Angling Report
The latest news from the banks and boats
| Report for week ending: 10th May, 2026 |
| Rod average : 7.86 |
| Best fish : 4lb 10ozs rainbow |
| Caught by : Mr. D. Davies |
| From : the bank |
| Fly used : hawthorn |
| Best Dry Flies : Hawthorn ; black hopper ; Bibio (fished as a dry fly) ; small Daddies ; orange hopper |
| Best Wet Flies/Nymphs : black buzzer ; olive buzzer ; Hothead Diawl Bach ; Hare’s Ear ; Diawl Bach ; pheasant tail nymph |
| Best Lures : Cat’s Whisker ; black & green goldhead ; orange fritz ; weighted white & green minkie |
| Best Areas : Rainbow Corner (Mon, Tues, Fri only for bank) ; Old Man’s ; Watery Lane ; Mary Lou’s ; Dougie’s ; Mickledale Bay ; Boathouse Bay ; Ten Acre Bay |
Summary Report
Sad news but the Season Continues …
There was no angling report issued last week following the announcement by South Staffs Water that the fishery is to close at the end of November this year.
This has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone who works here, and we have been overwhelmed by the many kind words of support we have received from across the country.
Blithfield has been the home of a trout fishery since 1957 and over the years has come to mean so much to a wide variety of people. It has been much more than just a fishery – it has been a place of solace, of peace and quiet, of companionship and camaraderie, all important for both mental health and physical well-being. Over the years we have supported a great number of charities, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for very worthwhile causes while enjoying the sport we love.
For now though, we must focus on the current, final Season which is well underway. Sport has been incredibly good for the past fortnight with a rise in rod averages due to the number of trout still feeding in the margins and only slowly moving further out. Water levels remain excellent and buzzer hatches have been plentiful. Orange has featured strongly in successful patterns this week with fish feeding at around 2 to 3 feet and happily surfacing for dries when they are offered.
Creditable returns this week include for – visiting rod Mr. Mark Johnson with 30 fish from the banks of the South Lake ; visiting rod Mr. John Murphy who returned 27 fish from the banks ; Permit holder Mr. Paul Walker with 10 fish returned in just 2 hrs on the bank ; visiting boat rods Mr. Rod Tilton and Mr. Tim Buckett with a very decent 13 fish between them in just 4 hours, all caught on dry flies ; visiting rod Mr. Ian Jennings with a phenomenal 61 fish returned from the South Lake banks during his day-long session ; visiting boat rods Mr. Phil Harding and Mr. Gary Wolstenholme who returned 29 fish to their boat, again all caught on dry flies ; visiting bank angler Mr. Darren Dodd recorded 19 from the South Lake banks ; visiting boat rod Mr. Matthew Yarwood ended his day with 23 fish to his boat ; a group of anglers from the West Midlands and Staffs Police fly fishing syndicate enjoyed a great day on the water and between them achieved a rod average of 13 ; Permit holder Mr. Stacey Savage recorded a total of 35 fish from the banks with all caught on Diawl Bach and cruncher patterns ; visiting angler Mr. Barry Coombes fished from the banks and returned a total of 27 fish and visiting boat rod Mr. Chris Taylor ended his day with 33 fish to his boat using classic patterns of Black Pennell and Bibio.
A clarification is required this week to all anglers regarding the Rules on boats and their proximity to the banks. As our Rules state, boat anglers must not motor or drift within 100 meters of the banks when bank anglers are already present . However (and we ask bank anglers to also note this), if no bank anglers are present, a boat may drift in to the margins and fish the full drift before moving out again. Bank anglers arriving at that part of the bank AFTER the boat drift has started must wait until the boat has finished the drift and moved out again before starting to fish.
The winners of the April lucky draw are Mr. Paul Miller and Mr. Peter Dyke – each win a 4-hour bank ticket or 4-hour boat token. Our congratulations to both of them. Our next draw is at the end of May so submit your returns for a chance to win.
Despite the many rumours circulating, we are still continuing to stock the reservoir on a weekly basis with over 3,000 fish stocked during the past fortnight alone. Many fish are responding well to nymph and buzzer patterns and dry fly sport continues to improve with hoppers and small daddies inducing some great responses.
Due to events taking place on Thursday 21st May and on Saturday 23rd May, only a small number of boats will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
For the latest information on conditions and track access please call our Duty Bailiffs on 07974 263338.
We look forward to seeing you soon.