APRIL NEWS FROM BRICK FARM LAKES!

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Cuckoo any day now here at Brick Farm Lakes and we are hoping he will bring a favourable wind with him! It seems that whichever direction it has been blowing from this month, it has been blooming parky! Yes, the sun has been shining down but you have still needed to wrap up tight and the log burner has still been roaring away. The fish have, consequently been tricky little devils to pin down at times and you have needed to keep moving to find the right spot. However, when you take the time to rove the lakes to find the shoaling fish it can pay off big time, resulting with a fast, furious, fun- packed and adrenaline filled session.

NEWS ITEMS…

We have extended our opening times with the changing season:  Commening on 29 April and for Weds to Sun inclusive (7.30am Mon and Tues) we will open the gate at  6am (signing-in in the shed please, Lodge open at 7.30am) and close at 8pm (last cast 7.45pm).  This will give you time to fit in a fishing session before or after work, sometimes these beginning or end-of-the-day hours can be the best times to fish!

The oak tree leaning at an increasingly precarious angle over Brick Lake has been felled carefully. It was found to be rotten at the base and would have left a legacy of snags for lines and flies. The timber will provide the wood to make some bench seating around the banks for your comfort. We have also added some new picnic benches near the Lodge for friends and family to enjoy the warmer weather.

We must tell you about our Summer Solstice fishing night to be held this year on Saturday 20th June (Sunday 21st being Father’s Day). We will be serving a good plateful of homemade chili with rice and salad. The bar in the Lodge will, of course, be open for those wanting a glass or two of beer, wine or cider and there will be tea and coffee available. We will be open for fishing until dark! Friends and families are welcome to come and join in with the fun. If you think you would like to come then just let us know ASAP so we can have a rough idea of numbers to cater for.

Recent stocking…

We are regularly stocking all three lakes with 2lb to 8lb rainbows, blues from 1lb 8oz up to 3lb plus and Browns from 2lb to 12lb!!! And of course there are those Golden Trout too.  Just have a look at our Facebook page or Web site for details of all the most recent good catches, stocking dates and all the latest photos. For fun we have added a Golden trout into Brick Lake this month. There is a two fish bounty on his nose for the person to catch him! More LARGE Blue trout to follow soon!

Flies of the moment…

Even with this wretched chilly wind the Sedges have begun to hatch on Well Lake this month bringing the fish to the surface.  Dry daddies have proved a good bet and CDC’s and similar have landed good fish. Brick Lake has seen the trout staying stubbornly deep and inters have been the best bet, or at least a good length leader and a weighted fly. Black and green “anything” has by far produced the most fish. The water on Stag Lake is crystal clear at the moment and flies such as damsels, tadpoles and cats whiskers have proved successful. Hope that helps but always ask us at the Lodge for the latest tip on the hot fly of the moment.

Tight lines for a lovely, warm visit in May.

Peter Verity - what a difference a day makes!!

Well this is certainly how to end a day!  Peter was disappointed not to catch during the Troutmasters on Sunday 12 April 2015, as might be imagined.  However, and as it turned out very fortuitously, Mary Carden was on hand to come to the rescue.  With a few words of fishing wisdom and encouragement he soon had a prize catch and what a consolation it turned out to be - a 3lb 3oz Blue trout caught on Brick Lake on a floating line using a black and green gold-head Montana.  The best fish of the day.  Congratulations, Peter and a big thank you to Mary on his and our behalf.  Smiles all round!!  Peter, as promised you are on my wall!!  All best wishes, Annie :)

Our Troutmasters finals held Sunday 12 April 2015 - really great day!!

Juniors and the Junior Troutmaster Winner Cerys Rogers and the Seniors with the Senior Troutmaster Winner Brian Wood - Congratulations to you both!

There were tricky conditions on the day - it was very bright and rather windy - but everyone persevered and in the end winners emerged.  It was a really great day thanks to all our competitors and I believe everyone really enjoyed the day.  Thank you to everyone who took part.  Well done!  More on our Junior runner up in the following news item!

Blues and Browns: Saturday 28 March 2015

We have just stocked some truly beautiful Blue Trout in all three Lakes - please see the Stocking section of our Home Page.  The Blues were at 1.5lbs but these are just a tantalizing taste of what is still to come!  The remaining Blues due for Brick Farm Lakes are being brought on to enable us to stock 2-3lb Blues in the coming months.  Some big Browns to join the ones already in our Lakes will also be stocked in the next few weeks.

Here are some of our anglers recent successes .........

What a March - and it's not over yet!!

We are extremely happy to report that our anglers have had a cracking start to March:  Mike Richardson started us off with his catch of a 10lbs 5oz beautiful Brown from Well Lake on 5 March, closely followed by Charlie with his 10lbs 4oz Brown from Brick Lake the following day! Hot on their heels was Josh Kimble with an 8lbs 10oz Brown also from Brick Lake on 11 March and two days later Buster Jenner bagged a 7lbs Brown from Well Lake.  And then Barrie Johnson proved that there are fish of all sizes going in when we stock by taking a beautiful 4.5lbs Brown from Stag Lake on a Blue Flash Damsel on 17 March.  We also had some decent 3/4lb Rainbows caught during the Winter League match last Sunday, 22 March.

We will continue to stock throughout the year with trout of all colours and all sizes.  So happy fishing!  Welcome all.  Annie :)

5 March 2015 - and another one bites the dust! Good thing we stocked again today!!

Mike Richardson is the latest angler to bag one of our big Brownies on a home-made fly, an intermediate fly-line and a 6lb leader.  His catch was a good fighter and weighed in at 10lbs 5oz.  Well Lake gave him his prize this time so we have had a big Brown now from each of our lakes.  And more went in on Thursday afternoon (5.3.15).  Well done Mike! 

18 February 2015 Stag Lake

Well!  Not to be outdone Woody excelled himself today.  The prize was a 12lb Brownie caught in our newest lake, Stag Lake.  We did promise that all the lakes are similarly stocked and here is the proof.  Woody was also using a 6lb leader and intermediate line but a Cats Whisker Daddy Longlegs.  He did not see this magnificent trout for a full 10 minutes and was not sure if his net was up to the task.  But he brought it home!!  Congratulations, Woody.  What a wonderful few days!  Well the challenge is on everyone!! ..................................................

14 February 2015 Brick Lake

Mary Carden caught a magnificent Brown trout weighing in at 8lbs 12oz in Brick Lake on St. Valentine's Day 14 February 2015.  Mary (79 years young!) caught her Brownie on a 6lb leader, on an intermediate line, using a silver-eyed Cats Whisker.   Adopting a very fast, jerky retrieve the fish hit hard and it took her a full 15 minutes to bring it to the net surrounded by an audience of men watching her every move!!  Congratulations Mary.  What a wonderful day!

Tuesday 3 February 2015

Good Morning anglers

Brick Farm Lakes are open but this morning the three lakes do have a covering of ice.  There are two swims available in Brick Lake where the aerator is doing its job.  However, as the temperature improves during the day, or if the wind appears, the ice has been retreating on past days.  So please watch for the sun appearing!!  However, the coffee and log burning stove are hot!  We close each day in February at 4.30pm.  Looking forward to seeing you all, Annie

JANUARY 2015 - NEW OWNERSHIP

BRICK FARM LAKES - UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

Welcome from Steven Hull and Annie Latter…

A brand new year is upon us here at Brick Farm Lakes and we are delighted to introduce ourselves as the proud new keepers of this wonderful fishery! My sister and I would both like to wish all our angling customers, and hopefully new friends, a belated happy New Year and take this early opportunity to extend to you all a very hearty, warm welcome to Brick Farm in 2015!

We are looking forward to meeting all of you face-to-face in the coming months, although on a day-to-day basis it will be Annie you will all meet, and would like to reassure you that we will be striving to run the fishery to the highest standard that you both expect and deserve! From our lakes being regularly stocked with good size fish (we all know that size shouldn’t matter but of course sometimes it really does!) to a comfy, warm lodge with a homemade cake and complimentary tea and coffee. With this in mind, we have placed in the signing-in shed, a “comments” sheet for you to have your say about what you would like to see achieved in the months ahead. All of the ideas and suggestions will be given serious consideration in the decisions we need to make in the future running of the fishery. What is important to you matters to us!

With regard to the all-important stocking of the three lakes here at Brick Farm…

We have recently stocked all three lakes with some 3lb plus Rainbows and Brownies and have decided that during the coming months we will be introducing, along with a normal stock of 2lb fish, some 6lb – 8lb specimens! We will be continuing to stock most weeks (depending on weather and numbers) and aim to keep on top of the numbers, size and quality of the fish delivered to us. Delivery dates will be posted on the Facebook page, the website and also in the signing-in shed.

The recently opened Stag Lake is an ideal place to teach a novice angler, young or old! With its gently sloping banks, safe fishing platforms and the absence of any weed or snags for casting practice it is the perfect lake on which to introduce a partner, friend or youngster to this wonderful sport.  In this lake we have decided to maintain a larger stock of “pan size” fish for the beginner to catch; boosting the confidence of and gaining the important sense of early achievement is vital for the beginner!  However, this lake will be treated the same as Brick Lake and Well Lake when we add the larger fish for your enjoyment and therefore also make a good choice for the more experienced angler to fish perhaps when time is a little tight, the other lakes are proving a little too tricky or when you have maybe grabbed a couple of early morning or late-in-the-day hours in the summer before or indeed after work.

 Regular stocking to the right levels is very important to all of us so may we ask for your cooperation in taking the time to enter your catches in the returns book in the shed at the end of your visit. This is a vital “tool” for us to retain a consistent level of stock in any of the three lakes. Many thanks.

The question of food and drink…

As mentioned above we will continue to provide complimentary tea and coffee in the Fishing Lodge to which anglers are welcome to help themselves. Most days the “posh” coffee machine will be on for you to treat yourself or your guest to a cappuccino or latte etc. and we will have a selection of cold soft drinks or beer, cider or wine available in the fridges.

While we are settling in, at least for the next few weeks, it would help if you would call a day or so before you come if you would like breakfast rolls filled with local sausages, bacon and free range eggs in the mornings or a roll and bowl of warming soup for lunch.  A little notice will help us to have this organised for you.  Larger groups are, of course, very welcome.

And finally…

A quick up-date on the fishing at the moment.

All three lakes are fishing well! Most anglers are catching their full bag of fish and we have had some lovely 3lb and 4lb trout landed recently. Although Brick Lake has coloured up a little with the recent heavy rainfall, Well and Stag Lakes remain nice and clear and very tempting.  When the ice is upon us don’t forget we can turn on the aerator to at least keep Brick Lake clear for you hardy anglers! All the normal lures are doing their job as you would expect at this time of year and even the odd Daddy Long Legs or hopper is still tempting a fish or two!

Even if the weather is a bit too inclement for you to fish we would love you to pop into the lodge for a coffee and a chat. You are all very welcome!

All the very best from the two of us and tight lines for February!

Steven and Annie