Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 24/2/19

Just when zander anglers were thinking that this is a good time for a chance of a big fish, along comes an 11 lb 1 oz one to whet their appetite.
Martin Chennell, from Jacobs Well, was fishing on peg 14 in the middle of the Front Bank on Monday afternoon, in sunshine at 4pm, when he hooked the big fish, which was in pristine condition.
It picked up a one-inch section of roach taken from the middle of the fish, float fished under a pellet waggler, which Martin prefers to pike floats because they are more sensitive and offer less resistance.
He was fishing just 2-3 rod lengths out, and the fish gave him a real tussle, after which he rang his brother, Ian, who works part-time for the fishery, to come and take a picture.
The personal best zander was Martin’s only fish of the day, but he is no stranger to impressive catches, having travelled widely, fishing in the Ascension Island, British Columbia and Belize, his biggest fish a 400 lb sturgeon measuring 9 ft 2 in from the Fraser River.
Ian said the zander was “in perfect condition, not a mark on it,” and when it went back “it gave a great big tail slash, still full of fight.”
The biggest zander this season was a new record of 17 lb 2 oz landed by lake regular Janusz Kansik, last November, and his friend and fellow Polish Anglers Association member Kris Majewski, from Stanmore, was also in action with the zeds this week.
Kris landed six, mostly of 4-6 lb, but the biggest weighing 9 lb, along with an 8 lb pike.
He was fishing small chunks of roach on size 10 hooks at peg 36, getting all of his action in full daylight.
The lake’s bream have been keeping both pleasure anglers and carp anglers busy, Phil Kay, from Southwater, landing 15 to 5 lb on an open-end feeder or a maggot feeder and triple red maggot on a size 14 or 16 hook, cast towards the island.
Paul Cox also had 15 bream on his way to catching a 14 lb common carp, all on 18 mm Carp Company Icelandic Red boilies during an overnighter at peg 32.
And father and son Gary Smith and 14-year-old James, from Shirley, shared 15 and a tench from peg 13, on Hybrid feeders and Ringers washed-out wafters.
On the carp front, father and son Des Roy Van Loo and Louie landed three carp to 19 lb and a tench of over 5 lb on single hi-viz hook baits and small PVA bags.