Fishing on fire since the ice melted. We have only had a couple of midweek days since we were frozen off but the fish have been taking freely and its definitely worth coming along for a session at the moment. The lakes are fishing the best they have for a good while.
Most of the catches have been on indicator down deep – between 7ft and 12ft depending on the peg you fish.
Relative newcomer Paul Ainscow was the star performer over the two days, catching 15 on Cheese Minnows and Diawl Bachs. An outstanding catch Paul. Allan Cook landed 11 for a great session and had many other takes fishing the bung and egg worm off the platform halfway down the finger in Dunnydeer. Richard Green had two very short sessions and managed an incredible 14 fish in 2 total hours off Chatton lake. He used a very slowly retrieved Bunny Leech on floating line one day and egg worm at 7ft the next. That’s a fish every 9 minutes.
William Fairbairn landed 6 during a lesson with Stuart Ingledew Fly Fishing which focussed mainly on casting. A great all round session and one that could have finished with a huge number if they’d concentrated on catching alone. Very well done William and great to see the line going out so straight with perfect turnover.
Ryan Wilkinson also had a great day catching 7 on Eggs and Buzzers, with Robbie Bell catching the same number on a variety of flies. The small handful of other anglers we’ve had all caught fish up to 7lb so to have so many good catches from so few anglers shows how well the lakes are fishing.
As usual with the time of year, some pegs have very few fish in and it pays to keep moving till you find a small shoal. An awful lot of the fish have been caught between 1 and 2 rod lengths out along the drop offs, so don’t lift off and cast out too early. Standard advice for Chatton but especially true at the moment.
We also had a good rise yesterday afternoon and a 30min spell on Wednesday where fish were taking off the surface. Dries remain an option but the windows of opportunity are quite small, so be prepared. A small top hat might get you a fish or two.
The bank of Dunnydeer that backs onto Ross Lake has fished well along its whole length as well as the middle finger and dam wall of Chatton Lake. Chatton’s 3rd finger has remained covered in ice and is the only part of the fishery thats been off limits. Fishing has definitely been best morning and early afternoon.
The number of takes people have been getting have been very high and we are confident this will carry on based on the weather outlook.
Nothing to report on the bait lake as no-one has fished it midweek, but the fish will likely be just as active on here as the fly lakes.
Please scroll down to Noticeboard for lodge opening times.
Forecast
Excellent for fishing with light SE/S breezes the whole week. Mostly cloudy with odd bits of sun and light rain and temperatures mostly above freezing. It doesn’t get much better for January and we expect the fishing to continue to be very good based on this.
Last Cast – 4.00pm every day.
First Cast – 8.30am.
Predicted Fly Box
Egg Worms, Slushies, Small Eggs under bung, Snakes (5cm), Zonkers, Apps, Diawl Bachs, Blobs, Bunny Leech.
David, Gemma and Owen
———> NOTICEBOARD <——–
Fly Fishing Lessons
Suitable for anyone wanting to improve their casting or simply start fly fishing from scratch. All tackle provided. Permit included. 7 days a week. Booking essential.
Enquire by email: stuart@cadencefishing.co.uk or via website www.siff.uk
January & February Lodge Opening Times
Throughout January and February, the lodge will only be open for tickets 8.30am to 10.30am (7 days a week). Please note we will not be serving hot food during this time.
You can still buy snacks, flies and terminal tackle when purchasing your ticket.
The toilet will remain available as usual – key on the hanger to the left of the main entrance.
A phone number will be on the lodge door if you need to speak to a member of the fishery staff at all times.
Chatton Caravan Park
Closed for winter. Re-opening Spring 2026.
Please keep an eye out in the Events section of our facebook page and future reports.