11 lb 13 oz zander in five-fish haul - 1 01 2012

 HEADLINES:

NEAR 12 LB ZANDER IS BEST OF HOLIDAY

JELLY LURES ARE SORTING OUT THE PIKE

BIG ROACH AND PERCH FROM MILTON LAKE

BREAM FEEDING IN MILD WEATHER


FISHERY OPENING TIMES

The fishery currently opens at around 7.00am weekdays and 6.30am weekends and bank holidays. Current closing time is approximately 4.00pm. Boats in by 3.15pm sharp please.

TACKLE & BAIT SHOP OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!
Open 7 days a week, 363 days a year, when you need it!
Check out Bury Hill’s tackle and bait shop here:
http://www.buryhillfisheries.co.uk/fishing-tackle.phtml

Also, our online shop here:
http://www.buryhilltackleandbait.co.uk/




THIS WEEK'S FISHING! (In brief)

Predators were the top target over the Christmas and New Year period, the best single catch being five fish including an 11 lb 13 oz zander for Kent angler Barry Douglas.
Jelly lures are proving a big hit with the lake's pike, tempting fish to 12 lb 6 oz in a four-fish haul for two boat-fishing brothers.
The Old Lake bream have been willing to feed in the milder weather, and long-range feeder tactics with red maggots have been successful.
The carp in Bonds were also responding, the best catch being nine fish to 11 lb on legered corn at the bottom of the island ledge, but waggler fished overdepth has also worked well, producing a catch of a dozen carp to 8 lb.
And on Milton Lake a chopped worm approach produced a net of roach to 1 lb 12 oz and perch to 2 lb 7 oz along with some winter crucians in one memorable catch.
And the lake's tench also put in an appearance, along with more sizeable roach to waggler and maggot.
 
OLD BURY HILL LAKE – GENERAL & BOAT FISHING
Zander and pike were the main targets of anglers over the holiday period and several managed multiple hauls of predators.
Best of the catches reported to the fishery was three zander and two pike for Barry Douglas, from Ashford, the biggest zander weighing 11 lb 13 oz.
Barry was fishing peg 70 and legering a small roach tail hair-rigged on a size 6 single hook for a memorable visit.
Another happy angler was Garry Williams, from Billericay, who achieved his aim of catching his first zander with one of 3 lb 10 oz, which took a sprat tail.
And Tony Phillips, from Cranleigh, also landed his first zed, this one weighing 8 lb 1 oz. He was fishing peg 14 on the front bank, using tactics he had seen on the Catching Predators DVD filmed at Bury Hill, from The Obsessed Angler series, which is currently showing on www.fishingcinema.tv
Jelly lures are proving deadly for the Old Lake's pike, the latest catch being two fish each to 12 lb 6 oz for brothers Dean and Andy Wilson, from Marden, while fishing from a punt.
The single-hook lures are injected with fish oil for greater attraction, and the brothers found the Fox Rage Rip Shaker lures in Lolly and Gold to be the best, catching their fish from open water along the deep channel in front of the middle and front banks.
Meanwhile, legered lamprey and eel sections accounted for a catch of three pike of between 8-12 lb in a frantic 20 minutes for Charlie Dunn, from Tonbridge.
The top bay around pegs 48-53 has been very productive, especially to roving float or float legering tactics, using mackerel strip, sardine or smelt.
The mild weather has brought the bream on the feed, and David Tidy, from Caterham found them with some accurate feeding fishing.
He made the long chuck from the front bank to the channel, where they were shoaled up, and landed six good-sized fish and a few skimmers on cage feeder and double red maggot with a light hook length and a size 18 hook.
David commented: "Some of the bites were hardly noticeable, with just a slight flicker showing up on the tip. However, I did have a couple of really good pull rounds from the bigger stamp bream, where I guess 4 lb plus was the biggest fish."

Resident predator expert Eric Bailey is running monthly courses for anyone wanting to learn how to catch themselves a pike or zander, and Eric is also available for private tuition and can be contacted on 07802 877575 or through the website.
He is also running predator matches for anglers to try to qualify for the Bury Hill pike final in March, the next one being on Sunday, January 15.
 
Another way to learn a bit about how to get to grips with predator fishing at Old Bury Hill is to take a look at shop manager Russ Evans' contribution on the FishingMagic website, where he describes his recent success in the fishery's pike qualifier to reach the final on Sunday, March 11.
http://www.fishingmagic.com/features/coarse_fishing/predator_fishing/15502-predator-fishing-%E2%80%93-a-very-different-match-for-the-%E2%80%98obsessed-angler%E2%80%99.html
 
IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO HIRE TACKLE TO FISH WITH ON A VISIT TO THE LAKE, IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THE HIRE TACKLE IS DESIGNED FOR GENERAL PLEASURE FISHING, RATHER THAN SPECIALIST CARP OR PREDATOR FISHING, WHICH WILL REQUIRE STRONGER TACKLE.
ALSO, TO ALLOW ANGLERS TO FISH UNDISTURBED, BOATS ARE HIRED OUT FOR FISHING ONLY, AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE JUST FOR ROWING AROUND THE LAKE.
 

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP
With fewer anglers and less bait going in, Temple has been quieter than in the lead-up to the festive break, but that means the fish will be rested and being less pressured than at any time during the year, as well as being at their winter weight.
Mild spells in between the low temperatures will reward those with their eye on the barometer and a willingness to brave wet and windy conditions that often bring numbers of fish on the feed when a low pressure drifts in.
Expect to see a few PBs achieved and some multiple catches when temperatures are unseasonably mild.

PLEASE NOTE: LEAD CORE IS BANNED ON BOTH TEMPLE AND THE OLD LAKE. PLEASE SEE RUSS OR KEN IN THE SHOP FOR FURTHER DETAILS.


BONDS LAKE
Two fine catches showed what is on offer on Bonds for those wanting to put a bend in their rod this winter.
Billy Jennings, from Croydon, landed nine carp up to 11 lb fishing a single piece of legered corn at the bottom of the island ledge.
Sometimes it is the simple tactics and a single bright bait that sorts out the fish in winter.
Scott Taylor, from Warlingham, caught a dozen carp to 8 lb fishing a light waggler rig slightly overdepth and a single grain of corn on a size 16 hook, casting to the point of the island from peg 8.
Scott was firing out a dozen 4 mm low-oil carp pellets every 20 minutes to land his haul.
And Baz Driscoll, from Reigate, had just one fish but it was well above average for Bonds at 13 lb 6 oz.
The PB mirror took an 8 mm White Chocolate boilie fished in the margins on the left-hand size of peg 7.

For anyone thinking of having a day on Bonds and wanting to make the most of the fishing, it would be well worth a look at:
http://www.fishingmagic.com/features/coarse_fishing/general_fishing/15402-tackling-commercial-fisheries-%E2%80%93-ian-welch-joins-russ-evans-%E2%80%98in-session%E2%80%99.html


MILTON LAKE
Roach are the fish to target on Milton Lake in winter, when they finally get a look in after being dominated by the crucians, rudd, tench and carp in the warmer months.
One angler who discovered just how impressive these fish can be is Hayden Gould, from Surrey, who caught fish of 1 lb 12 oz and 1 lb 10 oz in a haul that included perch to 2 lb 7 oz, three nice tench and three crucians to 2 lb.
Tactics were chopped worm flavoured with Van den Eynde Predator Plus liquid and a few red maggots cupped out next to some reeds on peg 14 and then fishing waggler close in after resting the peg for an hour.
Single red maggot or small pieces of worm on a size 18 hook was the successful combination.
Carlton Stone, from Crawley, opted for waggler cast two thirds of the way to the island at peg 24 and landed quality roach to over 1 lb with some sizeable crucians and some tench.
He also caught a fully scaled mirror of 7 lb 12 oz, using double red maggot on a size 20 hook to a 1 lb 10 oz hook length.

Bury Hill shop manager Russ Evans knows the lakes at Bury Hill better than most, and over the years has written many articles as well as producing his own series of DVD’s to help you improve your catches, which are sold in the tackle shop.
Below is a link to hundreds of articles written by Russ and others that will help you increase your catches. 
http://www.buryhillfisheries.co.uk/press/

You can also see a feature on Russ fishing Milton, put together by Ian Welch, at:
http://www.fishingmagic.com/features/coarse_fishing/general_fishing/15514-winter-crucians-%E2%80%93-in-session-with-russ-evans.html