First Day of The Season on Stocks Reservoir
Saturday 25th February

Report By: Ben

Best Catch: 40 fish Mark Rooney from Southend-on Sea

Best Bag: 5 fish for 24lbs 4oz Mark Rooney from Southend-on Sea

Best Rainbow: 10lbs 10oz Edwin Worsely from Ross

Best Brown: 2lbs 8oz Mr Latham from Chatburn

Best Blue: 6lbs Frank Hartley from Oswaldtwistle

Boat Rod Average: 11.64

Bank Rod Average: 4.6

Sport: The 2006 season has got off to a great start despite the wild
conditions. The easterly wind made fly presentation difficult and
hampered the bank anglers in Hollins Bay but despite the conditions we
saw some great bags and catches. Malcom Hunter fished his way back
from Newclose Bay to take 21 fish on various lures. Mr Cort also
caught 21 fish from the shore. He concentrated his efforts in Newclose
Bay and found the Hot Spot to be around the Mushroom Tree. He was
fishing an intermediate line with a cats on the point and amongst his
21 fish haul was a cracking 10lb 8oz specimen earning him an early
place in the 2006 Doubles Club. But the 2006 open day really lent
itself to the boat anglers. The Northern Shallows, Willow Island,
Phil’s Flats, Cook’s Creek and The Causeway offered the boatmen both
great sport and well-needed shelter from the cold wind. Stocks was
like two different venues cold and windy and the southern end and much
more clement at the Northern end. The soldier Palmer fishing club were
wetting their lines today and it didn’t take them long to crack a
deadly method. Mark Rooney was top rod with no less than 40 hitting
the back of his net one of which tipped the scales at 10lbs 4oz.
Another early Doubles Club member! Mark was fishing a slime line with
a black and green cormorant on the point and pearly cormorants on the
droppers. He found the best method was to allow the flies to sink for
a count of about 10 and then to twitch the flies back finally hanging
them near the boat.
At the end of great first day 97 returns showed that 739 fish had been
caught giving an over all rod average of 7.6 fish per man, over 500 of
which were returned. We have 4 new members of the 2006 Doubles Club
and another 5 fish were caught over 8lbs. Hopefully the weather will
settle down over the next couple of days.




Stocks Reservoir