Caroline's Report for April

April is a wonderful month I have decided. The sun has some real warmth to it at last, the frogs are “playing” in the margins filling the lakes with spawn for the trout to eat, the grass is a lovely green colour again, the blossom is out in the gardens and hedgerows, the wildlife is emerging from the winter hibernation and on a more personal note, Easter Eggs are in season! One of our Eastbourne and District Fly Fishermen has just pointed out “this should be the best month of the year for fly fishing”, so, all in all what is there NOT to like about April? Brick Farm Lakes is the perfect venue for those of you who love your “nymphing” or buzzer drifting, for Whisker twitching or even, (depending on the weather) sedge soaking! If the wind is a bit keen, why not consider a session with a muddler, perfect for a choppy surface or, maybe a deeper Damsel, the blue flash variety is a must, or maybe black is best? There are NO fly restrictions here and with a policy of regular stocking we give our anglers every chance to catch a hard fighting Blue, a fin perfect Rainbow, a pretty Golden or a whopper of a Brown! We can proudly boast to being one of the most affordable venues in the South where there is a chance to catch a double figure fish and have a choice of lakes with the finest of facilities. We really do have a wonderful range of trout sizes here and are well stocked for Spring.  And a quick word to all our anglers – Please do photograph your big catches because we love to add those photos to this report and to put them into the Lodge.  Or ask Annie to photograph them!  Thanks a million.

Around the banks we have cleared away many of the “in the way” bulrushes and brambles, making each and every one of our thirty-something swims clear and ready for action. We have repaired the electrics ready for the use of the aerators and bubblers and have started mowing already to keep the grass areas trimmed and tidy. We are ready to begin a fun filled spring season of this wonderful sport/hobby/past time/ way of life!

We can happily announce that the planning application for our new fourth lake has been submitted and are keeping everything crossed that this will in fact, be dug in the autumn, ready for fishing next spring or sooner! This additional body of water will give us lots of extra fishing space and is to be sited in a natural sheltered spot, just right for anglers to tuck themselves away and still be able to fish, even when the weather is inclement. This new lake will mean that we will have up to fifty swims available for our customers and all of which will be wooden or hard surfaced, no standing in liquid mud at Brick Farm! We will also be installing another railed, wide width platform for anyone needing this security and safety. The existing one on Brick Lake is and the new one will be available to pre-book, just call the lodge.

This year we have entered into a scheme where if you hold a current membership to the Angling Trust, on presentation of your card, you may deduct 10% off the price of your fishing ticket. This is a nod towards keeping the cost of your beloved sport as affordable as possible!

On Sunday 30th April we are holding our Troutmasters fish off Competition (senior and junior) so if you had the good fortune to land a good size fish and win a badge you will have received your letters of invitation. We hope to see as many of you as possible to make a good day of it and if you have not received any details please call Annie at the Lodge! 01323 832615.

Over and out now and tight lines for a wonderfulspring.

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.

Spring Holiday Competition Sunday 29 May 2016 - please do join us !!

Caroline's June Report

Well! Thank heavens for that! I heard the Cuckoo today! I was starting to worry that I wouldn’t hear it this year and now I can relax that summer has officially arrived! The dog has taken up her summer residence on her cushion in the sunniest corner of the patio, Hubby is cursing the rapid growth of the lawn and weeds and we have taken the always slightly apprehensive decision to clean out the log burner.

Here at Brick Farm Lakes we have excellent news to inform you! The mayflies are hatching again this year off the surface of mainly Stag Lake, as are the sedges on Well Lake. The fish are consequently choosing their food carefully! In other words being a bit picky, becoming a little fussier in their diet and turning their nose up at the normal lures that have worked so well over the winter. Brick Lake is a bit of an exception to this as fry patterns are still bringing results and damsel nymphs are always a good bet here. Now is the time of year to definitely dust of the dry flies in your box or treat yourself to some new ones and come and hone your skills in this particular, precise, unique aspect of our wonderful sport.

The early part of the day is still proving to be the best time to be out on the water. We now open the top gate at 6am. (Lodge opening still at 7.30am) from Wednesday- Sunday. You can sign in in the shed, pay in the safe and start to fish at a truly magical time. When the air is still, the mist is rising off the water, the countryside is quiet and the fish are feeding on the surface, what better time of the day could there be to enjoy your hobby and find some precious peace in a hectic life.

Date for you diary… Saturday 18th June is our annual summer solstice fishing evening, supper night and general mid-year get together. With the longest day of the year and hopefully some glorious weather why not come and enjoy some jovial company and an excellent supper of baked potatoes filled with cheese, homemade coleslaw, chili, or beans. Choose one or all!! Served with a selection of summer salads and garlic bread, all washed down with a glass of wine or beer perhaps. Let’s make the most of a late end of the day fishing session when the trout come out to play.  Families and friends are welcome to join in the fun and come and spectate from the deck area overlooking the lake. Please call the Lodge in good time to book a place for this popular event.

Time to leave you with the news that a lovely selection of large rainbows has been stocked in all three lakes for your entertainment and enjoyment! Up to double figures in fact! Also a batch of beautiful Blues and stunning Brownies as well! Come and see for yourself!

Tight lines for a fun- filled- flaming June!

April/May update from Caroline - Thanks, C!

Writing this report each moth presents me with an excellent and tempting opportunity to air many bees in my rather large bonnet! I apologise. I promise I will keep it to the bare minimum this month and keep it fishy. I will not be performing doughnuts in front of the “hallowed” Well Lake, enforcing our borders with the farm next door or holding a referendum on whether we should regain our right to grow crooked cucumbers, (a skill which has taken me years to master). NO! I will not go down that road! I will write about the issues that are most dear to us as a Country, (of anglers), most important to our future, (fishing trips) and vital to us all as we stand shoulder to shoulder, man and boy, or girl, on this sceptered (Lake bank).

Awful April was a month of wind and rain most days I’m sorry to say but through it all we have kept surprisingly busy and have regularly stocked all three lakes. Now May is here we can look forward to some warm sunshine and longer daylight hours.

Perhaps this month, when we start to come out from our winter hibernation, we could begin to think about introducing a friend or partner to this wonderful, absorbing, sociable and uplifting sport. Setting a new angler on the right path, perhaps with a lesson or two and a simple beginner’s kit could not be simpler. We can provide both tackle hire and coaching sessions here at Brick Farm Lakes, just call or email us at the Lodge for details. Let us remember, we anglers are privileged to have unique access to some of the most beautiful parts of our countryside with spectacular views and scenery.  Hidden parts and corners of this World that other “ordinary” folk never get the chance to see. Our particular view of this “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” around Brick Farm Lakes is not visible from the road. Non anglers are not only denied this, but also the benefits from a relaxing, exciting and fun hobby and past time. Not many sports can provide equal measures of solitude and company, exercise and rest. It is a sport of both skill and luck and delivers moments of frantic fun and quiet times for thoughtful contemplation. It is a sport for young and old, men or women. It brings out all our hunting and gathering instincts and calls upon our concentration and cunning and rewards us with a meal for the table. You do not need to be superbly fit or particularly agile. It can create a bond with our children and can provide respite from a stressful working week or company in a peaceful retirement. It is a hobby that can be anything and everything to all!

It is quite difficult each month to look ahead, in advance, to the conditions and flies that will be relevant in the next four weeks. In May we know the weather will be warming up and with it the water temperatures. We know that buzzers and other insects will start to emerge from the Lakes beds, indeed there have been small Gnats flying around recently in fact. We know that we will begin to see the frogspawn in the margins and damsels nymphs beginning to move through the water so the fish may start to change their diet to a more natural food, moving away from the lures of the winter. We know that the cold winds will disappear and the warm breezes will take their place. The hours of daylight will increase and that means more fishing time! The less hardy angler will be dusting off his/her tackle and preparing their kit ready for another season of… who knows what! Maybe one of our big Brownies! The ground will dry out around the banks and the blossom will appear on the cherry trees. The grass will need cutting and the outside areas tidying up ready for all our wonderful anglers to return for a new season. The months pass quickly. Let us all enjoy the early summer in all its glory. Come fishing, we will be ready for you all here at Brick Farm Lakes.

If you will allow… a gentle reminder to you all that we are a “catch and kill” water. We have no catch and release here. The returns book is to be completed in the shed at the end of every visit, this is vital for us to keep the three lakes stocked at the right level.  When you catch your bag you must stop fishing. You are of course welcome to purchase another ticket in the Lodge. Juniors fishing with an adult are welcome but no other children, or dogs are allowed around the lakes. We have excellent facilities for friends and families at the Lodge. We have no fly restrictions here. All three Lakes are stocked regularly and equally with Rainbow, Brown and Blue trout and the stocking dates are displayed on the Webb site and/or Facebook page. Sorry, no more bees in bonnets!

Tight lines for a successful May

February/into March update from Caroline

At last we can see a light at the end of a very long, wet and windy winter tunnel. Spring is well and truly in the air, the days are beginning to draw out beautifully and I no longer need the torch to unlock the gate in the morning! Our opening/closing times will be altering with the changing season so do keep an eye on our website which will give up to date details.  Around the lakes the birds are twittering everywhere and the ducks and moorhens have started to pair up and build their nests. Over the last four weeks we have continued to clear the brambles and scrub behind the lodge and along the banks of the small stream that feeds Brick Lake so we will all have a clear, uninterrupted view of the stunning Bluebells about to appear in the wood.

Fishing through February has been very acceptable in view of the sometimes evil conditions!  The hardy anglers among you have kept us company, amused, inspired and, it has to be said, AWAKE through this horrible month, so a huge well done and thank you for your dogged determination and stamina to pursue the tricky fishing this month. We have in fact seen some wonderful fish landed this month! Some large Brownies and Rainbows have been fooled, two of the “speciality” £100 fish have been caught and we have even had a few first-time fly fishing newbies for coaching sessions. Don’t forget we can organise everything for you or a friend to start their fly fishing adventure here at Brick Farm Lakes.  Just call us at the Lodge for all the details.

Our Easter Competition is set for SUNDAY 27th MARCH 2016.  Entry is open to all ages and abilities and is £40. The competition comprises a four-fish ticket, tea and coffee and an Easter egg to each competitor! It also includes a generous “Help Yourself” Ploughman’s Lunch.  This is, first and foremost, a fun event to start a new year of many angling get-togethers.  If you would like to reserve a space please call us at the Brick Farm Lakes Fishing Lodge on 01323 832615.

Flies that have produced the fish recently have been all the usual suspects such as Buzzers, Montanas, Damsels and, in particular, Cats Whiskers.   All three lakes have been kept well stocked nearly every week throughout the winter and all are fishing equally well.

Tight lines and warm feet everyone .......................! 

Oh, and please see the new section under Gallery which will show as many of your catches as possible !!

EASTER COMPETITION ANNOUNCED !!!!