Airflo Invitational Rutland Water Report by Russ Owen

So the dust is starting to settle on another big final down on the big pond!

After each match I fish on Rutland I appreciate the enormity of the place, traveling back to the dock at the end of day 2 you could see boats coming back from the top of the mighty south arm boats rounding the corner of the peninsula from the north arm and boats converging from the 2 corners of the dam.

Our event started early Tuesday morning travelling down to Rutland eagerly anticipating what lay in front of us we had been monitoring all social media for any clues as to what was going on. So our first day is just a low-key pleasure day running around trying our favorite areas catching a few fish across the dam in the morning before heading up the south arm after lunch. Sailing club bay was packed with fish but always receives plenty of attention so we bounced further up the arm to the green bank were in the previous week had been fishing very well. A couple of fish here and a good chat with a bankie who said the fishing had got much harder this week as there were thousands of pin fry that were occupying the trout.

On up we went to the area in front of Hideaway bay here a couple of northern Celtic cousins boats were getting a few fish and we spotted fish feeding hard on pin fry turning quickly back into the shoal to get another mouth full, these fish are notoriously difficult to temp and requires very accurate casting someone once said you have to force-feed them your flies! My preferred method is to use shuttlecock dries I find hares ear shuttlecock and a flashy pearly shuttlecock very good and always brown bits sunk on the middle dropper.

So with this set up myself and Gaz Dixon had a couple of hours full casting and catching these feeding fish some of the fish mouths were full of fry!

Day 2 saw the arrival of the rest of the team and our formal plan of practice goes into place with pairings allocated the either arm or the basin all parings reported good catches in the lower part of the arms but more difficult at the top may be the calm bright conditions played a part in this. It was also very evident that certain areas had better clarity that others and not surprisingly the clearer the water the better the catches but fish were willing to come to nymphs and fab patterns and very high in the water with most tip lines working well. The next couple of practice days saw us narrow down to only a couple of methods either 12ft or 6ft slow tip

with 2 fabs and 2 nymphs or maybe dries with the before mentioned flies if you were in the right water.

But on the whole, it was the tip lines with ultra-slow retrieve that had proved the best method and we felt that once the pressure of the boats on match day this would be the best method. We worked very hard to identify 2 fabs both different colours to use but one thing for sure both were “small” and are still on the secret list so I can’t divulge at this point but a big thanks has to go to Graham Anthony of Celtic Blob company for his help.

The nymphs are fairly standard a flashback diawl and a Nemo cruncher proved fairly successful but the fabs were taking the lion’s share.

March day 1 with nerves tingling is always a buzz and a good thing i think as it heightens all your senses, but once you’re out on the water they seem to be replaced with pressure to perform we had identified 2 prime areas with a few run spots Yellowstone had fished all week for all the teams and the area around Earnie’s and S buoy right up to Barnsdale in the north with only 3 definite captaincies we juggled plans to cover areas with 3 boats in the yellow stone area and 3 to the S buoy Earnie’s area.

The yellow stone area was rock hard with hardly any fish caught I managed to pull in very tight to the bank and winkle 5 out in the morning most boats had departed by 12 looking for better sport in the north by 1pm takes had really dried up so I headed for the north not knowing what was going on worrying I’d missed the boat A quick chat to Dave Hoppe in Spud bay on 2 fish and I was off turning the peninsula I met boats coming the other way the north had switched off as well dirty water the probable cause!

One course of action top of the wind should see clear water the monument was the destination I’d had fish feeding on pin fry here in practice there were 4 boats in the distance as I got closer 2 Hawks boats came into view Gaz in one Wayne another round to the back of Gaz boat to see what was happening. The north didn’t fish he was on 5 he’d caught 3 on first drift here on tip line method spread outlook for clean water head down on the method!

Within 15min we’re joined by Dave 4 boats here this could go 2 ways!! 20min no fish for the 4 of us action was required a few hand signals, Wayne, over to Fantasy the rest of us working down to Earnie’s just of the spit of Stockie bay we located them in clear water and fish willing to take if it was static. The 3 of us started to work the area here Gaz on the inside picking up shrimp fry feeders close in myself and Dave a little further out we were joined by a couple of other boats then the BT film Crew Andy Ford and Gareth Jones on the launch the drone was up and if we didn’t have enough pressure to perform.

Our poster boy Dave was on it here getting fish fairly regular catching one with the drone right overhead I’m certainly looking forward to seeing it Gaz was doing what he does best sliding fish straight across the surface to the net before the camera could turn

I didn’t convert my 2 chances. I was glad to see the launch go and true to form snagged a fish just as it left.

End of day 1 things were tight as they always are we sat in 3rd place well-positioned but a good way off Menteith Ospreys in 1st.

The evening’s team meeting would be crucial and the B areas we had identified would be crucial for  Day 2 but felt our method was right even more so if it remained hard or would the main areas fish on day 2?

Our plan was for Wayne and Christian to fantasy in the clear water Gaz and Dave back to Whitwell stockie Bay Area, Gus was being taken to east creek then the Normanton shore I was to go back to yellow stone area and go further up the south if that didn’t work.

On the start, a stiff north-easterly greeted the main fleet heading for the dam with only a handful of boats to the south and calm water of yellow stone I stopped the boat close to P buoy with a couple of fish topping in the calm water a fish almost immediately to the fab I was off to a flyer another and dropped one-second pass on the buoy then nothing.

A bit further up the bank and close in again at Yellowstone and a big fish possibly a big Bream maybe a brown topped in front of me I covered it and left the flies to sink a solid take about 3ft down we’d soon know if it was a Bream or a brownie, fortunately, a stunning yellow brownie around the 6lb mark a good first hour, unfortunately, another hour passed with a couple of missed takes and no other boats catching It was time to go further up the south we rounded Old Hall point and saw 4 boats dotted all along the green bank. We pushed on to the far end where I saw Kieron Jenkins of FNF Nymphomaniacs.

a chat with Kieron he said there was some fish close in. I definitely owe him a favour first drift my partner Josh and I both have a fish a second on the next and around 2pm a few fish start to move only one way to go on with the dries the same cast as our first practice session. The first cast a fish takes the hares ear shuttlecock the action remains steady swirling a few getting the odd one a good ratio would be 1 in 3 a drift further down towards hideaway rewards me with 3 more and 1 lost behind the boat but it gets to choppy about halfway across so back in tight to the green bank. I’m joined by Wayne up from Fantasy the dam didn’t fish probably the boat pressure quick chat and he is into a fish on the dries I get another 2 to make 11  only 1 more to finish a fish grabs my brown bits and takes 30 yards of line I get him back within 10 yards and another almighty run and the dry couldn’t keep up snap!!

Time to go 25min motoring back to the lodge.

How had we done had the north fished? Rutland always surprises us back in the dock Dave had smashed them at the mouth of Barnsdale the other boys had done well 6s 7s we had 45 for the team but couldn’t tell where we’d Finnish with the points system we’d have to wait. A superb BBQ laid on while the results were collated Gareth Jones read the results from bottom-up top 5 ? Maybe 4th or 3rd no we were very surprised with a credible 2nd behind the very impressive Menteith Ospreys Squad who are right on their game at the moment congratulations to them.

Few thanks from us to

The Flys hop

Loop Uk

Celtic Blob company

And of course Gareth Jones of Airflo and all the staff at Rutland And Anglian water

A fantastic event hope we get an invite next year

Russ and all the Welsh Hawks team