Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 30/7/17

HEADLINES

Carp to 38 lb and bream to 9 lb
Up to 31 carp per angler and 90 bream between two
Temple carper’s eight fish to 31 lb
Mark Savage’s 34 lb common is the week’s third ‘thirty

THIS WEEKS FISHING (IN BRIEF!)

Lots of fish, many to specimen size, has been the story this week, as three Temple ‘thirties’ to 38 lb have been matched by a bag of 90 bream, 31 Old Lake carp, a 9 lb Old Lake bream and eight Temple carp to one angler.
A boost in oxygen levels and cooler than normal summer weather is being suggested as the reasons why the fishing has taken off.
Ideal conditions of overcast skies and mild, south-westerly winds, bringing sunshine and showers is what the fish love at this time of year, as catches have shown.
And this week looks likely to bring similarly mild conditions, as the seasonal summer heat gives way to more comfortable weather, for fish and anglers.
Temperatures are likely to be around 19 degrees C this week, with a mixture of sunshine and cloud and largely dry. Monday is looking like the sunniest day and Wednesday the most overcast, with the most likely day for a shower being Friday. Winds are looking surprisingly consistent, from a south-westerly direction all week, starting light to moderate and gaining slightly in strength to Thursday, after which they should drop away again. And overnight values look likely to be no lower than 12 degrees, but no higher than 15. So overall it looks like being a very settled and consistent week with not too much hot sunshine, which are often very favourable conditions for good sport, as well as pleasant to fish in, and south-westerly winds are usually the most productive.

• The predator fishing season begins this Sunday, October 1 and continues until March 14.

• Anyone who fancies being part of the night syndicate of anglers who are allowed to fish Temple and the Old Lake after dark for a £50 joining fee will be interested to hear that there are places available. To apply, get in touch with the office on 01306 883621.

• Anglers are reminded that fishing on Temple and night fishing on the Old Lake is available exclusively to members of the Bury Hill Specimen Carp Club. Membership cards must be carried at all times when on the fishery, and be available to bailiffs when they carry out checks prior to the evening lock-up.

OLD BURY HILL LAKE – GENERAL & BOAT FISHING

Anglers who braved the unpredictable weather this week were rewarded with some outstanding catches, in terms of numbers and size.
Matt Howe landed 31 carp to 19 lb 2 oz from peg 2 for around 500 lb, most of them upper doubles, on Sticky Baits Manilla boilies tipped with yellow pop-ups three-quarters of the way across.
Kevin Oldcorn fished through thunderstorms and torrential rain to land 11 carp to 18 lb (see photo below) for a total of 182 lb, but also had a bonus 9 lb bream.
All of Kevin’s fish fell to 20 mm Mainline Peaches & Cream boilies with PVA bags in open water at peg 11, including the PB bream, which is the first bream that he has ever weighed.

Anglers called Andy and Austin, from Bracknell, fished 11-metre poles and 6 mm expander pellets over groundbait from pegs in the 30s for a shared 90-bream, three tench and one zander last Monday.
Best of the boat catches reported was 23 bream to 5 lb 5 oz and eight tench to 6 lb, with two carp to 18 lb as well and three lost carp, for Thomas Standley, fishing the Jungle on Sunday with paste over pellets.
Adam Rogers, from Horley, had five carp to 20 lb from the Front Bank on Mainline baits.
Steve Tibyer landed seven carp to 19 lb 10 oz on a short session, on Carp Company Icelandic Red boilies, from the Long Bank, while Mike Goddard had four fish to upper-doubles on an overnighter, and Tony and Matt Lewis shared two fish to 17 lb 9 oz.
Last week we reported how Dan and Connor Lucas shared a catch of 39 carp to 20 lb on single Mainline Cell bottom baits under smaller, white Cell pop-ups, at pegs 30, 31 and 32. They have sent pictures of Connor with his biggest fish, which are posted below.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

One of Temple Lake’s biggest residents was landed last week, by Merstham angler Martin Plank.
The 38 lb 2 oz mirror carp (see photo below) came from peg 2 on a Sticky Baits Buchu-Berry boilie over spod mix of corn and hemp.

In terms of numbers, Jon Botting had the best reported catch, with eight fish topped by the ‘other ghost’ at 31 lb over a weekend (see photos below).
Jon, from Horsham, fished peg 9 with A2 Baits Creamy Toffee pop-ups over a bed of particles to the left-hand margin, also landing a 28 lb common, mirrors of 27 lb and 23 lb and a 21 lb common, with three stunning stockies.
The ‘other ghost’ was last reported at the end of March at 29 lb 8 oz to Steve Salvidge.

Also getting among the ‘thirties’, despite wet weather, was Mark Savage, who had a 34 lb common and a 22 lb mirror (see photos below) from peg 9 on 10 mm pop-ups.

BONDS LAKE

Bonds regularly produces multiple catches of carp to double figures on a variety of methods, from pole to feeder and straight lead to waggler.

MILTON LAKE

Milton Lake is the place to try for a catch of prime roach, using a waggler on a running line or pole just a short distance out, close to the pads, where they can be lined up with a little-and-often loosefeeding approach. And in the mild spells there are crucians, tench and bream to be caught, along with occasional carp.