Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 20/5/18

Headlines:

Impressive catch of tench and bream
11 tench to 6 lb 7 oz, some on the drop
Three more Temple 30s and two 27s
27 crucians and specimen roach on Milton
Five Old Lake carp to 24 lb on PVA bags and snowmen

THIS WEEK’S FISHING! (In brief)

This is the perfect time to fish for tench on the Old Lake because they are being caught in bigger numbers than is normally possible, and to specimen size.
Frank Beckett’s 11 fish to 6 lb 7 oz shows what is possible, and he could have had more, had 15 bream not got to the baits first and even a 6 lb 8 oz zander, taking his maggot and worm hook baits as they fell through the water.
Temple Lake continues to produce big fish, three more ‘thirties’ gracing the bank, including Friar Tuck, which was last reported captured over a year ago.
Jon Botting was the successful angler, adding to his impressive tally, though the lake’s two biggest residents still elude him.
Milton Lake continues on great form for crucians and tench, along with big roach. Alan Wheble landed 27 crucians and four roach to 1 lb in his latest visit.
And multiple catches of carp are possible on the Old Lake, Damien Chatlinski landing five to 24 lb on PVA bags and snowman presentations.
There’s a warm, dry and sunny week in prospect, with an average of 20 degrees C and plenty of blue sky, with a breeze, making it very pleasant to be outdoors. After Sunday’s cloudless skies there is more of a mixture of sunshine and cloud on Monday, but the same 20 degrees, and a little more in the way of cloud for Tuesday, with even a chance of a brief shower early and late as the high pressure creates a storm pattern, but 21 degrees. Wednesday should be a lot sunnier and 21 again, with maybe a brief afternoon shower, with Thursday a little cloudier and cooler at 19 but dry, and Friday sunnier with 20, into sunnier again on Saturday and 20 and lots of blue sky. Overnight values stay constant at around 12 degrees, so the settled weather and warmth should encourage feeding, especially in the lead-up to spawning. Winds should start light and change from south-easterlies into north-easterlies on Monday, strengthening a little each day from midweek into the weekend, but still not uncomfortably strong, and adding to the pleasant feel to the weather in the late-spring sunshine.

• 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

Finding the tench on the Old Lake at Bury Hill can be a hit-and-miss affair at many times of the year, but not at the moment.
At present the tench are finding anglers baits wherever they are, and being caught in numbers not normally seen unless anglers have taken a boat along to the Jungle.
Frank Beckett, from North Cheam, set up in the middle of the Front Bank at peg 12 and landed 11 tench to 6 lb 7 oz, together with 15 bream and a bonus 6 lb 8 oz zander, all on cage feeder with worms and maggots.
Frank found that the fish were often feeding up in the water and taking the baits on the drop, so keen were they to feed.
So he fished a 2.5 ft tail, which allowed a slow descent of the bait, while feeding a pint of dead red maggots, which top anglers recommend in particular for tench.
He started the session by feeding ten balls of groundbait, topping up the swim regularly throughout, and even the zander took the bait on the drop.
Carp anglers have also been enjoying multiple catches, Damien Chatlinski landing five from peg 2, the biggest a 24 lb common, on PVA bags and Mainlne Peaches & Cream boilies in snowman presentations of pop-ups and bottom baits.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

Three more ‘thirties’ continued the run of big fish on Temple, including famous carp Friar Tuck, reported for the first time in over a year.
On-form Jon Botting landed the big mirror at 31 lb 4 oz from peg 1 at 8am, on an A2 Baits Creamy Toffee pop-up during a three-night session.
Jon, who landed Two Tone the week before at 36 lb 2 oz in a brace of ‘thirties’, has had most of the lake’s biggest fish apart from The Ghost and Nemo.
Friar Tuck was last reported captured in April last year by Mark Savage at 36 lb 2 oz, and the heaviest reported capture was in April 2014 at 38 lb to Terry Brown.
Also getting among the ‘thirties’ was lake regular Terry Burns, from West Sussex, who had a 34 lb 4 oz mirror, along with commons of 22 lb and 18 lb 3 oz, from peg 11 on Mainline Essential Cell.
And Ray Harding had a 31 lb mirror and a common of 27 lb, to go with fish of 23 lb 8 oz and 18 lb 8 oz, all from peg 9.
Also landing a 27 lb fish was Adrian Wood, from Basingstoke, who had commons of 27 lb and 15 lb from peg 2 on single 15 mm Mainline Peaches & Cream and Cell wafters.

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.

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.

Alan Wheble, from South East London, landed 27 crucians, together with tench, perch and four roach to 1 lb from peg 20, on a small waggler and yellow and red maggots, feeding micro pellets.
And Mark Pearson, from Addington, had nine tench to 3 lb 8 oz and six crucians from peg 22, on a 3BB waggler and small chunks of luncheon meat.