Caroline's August Report
Let us start this month with the weather. Will it be a hot month? Will we have a break from these constant, annoying winds that just will not stop? Will it remain seasonally unsettled and deliver us into an early autumn? Who knows! Either way we will have to manage with what we are given and make the best of this sometimes tricky time of year. Many of our Brick Farm regulars take a break and are replaced by summer visitors from all over the place. Folk arrive from up North, from the East and West and from distant countries. It’s a month where our normal routines tend to go out the window; the children are on holiday of course and everyone’s lives are forced to revolve around them and their needs and our normal habits and daily lives are ad hoc, flexible and downright muddled.
Many fisheries choose to take their own, well-deserved, holidays now but at Brick Farm Lakes we will remain open for business as normal and look forward to seeing some of those regulars not caught up in the August mayhem and a host of holiday visitors as well. We are intending, weather permitting, to stock the Lakes throughout this period and all the normal facilities will be available from the Lodge. Some essential, seasonal maintenance such as mowing, weed clearing and strimming will be taking place so there will be a bit of noise at times but we will endeavour to keep it in short bursts so as to minimise the disruption to your quiet fishing time.
We have a “new Product “to offer to all of our angling couples! Whether you are a husband and wife fishing team, a Father and Son/daughter or just a couple of good mateswe can offer a “shared, 5 fish” day ticket for £35. This means that neither of you will have to stop fishing. If you do not choose this option you have to fish to your own, individual ticket and NOT fish for each others fish. We have many anglers who do come with an angling buddy and so hope they will appreciate this new idea and make good use of it.
We will be also offering a £5 August up-grade on any ticket… in other words if you catch your ticket limit you are welcome to carry on fishing and pay £5 per fish when you finish. As we all know, only too well that August can be a month of “feast or famine”. A time when, if you deploy all the tactics in the book it can either pay off or not! Let’s not forget, August is a wonderful time to introduce a new novice to this wonderful sport, a time when it is good to be out-doors with a picnic and making the most of the last of the longer days before autumn comes.
Flies to suggest for this time of year are the obviously the more natural patterns rather than the lures, flies such as Bloodworm, PTN’S, Diawl Bachs, Crunchers and the like. Dry flies such as Daddy Long Legs are starting to work very well and small, winged wet flies such as Invictors and Stragglers.
On Sunday 17th July we were happy to see the (almost) entire Eastbourne and District Fly Fishers Club enjoy a summer-time hog roast at their base here at Brick Farm Lakes. They held a casting competition on the banks of the Lake and this was won by David Turner and a healthy £160 was raised in the very generous raffle, a good time was had by all and if you fancy joining the Club next year for some angling fun and company just call the Lodge for details, currently only £15 to join for the year.
Over and out now and tight lines from Annie and Me, Caroline, for an action packed August.