers, red or black diawl, red cruncher, small damsel, red apps, candy or sunburst blob/fab, white/green or black/green lures.

Bank fishing was difficult in the bright sunshine but much improved with cloud cover. Friday saw a good evening rise but a cold NE wind over the weekend meant minimal surface activity. Fly hatches are a couple of weeks behind during this cold April. A settled spell of SW winds will soon see some brilliant rises. Anglers continue to catch well with a fab/small booby and buzzers from mid morning onwards. Early mornings the best flies have been damsels, white/green lures or black/green lures. Fish continue to be well spread around the lake.

Sunday April 25th Alex Booth Fly Fishers Presidents Cup
12 anglers fished from the bank and caught 51 fish
1. Mike Smith 16 fish
2. Riccardo Saccone 9 fish
3. John Marshall 7 fish
4. Vic Byrne 4 fish
5. Jeff Savidge 4 fish

Some boats are still available for the Scierra pairs heat on Sunday May the 16th. Bookings/further details: www.scierrapairs.co.uk

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: April 28th & 30th.

April 12th - 18th

218 anglers caught 689 fish of which 464 were returned

Best Fish
8lb 6oz Andrew Lebish, pitsford pea, boat
8lb 2oz Darren Oram, bank (see photograph below)
7lb 8oz Chris Redhead, olive buzzer, boat
7lb 6oz Percy Walker, boat
7lb 4oz Nigel Cheetham, red apps, bank
6lb 10oz Chris Reeves, woolly bugger, bank
6lb 7oz John Lashbrooke, montana, bank
6lb 4oz David Caffall, boat
5lb 10oz Chris Redhead, red apps, boat
5lb 8oz John Parker, bank
5lb 6oz Ken Nicholls, red apps, bank
5lb 6oz Chris Redhead, black buzzer, boat

Best Areas
Fish are well spread.

Best Patterns
Black or olive buzzers, red or black diawl, red cruncher, small damsel, red apps, candy or tequila fab, white/green or black/green lures.

The water temperature has risen a little to 10.2C today and there is lots more fly life hatching at last. Fish are feeding well on black or olive buzzers of all sizes. Boat anglers are getting the best bags using a floater or midge tip with a fab or small booby on the point. Lures fished 2-4 foot down are working early morning before the buzzer hatch starts. Even though Elinor has been busy the fish are well distributed with most anglers catching a few without anyone sitting on a shoal and catching silly numbers. Double stocking this week! Bank anglers are having to work harder to catch when the sun is out. There are signs that the evening rise will be starting anytime now so there should be some good dry fly action.

Some boats are still available for the Scierra pairs heat on Sunday May the 16th. Bookings/further details: www.scierrapairs.co.uk

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: April 21st, 23rd and 30th.

April 5th - 11th

161 anglers caught 545 fish of which 356 were returned

Best Fish
8lb 10oz Monty Kilpatrick, boat (see photograph below)
8lb 4oz Darren Oram, pitsford pea, bank
8lb 2oz Craig Hopkins, black diawl, bank
7lb 8oz Craig Hopkins, tequila fab, bank
7lb 6oz Clive Trundle, black snake, bank
6lb 3oz Gary Pointer, yellow blob, bank
6lb 2oz Lazloe Boden, green/white lure, bank
6lb 2oz Darren Oram, diawl bach, bank
6lb 1oz Alan Calver, white/orange lure, boat
6lb 0oz Joel Stradling, bank

Best Areas
Most areas producing fish.

Best Patterns
Black or black/green lures, white/green lures, black diawl, cruncher, black buzzer, olive buzzer, tequila or candy fab/blob.

At last there are some decent hatches of black or olive buzzers now the cold wind has dropped. On frosty mornings the fishing has generally improved in the afternoon. Best method from the bank has been a fab on the point with buzzers or diawl bach on the dropper. Boat anglers are catching on straight lined buzzers as well as washing line. Intermediate line with black/green or white/green lures continues to work. Water temperature is a cool 8C so there are only a few fish surface feeding. However the evening rises should start before the end of the month.

Some boats are still available for the Scierra pairs heat on Sunday May the 16th. Bookings/further details: www.scierrapairs.co.uk

No need to book for bank fishing, but it is advisable to book for boat fishing. Half day tickets are now available 7am until 2pm or 2pm until dark. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer.

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: April the 16th.

March 29th - April 4th

264 anglers caught 989 fish of which 602 were returned

Best Fish
12lb 0oz David Chappell, damsel, bank
10lb 2oz Michael Farrell, cormorant, bank
9lb 3oz Kevin Fielding, black shipmans, bank (see photograph below)
9lb 3oz Boris Rasic, black buzzer, bank
7lb 8oz Marc Culeen, tequila fab, boat
7lb 5oz Paul Knights, black/green lure, bank
7lb 0oz Keith Chapman, orange fab, bank
6lb 13oz Mr Arbon, boat
6lb 8oz Mike Mohan, bank
6lb 8oz Lazloe Boden, yellow dancer, bank
6lb 6oz John Parker, black/green lure, bank
6lb 5oz Bryan Swain, black/green lure, bank
6lb 3oz Dave Rowell, black lure, bank
6lb 0oz Mike Ward, cormorant, boat
6lb 0oz Khurram Rana, orange lure, boat

Best Areas
Most areas producing fish depending on wind direction.

Best Patterns
Black or black/green lures, cormorant, cruncher, damsel, grhe, black buzzer, dark olive buzzer, tequila or candy fab/blob.

A huge variation in weather last week and therefore a mixture of flies worked depending on conditions. Tuesday and Wednesday were warm and there was a decent buzzer hatch. Since then it’s been constant cold N or NE winds so mini lures and larger nymphs fished 2-4 feet down has worked best. Mornings have generally been slow with catches picking up during the afternoon and early evening especially if the wind drops. A couple of milder days will soon get the buzzer fishing in full swing again. Although not clear the water visibility is over 12 inches now and continues to improve. Another good selection of big fish last week with the majority returned. Elinor hasn’t stocked any fish above 7lb 8oz this year, so all fish above this weight are overwintered.

You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer. Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: April the 9th.

March 22nd - 28th

196 anglers caught 739 fish of which 541 were returned

Best Fish
10lb 6oz Chris Redhead, pitsford pea, boat
9lb 0oz Richard Webb, red cruncher, bank
7lb 4oz David Grayson, black cruncher, bank
6lb 7oz Dean Ward, red cormorant, bank
6lb 5oz Peter Cartwright, small damsel, bank
6lb 0oz Chris Selby, pitsford pea, bank

Best areas
All areas are producing fish.

Best Patterns
Black or black/green lures, cormorant, cruncher, damsel, grhe, black buzzer, dark olive buzzer.

Another good week although made more difficult with strong winds, particularly for boat anglers. The warm start to the current week has seen the first decent buzzer hatches with anglers catching well using black buzzers around 3 foot down as well as diawl bach and cruncher. Boris Rasic had a great day on Monday using buzzers including a stunning 9lb 3oz rainbow (see the photograph below). Boat anglers are finally getting some good catches this week. Best methods being a team of crunchers on a floater or mini lures on an intermediate with the majority of fish at 2-4 feet down.

You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer. Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: 30th and April the 2nd.

March 15th - 21st

235 anglers caught 964 fish of which 695 were returned

Best Fish
9lb 12oz Brian Coe, bank
9lb 1oz Adam Bolam, bank
7lb 10oz John Gray, red apps, bank
7lb 0oz Luke Maylin, black booby, bank
6lb 9oz Jeff Crowden, cruncher, bank
6lb 8oz Allan Wither, cats whisker, bank
6lb 4oz Philip Baughan, cruncher, bank
6lb 2oz Nigel Cheetham, black hopper booby, bank
6lb 2oz John Gray, red apps, bank
6lb 0oz Rob Newcombe, small black/green lure, boat

Best Areas
All areas producing fish

Best Patterns
Black or black/green lures, cormorant, cruncher, damsel,

Elinor is fishing much better now with the rod average doubling to 4. Small flies working as well as lures. Most fish are being caught in the top 2 feet. During the last month it has been mainly black patterns that have worked best. Brighter flies such as cats whisker and orange blob/fab have caught fish over the last few days. The majority of anglers bank fished last week although boats are starting to find some fish over open water. On milder days there has been some buzzers hatching. Anglers have spooned fish with small black or dark olive buzzers inside. On Saturday Zydrunas Vaicius had a surprise catch when fishing a leech pattern under an indicator, a 6lb + tench (see photo below).

You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer. Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: March 23rd, 30th and April the 2nd.

March 8th - 14th

121 anglers caught 247 fish of which 180 were returned

Best Fish
9lb 8oz Bob Walmsley, black muddler, bank
9lb 3oz Wane Borg, black/green lure, bank
6lb 10oz Chris Redhead, red diawl bach, boat

Best areas
All areas producing fish

Best Patterns
Black or black/green lures, cormorant, black diawl/cruncher, black buzzer,

Last week continued to be slow fishing but there has been a noticeable improvement this week. Nigel Cheetham caught 13 from the bank on Monday using a washing line with black crunchers and black midas. Today there were plenty of anglers catching 4-6 fish with Ian Newbold managing 10 and Mike Bownes 13. Fish are being taken from all areas around the lake with bank producing better than boat. Most fish are being caught in the top two foot with a shallow bung or washing line the best methods. Elinor is full of fish and definitely worth a visit now. Until the clocks change the half day ticket is available 7am - 2pm or midday - dark. All prices remain the same as 2020.

You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer. Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: March 23rd

March 1st - 7th

112 anglers caught 208 fish of which 142 were returned.

Best Fish
10lb 2oz Mike Bownes, cormorant, bank
9lb 4oz Mike Bownes, cormorant, bank
6lb 13oz Dennis Ciapparo, black/green tadpole, bank
6lb 8oz Neville Silver, diawl bach, bank
6lb 2oz Matt Skinner, black/green lure, bank
6lb 0oz Pavle Knezevic, bank
6lb 0oz Phil Musgrove, bank

Best Areas
All areas producing a few fish.

Best Patterns
Black or black/green lures, cormorant, black diawl/cruncher, black buzzer .

Water clarity is now 4-5 inches. Catches were slightly better with the rod average almost 2. Once the visibility reaches 6-8 inches the fishing will improve dramatically. Bank fishing continues to be better than boat. Best method is a floater with a booby on the point with cruncher, cormorant or diawl bach on the droppers. Bung with black/green lures or black buzzers at 2 foot also working along with black fritz lures fished high in the water. Today and tomorrow we have strong winds but hopefully not torrential rain. Until the clocks change the half day ticket is available 7am - 2pm or midday - dark. All prices remain the same as 2020.

You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer. Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: March 12th

February 22nd - 28th

107 anglers caught 179 fish of which 117 were returned

Best Fish
10lb 4oz Mick Moseley, black/green lure, bank
8lb 12oz Dave Dakers, black/green lure, bank
6lb 6oz Alan Calver, black booby, bank

Best areas
All areas producing a few fish.

Best Patters
Black or black/green lures, cormorant, black diawl/cruncher, black or pink snake.

Water clarity is very slowly improving. Clay sediment from the flooding in December and January is minute and takes longer to drop out than sand sediment. Although the rod average was only 1.7 there have been a few notable catches:
• On Thursday, Boris Rasic landed 9 from the coarse bank on a black Diawl Bach
• Saturday saw Graham Haywood catch 9 (see photo below)
• Sunday, Andrius Papeika managed 6 from the boat dock on black/green under a bung

Only a few boats went out and it was generally more difficult than bank. At the moment we have around 4” visibility. When there is at least 6-8” the fishing will improve dramatically. Although only a few fish have been taken out since opening day stocking is continuing with the majority being 2lb+. Latest news today that Mike Bownes landed 5 fish including a 10lb 2oz and 9lb 4oz on a cormorant from the East arm. Until the clocks change the half day ticket is available 7am - 2pm or midday - dark. All prices remain the same as 2020.

You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer. Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: March 5th

Opening Weekend February the 20th & 21st

81 anglers caught 122 fish of which 94 were returned

Best Fish
10lb 1oz Carl Lerigo, white snake, boat
5lb 8oz Mr Watson, cormorant, bank
5lb 6oz Peter Graham, montana, bank

Best Areas
Coarse bank, Brookside

Best Patterns
Black or black/green lures, cormorant, black or white snake.

As expected with the coloured water the fishing was difficult on the opening weekend. Lures on a floater or slow intermediate worked best. Also worth trying an indicator at 12-18 inches. Fish are well spread all around the lake. Boat fishing was particularly difficult and bank anglers are having the best sport. Most fish are being caught in the top 2 feet. Tom Finney had the best score of 5 fish on Saturday. Catches will improve as the water clarity improves.

During the first couple of weeks the bank generally outfishes the boats. Black/green or white/green lures and snakes on a floater or intermediate are worth a try with nymphs starting to score as the water clears further. With the water coloured remember to fish your flies all the way back as you can catch right under your rod tip. All prices remain the same as 2020. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer:

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
Payable to: E. Foster
Bank: Natwest
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment Reference: Your Name

Next Stocking: February 26th

Elinor opens for the 2021 season this Saturday February 20th at 7.00am

Unfortunately conditions aren’t ideal. The water still has plenty of colour but is slowly improving each day.

There has been a heavy preseason stocking over the last two weeks of 1,450 rainbows including 100 4-6lb fish to add to the large number of 6lb+ specimens left in from last year.
During the first couple of weeks the bank generally outfishes the boats. Black/green or white/green lures and snakes on a floater or intermediate are worth a try with nymphs starting to score as the water clears further. With the water coloured remember to fish your flies all the way back as you can catch right under your rod tip.

All prices remain the same as 2020. You can either pay cash on the day or make a payment in advance by bank transfer:
E. Foster
NatWest Bank
Account: 00548537
Sort Code: 52-30-21
Payment reference - your name

Elinor will now open on Saturday February 20th

As I’m sure many of you will realise, Elinor is rather coloured at the moment. There is no chance of good fishing conditions in time for the original opening date of February 6th. Hopefully there will be a less wet couple of weeks.

Opening weekend, February 6th

Fly-fishing for Brown & Rainbow Trout, in idyllic surroundings. Our 2021 Season is from 7am on the 6th of February to the 31st of December, but we will be closed during the month of August. Season permit holders may bank fish in January 2022. At Elinor Trout Fishery there are 1.5 miles of superbly accessible bank fishing, which means there is plenty of space without Elinor being too large and daunting. We have a modern fleet of 15 modern boats, plus we have a new Wheelyboat available with electric engine and battery available for anglers who struggle fishing from our Coulam boats as well as wheelchair users. We stock weekly with top quality Rainbows and Browns.

Best Fish in 2020
• Rainbow Bank: 13lb 6oz Phil Musgrove, Sawtry
• Rainbow Boat: 13lb 6oz Bob Senior, Stamford
Our rods tend to keep only a few fish to eat and this has resulted in a large number of grown-on fish. Also Float-tubers are always made most welcome at Elinor, plus we now have a fleet of 16 "fifteen foot" Coulam boats on the water. Stocking weekly with top quality Rainbows & Browns. Our Gin clear, well oxygenated spring fed water gives a stable environment for our hard fighting, well-conditioned fish to live in. I hope you enjoy a memorable season, Ed.

Elinor Trout Fishery, Lowick Road, Aldwincle, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 3EE.
Telephone: 01832 720786 | Email: enquiries@elinortf.co.uk

Website by Mevell Web Design @Elinor Trout Fishery 2022