Rutland Water offers 3,100 acres of some of Europes best trout fishing. Set in lovely rolling countryside, a day at Rutland is always a pleasure for the rawest novice and the most experienced international match angler. On a water as large as Rutland, I makes real sense to get local knowledge and the fishery staff here really are welcoming and experienced. Nigel Savage, Nathan Clayton and the rest of the Rutland team are enthusiasts who fish the water themselves regularly. As they like to say, they know their fishing, they understand their water better than anyone – and they have years of experience in helping others to enjoy their sport.
Just a word about Rutland in the autumn and early winter. More and more anglers are finding that, brilliant though the summer sport is, as the year begins to wane the quality of the fish themselves becomes outstanding. Many of the very big fish are caught on fry imitations – not surprising, considering the millions of coarse fish fingerlings that inhabit the water. However, by the late summer, insect hatches are extravagant and dry flies and buzzer fishing in the surface film can produce some excellent fishing. The best brown of all in 2005 (11lb) was caught off the bank using a floating line and a small diawl bach!
There’s a great deal of sensitivity in the rules and regulations at Rutland and boat and bank anglers can opt for catch and release. This was introduced for anglers who want to continue fishing beyond any bag limit, but also for those who simply want to practice their technique and those who just don’t like the idea of killing their fish.
Facilities at Rutland are excellent, with a fully-equipped tackle shop offering everything the angler might need. There is a large and well- maintained fleet of sixty-five powered boats, and the fishing lodge is the place to glean information and reasonably priced food and drink. Another great idea is the introduction of a special low priced one fish permit for beginners who can also hire tackle inexpensively from the lodge. Courses are run and individual tuition is available for anglers of all standards. So, if on holiday, you can really make this a family day out.
The fishery is open between 1 April and 31 December. Permits can be obtained at the Rutland Water Fishery Lodge on the South Shore. The current records are 14lb 12oz for brown trout and 13lb 8oz for rainbow trout.
Written by Glen Buchanan, Keep-Fishing.com, Fishing at Rutland.