Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 3/3/17

HEADLINES

Nemo landed on angler’s first Temple session
40 lb fish reported for first time since October
Angler’s seven-predator catch to 9 lb with one week of season to go
2 lb 8 oz perch from Milton Lake
25 crucians on pole and expander pellets

THIS WEEKS FISHING (IN BRIEF!)

Bury Hill’s biggest fish, Nemo, has been landed at exactly 40 lb, to an angler fishing his first session on Temple.
New member Sam Doherty had the famous fish on his first day, and lost a second sizeable carp, suggesting that the big fish are on the move, with spring around the corner.
The predator season comes to an end in just over a week’s time, and plenty are still being caught, the best bag reported this week being six zander to 9 lb and a pike for Dan Owens.
Predators of another sort are feeding well on Milton Lake, a 2 lb 8 oz perch falling to Michael Costello, with roach and rudd to over 1 lb.
And Milton Lake regular Alan Derbyshire showed that the lake’s crucians are becoming more active each day, landing 25, along with tench and silver fish on pole and expander pellets.
It looks like being an increasingly mild week, with double-figure daytime temperatures after Tuesday and sunshine and showers, with no sign of frosts after Monday night, and lightish, mild, westerly winds. Monday looks to be largely dry and up to 9 degrees C, with 3 degrees into Tuesday, which should be sunny in the morning and up to 9 degrees, followed by some rain but 12 degrees on Wednesday, similar but drier on Thursday and Friday and a little brighter and with moderate winds on Saturday and Sunday before a frost on Sunday night after the Full Moon that day, and a return to chillier nights and 8 degrees by day for the week after. So it looks likely to be a pleasant week to be outdoors and one that should get fish moving in the double-figure temperatures and largely frost-free conditions, before things change again after the weekend.

• The predator fishing season begins on 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

There’s just over a week to go before zander and pike fishing comes to an end, and with the fish at their heaviest weights of the year, there’s always a chance of a personal best.
Dan Owens, from Crystal Palace, landed six zander and a pike on a day session at peg 30, his two best zeds weighing 9 lb.
Head sections of skimmer bream fished just off bottom and suspended using cork was the successful combination.
The Wednesday Open was won with 33 lb of bream for Marcus Page, who fished peg 34 with pole or feeder, holding off a challenge from Tommy Hiller with 32 lb from peg 15 on feeder, ahead of Steve Gardener with 26 lb from peg 6 on pole or feeder.
Ben Griffin, from Peaslake, landed four carp to 17 lb from peg 2, on CC Moore Live System 18 mm baits in snowman presentations, over a few freebies.
Father and son Chris and Jack Webb-Olley shared a catch of four carp on pegs 74 and 75, Jack catching commons of 17 lb 14 oz and 15 lb 8 oz, while Chris had mirror carp of 17 lb 14 oz and 12 lb (see photos below).
All of the fish fell to 15 mm Mainline Cell baits cast to the island.

And Old Lake regular Roy Carslake had a 15 lb 3 oz common (see photo below) from the margins of peg 2, on Mainline prototype baits.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

The capture of Nemo at 40 lb (see photos below) could herald the start of a pre-spring feeding spree, leading to the capture of some more of Temple’s heavyweights.
New member Sam Doherty was on his very first day on the lake when he landed the famous fish from peg 15, weighed and witnessed by Bury Hill regular Matt White.
Sam used a 16 mm Sticky Baits The Krill boilie in open water to the left side of the island, and also lost another good fish, as did another angler, who had two fish come adrift.

Last week we reported how Joe Concanon, aka Joe Hendry, from Leatherhead, had landed a 30 lb scaly mirror at the start of his session.
He has sent in a picture (below) of the fish, landed on Saturday afternoon.

Mark Nightingale had two good fish during a 24-hour session.

Steve Willetts caught three common carp in a 48-hour session, all of them landed in a hectic 20-minute spell.
They weighed 21 lb 4 oz, 20 lb 2 oz and 17 lb 4 oz, and fell for 15 mm Mainline Cell baits tipped with yellow corn over a few free offerings close to the far island, from peg 11.
New member Jason Osler had a 21 lb 2 oz common from peg 14 on Wraysbury Baits McNut boilies, also losing three fish in his 24-hour session.
And David Champion had an 18 lb common from peg 12.
Also in action was Graham Collins, who landed a 20 lb common (see photo below) from peg 12 on Cell.

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.

Michael Costello showed that there are also specimen perch to be caught, landing one of 2 lb 8 oz with over 20 fish, including roach and rudd to over 1 lb.
Michael, from Sutton, fished peg 19 with a maggot feeder and double red maggot on the hook for a new PB.
Milton Lake regular Alan Derbyshire had 25 crucians, three tench and some silver fish from peg 24, on 13m pole and 2 mm and 4 mm expander pellets over cupped-in groundbait and pellets.
Charlie Wyatt caught roach to over 1 lb steadily from the off at peg 3, along with a few crucians, on a light waggler and soft pellets, switching to corn to land more crucians to 2 lb.
And Nick Sandstrom had “a wonderful time” as a newcomer to coarse fishing, landing a dozen fish from peg 19, including crucians, tench and roach on waggler and double red maggot, his first of all three species.