Old Lake Latest Catches week ending 6/5/18

Headlines:

Two more Temple ‘thirties’ to 33 lb and a 28 lb
Big catches of Old Lake bream and tench
Up to 14 carp per session from Bonds
16 tench and ten crucians on Milton Lake
1,000 small tench stocked in Milton

THIS WEEK’S FISHING! (In brief)

With water temperature rising steadily, fish have been feeding avidly to gain condition before spawning, with the result that bream, tench, carp and crucians are all being caught in big numbers.
The Temple Lake heavyweights are clearly in the mood to eat, with two more ‘thirties’ added to the four the week before, and the Bank Holiday’s hot weather will only have encouraged them further.
Jordan Jeffrey led the way with a 33 lb 2 oz common, to go with the 24 lb common that he’d already landed, and Clive Elson was close behind with a 31 lb 8 oz mirror.
Anyone who likes their bream and tench fishing should give the Old Lake a go, because even anglers not fishing for them are struggling to keep them away from their baits.
Lake regular Janusz Kansik had six tench to 5 lb and bream to 6 lb “all day” on his boilies meant for carp, while another angler fishing a feeder reported seven tench to 6 lb 5 oz and 11 bream.
Bonds Lake is a sure bet for a busy day’s sport, up to 14 carp being landed per angler this week, up to 15 lb, and on Milton Lake, which has benefited from a stocking of 1,000 mini tench, up to 16 tench and ten crucians per anglers have been reported, as the lake enters one of its most productive months of the year.
There looks like being plenty of dry, sunny weather this week, but with enough cloud to give fish the confidence to feed well in daylight and to help disguise end tackle. After the temperature heights of the Bank Holiday weekend, which were set to reach the mid-20s C, there’s a steady cooling to 14 degrees expected by next weekend, but it should still be a very pleasant 18 on Wednesday. Bank Holiday Monday is due to be the hottest day since the recent ‘mini-heatwave’, with overnight temperature into double figures, and only a degree cooler on a similarly sunny Tuesday, with 9 overnight into 18 on Wednesday with more cloud as a fishy change takes place in the weather. Thursday is expected to be similarly cloudy, starting with 7 degrees but reaching 15, and that’s the pattern into the weekend, with around 13 or 14 by day and down to 6 or 7 at night, Saturday bringing the first chance of showers for a while. Temperatures then look likely to rise again as another high moves in and the cloud clears. Winds are expected to have an easterly direction until Tuesday afternoon, when the Holiday’s light south-easterlies and north-easterlies should strengthen a little and become more fishy south-westerlies as the cloud gathers towards eventual showers on Saturday. Wednesday continues the pattern of moderate south-westerlies, strengthening slightly on Thursday and again on Friday, easing back slightly on Saturday and again on Sunday, when the south-westerlies die away. These mild, soft winds will be good ones to get on the end of, and on any day from midweek onwards you should find fish on the end of them while they last.

• 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

Anyone who likes a variation in their fishing from just carp will enjoy sport on the Old Lake at the moment due to the number of tench and bream willing to feed.
Lake regular Janusz Kansik was fishing for carp with 15 mm Mainline Peaches & Cream boilies, but he still caught six tench to 5 lb and bream to 6 lb “all day long” by accident, fishing at peg 2.
Another angler, on peg 14, had seven tench to 6 lb 5 oz and 11 bream, fishing a cage feeder with groundbait, worm and casters, and using worms and red maggots on the hook.
And in a Faulkner’s match, the top three weights were over 50 lb of bream, Paul Gibson winning with 59 lb 3 oz from peg 16, from Mark Parrett on 56 lb 14 oz at peg 6, and Dan Knight on 54 lb 3 oz from peg 7.
Carp anglers are still getting plenty of action, despite the other species, Carl Mason landing seven in an overnighter at peg 11, including a 21 lb 7 oz mirror and a 21 lb common, on Carp Company Icelandic Red boilies.
And Luke Baylis, from Richmond, used a zig rig and yellow foam to tempt a 19 lb 1 oz mirror carp, from peg 38.

TEMPLE LAKE – CARP

Another two ‘thirties’ continued the pattern of recent weeks now that the big fish are in a feeding mood and likely to remain that way until the water temperature reaches a level when the urge to spawn overtakes the need to feed.
A group of anglers fishing together had a successful session. Jordan Jeffrey added a 33 lb 2 oz common to the 24 lb common that he’d already landed, at peg 13, while Clive Elson had a 31 lb 8 oz mirror from peg 15.
Mark Constable was on peg 11 and had a 23 lb 8 oz mirror and a 19 lb 2 oz common, on single 18 mm Monster Baits offerings and stick mix, while Tony Sawyers had commons of 21 lb 2 oz and 18 lb 6 oz from peg 12.
Up at peg 6, Mowie Schifano landed commons of 28 lb 12 oz and 21 lb 4 oz (see photos below) on his favourite Tutti Frutti boilies tipped with corn over Hinders Fruit Salad.

And on peg 1, Graham Bicknell, from Midhurst, landed a 23 lb mirror fishing two rod lengths out with single 15 mm Mainline baits over freebies.

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.

Graham Clarke landed 14 carp to 15 lb from peg 4 on a small feeder and banded pellets cast close to the island.
Jim Mills also had 14 carp, this time to 11 lb, from peg 13, three rod lengths out on pellets over loose offerings.
And Alan Derbyshire gave Milton Lake a go again and had ten carp to 8 lb from peg 6, on a small Method feeder and 8 mm pellets.

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.

Lake regular Ray Parker managed 16 tench and ten crucians from peg 23, fishing 6 mm expander pellets on an 11m pole over cupped-in 2 mm feed pellets.
And Mark Pearson had 16 tench to 5 lb and six crucians from peg 20, on small pieces of meat over Spicy Sausage pellets feed.
Around 1,000 small tench have been stocked, to boost the population for future years and ensure that the lake maintains its reputation as a prime tench and crucian water.