Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 16/4/17

HEADLINES

Temple’s two biggest out the same week
41 lb Nemo, 39 lb The Ghost, Double Row Linear at 35 lb and two other 30s
Two 2 lb roach in catches of six over 1 lb 4 oz and nine over 1 lb
Two anglers share 19-carp catch on Bonds
45 lb wins Milton Lake club match

THIS WEEKS FISHING (IN BRIEF!)

April is living up to its reputation as one of the most productive months for big carp, as the growing tally of ‘thirties’ was topped by Temple’s two biggest fish.
Nemo at 41 lb and The Ghost at 39 lb 1 oz were among five fish of over 30 lb landed this week as the carp showed their willingness to feed.
There were specimens of a different species to be had on Milton Lake, where one angler had nine roach of over 1 lb, and another six of over 1 lb 4 oz, the biggest two reaching the magic 2 lb mark, to 2 lb 3 oz.
The lake’s crucians and tench are also providing prolific sport, a club match being won with 45 lb.
Bonds Lake is on form for multiple carp catches, the best reported being 19 fish shared between two anglers, and fishery regular Alan Derbyshire had ten on pole and soft pellets.
And the Old Lake is still providing anglers with ‘twenties’ almost to order, fish of 22 lb and two of 21 lb being reported this week, in catches of up to five fish per angler.
It looks like a very settled week in prospect, weather-wise, with highs of around 12 degrees C every day, largely dry conditions and light to moderate winds. Tuesday looks to be the sunniest day, though still with no more than 11 degrees, because the sunshine also brings the risk of frosts, on Monday night into Tuesday and from Tuesday into Wednesday and also Wednesday into Thursday. The mildest night should be Sunday into Monday, at 9 degrees, compared to 1 degree on Wednesday night. Wind direction should be largely north-westerly, though north easterlies are likely on Tuesday and Wednesday, strengthening before easing up and swinging back to a more westerly direction on Thursday onwards. And it looks like a similar pattern for the weekend, with sunny intervals between cloudy spells, but still with the risk of a frost.

• 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

Carp anglers are enjoying plenty of action and a good sprinkling of 20 lb-plus fish.
Father and son Dan and Connor Lucas had a brace of fish for over 41 lb, Dan landing a 19 lb 2 oz common and Connor casting to a showing fish to bank a mirror of 22 lb 4 oz (see photo below).
The pair were fishing at pegs 12 and 13 and using Mainline Cell bottom baits.

George Whitworth landed a 21 lb common and three other fish during an overnighter at peg 24, with Mike Ward, from Coulsdon, who had a personal best 18 lb common, all on Cell pop-ups over loose freebies.
Geoff Mead had a 21 lb mirror from peg 34, casting Carp Company Icelandic Red boilies to the island.
Old Lake regular Roy Carslake landed five fish, the biggest a 19 lb 10 oz common, on Sticky Baits boilies cast to open water.
Roy’s fishing pal Darren Mills was also kept busy, his biggest fish also a common and also weighing 19 lb 10 oz.

And Steve Hayes, from Chislehurst, had a 19 lb 9 oz common on an overnighter at peg 74, on an 18 mm A2 Baits Fruity Fish barrel, just off the island.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

Temple carp do love a big feed-up in April and May when the weather turns warm, and this week produced some great catches topped by the lake’s biggest two fish.
New member Anthony Parker started in style with Nemo at 41 lb on his first session on the lake (see photo below).
Anthony was fishing peg 5 and casting close to the island with a Richworth Tutti Frutti boilie, and had the weighing witnessed by the bailiffs.

His friend Jason Ostler was also in action, landing a 30 lb mirror carp (see photo below) and a 21 lb stockie, both on Mainline Peaches & Cream pop-ups from peg 4.
His biggest fish was found to be trailing a large amount of line and two large leads, prompting a reminder that anglers must take responsibility for the safety of their rigs, and also report losses of large amounts of end tackle to a bailiff.

Simon Longhurst is no stranger to Temple’s biggest fish, having banked a trio of ‘thirties’ in a session before now, and The Ghost at 39 lb 4 oz.
Simon was at it again this week, landing The Ghost at 39 lb 1 oz along with the Double Row Linear at 35 lb 7 oz, for a new PB brace of 74 lb 8 oz, and a 20 lb fully scaled in one 48-hour session at peg 6, on single Mainline Cell baits tight to the island.

Steve Willets, from Epsom, had a 34 lb common and others of 23 lb 4 oz and 17 lb from peg 11 on Mainline Cell boilies tipped with yellow corn.
John Botting landed Gordon, aka Three Scale, at 27 lb 2 oz from peg 1 on 15 mm A2 Baits boilies, John Keightley had a 25 lb 2 oz mirror from peg 10 on an 18 mm Cell boilie, and Frank Corsina landed a 21 lb 6 oz common from peg 15.
And Tony Chilton, from Staines, had four carp, at 20 lb 2 oz, 20 lb, 19 lb 1 oz and 17 lb 8 oz, the biggest a common and the others mirrors.
Tony fished peg 9 with a single 15 mm Cell bottom bait over a few scattered boilies, with a Ronnie rig and PVA bags of crushed boilies.

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.

Gary Wibrow and fishing pal Dave Tudor, from Worcester Park, shared a 19-carp catch of fish to 9 lb from pegs 7 and 8.
The pair fished waggler and pellets, one targeting the margins and the other further out, fishing 8 mm pellets or bread flake on the hook.
And fishery regular Alan Derbyshire used a pole and pellets with 6 mm soft pellets on the hook at peg 6 to land ten carp to 9 lb.

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.

Proof that targeting the big roach can reap rewards came with catches made by Terry Wealden and Tony Stanley, who landed nine of over 1 lb to 2 lb 3 oz and six of over 1 lb 4 oz to 2 lb respectively.
Terry fished a light float and a mixture of maggots, casters and worms, while Tony was advised to feed no pellets or groundbait, to avoid attracting crucians and tench, and just trickled in white maggots and fluoro pinkies on a delicate waggler set-up.
His catch was witnessed by Chris ‘Crispy Duck’ Gadsden and Martin Porter, who fished soft rods and centrepin reels with 4 mm hooker pellets over micro pellet feed to share a catch of 50 crucians to 2 lb and six tench.

And a Priory Farm AC match was won with 45 lb 12 oz of tench and crucians by Alan Adams, fishing peg 4 with pole and pellets or worms.
Runner-up was Ian Farmer with 41 lb from peg 3 on pole and pellets, while his brother, Alan, was third with 26 lb 10 oz at peg 22 on pole and pellets.