Dunlichity House

On a day when the competitors welcomed back regular visitor, Dennis Strange from Barrow-on Furness, the day's competition was all about tactics!  Although over 50 fish were caught, only 14 fish were taken as competitors held back waiting for "the big one"!  A number of people ended up "blanking" after having caught fish.

Ian Young's tactic of tacking early fish proved successful with two early fish weighing in at a total of 7lb 2oz, a weight which was not bettered.  Magnus MacDonald came second with 4lb 5oz and Liam Skinner came third with 3lb 15oz (including a fish in the last minute of the last peg!).  The bottle went to Dennis Strange with a fish of 3lb 7oz.


In terms of the league, Colin Keith increased his lead at the top after Bill Greig's noble efforts to join the competition after the first peg due to work commitments failed to bear fruit!  Big movers were Ian Young and Magnus MacDonald.
The next heat of the Dunlichity Cup is on Saturday 4 August.
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The next heat of the 2012 Dunlichity Cup is on Saturday 16 June.  Competitors should meet at 09.00 prompt for a 09.30 start.


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Liam Skinner won the 2011 Dunlichity Cup competition in dramatic style.








The 2012 competition has already commenced and a report will be loaded shortly together with the remaining dates. It is not too late to join the competition, as each heat is a competition in its own right and as Liam proved, late starters can still win!

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Please note that the final heat of this year's competition has been moved to Saturday 12 November at 09.00.

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The 7th Heat of the Dunlichity Cup was held on Saturday 8 October. The weather was not kind, and a combination of holidays and illness reduced numbers to 11 brave souls!

Two competitors ended well ahead of the others - George Swanson winning with a bag of 8lb 8oz and Magus Macdonald second with a bag of 7lb 6oz. The only other contestant to take two fish was Bill Greig, who finished third with a bag of 4lb 13oz.

Graeme Matheson won the bottle for the biggest fish outside of the top three. Graeme Matheson, George Swanson, Magnus Macdonald and Bill Greig

The heat results have set up a great potential finish to this year's competition, with at least 8 competitors in with a realistic chance of taking the Cup.

The final heat has been moved to Saturday 12 November.
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The 7th Heat of this year's Dunlichity Cup takes place this Saturday from 09.00 to 14.00.

A competition in its own right, with prizes of £60, £40 and £20, with a bottle for the largest fish, the heat also counts towards the overall Dunlichity Cup. Competition for the Cup is getting fierce, with a number of competitors in with a chance to become the 2011 Champion.




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The 6th heat of the Dunlichity Cup was held yesterday, with 18 anglers competing for the prizes.

The water fished really well, with 62lb in weight being taken. 7 competitors caught their full bag, and 10 3lb+ fish were caught. Both Liam Skinner and Richard Franklin had caught their bags before the end of the third peg! Graham Matheson also gets a special mention for breaking his duck with two fish for 4lb 7oz.

First prize went to Liam with a bag of 7lb 4oz, with George Skinner in second place (7lb bag) and Bill Greig third (6lb 12 oz). Liam also caught the biggest fish (4lb 7oz), with James Gray winning the bottle for the largest fish outside of the top three (3lb 12oz).



Competition for the Cup became more intense, with David Skinner retaining 1st place, but with a reduced lead over George Skinner, Liam Skinner and Bill Greig. Robert Todd and Magnus Macdonald both lost some ground after blanking, as did James Gray who only took one fish.

Heat 6 of the Dunlichity Cup is tomorrow, Saturday 10th September at 09.00 prompt.

Please also be advised that the date of Heat 8 is changed from Saturday 5 November to Saturday 12 November.


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The next round of the Dunlichity Cup is on Saturday 13 August at 09.00.

After a few weeks of poor conditions, we have started to have good numbers of fish caught again, with Ron Maslin catching 9 yesterday, and a father and son team who are on holiday both reaching double figures today.

The banks are likely to be very wet on Saturday, but unless there is a significant deterioration in the weather over the next 24 hours (in which case we will post an update on the Blog), the heat will go ahead.


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The third heat of the 2011 Dunlichity Cup was held on Saturday 11 June, with 16 anglers competing. Conditions for the heat were good, and a number of competitive fish were caught early on. Indeed, three competitors had taken their bags before the break.

20 fish were taken at a combined weight of 49lb 4oz. Many more fish were returned in the hope of a bigger fish!

Victor for the day was James Watson, who took a two fish bag of 6lb 15oz during the first couple of pegs. This after he had "blanked" in the first two heats! Second was Jim Gray with 5lb and in third place was Will Jack with 4lb 8oz. Magnus Macdonald won the bottle for a fish of 3lb 6oz.


Results in the third head have led to a change in the leader board, with last year's Cup Winner, David Skinner taking the lead.
The next heat of the Cup is on Saturday 9 July. The entry form is in the Bothy, or entry can be made by email or telephone.

We are holding the next heat of the Dunlichity Cup on Saturday at 09.00 am.

There is everything to play for after the first two heats and competitors should get their names down on the entry sheet or call / email us asap.

Usual heat prizes of £60, £40, £20 and a bottle for the biggest fish.

As you will know from previous blogs, the 2010 Troutmaster winner for Dunlichity Trout Fishery was Geoff Allsop. Geoff competed in the final at Grafham Water last week and sent us the report below:

"Hi everyone,

Just to let you know how I got on at the Troutmaster final at Grafham. I fished from the boat for the first session (3 hours). I weighed in at just over 21 lbs. My largest fish was a four pound brown. I used a Black Buzzer and a Cruncher. We fished Savages Creek.

I fished the afternoon session from the bank at Gaynes Cove.After feeling confident, I was quickly bought back down to earth! I blanked - not so much as a pull! The fish had moved right out and I finished joint 21st.

Future winners at Dunlichity who qualify for the competition should try and attend the final. I understand that it's a long way but it's well worth the effort. It is a fabulous day, well organised and with very friendly competitors. Well done Rob Edmunds, a worthy winner.

Kind regards
Geoff Allsop"

Well done Geoff. Thanks for being such a fine ambassador for Dunlichity.

The second heat of the 2011 Dunlichity Cup was held last Saturday with a number of new faces, including two juniors competing for the first time. The Fishery had been stocked the day before, so fishing was particularly good, with a number of competitors completing their bag before the break.
Over 60lb in weight was shared by the 17 competitors and a couple of the fish have gone on the Troutmaster Board for May.
The victor for the day was Hendrik Cornelius, with a bag of 6lb 15 oz. Hendrik edged Bob Todd into second place by one ounce, with Will Jack in third place with a bag of 5lb 9oz. Biggest fish outside of the top three went to Liam Skinner, with a fish of 3lb 7oz.

Tomorrow is the first heat for the 2011 Dunlichity Cup. Last year's rules and entry price (£25) apply. There are still a few places available - let us know if you want to enter. Otherwise, the Fishery will be closed to non-competitors until 14.30.

Another good turnout for the third heat of the Dunlichity Cup. Almost everyone caught fish, with a few competitors returning a reasonable number of fish without finally getting one "on the board".

Leader after two heats, Robin Scott left it until the final hooter was about to sound before landing a 2lb fish. However, honours for the day went to John Vickers, with a bag of 6lb 9oz. George Swanson was second with 5lb 15oz and John McFeeley was third with 5lb 13oz. George Skinner won the bottle for the biggest fish outside of the top three, a fish weighing 3lb 8oz.

George Skinner, John McFeeley, John Vickers and George Swanson

The league table after three heats is:

1. Robin Scott - 14lb 2oz

2. David Skinner - 11lb 8oz

3. John McFeeley - 10lb 7oz

4. Ian Young - 8lb 12oz

5. John Vickers - 8lb 6oz

6. Will Jack - 6lb 5oz

7. George Swanson - 5lb 15oz

8. James Gary - 4lb 6oz

9. George Skinner - 3lb 8oz

10. Denis Strange - 3lb 2oz

11. Tim Watson - 2lb 12oz

12. James Watson - 2lb 2oz

It feels like a broken record - "Changeable weather conditions"!

After drought conditions earlier in the week, we have had strong winds and showers today that have made casting a lottery!

The dry conditions have caused oxygen depletion and on Thursday, we lost 4 fish including a 12lb+. As a result, we have decided to buy an aerator for the top lochan. The increased oxygen levels should improve the fishing generally and the water circulation may give us a few extra days fishing in the winter!

Significant catches this week include:

• Sean Cowan - 16
• Robin Scott - 15
• Ron Maslin - 11

Success has mainly been on buzzers, albeit that Muddlers have had results in the drier weather.

Next heat of the Dunlichity Cup on Saturday 17 July.

This update covers the two weeks up to and including 20 June.

The interim stocking, which was intended to reduce the number of tadpoles that the fish are feeding on, was largely successful. Tadpole numbers have been significantly reduced, particularly on the top lochan. The last stocking was over two weeks ago and the fish are now becoming a little fussy - the next stocking is planned for this week and there will be a further stocking before the next Dunlichity Cup heat.

Some decent catches have been achieved:
George Skinner - 14
Ron Maslin - 12
Gordon Mey - 11
Bob Matheson, "A.Manile", Sean Cowan - 10
Bill Greig - 9
James Gray, Thom Railer, John McFeeley - 8

Successful flies (according to the catch register) are:
Buzzers - x17
Dry Flies - x17
Sedge - x5
CDC - x4
Tadpole, Yellow Dancer, Damsels, Montana - x3
Hares Ear, Kate MacLaren, - x2
Others incluse Black Dawson, Bloodworm, Cat's Whisker, Klinkhammer, Orange Snatcher, Daddy, Black Fritz.

Troutmaster winners for the month ended 20 June were:
1. Martyn Petrie - 7lb 13oz
2. George Noble - 7lb 2oz
3. James Law - 7lb 0oz
No juniors entered fish this month!

The weather has now brightened up, and it is anticipated that the top-of-the-water sport will flourish over the coming weeks.

Another changeable week weather-wise has brought varied conditions ranging from heatwave to torrential downpour! Consequently, the fish do not know whether they are "coming or going"! In fact, 199 did arrive on Wednesday when we re-stocked.


Although there were plenty of fish in the lochans, after a few taken fish were spooned, it was clear that they were feeding mainly off tadpoles. The logic of this interim stocking is to provide more mouths to mop up the remaining tadpoles!


Between 31 May and 6 June, there were a number of notable bags achieved:

• Ron Maslin - 21
• George Noble - 20
• John Vickers - 18 and 11
• Sid Rowe, a guest in the Self-Catering from Lydd - 17
• Sean Cowan - 14
• Mr Park from Beauly - 12
• Sean Wright - 12
• Jim McFeeley - 9
• Jim Gray - 8 and 9
• Liam Bennett from London on his first visit - 8
• George Swanson - 8

Successful flies for the week were:

• "Buzzers" - 15
• "Dry" - 7
• "Small black / brown" - 6
• Olive - 6
• Sedge - 4
• "Dancer" - 4
• Cats Whisker - 3
• Hopper - 3
• Fritz - 2
• Tadpole - 2
• CDC/ Invicta / Ace of Spades / Grey Duster / Grey Wulff
• Hares Ear - 2

The next heat of the Dunlichity Cup is on Saturday 19 June - deals on previous blogs and the entry form is in the bothy.

From next week, we will be introducing discounted catch-and-release rates for Senior Citizens. The rates will be £2 off the normal catch-and-release rates on Monday to Friday. We will update the website rates accordingly.

The first heat of the 2010 Dunlichity Cup was held today - heat was an appropriate description!
In sweltering temperatures, competitors fished 7 pegs for the highest two fish bag.

Hi

Fishery Conditions

The fishery was stocked last week and there have been some large bags and large fish caught. I will be trying to provide a weekly update with conditions, significant catches and maybe a few photos!

Website

As you will have seen, our new website is now up and running. We added this blog to the fishery pages so that up-to-date information can be posted (particularly at times over the winter when the weather prevents us from opening). We would welcome feedback on the site.

Competition – The Dunlichity Cup

After receiving a lot of positive feedback following the Troutmaster fish-off, we have decided to run a series of monthly competitions. Starting tomorrow, Saturday 22 May at 09.00, we will be running a 7 peg, two fish competition. The cost of entering is £25, only £1 more than the price of a 4 hour, 2 fish Troutmaster ticket. Prizes of £60, £40, £20 and a bottle will be awarded at the end of each heat, and competitors will be able to continue fishing after the competition on a catch-and-release basis for no extra charge.

At the end of the seventh individual heat, the person who has achieved the largest total bag over the seven heats will be awarded the Dunlichity Cup and a prize of £100.

Due to holidays, there are a number of places available for tomorrow's heat - if you are not able to pre-register in the bothy, then just call us on 01808 521442 and we will reserve you a place.

The entry form is in the Bothy and the rules for the competition are below:

2010 Dunlichity Cup Rules

Heat 1 - Saturday 22 May - 09.00

Heat 2 - Saturday 19 June- 09.00

Heat 3 - Saturday 17 July - 09.00

Heat 4 - Saturday 14 August - 09.00

Heat 5 - Saturday 11 September - 09.00

Heat 6 - Saturday 9 October - 09.00

Heat 7 - Saturday 6 November - 09.00

1. Entry Fee: £25 (£1 more than the 4 hr 2 fish Troutmaster price). Maximum 30 competitors.

2. Register on form in Bothy. Non-returnable fee payable in advance. 20 places reserved for Loyalty Scheme members.

3. Seven 30 minute pegs are fished, with the draw for pegs occurring at the beginning of the day.

4. Pegs will move three places to the right at the end of each 30 minute session.

5. 30 minute refreshment break after 4th peg is fished.

6. Barbless hooks to be fished at all times. Inspection of hooks will occur regularly and any unbarbed hooks found will result in disqualification. Traditional fly patterns, no poppers or boobies. A maximum of two flies may be fished on a line at any time i.e. no "washing lines".

7. Competitors may have two rods on the bank but only a single rod to be fished at all times, 6 lb minimum breaking strain line (8lb preferred).

8. All anglers must be in possession of a priest. Returned fish must be subjected to the minimum of handling. All Brown Trout to be returned.

9. Competitors may fish on after the competition on a "catch and release" basis at no extra cost.

10. Non-competitors will not be able to walk around the lochans during the competition.

11. Heat winner will be the angler with the largest two fish bag taken throughout the seven peg session. Prizes are £60, £40 and £20 for Ist, 2nd and 3rd places respectively and a bottle for the largest fish caught by an angler placed 4th and below.

12. Dunlichity Cup winner will be the angler who has the largest total bag over all of the qualifying dates. Winner will hold the Dunlichity Cup for one year, receive a personal trophy and a prize of £100.

13. In the event of two equally-sized bags, the angler with the largest single fish in the bag will be the winner.

14. Mike will be officiating and his decision on the day is final.

Hopefully see you all soon.

Best wishes

Mike