Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 1/10/17

HEADLINES

100 lb hauls of bream in a few hours
Temple’s Two Tone out up in weight at 36 lb 1 oz
Old Lake daytime catch of 17 carp
11 lb 14 oz golden koi rounds off regular’s season
Predator season starts with rumours of 11 lb zander

 THIS WEEKS FISHING (IN BRIEF!)

Bream anglers are enjoying some great sport at the moment, as fish feed up before the first frosts arrive.
Two pleasure anglers had over 30 fish each, up to 6 lb 8 oz, and former England international Steve Gardener and friends had between 60 lb and 100 lb bags for a feature for Match Fishing Magazine, while the Wednesday Open was won with 52 lb of bream from the peg next to the Boathouse.
Big fish continue to be caught on Temple, the most recent being Two Tone at 36 lb 1 oz to in-form John Botting, while Karl Jansen had three ‘twenties’.
It’s also a great time for multiple catches of carp on the Old Lake, the best reported being 17 on an overnighter, all of them in daylight.
Old Lake regular Kevin Oldcorn was rounding off his carp season with a session, and the pick of his fish was the lake’s golden koi, at 11 lb 14 oz.
And the predator season got underway on Sunday, attracting a good number of anglers keen to sample sport after the lay-off, and there were rumours of an 11 lb fish on the first day.
Temperatures look set to slide slightly this week, from 17 degrees C on Sunday to 15 by next weekend, with a couple of days of 14 in between. But the Full Moon on Thursday brings a couple of days of sunny spells to warm things up, and there is plenty of dry weather forecast, with a few showers at times. Monday looks likely to be dry in daylight but cloudy, with rain towards dusk, but 16 degrees, followed by a sunny start to Tuesday then a cloudy but dry day of 14 degrees, and similar on Wednesday, but without the bright start. Thursday should have a good deal more sunshine and just the chance of a shower, with 16 degrees, and Friday similar and drier with 15, and the same on Saturday, but slightly warmer and sunnier on Sunday. Winds look likely to be predominantly westerlies, with slight variations to north-westerlies or south-westerlies, and moderate in strength, with Monday looking like the windiest day, and Thursday a bit gusty. Overnight values are starting to dip below single figures, showing a degree below or above all week, meaning daytime is now the prime time for action, though the week did start with 13 from Sunday into Monday. The nights are likely to be chilly around Thursday’s Full Moon, but after the weekend they look set to rise a little into next week.

• The predator fishing season began 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

It’s rare for Steve Gardener to fish a pleasure session, but he arranged to do a feature with Match Fishing Magazine and set up around the back of the island.
Fishing with friends they had bags of bream that varied from 60 lb to 100 lb for the cameras, in just three hours.
Other pleasure anglers also had bumper hauls. Johnny White travelled down from Luton to land 37 bream to 6 lb 8 oz from peg 11 on the Front Bank, and his friend Tony Roberts landed 32 fish from peg 10, both using pole and pellets.
Match weights of bream are also looking good, the Wednesday Open being won with 52 lb of bream on pole and pellets, cutting back on loosefeed being the key to keeping fish feeding.
David Johnson was top weight, fishing from peg 26 at this end of the Long Bank, next to the Boathouse, ahead of Malcolm Heaver on 48 lb from peg 33, on feeder and pellets, and Andy Ryan with 39 lb from peg 29, on pole and maggots.
It’s a prime time for multiple catches of carp, before the first frosts arrive, and Dan Lucas took full advantage, landing 17 carp to 18 lb 8 oz, which was a common, on an overnighter at peg 4, though all of his fish came in daylight, on 18 mm Mainline Cell baits in open water over loose offerings.
Kevin Sawyers, from Leatherhead, had nine carp to 17 lb 12 oz, which was a common, from peg 3, on 18 mm Essential Cell bottom baits with PVA bags, getting through half a kilo of free offerings.
Specimen Carp Club Member Kevin Oldcorn rounded off his season with a session that produced the lake’s most distinctive fish, the golden koi, which weighed 11 lb 14 oz (see photo below).
Kevin also had mirror carp to 16 lb 12 oz and commons to 16 lb 4 oz, his biggest fish coming during a “horrendous downpour”, fishing peg 11 and casting 20 mm Mainline Peaches & Cream boilies with PVA bags to the island, in open water and in the margins.

Another lake regular, Hugh Bonser, had a 20 lb common (see photo below) from peg 32 on an 18 mm Cell boilie cast close to the island over a few free offerings, also landing an 18 lb mirror carp.

And there have been good numbers of carp to 20 lb caught from the top end of the lake, by the outlet, in daylight, up to five fish landed per angler.
The predator season is underway, and there were reports of plenty of action on the opening day, including a rumour of an 11 lb zander. More details next week.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

John Botting continued his successful season with a second capture of Two Tone, at an improved weight, from peg 5.
John had caught the distinctive fish four weeks ago at 34 lb 10 oz, in an eight-carp catch, and this time it weighed 36 lb 1 oz (see photo below), once again falling to a 15 mm A2 Baits Creamy Toffee pop-up over a few freebies.

Karl Jansen had a successful session, landing three ‘twenties’ and an upper double (see photos below) from peg 10 after a move.
Karl’s fish were a 26 lb 12 oz mirror, a 21 lb 6 oz common, a 22 lb mirror and a 17 lb 12 oz fully scaled, all from open water using 18 mm or 20 mm Mainline Cell bottom baits tipped with 16 mm home-made pop-ups, snowman style, in open water.

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.