Witton Castle Lakes

Now that the South Lake has returned to fly only, it continues to produce the goods with Durham rods J Bradley and A King returning 18 and 15 respectively without leaving the South lake. Meadowfields Bernie McKewon had a fantastic day returning 17(again on the South Lake),his day started on cats whisker and finished with CDC shuttlecocks. Meanwhile Bernie's long time fishing pal, Johnnie "no fish “Bean was over on the West lake having trouble landing 2 fish at the same time. It's the first time Johnnie has ever had a double hook up and he left the fishery delighted.

This Saturday(17th July) Witton Castle Lakes will host the Help The Heroes Day,so if you've ever wondered about fishing and want to learn or if you fancy just popping in for a cuppa and see what the lakes are all about then feel free to come along and you can help support a great cause at the same time. There will be fun and games with prizes large and small to be won(including a holiday),and don't forget that 3 times world champion Scott Mackenzie will be issuing advise, tips and tuition.
Many Thanks
 

Report to 5th July

The big news down at Witton Castle Lakes this week is the addition of a 4th lake.So that means that the bait fishing has now been moved on to the new lake and the South lake has become fly only again.This is bound to please many of the anglers who regard the South lake as one of our best.

Bishop Aucklands Alan Ross returned the best fish this week,estimated at 15 1/2lb on a damsel variant,while returning a further 6 in a great 4 hour session.Father and daughter team Paul and Sophie Coyle managed a lovely fish of 11lb ,fishing lures on an adult and junior ticket.Small dries have also come up trumps with Newcastle regular John Sharp returning a beauty of 14lb+ on a small black and white dry, which John has nicknamed "the magpie special".There has been a healthy smattering of fish in the 4-8lb range as the bigger fish start to come to the net again after the sweltering heat of the last few weeks.

This Friday(9th July) will see another all night session at the lakes(all details on our website).

Tagged fish kitty is now up to £120.

For more info please call (01388)488691 or www.wittoncastlelakes.co.uk

 

Reports - 21st June to 27th June

The evenings have continued to produce the best of the sport down at Witton Castle Lakes this week due to the roasting hot days and bright skies.Best flies and methods have been buzzer fishing for the evening rise and damsel nymph for through the middle of the day.

The Hoy and Hope Angling club braved the baking temperatures and were handsomely rewarded with Steve Cochrane bagging fine rainbows of 11lb 12oz,9lb 13oz and 2lb 6oz for his 3 bag limit and 1st prize thanks to his damsel nymph,Steve also released another 6 fish.Willingtons Terry Ross was top of the sport tickets releasing 15 rainbows by fishing the damsel close to the reed beds while Pontelands John Sharp wasn't far behind with 12 which included 2 cracking fish of 7lb mostly on the okey-dokey and sedgehog patterns.

The tag fish prize fund is now up to £90+ and all tickets can now enter the competition (£1 entry fee on signing in).

Due to the staggering rod average(13 fish per rod),Witton Castle Lakes are holding another all night session on Friday the 9th of July and this time the ticket prices will remain the same as normal opening times.So if you fancy just 4 hours of night time angling or if your going to be up all night then get booked in by calling (01388)488691

 

Report upto 20th June

A blistering hot week at Witton started with a bang for Consett rod E M Guis who caught and returned a beauty of a rainbow estimated at 14 lb.Crooks G Brown tricked a lovely fish of 7 1/2lb with that old Witton faithful the Dawsons Olive while fellow Crook angler Brian Conway returned 7 which included a nice 9lber returned to the East Lake.Now that the West and South lakes have been declared "weed free",work has now started to cut the big East lake and by the time you read this the lake will have achieved the same high standard and good sport should lay ahead.

Due to the high demand,Witton's "tagged" fish competition has been extended to include all sport and 1 fish tickets.All you have to do is pay an extra £1 on signing in and hope to catch the taggy.As an extra bonus,the tagged fish kitty will be paid to the next angler to catch it(regardless of your bag limit or ticket status).
Thank you to those who supported the night time solstice session and we are glad that you enjoyed the hospitality and exceptional sport.Mr D Holmes coming out on top keeping 3 and releasing a further 24 fish,While Rookhope's Adam Collinson kept 3 and released the same again on yellow zonker but we're sure he won't forget the huge double figure rainbow that was lost right at the net.

All the details for the Help The Heroes day are really starting to come together and we at Witton Castle Lakes are honoured to give you a sneak preview of what is to come.The lakes will welcome 3 time World Champion distance Spey caster Scott Mackenzie for tuition and advice to all us mortals in the art of the double handed fly rod, also thanks to our partners at Witton Castle Country Park there will be some major prizes on offer in our Help The Heroes fly fishing competition.I hope this wets your appetite for what will be a special day at the lakes on the 17th July.Proceeds to 3 rifles ,the North East Regiment.Watch this space more details to follow.

 

Report upto 14th June

It has been a bit of a mixed bag for weather this last week at Witton but those geared up for whatever was thrown at them have had some excellent sport with lots of top of the water action keeping rods bending through out the day.Gareth Tilley from Lanchester returned 19 fish on a sporting ticket,Durham rod W Ormison also on a sporting ticket returned 11 rainbows,Stanhope angler B Irwin took a 3 fish bag limit including a nice fish of 6lb 4ozs.

Top flies have included Hoppers,Daddies,PTN,CDC and buzzers in black and olive.

 

Report upto 6th June

Blistering hot weather and warm water temperature has made the afternoons difficult at Witton Castle Lakes. However, early mornings and evenings are coming into their own and continue to fish well with small diawl  bach patterns working best.

Newton Aycliffe's Ron Hutton was this weeks top rod, banking 13 rainbows and 4 cracking brownies while Crook's Brian Conway wasn't too far behind with 12, which included a brown trout estimated at 8lb.Most of these fish fell to diawl bachs fished very slowly.

The big fish are keeping their heads down at the moment but plenty of top quality rainbows in the 4-8lb range coming off the water. One or two Mayfly starting to show and although the fish haven't quite switched on to them yet, they will soon.

Remember the all night special on Saturday 19th June is coming up fast; this gives you the rare opportunity to fish the Lakes all through the night  so if you want to take up this opportunity ring the lakes on 01388 488691 and book your place.

 

Report upto 16th May

The sporting tickets have had the best of the action this week at Witton Castle Lakes with many anglers getting heavy bags. At the moment Large olives, Alder and Hawthorn fly are hatching in abundance means that the top of the water sport is at its best right now. Durham’s Stevie Freak's haul of 28 included 2 doubles that were fooled by his floating hare's ear, on his second visit this week Stevie managed 32 best being a good fish of 9 lb. Visiting angler Brian Mulholland struck into 30 mostly on nymph patterns while Durham's Paul Embleton kept up his good average with a return of 22 on CDC and diawl bach.

Two big fish were taken from the water this week, the best of which fell to visiting angler Mr R lake with a good rainbow of 12lb 2oz and Sunderland rod K Clark with a fin perfect 10lber.
The bait lake continues to entertain with rods averaging between 4 and 5 fish per visit.

A special mention must go to regular rod John "no fish" Bean who after casting out, put his rod down to get a sandwich and turned back in time to see his rod disappear out into the middle of the lake. After launching the boat and retrieving the rod, John found a very nice brown trout of about 6lb was the culprit. His long time friend and fishing partner Bernie Mckewon's laughter could be heard all over the fishery. 

 

Report upto 9th May

On to the big fish now and Darlington's Mr S McBean returned a beauty estimated at 20lb plus and Staindrop's Lee Thompson took home a lovely rainbow of 11lb on black buzzer.

Back to Paul Embleton and today i had the pleasure of seeing a fish playing an angler instead of the other way round. Paul (as we all know is a dab hand with a fly rod) struck into a modest fish of around 2lb on the big East Lake. He then promptly tripped over his bag and took a nose dive into the lake, somehow managing to keep in touch with the fish and as he rose to his feet, he calmly scooped the fish into the net, despite all his laughter.

 

Report upto 25th April

On to the big fish now and Darlington's Mr S McBean returned a beauty estimated at 20lb plus and Staindrop's Lee Thompson took home a lovely rainbow of 11lb on black buzzer.

Despite freezing cold winds and cloudless skies there has still been some cracking action down at Witton Castle Lakes. Top of the opinion polls is Kevin Blackwood of Leadgate who hit in to a big rainbow of 14 1/2lbs(fly unknown).While Chopwell rod Ian Purvis had his string pulled by a beauty of 11 1/2lb on a black fritz. Crook's Brian Conway left the fishery a happy man with a nice 6lb fish in the bag that fell to his cats whisker.

Tony and Jenny Ward of Wearhead braved the North wind for their first outing of the season and managed a nice bag of 4lb,3 3/4lb and 2 1/2lb on the ever popular husband and wife ticket.

On to the one fish tickets (formerly the catch and release permits) and Durham's Paul Embleton showed what can be done with buzzers returning 24 on a memorable day.

 

Report upto 11th April

A beautiful spring week down at Witton Castle Lakes can mean only one thing. That's right folks, It's buzzer time as proved by Cockfields Ryan Mathews. Ryan is a regular rod at the lakes and his switch from lures to buzzers this week has given him returns of 15,14,12,5 and 14.Most impressive of all is his rod average for the year so far, hovering around the 16 mark per visit.

The Troutmasters final "fish off" took place on Saturday 10th April and was won by Crook rod Brian Conway with Consetts Sophie Coyle winning the junior section.
The best of the big fish fell to Evenwood's Mr G Dawson, whose lovely rainbow pulled the scales down to 12 3/4lb.Mr C Burnicle and J Goldsbrough also made it to double figures with 10 1/2lb and 10lb respectively.

 

Report upto 4th April

Heavy squally showers and cold winds have dominated this week at Witton Castle Lakes. Despite the poor conditions the lakes have continued to produce the goods with small nymph patterns fishing best. The fish are showing on the top but don't be fooled, best method has been a small hare's ear and pheasant tail nymph patterns fished slowly just under the surface.
a superb double fell to Mr S Hassell of Richmond. It tipped the scales at 18lb and was outwitted by Mr Hassles own creation fly nicknamed "the haemorrhoid"(a sort of damsel imitation with a gold body and black hair-wing).Newton Aycliffes Ron Hutton had a day to remember returning 27 fish and taking home a beauty of 10 1/2lb.Crook's Mr H Haughan also weighed in with a nice double of 10lb 2 oz. Durham rod Andy Viney enjoyed his visit returning 12 including a very nice rainbow of 9 1/2 lb.

 

Report upto 28th March

Spring is in the air at Witton castle Lakes with house martins returning to the lakes after their winter migration.
Durham Angler Mr S Campbell took the fish of the week award with a beauty rainbow of 11lb with his diawl bach. Pelton rod Mr H Vaughan just managed to make double figures with his 10lb rainbow and Andrew Viney from Consett almost made it to a double, just falling short but with a splendid fish of 9 1/2 lb.
Sport anglers are enjoying good bags with Cockfields Ryan Mathews continuing his fine form releasing 10 to a variety of flies.

Good Friday will see the opening of the Witton Castle Lakes Bait pond as the South Lake gives way to bait anglers. Anglers will be allowed to fish worm and sweet corn under a float for the 1st time at Witton and I’m sure there will be a few surprises as despite our best efforts there are still big rainbows in the lake. Pegs are limited and I urge you to book your place from Friday onward, call Tom or John on (01388)488691

 

Report upto 15th March

Through the week the fishing has continued to be tough at times at Witton Castle Lakes, with just a small window of opportunity as the afternoon sun heats things up. However, just like throwing a switch, everything changed on Friday. This week’s new stock of fish coupled with some warmer days really turned the fishing from tough to tremendous. Sparse damsel nymph patterns and small black fritz patterns are also producing the goods along with red blood worm patterns. Staindrop rod Lee Thompson had a field day returning 11 on a 4 hour ticket, the best being a brownie of around the 3lb mark. The quality fishing continued through Saturday with Meadowfield's Bernie McEwan losing count of fish he released by dinner time. Bishop Auckland junior member Ryan Mathews found his form again releasing 14 and Newton Aycliffe's Dean Appleby putting back 11 on his 4 hour outing.

The final of the Winter competition will take place on Sunday 21st March commencing at 10.00am gook luck to all the anglers participating. 

 

Report upto 7th March

Crisp cold mornings followed by beautiful spring afternoons have re-awoken Witton Castle Lakes from its winter slumber. The fishing at times has been testing as the water temperature remains very cold however, there is usually that window of opportunity in the afternoon as things heat up a bit.
The star of the show this week was no doubt the 8lb overwintered brown trout that Mr M Connerton managed to fool with his small black fritz mini lure. This fine specimen really did put up a cracking battle and was truly fin perfect, a fine fish. Mr and Mrs Ward from Wearhead took advantage of the husband and wife ticket to bag a nice brace of 3lb each, While Newton Aycliffe rod Ron Hutton secured a nice rainbow in the 4lb range. Witton regular Alan Ross of Bishop Auckland bagged up in 3 hours and returned a lovely brown trout of 4lb.Mr Huey Martin of Chopwell left the fishery a happy man with a nice 4lb fish.
A very special mention now for Mr Norman Midgley of Leadgate who went through all last year without catching a brownie. He was getting so desperate to catch one that it became a bit of a running joke down at the lakes. Norman on his first visit of this season managed to catch not one but two brownies estimated at 2lb each. Well done at last Norman.
As you can see from this weeks report, the brown trout are featuring heavily. It is well worth changing your tactics a little just now to get some quality sport from these fine fighting fish. As the temperatures rise (that's optimism for you), these fish will become harder and harder to catch.
Tom and John

 

Report Weekending 7th February

The ice age is over!!! After nearly 5 weeks of the harshest winter weather, Witton Castle Lakes has come back with a bang. A heavy stock of fish was introduced to the lakes just before the icing over of all the lakes. Now that the ice has retreated, these fish are in a cracking condition and most of them have never seen a fly before, which promises some exciting days ahead.
 
Top of the pile was Mr J Ord of Bishop Auckland who caught and released 7 beauties ,including 8lb , 3lb and 3lb. Visiting angler Mr Bob Hollis had a lovely day on the Sedge Hog releasing 6 with the best going to 6lb.
 
The fish can be found on the top for a short period in the afternoon, but a small black buzzer dropped below the dry seems to be producing the more consistent results.
Remember at the current moment the lakes are open from 9.00am until 4.00pm on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

 

Report for Weekending 31st January

The lakes are now open again after the ice and anglers are catching fish, husband and wife anglers Peter and Ann MacLean were successful with floating lines and bloodworm patterns. Also successful was John McGarrell who hooked and landed fish, again with floating line and bloodworm patterns. Sinking lines with lures and damsel Nymphs were also proving successful. Remember you can still go fishing on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday Opening time 9.00am until 4.00pm.

The cold Northerly wind persists down at Witton Castle Lakes and this has been putting fish well down at times. When they are showing interest on the top the usual suspects have been in form, CDC shuttlecock, shipman’s and small dry hares ear all producing good catches. Durham rod Paul Embleton continues to enjoy his week off work, releasing 23 on small patterns (more on Paul later), fellow Durham angler D. Storey put back 21 mostly on CDC. Mr M. Appleby's bag of 15 deserved praise, with a small diawl bach doing the business. Stevie Freak also had some good returns of 14 and 26 with a buzzer under the bite indicator. Top of the lot though was Spennymoors Geoff Wharton returning 30.
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