Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 26/11/17

HEADLINES

Predator anglers catching fish to specimen size
9 lb zander on a lure and a rumoured double from a boat
15-crucian catch on Milton Lake
26 lb 12 oz Temple mirror carp in high winds

THIS WEEKS FISHING (IN BRIEF!)

It’s already been a memorable season for predators at Bury Hill, producing large numbers of zander to specimen size in the first eight weeks.
Regulars have landed up to 80 zeds each in that time, and this week there was a fish of around 9 lb on a lure and a rumoured double from the boats.
There was even an accidental capture of a bream on a piece of smelt, along with an increasing number of pike, all of which is keeping visiting anglers happy.
The Old Lake’s carp are still willing to feed, one angler landing four to 21 lb on a 24-hour session.
On Milton Lake, the crucians and even a bonus tench or two are still active, despite the fact that we are almost in December.
Ray Hayes landed 15 this week, making the most of the unseasonably mild weather for late November, before the cooler temperatures arrived.
And Temple Lake continues to offer the chance of a hard-fighting, cold-water fish, producing a 26 lb carp for the second week running, this time a mirror.
It looks like being a largely dry and sunny week in the run-up to the Full Moon next Sunday, but with temperatures at around a third of what they were the week before. Monday should be the warmest day, due to cloud cover and showers up to 11am, the only ones of the week, providing 9 degrees C, but that could almost halve for the next couple of days, reaching 4 on Thursday, though recovering a couple of degrees for Saturday. Night-time values look likely to face a similar slide, starting at 4 degrees on Sunday into Monday, but slipping to minus 1 by Wednesday into Thursday, before recovering slightly. Tuesday looks likely to be the sunniest day, though Thursday and Friday should have sunny spells. Winds are expected to be moderate, starting from the south west but moving around to westerlies on Monday and the north west on Tuesday morning, strengthening on Friday, but with the potential for a north-easterly on Saturday, before a return to south-westerlies for Sunday as wetter weather appears on Monday week.

• 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

Predator seasons can vary greatly, depending on whether the present zander population is dominated by lots of smaller fish or a few big ones.
But this season seems to have both, providing lots of action and a fair sprinkling of big fish
Lake regular David Pocock added another ten zander on his latest visit, the biggest 8 lb, and this takes his total for this season to 80.
David fished peg 26 in high winds that made bite detection difficult, using sardine sections or roach sections with a light leger.
Alan Pickering is also a regular, and he added six zander to his tally, to 6 lb 8 oz, despite cold weather, and also a personal best bream of 4 lb 12 oz on a piece of smelt, and a 5 lb pike.
And another lake regular, Janusz Kansik, also had six zeds to 6 lb 8 oz and a small pike, fishing peg 24 with legered roach.
Octavian Groza, from Redhill, landed a 9 lb zander on a Savage Gear white 8 cm Cannibal Shad (see photo).

And Michael Wilkie, from Leighton Buzzard, shared a catch of seven zander to 6 lb 10 oz with his dad, two of them on lures, and also landed a 10 lb pike, on a roach imitation lure.
Carp angler Trevor Maine had four fish to 21 lb during a 24-hour session, all on Mainline Cell cast close to the island.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

Temple keeps producing fish, this week giving Andy Hall a very welcome 26 lb 12 oz mirror carp (see photo below) during a 24-hour session with his brother, his fourth visit and his first fish.
Andy, from Sutton, was treated to a memorable battle at 2am in high winds at peg 1 that left him “buzzing”, after the fish picked up a 12 mm bottom bait alongside a small PVA bag of free offerings.

Last week we reported how Jason Drew had a 26 lb 8 oz common carp from peg 1 on Carp Company Ice T boilies while his four-year-old son, Harry, was with him, and he has sent us a photo.

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

On a lot of lakes the crucian carp stop being caught once the first frosts arrive, but the Milton Lake fish seem willing to carry on feeding, as recent catches have shown.
Last week Alan Derbyshire had 11 fish on pole and worm heads from peg 2, and this week there was a 15-crucian catch by Ray Hayes, who also landed a tench.
Ray, from Carshalton, also had five roach and a small common carp, all on maggot feeder and a size 18 hook, fishing peg 2.