Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 5/8/18

This year’s 24-hour Carp Pairs Match was the best for several years, producing 44 fish for a total weight of 590 lb between the 18 anglers, all but two landing fish.
Top weight was Adam Bennet and Phil Middleton, on pegs 9 and 10, whose 13 carp weighed 170 lb 8 oz, including the event’s biggest carp, of 20 lb 8 oz.
Runners-up were Ben O’Flaherty and Sam Fitchet with eight fish for 117 lb 8 oz.
This year it was decided to allow the teams to fish pegs alongside each other and to remove the favoured pegs from the draw, which made it a fairer match.
Stormy weather meant a change during the match from heatwave temperatures to heavy rain, but dramatic shifts in the weather can often bring a feeding spree.
Last year’s event was won with nine fish for 137 lb 14 oz, the biggest 20 lb 8 oz, and in 2016 it was won with 11 fish for 144 lb 3 oz.
The carp fishing has continued to be productive since the match, Redhill angler Craig Lancashire using stalking tactics and bread just in front of the platforms on several swims to land seven carp to 20 lb.
Richard Bray and Paul Baker shared a catch of 12 carp to 18 lb from pegs 74 and 75 on NashBait Candy Crush.
Old Lake regulars José Garcia and Robert Haddad, along with Robert’s 13-year-old son Jack, enjoyed a 24-hour session that produced 15 carp on home-made 15 mm tiger nut and Maple boilies.
José had eight fish, the biggest a 20 lb 1 oz common, while Robert landed four to 14 lb 9 oz, and Jack three to 14 lb 1 oz, for a total of almost 200 lb.
And Malcolm Crundwell, from Southwater, marked his first fishing trip for 40 years with a 19 lb common carp from peg 17, on a 15 mm DNA Baits pop-up.
Non-stop bream action was what Brian Spiking enjoyed when the matchman had a pleasure session on peg 10 on Saturday on the Front Bank.
Brian landed over 50 fish to 5 lb, starting on a feeder for 20 fish, before switching to a 13-metre pole for the rest.
Single grains of corn were the best hook baits, and he reported that the fish wanted plenty of Bait-Tech Special G groundbait and micro pellets.
At exactly this time last year there was a 50-bream catch in a match by Mark Hathway, whose fish weighed 168 lb and took five keepnets to hold, and set a new silver-fish record, which shows the quality of sport that is on offer at this time of year.