Two Temple thirties including a new lake record! - 12 02 2008

Following a pretty tough time on Temple this winter, which has definitely sorted the men out from the boys, the past week has seen a lot of fish moving on the lake culminating in two thirties and a couple of upper twenties. Topping the list was Temple's stunning 'Ghost', which was caught at a new record weight of 38lb 1oz. Also a new lake record, it was ironic that Ray Harding, who held the lake record, previously with the 'Big' mirror weighing 37lb 12oz was on hand to help weigh and photograph this superb fish.

The lucky angler was Paul Auston who, to rub salt into the wound of the Temple die hards, was fishing his first session on Temple since joining in January whilst also bagging a new PB into the bargain. Paul fished peg 2 catching the fish last Thursday night, the 7th around 21.30, after a very tough fight lasting close to half an hour. The successful bait was a 18mm Icelandic Red boilie fished to the mid water. Carrying tag number 143031, the ‘Ghost’ was last caught back in October weighing 35lb 12oz, previous to that 32lb was its top weight back last summer, so it seems on a mission to get to 40lb!

The capture of the ‘Ghost’ spurned Robert O'Neill to grab a short day session Monday 11th, which resulted in his first Temple thirty, this time a cracking 32lb 8oz mirror. A new PB and Robert's first Temple fish, the big mirror fell to a BCUK Aniseed boilie Robert bought in the shop, which he fished on a 4" helicopter rig tight to the island from peg 13 - lucky for some and certainly for Robert. Carrying tag number 144125, this mirror is one of our barn pond fish which was stocked in December 2003 weighing 23lb, the fish hit 30lb 12oz last spring before falling back to 26lb 14oz in June last year before hitting its new record weight.

Regular Craig Hess was the other angler to find the fish feeding putting two well deserved fish on the bank during his split session, a cracking common weighing 27lb 6oz and a mirror of 24lb 12oz. Both fish were at record weights. Craig fished peg 14 catching both fish on Pulse baits fished with a pva bag filled with pellet and chopped baits catching the mirror from the margins and the common from mid water.

With the weather due to warm up further over the next few days expect more reports!