NEW TROUT LAKE OPENS AT RAYGILL
RAYGILL FISHERY in the Yorkshire Dales has long been one of my favourite places for a good day's fishing. It is situated in a beautiful part of the world, the fishery staff are friendly and helpful, it does not get overcrowded during the week and the fishing is reliable and always enjoyable. What more could one ask for?
There have been major changes and improvements in recent times. Firstly, the new fishing lodge opened with it's quaintly named “Cakey Pig Cafe” and this has improved the amenities at the fishery greatly.
The lower lake suffered severely from discolouration after rain so that it was virtually unfishable some days. The management decided to swap things around and closed this lower lake to trout fishing and developed it as an already successful coarse lake. The old carp lake at the top end of the fishery, above the eight acre Quarry Lake, has now become a trout lake.
This is where I fished during last week on a warm, cloudy but very windy day. The wind was from the east and whipped the waves up on the lake which is very exposed to a wind from this direction. I was impressed by the setting and the hard work that has gone into planning and planting out around the water's edge. It's a pretty venue with good views of the Dales - that is, if you have time to look at the view.
I did not have time for the scenery today! I was into a very fast moving fish first cast. It took about ten metres of line in a diagonal surge and then threw the hook. I was fishing a black lure for starters on advice from the fishery staff and it certainly worked. One of the fishery guys had taken not only trout on a similar lure the day previously but accounted for a large carp and a large pike on the same pattern. To keep the trout on their toes, Bernard the bailiff, has introduced a couple of 40lb+ pike into this lake.
I netted three rainbows and then sport tailed off. I switched to a two fly rig despite the wind and put a Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear under one of those emerger black buzzers with a blob of white floating material for its head. The bob fly worked well as a sight indicator and, indeed, my next fish came because I spotted the fairly slight movement of the bob fly away from me. Sure enough, there was a two pound rainbow on the hare's ear. I do not think I would have registered the take otherwise; I certainly felt nothing on the line.
A fishing friend had tried the larger the Quarry Lake first and he eventually showed up looking a bit red in the face. He had, he informed me, just hooked two fish, a brown trout on the bob fly and a rainbow on the tail. Both flies were CDCs and fished just under the surface. The fish took the flies simultaneously and put up a dogged fight before he managed to get them both to his net. It's a bit like a fisherman's “hole in one.”
He suggested that I try a different place on the top lake, the corner into which the wind was blowing. Casting was difficult because the wind was coming on to my casting arm and occasionally the stronger gusts played havoc with the line when it was caught in mid air. The fish were certain ly in this area of the lake and they were feeding voraciously. I missed a couple of takes on the buzzer rig and changed over to a size 12 Viva which I retrieved at speed as soon as it landed. The trout were after it every time and several took it with a vengeance and were netted.
I spotted one or two large rainbows, easily “doubles,” feeding in the waves but could not tempt any of them to take the fly. However, having seen them encourages one for the next visit. This leads us nicely to details of the best fish so far this season:
Rainbow trout: 14lbs caught by Paul Kelly on a damsel.
Arctic Char: 5lbs 1 oz caught by B. Halliday on corixa.
There was also a Troutmasters Fish-off won by Nick Halstead of Dewsbury who netted 19 fish all caught on lime green buzzers. It just shows that a little local knowledge and some ingenuity will catch fish!
The fishery has introduced a regular newsletter and further information can be obtained from the addresses shown below. Other activities include Junior Fishing Instruction Days and fly tying classes on Saturday mornings with Keith Shires and Ken & Teri Wharton as instructors. If you want a pleasant day on the water with the chance of landing rainbows, brownies, blues, goldies, artic char and even pike or carp on the fly, then, you should enjoy Raygill Fisheries.
Prices: £2 per hour up a maximum of £12 day.
Rainbow trout can be taken at £1.75 per pound.
Open all year from 8.00 am until dusk.
Raygill Fisheries, Lothersdale, Keighly BD20 8HH.
Telephone: 01535 632500
e-mail: raygillfisheries@hotmail.com
Tight Lines!
Eddie Caldwell
