This weeks latest catches week ending 24/2/19

• Biggest zander of 2019 – 11 lb 1 oz fish in mint condition
• Another angler lands six to 9 lb
• Big bream catches, 15 for three different anglers
• 18 lb Temple mirror is first reported carp since before cold spell
• Anglers enjoying temperatures in the mid-teens

FISHERY OPENING TIMES
The fishery currently opens for day ticket fishing at around 7.00am on weekdays; 6.30am weekends and Bank Holidays. Current closing time is approximately 5.30pm.

TACKLE & BAIT SHOP OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!
Open 7 days a week, 362 days a year, when you need it!

• PLEASE BE AWARE, ENVIRONMENT AGENCY ROD LICENCES ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM THE TACKLE SHOP. THEY CAN BE OBTAINED FROM POST OFFICES AND ONLINE AT www.postoffice.co.uk/rod-fishing-licence

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

THIS WEEK’S FISHING! (in brief)
The Old Lake has produced its biggest zander this year, in the form of an 11 lb 1 oz fish in prime condition.
Much-travelled local angler Martin Chennell hooked the fish while float fishing a roach section in the middle of the Front Bank.
It is the second biggest of the season, and with a 9 lb fish also landed this week, ushers in the best time for big fish, with just two and a half weeks left before the predator season closes.
The very mild weather has also brought the Old Lake’s bream on the feed, carp and pleasure anglers catching up to 15, intentionally and by accident on boilies.
Temple has produced its first reported fish for several weeks, an 18 lb 8 oz mirror carp falling to Mark Savage, while Bonds is livening up for multiple carp catches, Zoltan Toth, from New Malden, landing ten fish during a recent visit.
All of which suggests that the temperatures rise has spurred fish into activity, and though spring is still over three weeks away, and there’s a slight cooling from the 17 degrees enjoyed recently, conditions are on the turn.
There’s expected to be lots of dry, sunny weather this week, with double-figure values right through into next weekend, and up to 15 degrees C until Thursday, when a change of wind from south-easterlies to south-westerlies is likely to bring a short spell of light rain, but with some very good conditions as a front moves through. A very sunny Monday should produce a high of 14, but only after a chilly night from Sunday into Monday of 1 degree, falling to 3 overnight into a very sunny Tuesday of 15, and staying at 5 overnight into Wednesday, which should be a fairly sunny 13, with 6 overnight into Thursday and a mixture of sunshine and light showers with a high of 10. Temperatures should fall no lower than 6 overnight into Friday, which should be cloudy and 11, staying at 9 overnight into Saturday, which should have more cloud and 11, and similar but with more cloud again and light rain on Sunday. Winds should start as light south-easterlies on Monday, and stay that way through Tuesday and Wednesday, becoming south-westerlies on Wednesday night and into Thursday as they strengthen, then becoming a bit lighter and more westerly on Friday, and stronger again and south-westerly on Saturday and Sunday, becoming very strong on Monday. So, after some very pleasant sunshine, albeit with frosts, to start the week, things should be looking increasingly fishy as the week goes on, temperatures keeping in double figures, and with a very encouraging, strong south-westerly blow through next weekend and into Monday to stir up some action.

FOR ALL THE VERY LATEST CATCHES AS THEY HAPPEN, CHECK-OUT THE BURY HILL FISHERIES FACEBOOK PAGE AT www.facebook.com/BuryHillFisheries

OLD BURY HILL LAKE – GENERAL & BOAT FISHING

Just when zander anglers were thinking that this is a good time for a chance of a big fish, along comes an 11 lb 1 oz one to whet their appetite.
Martin Chennell, from Jacobs Well, was fishing on peg 14 in the middle of the Front Bank on Monday afternoon, in sunshine at 4pm, when he hooked the big fish, which was in pristine condition.
It picked up a one-inch section of roach taken from the middle of the fish, float fished under a pellet waggler, which Martin prefers to pike floats because they are more sensitive and offer less resistance.
He was fishing just 2-3 rod lengths out, and the fish gave him a real tussle, after which he rang his brother, Ian, who works part-time for the fishery, to come and take a picture.
The personal best zander was Martin’s only fish of the day, but he is no stranger to impressive catches, having travelled widely, fishing in the Ascension Island, British Columbia and Belize, his biggest fish a 400 lb sturgeon measuring 9 ft 2 in from the Fraser River.
Ian said the zander was “in perfect condition, not a mark on it,” and when it went back “it gave a great big tail slash, still full of fight.”
The biggest zander this season was a new record of 17 lb 2 oz landed by lake regular Janusz Kansik, last November, and his friend and fellow Polish Anglers Association member Kris Majewski, from Stanmore, was also in action with the zeds this week.
Kris landed six, mostly of 4-6 lb, but the biggest weighing 9 lb, along with an 8 lb pike.
He was fishing small chunks of roach on size 10 hooks at peg 36, getting all of his action in full daylight.
The lake’s bream have been keeping both pleasure anglers and carp anglers busy, Phil Kay, from Southwater, landing 15 to 5 lb on an open-end feeder or a maggot feeder and triple red maggot on a size 14 or 16 hook, cast towards the island.
Paul Cox also had 15 bream on his way to catching a 14 lb common carp, all on 18 mm Carp Company Icelandic Red boilies during an overnighter at peg 32.
And father and son Gary Smith and 14-year-old James, from Shirley, shared 15 and a tench from peg 13, on Hybrid feeders and Ringers washed-out wafters.
On the carp front, father and son Des Roy Van Loo and Louie landed three carp to 19 lb and a tench of over 5 lb on single hi-viz hook baits and small PVA bags.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

The first carp reported from Temple for several weeks could mark the turning point in the season this week, and the start of more activity among the fish, now that the end of winter is in sight.
Mark Savage, from Capel, landed the 18 lb 8 oz mirror, and also hooked and lost a second fish, during a session at peg 9, on trimmed down Pineapple baits with stick mix, cast tight to the far margins.

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

BONDS LAKE

The carp are becoming increasingly catchable, now that temperatures are on the rise, and there are still roach and perch being caught on pole or waggler tactics, along with a few accidental carp.
Zoltan Toth was kept busy by the carp on a recent day, landing ten during his visit.

MILTON LAKE

Milton Lake is the place to head for if you want tench, bream, crucians and specimen roach, along with a chance of a bonus carp, either on waggler with a running line, or pole close in or up against the lily pads, where fish can often be lined up with a little-and-often loosefeeding approach using small baits, especially now that the weather has become milder.