Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 18/3/18

Headlines:

Predator angler turned carper lands fish to 26 lb
Old Lake carp being caught regularly
Multiple bags of Milton Lake tench
Bonds catch of six carp to 9 lb
First reported Temple 20s suggest sport set to switch on
Predator season ends with flurry of catches and fish to 9 lb
Arrival of spring next week and double-figure temperatures

THIS WEEK’S FISHING! (In brief)

Carp fishing catches are improving steadily now that the icy weather has passed, and even before the latest snow there were personal bests landed, such as the 26 lb 8 oz Old Lake common to predator angler turned carper Janusz Kansik.
The Temple fish are also stirring, a 23 lb 4 oz fully scaled falling to Chris King, and a 21 lb common to Jason Ostler, the first reported for a while.
The Bonds Lake carp are also feeding in numbers, Aaron Upshon landing six to 9 lb on Method feeder.
And the Milton Lake tench are also ready for spring, David Rose landing ten to 5 lb, with roach to 1 lb, Jack Roper nine on maggot feeder, along with silver fish, and Barry Ahearn six, with some early crucians.
The predator season ended as it began, with lots of fish and some to specimen size.
A 9 lb zander was caught by an angler called Alex, from round the back of the island, which has been very productive this season, and Mike Holcombe ended a successful winter with fish to 8 lb 2 oz just before the close.
The weather looks set to improve considerably this week with the official arrival of spring on Wednesday, and temperatures likely to soar from this weekend’s snow and zero degrees to 9 or 10 next weekend.
Monday looks like being the last of the icy days, with a high of 3 degrees C following sub zero values overnight from Sunday, and plenty of sunshine and dry conditions. Then the temperature should more than double to a high of 7 on Tuesday, but with chilly nights on Monday night and Tuesday night due to the bright conditions, but still reaching 7 on Wednesday, before 9s on Thursday, Friday and the weekend, with 10 on Monday week, but still with the chance of some chilly nights. Friday looks set to be the wettest day, with showers likely after midday, but otherwise it should be largely dry. The big change in the temperatures is being sparked by the switch in wind direction on Monday night from strong north-easterlies to lighter northerlies into Tuesday, and lighter-still westeries on Wednesday, before strengthening on Thursday into south-westerlies that will bring some showers, until Saturday’s sunshine and lighter westerlies, getting stronger on Monday. So by next weekend the weather should be in a much more normal pattern for the time of year and conditions by day a lot more pleasant.

• 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

The Old Lake carp were all set to feed in numbers when the recent icy blast showed that winter can often have a sting in its tail.
It looked as if we were over the worst last week as anglers enjoyed good sport in the sunshine and near double-figure temperatures.
But then easterly winds and Siberian conditions returned for the weekend, putting the brakes on the annual feed-up that is sparked by rising water temperatures and lengthening daylight hours.
Before the latest temperature dip, predator angler turned carper Janusz Kansik got a big bonus when he had a day’s carp fishing, landing a personal best 26 lb 8 oz common (see photo below).
This was one of three carp and several bream landed by Janusz, all on 15 mm Mainline Peaches & Cream boilies cast to the far bank from peg 2 over several spods of freebies, for an “amazing session”.

And brothers Ben and Luke Wheeler shared three carp to 20 lb and a tench at pegs 36 and 37 on an overnighter, on 18 mm Mainline Cell boilies over 20-30 freebies.
The predator season ended in style, with an angler called Alex, from Crawley, landing a personal best 9 lb zed and another of 3 lb from peg 70 on whole roach.
The back of the island has been a real hotspot this season, and all around the lake the number of fish caught has been as good as any season for years, lake regular David Pocock landing over 100 zander since October 1, and Mike Holcombe 50 since January 1.
The number of 8 lb and 9 lb fish has been particularly impressive, especially in the daytime, which bodes well for a good number of double-figure fish in future seasons.
Mike Holcombe, from Godalming, returned to finish off a successful season for zander, this time landing three fish to 8 lb 2 oz from peg 32, accompanied by his son, Alan (see photos below).
They used small roach deadbaits on size 6 single barbless hooks at peg 31, Alan catching nine zander and a pike, five of his zeds weighing over 5 lb, to 6 lb 3 oz.

Roy Whitwell landed 11 zander with friend Steve Trinder on their final visit of the season, Roy’s biggest 8 lb 6 oz (see photo below), from pegs 1 and 2, on small sections of roach.

Robin Miller had seven zander to just over 9 lb and three pike of between 5 lb and 8 lb.
Sarah Austin and Rob Szewciw shared an enjoyable visit, both catching their first zander (see photos below), it being Sarah’s first predator fishing trip, and plan to return to fish for the carp.

And Brian Freemantle, from Epsom, had zander of 5 lb 10 oz and 5 lb 8 oz on sardine sections on the final day.
Predator fishing has now ended until October.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

There were signs that the Temple Lake carp were set to switch on to feed, just before the weather took a downturn.
Two 20s in the pleasant weather just before the freeze gave a taste of what is to come in April.
Chris King, from Westcott, landed a fully scaled 23 lb 4 oz carp from peg 14 on a single 15 mm Mainline Cell boilie with a small PVA bag.
And Jason Ostler, from Woking, landed a 21 lb common (see photo below) and a 19 lb fully scaled from peg 13, in open water and the margins, on a 15 mm Solar Top Banana boilie over six freebies and some crumb and a small bed of Dynamite Hempseed & Snails in the margins.

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.

Aaron Upshon, from Caterham, had six carp to 9 lb on Method feeder and either triple maggot or three mini boilies.

MILTON LAKE

The tench were in a prime feeding mood just before the weather took a dip, anglers lining them up for some impressive catches.
David Rose had “great sport” landing ten to 5 lb along with half a dozen roach to around 1 lb, with a few perch and rudd, on pole and a light rig in open water or in the margins with single maggot on a size 20 hook.
Jack Roper travelled all the way down from Derbyshire for a couple of days tench fishing, and landed nine on maggot feeder at peg 17, before switching to waggler with maggot and worm cocktails to catch lots of rudd on the bottom and a good roach.
And Barry Ahearn, from Chessington, had six tench to 3 lb and a couple of crucians to 1 lb 15 oz, along with some small roach and perch to 1 lb, at peg 15, on 4 m pole and double white maggot over loosefeed.