Total Flyfisher Magazine

I’ve learnt a couple of new things this week. Do you know what a drawdown is? I didn’t until the former boss of Anglian Water’s Recreation team, David Moore, enlightened me. It appears that when the water companies extract water from the reservoirs and the shoreline are gradually exposed it’s called a drawdown. This exposure reveals the different areas where insects are found that the trout feed on it’s a bit like digging out a section of a cliff where the different layers are exposed. Watch out for the feature next year.

While at Rutland I did some pictures with Graham Pearson and Mike Barratt boat fishing the draw-off tower up the reservoirs North Arm. You should see the vast swarms of ‘Bloody Red’ Shrimp around the base of the tower, very impressive and the trout love em’. Strangely the boys weren’t fishing for them with shrimp patterns. You will have to wait to see just what they were using!!!

Talking of the shrimps. I hear Grafham boss John Mees is one of the new contestants due to take to the floor in next years Strictly Come Dancing he will be doing the ‘Grafham Shuffle’ now made famous by the fishery’s bank anglers. The steps are “one step forward, one step back then swivel from side to side.” Marvelous! The shrimp then appear all around your legs, you wait until they are swept out a bit, then you cast your shrimp imitation into the middle of them. Can’t wait to see John in his spandex and sequins. Oh, by the way, if anyone’s interested, I have a covert picture of the senior warden demonstrating the ‘Grafham Shuffle’ on the reservoirs boat pontoon that could well make an appearance in next years Anglian Water Hooked magazine that will be given away in this Total Flyfisher next April.

Fishing for landlocked salmon! Some say yuck, others say bring it on. My view is it’s just the same as fishing any other smallwater except that you’re fluff chucking for salmon instead of trout. Not cheap as you might expect, but in my personal opinion the catch tastes a whole lot better. I will let you know what the family says after Boxing Day lunch. And, yes I did manage to winkle a couple out.

Off to the holiday home for a long weekend and maybe a quick leisure and pleasure visit to Woodington Trout Fishery in Hampshire if the other-half agrees.

Also going to pick up an Roland E-70 electronic keyboard from Surrey that I won on an eBay auction for £50. Should sound brill when I crank it right up to 12 through my Marshall amp…do you think should I tell the neighbours? Nah, they’ll find out soon enough.

Cliff Waters