Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 2/4/17

HEADLINES

The Ghost banked at 38 lb 6 oz
Three-carp catch topped by 34-pounder
Old Lake angler lands 100 bream
Over 40 Milton Lake crucians
29 lb ‘other ghost’ from Temple

THIS WEEKS FISHING (IN BRIEF!)

The run of Temple ‘thirties’ continues with another two landed this week, following on from the previous week’s four, including famous fish The Ghost at 38 lb 6 oz.
Stuart Smith landed the distinctive Temple Lake resident, and the ‘other ghost’ was also landed, at 29 lb 8 oz, by Steve Salvidge.
Mark Constable also had a memorable Temple visit, landing three fish topped by a 34 lb mirror carp.
The Old Lake bream are queuing up to be caught, the best report being of 100 fish landed by a pole angler in a single session.
And the Milton Lake crucians are feeding well, Alan Derbyshire catching over 40, along with roach to 1 lb, in his latest session.
After hitting the heights of 20 degrees C last week, it looks as if this week will be a bit closer to the seasonal average of 13 degrees, and with some chilly nights, but no lower than 5 degrees and with dry weather all week. Sunday and Monday look likely to be the sunniest days, with 14 degrees, and Wednesday the coolest, at 11, with Monday into Tuesday the best overnight temperature, of 8, and Tuesday and Friday the most overcast days, with Tuesday the windiest. Winds should be lightish and changeable but generally from a north-westerly direction, which is less cold than easterlies and less wet than south-westerlies. High pressure is in control for much of this week and another giant high looks likely to settle over the south east next weekend, giving 16 degrees on Saturday and 18 on Sunday, with clear blue skies and sunshine from dawn to dusk, followed by overnight values staying in double figures on Sunday night as the high starts to drift away to leave cloud in its wake, though still with sunshine for Monday, but a cooler night into Tuesday.

• The predator fishing season begins on October 1 and continues until March 14.

• 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

The bream fishing has improving week by week as the weather has warmed and the hours of daylight increased, and is now as good as it has been all year.
Last week’s 85 lb matchwinning weight was followed this week by a 100-bream pleasure catch, as the fish showed their appreciation of the mild, overcast and frost-free spells that the species love.
Best of the carp catches reported was nine double-figure fish shared by father and son Andy and Trevor Whiteman on pegs 71 and 75, the biggest a 19 lb 2 oz mirror, on Mainline Hybrid wafters and single Cell boilies cast to the island.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

It’s that time of year when the ‘thirties’ keep coming, and this week added another two to the four the week before, including the lake’s most recognisable resident.
The Ghost fell to Stuart Smith, fishing peg 14 with an 18 mm Mainline Cell pop-up, at a weight of 38 lb 6 oz.
Stuart recently had the biggest zander of the year with the accidental capture of a 14 lb fish from Temple on a boilie.
Also on the ‘thirties’ scoresheet was Mark Constable, who had a 34 lb mirror carp on an overnighter, along with a fish of 22 lb 2 oz and a 19 lb 13 oz fully scaled (see photos below).
Mark fished peg 9 with a Monster Baits boilie cast to the island margins.

Steve Salvidge came close to the 30 lb mark with a 29 lb 8 oz ghost carp from peg 12, on a single Pineapple pop-up cast tight to the island rushes, with no freebies.
Andrew Nash landed a 28 lb mirror from the snags at the same peg on a home-made wafter.

Ray Harding had a brace of fish at 22 lb 2 oz and 17 lb, also from peg 12, on a snowman presentation of a 15 mm Cell bottom bait and a 10 mm Pineapple pop-up.
Brian Nicholls landed a 20 lb scaly mirror on a Cell wafter at peg 11, casting to the island.
And Dean Jackson had a 17 lb 2 oz mirror from peg 9 on a Cell bait, casting to the far margin.

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.

Milton regular Alan Derbyshire, from Epsom, had over 40 crucians and two roach to 1 lb from peg 23, on pole and 4 mm expander pellets, cupping in small balls of groundbait laced with maggots and 2 mm pellets.