Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 13/5/18

Headlines:

Fishery record 44 lb 11 oz carp!
Nemo falls to Chris Spencer at new record weight
Brace of Temple 30s for Jon Botting
Old Lake in blistering form for tench, bream and carp
Catch of 14 tench, over 30 bream and a 19 lb carp to one day angler nothing special
Milton on hot form for crucians, tench and roach

THIS WEEK’S FISHING! (In brief)

It’s been an amazing week for catches at Bury Hill, as all of the lakes have hit top form at the same time.
The fishery’s heaviest ever specimen was landed in the same week as another angler had a brace of ‘thirties’, while on the Old Lake there were catches of ten tench and dozens of bream without trying, as well as specimen carp down the edge on a spare rod.
Milton Lake has been producing big numbers of crucians, tench and specimen roach, while on Bonds the carp have been queuing up for whatever anglers have thrown at them.
A combination of rising water temperature following warm weather, and the need to feed to get into prime condition for spawning has produced a ‘perfect storm’ of fish hungry for any baits.
And with more warm weather forecast, the action looks set to continue until spawning begins.
Chris Spencer provided the cherry on the cake with a new fishery record 44 lb 11 oz capture of Nemo, while Jon Botting had Two Tone at 36 lb 2 oz along with a 30 lb 10 oz mirror, and Grant Abrehart had a 33 lb PB common.
And on the Old Lake, anglers practising for matches were landing ten tench each, up to 6 lb, and several had 30 bream, as well as bonus carp, while those fishing for carp had up to eight fish each.
There’s a pleasant week forecast in terms of the weather, of dry, sunny conditions with some cloud but little chance of rain, and a top temperature of 21 degrees C, on Tuesday, and an average of 16, though a couple of night-time temperatures could fall to 6. Monday should bring 18 degrees and lots of sunshine, followed by 11 overnight into a cloudier but warmer Tuesday of 21, then 11 overnight again into a cooler and cloudier Wednesday of 15, falling to 6 overnight and the coolest day, on Thursday, of 14, with some sunshine between the cloud, 6 overnight into an average Friday of 16, and 6 overnight into a slightly warmer 17 on Saturday, and a couple of degrees warmer on Sunday and then again on Monday. Winds look likely to start from the north west, but to become northerly on Tuesday and then north-easterlies on Wednesday, keeping that direction for the rest of the week, but becoming easterlies on Saturday. Monday and Wednesday look to be the windiest days, with strongish gusts, moderate on Tuesday but becoming lighter as the week goes on and into the weekend.

• The predator fishing season begins on October 1 and finishes on 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

May has always been a prime month at Bury Hill, but the cold start to the spring seems to have added an urgency to feed amongst the fish, now that temperatures have risen.
Regulars are saying that they have never known so many tench to be caught before, with fish to 6 lb commonplace, often to anglers not fishing for them.
One had 14 while fishing meat at peg 2, along with over 30 bream and a bonus 19 lb 10 oz carp down the edge.
Barry, from Tooting, had eight to 6 lb and 12 bream to 6 lb at peg 15, on Method feeder with corn or meat on the hook.
Steve Bowler, from Caterham, landed seven, along with 33 bream and three carp to 15 lb, fishing a Method feeder and meat just three rod lengths out at peg 12.
Tim Mann had seven tench and over 25 bream from peg 15 on a small feeder and banded pellets 30 yards out, while Steve Taylor had over 40 bream to 7 lb at peg 36, on small feeder or waggler and corn and worms.
Lake regular Janusz Kansik had six tench to 5 lb, 30 big bream to 6 lb and three carp (see photos below) in an “amazing session” at peg 2, on 15 mm Mainline Peaches & Cream boilies in the mid channel.

And Tony Lane, from Crawley, had four tench to 6 lb and 35 bream from peg 16, along with a 19 lb 8 oz carp down the edge.
Anglers practising for matches were getting between five and ten tench each, on feeder or pole, and the Priory Farm AC contest on the Front Bank was won by Steve Parkin with 52 lb, from peg 21, on pole or feeder and pellets.
Billy McKinley was second with 48 lb 12 oz from peg 19, ahead of Alan Farmer with 33 lb on feeder from peg 2, and Jamie Cox fourth with 32 lb on feeder.
On the carp front, new member Phillip Mead had a busy overnighter of 14 carp to 19 lb 10 oz from peg 36, on 18 mm Mainline Cell boilies cast towards the island, over a few free offerings.
Lake regular Richard Urquhart had eight carp on a 48-hour session at peg 32, mint condition doubles (see photos below) on 15 mm Steamies IceBreaker boilies in open water.

Richard Bray and Paul Baker shared eight fish, all doubles to 18 lb 8 oz, from pegs 12 and 13, on meat.
Jake Taylor landed six carp to 21 lb from peg 52 on 15 mm Carp Company Icelandic Red boilies in open water over free offerings.
Steve Cohen, from Streatham, had three carp, two mirrors and a common, to 18 lb 12 oz from peg 45 on 18 mm Tutti Frutti wafters and yellow pop-ups.
And Jake Bayliss, from Richmond, had a 19 lb 1 oz mirror in a day session, fishing a zig rig at peg 38.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

The Bury Hill lake record has been broken in style with the capture of Nemo at a heaviest ever 44 lb 11 oz (see photos below).
Captor Chris Spencer earned himself a new personal best with the famous fish, which came from peg 1 during a last-minute 48-hour session, and put up a powerful fight, taking him from one margin to the other.
Mainline Cell boilies in open water were its downfall, along with a 28 lb common in the same session for Chris.
This is the first reported capture of Nemo since last October, when it came out to Karl Jansen at 42 lb 15 oz.
Temple’s biggest resident had previously been at its heaviest straight after the Christmas break 2015, when it went 43 lb 3 oz, caught by Martin Goddard.
The lake’s other fish to break 40 lb is The Ghost, which was at its heaviest in May last year at 40 lb 10 oz, to Terry Burns, though a rarely caught mirror carp, The Big One, was out this time last year at 38 lb.

Lake regular Jon Botting can’t stop catching Two Tone, and once again he had it in a brace of ‘thirties’.
Jon had it at 36 lb 2 oz, along with a 30 lb 10 oz mirror and a 23 lb common (see photos below) from peg 9, on A2 Baits Creamy Toffee pop-ups in the channel and the margins.
Jon had the distinctive fish at the end of August last year at 34 lb 2 oz, with the Double-Row Linear at 36 lb 1 oz, and then again a month later at 36 lb 1 oz.

Grant Abrehart added to the week’s tally of ‘thirties’ with a 33 lb PB common and another of 28 lb, from peg 7, on 15 mm Cell pop-ups and bottom baits in snowman presentations.
And Barry Mogg, from Hounslow, enjoyed a successful three days at Temple, landing mirrors of 29 lb 7 oz, 27 lb 11 oz and 22 lb 1 oz, along with a 27 lb 14 oz common.
His fish came from peg 10 and fell for single 15 mm Mainline Peaches & Cream bottom baits or Nash Citruz yellow hook baits over a few freebies.
Last week we reported how regulars Jordan Jeffrey, Clive Elson, Mark Constable and Tony Sawyers shared a successful session.
They have sent in pictures (below), which include Jordan’s commons of 33 lb 2 oz and 24 lb from peg 13 (he also had a bonus 9 lb tench), Clive’s 31 lb 8 oz mirror and 22 lb 2 oz common from peg 15, Mark’s 29 lb 4 oz mirror, 24 lb 2 oz fully scaled, 19 lb 2 oz common and 18 lb 2 oz fully scaled, from peg 11, and Tony’s commons of 24 lb 12 oz, 23 lb 8 oz and 18 lb 14 oz, from peg 12.

BONDS LAKE

This is a great time to grab yourself a slice of the action on Bonds, which regularly produces multiple catches of carp to double figures on a variety of methods, from pole to feeder and straight lead to waggler.

Alan King, from Epsom, landed eight carp to 7 lb from peg 12, on a small Method feeder with 8 mm pellets on the hook.

MILTON LAKE

Milton Lake comes into its own at this time of year for tench, bream and crucians, along with a few 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.

Geoff Evans, from Coulsdon, caught an impressive 25 crucians to 2 lb, with three tench and three specimen roach, float fishing corn at peg 22.
And Pete Mills, from Croydon, also had lots of crucians and tench, on short pole and maggots.