Rutland and Eyebrook
The midlands reservoirs offer some of the best still water trout angling in Europe, let alone the UK. The rich, fertile waters support a vast array of wildlife, and the trout are at the top of the food chain - assuming you discount the anglers and ospreys. Looking over the side of the boat in the shallows is like peering into a giant aquarium, with shoals of countless coarse fry, which are themselves well-fed on the abundant subsurface insect life. In contrast to their upland reservoir counterparts, upon stocking, trout begin piling on the weight and gaining condition.
Rutland
At 3,200 acres, Rutland is the largest man made reservoir in Northern Europe. Owing to its size it can be an intimidating place for the fledgling boat angler; the weather can change quickly and you can suddenly find yourself in very choppy conditions. The fish are also more spread out and you will often need to use sinking lines to present your flies at the correct depth from the boat.
Through my contacts with local anglers I am kept up to date with the current favoured areas and tactics, and can speed up the learning process for you in taming this large water. I will supply you with a boat seat for the day to keep you comfortable and give you a good vantage point to spot any surface feeding fish, and we will get the opportunity to use several different tactics throughout the day, including the washing line, free-lined nymphs/buzzers and sunk line work/pulling tactics.
Eyebrook
Eyebrook is smaller than Rutland and has a slightly higher density of fish, making it better suited to less experienced boat anglers. Buzzers, diawl bachs, dries and damsels are all effective here, depending on season. Eyebrook is also said to be one of the most picturesque of UK reservoirs - I'll let the picture do the talking.