Catches pick up as water temperatures increase! - 22 02 2009

FISHERY REPORTS
WEEK ENDING SUNDAY, 22nd February 2009
 
PREDATOR & TENCH STOCKING
The planned predator and tench stocking has started with around 50 plus small pike and 100 odd tench between 2lb and 5lb being stocked in the Old Lake with a further 100 tench between 1lb and 2lb stocked into Milton Lake. A second stocking of larger fish should arrive in the next couple of weeks.
 
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http://www.buryhillfisheries.co.uk/fishing-tackle.phtml
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WATER TEMPERATURES
A much better week weather wise, dry and with temperatures increasing to double figures as the week wore on. Indeed water temperatures have soared from a winters low of 3.3 degree’s last week to 6.1 degree’s this morning whilst oxygen levels remain around 30%.
With the good weather staying with us for at least one more week, expect water temperatures to increase further over the next few days, which will have a positive effect on the fishing.

THIS WEEKS FISHING!
A steady increase in water temperatures this week has helped the fishing pick up no end with all lakes starting to fish pretty well, although another week of increasing temperatures will see the fishing improve still further.
With water temperatures almost doubling this week, the Old Lake has seen some great predator action with anglers catching plenty of small pike as well as a few decent doubles topped by a cracking 20lb fish. The zander fishing has also picked up this week with quite a few fish around the 8lb and 9lb mark being caught along with the odd double.
The general fishing on the Old Lake has also picked up with a few bream, skimmers and even the odd tench being reported with both the front and long banks areas producing a few fish.
The two smaller lakes, Bonds and Milton also started to fish this week with plenty of small carp showing on Bonds whilst Milton has been seeing some very good mixed bags of roach, perch and rudd caught with the odd crucian and tench also showing.
On the carp front, following last weeks run of thirties on Temple, the carp fishing has been reasonable with the Old Lake at last starting to see a few fish on the bank, with quite a few doubles reported in the week whilst on Temple no further fish have been reported although there are signs of the fish starting to move with a number of anglers loosing fish owing to finicky feeding.
 
OLD BURY HILL LAKE – PREDATOR FISHING
Generally a very good week for the predator anglers with pike to 20lb and zander to 10lb reported along with a lot of smaller fish. Whilst the smaller pike have tended to dominate the catches, the week has seen quite a few doubles caught and a cracking big female weighing 20lb 1oz (see picture below) whilst the zander fishing has also picked up with quite a few fish in the 8lb to 9lb range being caught as well as a 10lb double.
Please note that both the pike and zander are getting ready to spawn, so please handle with great care returning to the water as quickly as possible.
With all banks producing a few fish, both the mid depth and shallow water areas has been fishing well. Tactic wise, these remain much the same as in previous weeks with small baits definitely working better than larger baits with diagonal head and tail sections of both sea and freshwater baits working particularly well. Single hook rigs are also taking a few more fish with hair rigs also making hooking easier and safer. These tactics, will not only catch pike and zander, but will improve takes and moreover help to avoid a deep hooked fish.
Ian Welch’s pages in the Anglers Mail recently featured Zander fishing at Bury Hill, see link below.
http://www.buryhillfisheries.co.uk/press/
Don’t forget that the predator session ends on the 14th March.
This weeks catches
John Price was the lucky angler to catch a new PB in the shape of a 20lb 1oz pike yesterday. Fishing the early pegs along the island bank, John settled in on peg 55 and decided to ledger a mackerel tail just 20’ out into 4’ of water catching his new PB after loosing a very big zander at the net. Fishing with John was his son Jack who caught his first ever predator, a small jack pike.


Another angler to do well this weekend was
Sandy Hurvath also had a good day catching an 8lb 10oz zander, Sandy fished peg 23 catching his new PB on a ledgered sprat.

OLD BURY HILL LAKE – GENERAL & BOAT FISHING
Generally a pretty good week on the Old Lake with some reasonable bags of bream reported which included skimmers and even the odd tench. Whilst the front and long banks have both produced fish, the fish seem to have moved away from the deeper water swims with the middle bank sections seemingly fishing best.
Feeder tactics seem to be the in method with small open-end groundbait feeder working particularly well with maggot, caster and worm all catching, although larger baits such as corn, hair rigged punched meat and banded pellet are also working, particularly for the bigger fish.
This weeks catches
Dave Woolgar had a very good day in the week catching 9 bream to 5lb 8oz. Fishing a small groundbait feeder with double red maggot fished on a 16 hook and 18” hooklength, Dave fished peg10 catching steadily throughout the day. Another angler on the Old Lake to do well this week was Martin Roe; fishing peg 31 Martin also fished a groudbait feeder, this time to the island catching on single red maggot.
LTMAA had their match on the front bank yesterday the 21st, with just about everyone fishing feeder tactics and maggot. Andy Crane won the day from peg 15 with 4 bream for 13lb 1oz, second was Les Griggs with 3 bream for 11lb 13oz taken from peg 10 and third was Martin Adams with 7lb 8oz caught from peg 9.


OLD BURY HILL & TEMPLE LAKE - CARP
A much better week generally for the carpers with the Old Lake seeing the first multi bags of the year reported with a number of anglers catching whilst following the flurry of activity on Temple last week which saw Sean Howard catch a brace of thirties, sport did slow as water temperatures remained low. Saying that, a number of anglers reported both lost fish and missed runs on Temple, which at least goes to show that the fish are starting to be more active.
Bait wise, most good baits will work at this time of year but certainly Icelandic Red, Fusion, KG1 and Cell boilies are all worth a go! Thinking out of the box also works on Temple and small pieces of white or yellow pop ups are worth a try at this time of year over a few free offerings or just on their own, the secret being to keep things simple and not to overfeed.
This weeks catches
Following the capture of ‘Shoulders’ weighing 31lb 4oz the other week, Gavin Campbell had a good session on the Old Lake catching 5 carp to mid doubles as well as 7 bream. Fishing 18mm KG1 baits to the open water and margins from peg 22, Gavin caught steadily throughout his session with a lot of the fish coming during the day.


Lee Bacon also managed a fighting fit 17-pound mirror during his overnight session, which he caught on double KG1 baits fished to the overhang off peg 75.
Please Note!
Temple Lake can only be fished by Specimen Carp Members who are also able to night fish the Old Lake. With membership numbers strictly limited to anglers with some experience of catching bigger fish, membership includes Old Bury Hill Lake and Temple Lake, our new specimen carp lake. Following recent stockings, Temple currently holds just under a 100 fish to upper thirties, which now includes 35 known thirties, the average size is close to 29lb. To date there has been a waiting list to join, however there is a small number of places available for 2009 which will be available on a first come first served basis, anyone interested should contact David or Jane on 01306 877540, or download an application form from our website.
To view the latest carp catches and pictures click the following link:
http://www.buryhillfisheries.co.uk/carp-catches/
 
BONDS LAKE
Finally clear of ice, Bonds bounced back this week with a number of anglers reporting reasonable bags of carp to 20lb. Whilst most methods working, ledger and feeder tactics are working particularly well with smaller baits such as maggot and caster have been catching best whilst surprisingly larger baits such as corn have also been taking the odd bigger fish.

MILTON LAKE
Milton has also responded to the warmer temperatures with anglers catching some good mixed bags. Ultra light float rigs seem to be the winning method with small baits such as single maggot and caster catching small roach, rudd and perch as well as the odd carp, tench and crucian in nets to 20lb plus.
This weeks catches
Fishing peg 19, Tony Handyside had a good day catching a couple of tench to 4lb 8oz, a few roach to a pound as well a bonus crucian weighing 3lb 14oz although looking at the pics I think it is a brown goldfish. Tony fished a single red maggot on an 18 hook catching just 1 rod out.