Recent Posts

Hi,

If you are reading this message then I expect that you would like to become a member of this forum. Due to recent ---SPAM--- we have had to take extra security measures to insure that only dedicated Trout anglers make use of this forum.

For further information on how to become an active member to this forum please email info@brankltd.com and include a bit of information about your local fisheries. Following an approval you will be sent a member number for which to complete your registration.

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Kind regards,
Brandon

[Fishery Report]

We are now entering the low season as far as club matters are concerned. Schools are breaking up and holidays may be upon us so at present there is not a great deal to report upon.

May and June saw a couple of events.

The May member & guest weekend was supported by a total of 28 anglers. The weather was not kind to us as high temperatures and bright sunshine made for less than ideal conditions. The honours on Saturday were taken by Clive Brewer and Rocky who found themselves losing by the smallest margin to father and daughter combination Keith and Lara Winchester who won on Sunday and took the overall event. It must be said that Lara saved the day as far as dad was concerned.

The Jim Jaycock pairs event in June saw everyone hoping for a draw with fish magnet Spud Taylor. To compensate for Charlton Athletic being relegated Ron Knight drew Spud as his partner and it will come as no surprise that this pairing won the day when again high temperatures and sunshine presented a challenge to the 14 competitors.

Some members have enquired in to club badges and I am pleased to advise that the committee have sourced a supplier and we expect to be able to order and distribute badges when we reconvene in September.

There are two post summer events to bring to your attention.

First is the dry fly late afternoon set for Sunday 6 September commencing at 4pm to take advantage of the evening rise. This will be a brace ticket of three hour duration. For any novices at dry fly we hope to have some experts around to assist and I will be interested to know if a dry fly works with a sinking line! Ticket price £21 and booking form is attached which should be returned by 28 August.

Steve Standen has booked Blackwool Farm for an away day on Sunday 11 October. If we wish to have exclusive use of the specimen lake we will need 20 anglers. This will be a four fish ticket costing £55. For those who have never been Blackwool holds some very fine specimens one of which weighing 19lb 4oz has been mounted and adorns the landing at Mutch Towers. A booking form is attached and this should be returned together with payment by 25 September. Please note your cheque should be made payable to BLACKWOOL FARM. Also once we have booked places we will have to pay for them so this really will be a case of no pay no play. Your cheques will not be cashed until the day of the event.

The fish of the month award for May and June go to:
May – Samantha King 6lb 8oz
June – Patrick Tory 7lb 10oz

The winners may select a bottle of spirit of their choice from the bar as recognition of the catch on their next visit. Past winners are listed in the tackle shop.

Please see the important note regarding catch and release. We will let you know when this benefit is reinstated.

I guess that is about all from me. Have a good summer and for those that are off enjoy your holidays. Kenya beckons the Mutch tribe where I learn that fish stocks have improved due to the actions of Somali pirates who have scared off the long liners. You can see the logic – would John West risk losing $1m worth of tuna to a bunch of pirates when they can go elsewhere so for once the pirates have done some good meaning all the more for me. If not kidnapped see you in September.

Good fishing to you all.

Greg Mutch
Club Secretary.

Fishery Report

As to be expected the fishing has become harder during July. This summer seems to have come earlier than in previous years. However anglers are finding fishing at present a good test of their skills having to use small very natural patterns. Hares Ear, PTN and damsels being the order of the day, the sparser the dressing the better. Fish are not being caught easily during the day as it is too bright. High water temperature is also affecting the evening rise with fish not feeding until after dark. Due to adverse conditions the catch and release option has been withdrawn for the time being as it is not possible to return fish safely.

Remember early starts will benefit you in the summer but please report to the shop at 8am to pay for your ticket.

Enjoy your summer holidays.

Tight Lines
Neil 

Did you know?

Fact #1: During a rise it can be highly productive to fish in areas highly exposed to the wind. This is because windy weather forces the fish to act fast. As a result the fish become careless and less choosy. This is a secret you can use to your advantage to deadly effect.

Fact # 2: Contrary to popular belief you should not use a dry fly during bright sunshine. The trout will keep away from the sunny surface choosing to feed on nymphs and other food types.

Fact #3: It is a shocking fact that during an established hatch you will catch more fish using a ‘cork-bug’ popping pattern than a dry fly. This is because the popping noise attracts fish already surface striking. The trout are in a feeding frenzy and will strike without close inspection. The noise of the popper is more deadly than its appearance.

Fact #4: Trout also become black orientated towards the end of the season. Therefore you will do well to switch to darker coloured flies in autumn and early winter.

Welcome to all the new members on the forum!!

I'm quite interested to find out where everyone is from?? Myself Surrey....

If anyone has been down to the fishery in the past few weeks please may you let me know how it has been fishing....I'm planning on heading down there this weekend. I have had some good days there in the past....

Brandon

Welcome to our new club year. As I write we have 62 members which compares very favourably with numbers for 2008/09. As ever we have lost a few and gained a few so a particularly warm welcome to our new members and it was a pleasure to meet some of you at our recent competitions.

Hopefully everyone will have received their members’ privileges pack and catch and release vouchers for 2009/10. If not please get in touch and I will send them on. New members who have not collected their club discount cards can do so from the shop on their next visit.

My thanks to those who attended the AGM at which the new fishery website www.coltsfordmill-fishery.co.uk went live. Our gratitude to Brandon Taggart in making this possible. Check it out as there is a members section and messaging facility.   

May saw our competitions get into gear beginning with the big fish weekend. Saturday was cancelled due to a poor response but those who entered managed to switch to Sunday where we had a full house of eighteen. Bright warm weather made fish in large numbers a little hard to come by. The exception being fish magnet Spud Taylor who managed to magic up a shoal wherever he went. Nevertheless some fine specimens were caught. With best fish of 8lbs the overall winner was Kevin Dickinson who upon entering his first ever competition managed to wipe the smug look off the faces of some of the old campaigners – well done Kevin. Best bag of 23lb 2oz went to fish magnet Spud Taylor. Both now qualify for the Standen Cup our tournament of winners to be held next March. If you haven’t already collected it a voucher awaits you both at the shop.

This was followed by the Mill v Sports round one. With a heavy heart I have to report that our boys took one hell of a beating losing by 97lb 3oz to 88lbs 7oz in what I believe to be our fourth consecutive defeat. The margin of victory would have been even greater had Dave Worrall who had the hot spot elected to use a fly with a hook!
Spud again was the fish magnet – five casts four fish! With a wedding in progress the humbled appreciated the hospitality afforded by our neighbours for some post match drowning of sorrows.

We have sixteen entries for the singles knockout which did not tax the collective brains of the committee too much in making the draw which is attached. The rules for the event are that each round is fished on a two fish ticket with maximum time duration of four hours. It will be the responsibility of each drawn pair to arrange the match and record the winner on the sheet on the shop notice board and let me know.
All entry fees will be refunded as prize money with the winner getting the trophy and qualification to the Standen Cup. We have not put a time limit for each round the only proviso being that the tournament must conclude by February 2010. Regrettably data protection laws prevent me from publishing contact numbers but hopefully most entrants know each other so this should not be too much of a problem. However if anyone needs their opponent’s contact details let me know.

The member & guest weekend for 23rd and 24th May is filling up nicely but there are still places available on both days. Anyone interested please contact me.

Our next event is the Jim Jaycock Shield to be held on 28th June. This is a pairs event with teams being drawn on the day. Each angler will have a four fish ticket with best team bag winning. As usual breakfast at 8am, fishing 8:30 to 1pm. Ticket price £36 per angler. A booking form is attached which should be returned to me by 19th June.

At the end of last year we promised a prize of a bottle of your favourite spirit to the captor of the biggest fish each month. With apologies for the delay the winners for the year to date are:
January – Chris Spicer 7lbs 11oz
February – Raouf Azrak 7lbs 5oz
March – Raouf Azrak 7lbs
April – Mike Snell 6lbs
Your tipple can be collected from the bar.
There may have been bigger fish caught but our award is based solely on what is in the returns book. If you don’t fill the book in you won’t win. In addition the returns book helps the fishery know what comes out so they know what to put in so please take a moment to fill it in at the end of your visit.
The committee will also award a trophy and medal at the end of the club year to the person who gets fish of the year.

In celebration of 25 years wedded bliss Mrs M and I zoomed off to Cape Verde. While Mrs M took the opportunity to view the sea life scuba diving I seized the chance to wander down a near deserted beach with fly rod in hand to try and catch some. A dozen or so casts later a very small fish took the fly. This was followed by a few more but gazing into the clear water I noticed bigger fish following the small stuff which was flapping about in distress having been hooked and I realised I had started a food chain as the specimens got bigger and bigger with swirls and fins appearing as the predators came for a look.
With the Jaws theme in my head I rigged the wire trace to the tuna special in anticipation of a meeting with the man in the blue suit. Alas at that moment Jacques Cousteau and co returned so I had to pack up and head for the agreed RV – the bar! Still it was good fun while it lasted. I would advise anyone visiting foreign shores to take a fly rod – you never know. This also gives proof to a scientific theory, husband goes fishing + wife goes diving = never see each other = no arguments = wedded bliss QED.

Finally Paul Weight has kindly given me the following which appeared in the April Issue of Trout Fisherman:

“Steve Riley and I had a day out teaching our daughters the fine art of fly fishing.
The girls each played and landed a 2 to 3lb rainbow trout. A little assistance was needed casting and netting fish but both had an enjoyable day.
The management at Coltsford Mill Oxted were very supportive of our attempts to encourage our daughters, a big thank you to them.
Holly -9 caught on a goldhead montana
Rosie – 5 used a black zulu
Francesca – 5 also a black zulu
Just a note for all the dads out there, take plenty of snacks and the Nintendo DS. They need a little break now and again.
The girls have requested return visits in the next few weeks. This is the way forward and means I get to do more fishing”

Both Steve and Paul are to be applauded for trying to introduce our sport to the next generation before it gets overrun by MOGs like me and Oaksey! (miserable old gits).
Speaking of the venerable one next time you see him along side Chris Spicer have a guess at the age difference!

Good fishing to you all
Greg Mutch
Club Secretary

FISHERY REPORT

Before I explain what has been happening on the fishery I would like to say a big welcome to all the new members who have joined the club this April. I hope all of you have a good season this year.

The fishery has been very busy with the weather being very bright so it has been fishing very well during the mornings and evenings.

Successful fly patterns for the month shifted from black to green with damsels accounting for a lot of fish. Gold head daddies and cats whisker also fished well throughout the month.

Floating lines with long leaders of lighter breaking strains of 4 – 5lbs are best. I hope these are useful tips.

There are still plenty of big fish in the lakes left over from the big fish weekend so please make the most of them.

The shop has been doing steady trade and we have lots of new products coming in this month so come and have a look around and take advantage of your club discount. Come and see us before you shop elsewhere (ebay).

The website is now up and running. It has been a long time coming but we think it has been worthwhile. When you have a few minutes have a browse and admire the hippy hats worn by Paul and myself (flowers in your hair).

Hope to see you on the bank soon.

Tight lines
Neil Atkins
Fishery Manager.

[COLTSFORD MILL TROUT CLUB]

COLTSFORD MILL TROUT CLUB
MARCH 2009 NEWSLETTER
SECRETARY’S REPORT

Happily the snow and ice now seems to be a dim and distant memory and we can all look forward to some fine spring weather and the opportunity to shrug off the fifteen layers and enjoy some fishing.

Due to a combination of illness and holidays our February meeting did not take place but there are a few things to draw to your attention. The cancellation of the meeting meant that we could not award the fish of the month but will backdate this at our next gathering.

Firstly a reminder that you membership subscriptions are due by the end of March and these should be sent to Chris Spicer.

I am pleased to report that we have several new members who will be added to our circulation lists and can collect their club cards from the tackle shop in order to take advantage of the many benefits available to members.

Membership packs with catch and release vouchers for the 2009 /10 season will be sent our in early April.

Our first attempt at self managing member’s renewals resulted in one error. We overlooked the fact that senior members are entitled to a £10 discount on membership. With apologies those that have paid at full value can receive a £10 credit to your club card the redress the balance. Those who qualify for the discount and have not yet renewed should send £85 – again to Chris.

Our club year came to an end in competition terms with the Standen Cup. Thirteen battle hardened veterans of past campaigns lined up on what on the face of it could not have been a more promising day – cool, overcast with very light wind and clear water. Unfortunately the fish did not see things our way and were a little hard to come by. Spud Taylor in his accustomed style bagged up early (the only one to do so) went home for a change of clothes and returned only to find he had been pipped at the post by Jerry Hall with only three fish and the best bag. Our congratulations to Jerry.

For the new season we are bringing back the singles knockout. Each round will be fished on a two fish ticket. The first round will be in May with entry of £5 per angler with all entry fees being returned as prize money. There is no strict deadline for finishing each round as long as the competition concludes by March 2010. An entry form is attached which should be returned to me before the AGM when we will make the draw.

April sees the first event of the new club year – Big Fish Weekend 25th – 26th April. Usual format – breakfast at 8am fishing 8:30am to 1pm, four fish ticket best single fish wins with the option to release anything under 5lbs. The ticket price is £46 and the booking form which should be returned to me with your cheque by 17th April is attached.

The club AGM will be held in the bar on 23rd April at 7:30pm (not April 30th as advertised in the 2009/10 calendar). We do not anticipate this being a long drawn out affair but will deal with the formalities of:

-Approving the annual accounts
-Re –election of retiring committee members
-AOB raised by members

This will be followed by presentation of medals to the winners in 2008/09 and the opportunity to enjoy a few beers in the company of your fellow members.
With no further expenditure planned for 2008/09 the accounts have been finalised and these are attached.
Both Mike Lawrence and Steve Standen will retire from the committee by rotation and being eligible offer themselves for re-election. The voting form is attached and should be returned to me by 17th April. Voting forms which are not returned will be deemed to be a vote in favour of re-election.
Can anyone wishing to attend the AGM please let me know by email phone or scribbled note on any of the forms as we may need extra chairs. To preserve club funds for hopefully better things there will not be a buffet but we may stretch to a few nibbles!

Some medals from the 2006/07 and 2007/08 season still await collection from the tackle shop, these are:

S. Standen
G. Fleet
B. Oak
J. Lang
B. Nicholls
M. Topley
D. Wharram
N. Marsh
D. Hodgson
Please collect these on your next visit before the 2008/09 versions arrive.

In bringing this club year to a close it remains for me to thank those that have supported us in one way or another and also gratitude to my colleagues on the committee for their help and new found enthusiasm. Despite the hard times that will be upon us with the credit crunch and dire economic outlook let us hope that for our club (to quote an 80s song) “things can only get better”.

Good fishing to you all
Greg Mutch
Hon Secretary

Club Competitions 2009 - 2010


Saturday 23rd / Sunday 24th May
- Member & guest weekend

Sunday 28th June
- Jim Jaycock shield - pairs

Sunday 6th September
- Dry fly brace

October - away trip
- Date and venue TBC

Saturday 21st / Sunday 22nd November
- BIG fish weekend

Sunday 29th November
- Mill v Holland sports

Saturday 12th / Sunday 13th December
- Member & guest weekend

Saturday 26th December
- Boxing day brace

Friday 1st January 2010
- New years day brace

April 2009 onwards
- Singles knockout

Welcome to the Coltsford Mill Trout Club Forum!

We hope you enjoy using your forum. 

Thanks!
Coltsford Mill