Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 26/3/17

HEADLINES

Four Temple ‘thirties’ in a weekend
Trio of ‘twenties’ for Matt White
85 lb of bream wins Old Lake match
Nine-carp catch to 26 lb on Old Lake
34 lb wins Milton Lake match

THIS WEEKS FISHING (IN BRIEF!)

One of the best periods for carp fishing at Bury Hill is underway with the capture of four 30 lb-plus fish in a weekend.
Every year, April and May are among the best months for numbers and size of carp caught, and Temple has got the ball rolling already with a quartet of big fish topped by Friar Tuck at 35 lb 1 oz for Adam Conway, who also bagged a 30 lb common.
Jordan Parker had a 31 lb common and a 17 lb stock fish, and last week we reported on the 33 lb common carp falling to Jordan Jeffery, at peg 15, on a Mainline Essential Cell wafter, casting towards the point of the island with a PVA bag of crushed boilies. He has sent us a photo, which is below.

• 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.

Matt White ended a lean period by his standards with three ‘twenties’ to 25 lb 8 oz, and on the Old Lake there were also multiple carp catches, suggesting that the prime feeding period is underway.
Joel Mitchell landed nine carp to 26 lb 8 oz after changing his plans and fishing the Old Lake instead of Temple.
And there was a catch of seven carp to 19 lb 2 oz for Andy Whiteman, along with two early season tench.
An impressive 85 lb of bream won the Duke’s Head contest on Front and Long Banks, and Bury Hill regular Norman Youldon landed 20 bream to 4 lb on a pleasure session.
Milton Lake produced a 34 lb matchwinning weight of crucians, tench and roach, and every angler had at least double figures.
And two weeks ago, during the predator season, we reported that Steven Brown, from Worcester, had used match-style tactics of quivertipping hair-rigged thumbnail-sized squares of fish on the Old Lake, with a half-ounce bomb, and striking at any movement on the tip.
He has sent us a picture of his biggest fish, which he decided not to weigh, wanting to return it quickly after a hard fight, at peg 27, but he estimated it at a ‘double’, and perhaps 12 lb. He has sent a photo, which is below.

With high pressure dominating the weather, it looks like dry, sunny days with light winds and an average of 14 degrees C for the first half of the week, before a change in the winds to south-westerlies brings a mixture of light showers in between sunny spells, with similar temperatures. After Sunday’s glorious sunshine, there should be a similar day on Monday, still with north-easterly winds, before a bit more cloud on Tuesday as the winds become south-westerlies, and more cloud again on Wednesday, with the chance of a shower. However, this means milder nights, rising from 5 degrees overnight from Sunday into Monday, to 9 from Tuesday into Wednesday, and 10 on Wednesday night and Thursday night, before the pattern of sunny days and cool nights return on Friday and Saturday, but with showers likely, and this continues as we move into April. Winds should stay generally light, though strengthening on Tuesday and Wednesday, and remain mostly from the south west.

• The predator fishing season begins 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

Bream weights are already reaching impressive levels, as the matchwinning catch of 85 lb this week in the Duke’s Head contest shows.
Pleasure weights will be even higher, and with the days becoming longer and the weather warmer, the shoals will become increasingly keen to feed.
Paul Taylor won the latest match, which was on pegs 1-37 of the Front Bank and Long Bank, and he fished both pole and feeder at end peg 37 for his 85 lb, finding the fish in the lee of the chilly easterly wind, at the back of the island.
Michael Fitzpatrick was second with 32 lb 3 oz from peg 35, ahead of match organizer Brian Spiking on 28 lb 14 oz from peg 4, and John Wilding with 19 lb 5 oz from peg 16.
Norman Youldon, from Surbiton, had a successful pleasure session, fishing for the bream with 12-metre pole and alternating corn, pellets and maggots, landing 20 bream to 4 lb from peg 19.
Best reported carp catch was the nine fish for Joel Mitchell, from peg 2, the biggest a 26 lb 8 oz mirror, on 18 mm Carp Company Icelandic Red boilies cast to the far bank.
And Andy Whiteman, from Guildford, was not far behind on seven carp, the biggest a 19 lb 2 oz mirror, along with two bonus tench, on Mainline Hybrid wafters over loose offerings of bottom baits of the same, at peg 75.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

Sport on Temple has suddenly stepped up a gear with four ‘thirties’ reported in one weekend and three ‘twenties’ to lake regular Matt White.
Adam Conway led the way with Friar Tuck at 35 lb 1 oz, to provide him with a personal best, and it topped a four-fish catch for Adam during his week on the lake.
As well as the Friar, Adam had a 30 lb common for his first PB of the session, a 27 lb mirror and a 16 lb fully scaled stock fish (see photos below).
Adam was fishing peg 11 with 15 mm Mainline Cell wafters cast close to the island, though Friar Tuck took a 15 mm pellet over a few free offerings.

Last week we reported how Jordan Jeffrey had a 33 lb common from peg 15, on a single Mainline Essential Cell wafter cast towards the island with a PVA bag of crushed boilies.
Also, Jordan Parker landed a 31 lb common and a 17 lb stock fish from peg 5 on 15 mm MG Baits offerings cast towards the island.
Matt White got back on the ‘scoresheet’ with three ‘twenties’, at 25 lb 8 oz, 23 lb 10 oz, both commons, and 22 lb, a mirror (see photos below).
Matt was fishing peg 4, catching one from the margins and two from open water, all on Cell boilies.

And Mick Warren confirmed that he had landed Gordon (aka Three Scale) at 26 lb 13 oz (see photos below) from peg 12, casting a 15 mm Cell snowman into open water.

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.

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.

A Guildford angling club match, fished by 13, was won with 34 lb 8 oz of crucians, tench and roach, and the lowest weight was into double figures.
Marcus Page led the way from peg 14 using pole or feeder, ahead of Tony Corpes on 34 lb 2 oz, and then Pete Franklin with 33 lb 4 oz.
And Angling guide Duncan Charman also enjoyed some crucian action during a recent session, providing the pictures below.