Archive for News
New lake record set in winter cold
Whilst almost every carp angler has long hung up his rods for the year, Little Paxton anglers Scott Parkin has continued to put the time in at BHAA’s big fish venue Gingerbread Lake setting a new lake record along the way. In the weeks preceding the recent freeze, Scott caught three big carp including the awesome ‘Cluster’ weighing in at a new all time high of 43lb 7oz. Also, he caught another huge mirror, a 38lb 14oz specimen and a superbly-conditioned 19lb common carp.
Big pike keep getting caught
A member fished on a BHAA-controlled lake where a single take late in the afternoon resulted in him catching a 27lb 12oz pike. Another member fishing at a different lake caught a 20lb 14oz pike but he was a little disappointed as he had caught the same fish a week earlier weighing 21lbs!
Carp were still active at McGregor Lake where a few fish were observed leaping clear of the water after overnight rain. The previous week, Brad Curtis caught four fish during a day visit, the best weighing around 11lbs. It seems as though the fish are spending much of their time in the surface layers of water so zig rigs may well be the best method during the cold weather.
Big chub from both the Ivel and the Ouse!
Martin Barnatt decided to fish on a BHAA-controlled stretch of the Ivel after trying his luck on some mor.e popular stretches of the river. Fishing only short morning sessions, Martin’s change of venue brought him the good fortune he was after in the form of a 5lb 13oz chub. However, he is still desperate to break the 6lb barrier before the end of the season
A few boilies can go a long way!
Whilst most carp anglers have put away their rods until the Spring, Pete Housden has continued fishing at Swan Lake where he has been introducing a small amount of bait during the week. Pete’s reward has been to catch 4 20lb plus carp, his latest a 22lb 4oz fully-scaled mirror, and a couple of good-sized doubles. Bailiff Dave Hallybone has employed the same tactics too and has taken a couple of small commons in recent trips.
Alan Wilkie has been putting in the time on the rivers Ivel and Ouse and has caught chub to 6lb 5oz by being prepared to fish into the dark and by keeping his regular swims topped up with a few freebies. Alan fished recently on a BHAA controlled stretch of the Ivel near Sandy from where he caught a 5lb 15oz chub using link ledgered luncheon meat to tempt it.
2011 ends on a high and 2012 starts with a bang!
Biggleswade & Hitchin AA was delighted to be declared as being the best club in the Midlands and East Anglian Region by ‘Anglers’ Mail’ despite competition from a number of much larger fishing clubs and associations. The award took into consideration the quality of the waters and the proactive approach of the club in promoting its fishing.
N-n-nineteen!
Rapidly falling temperatures have brought about a dramatic slowdown in sport but nevertheless some BHAA members have made some great catches. Ollie Jenkinson fished a BHAA-controlled stretch of the River Ivel from where he caught a new p.b. pike, a super 19lb 20z specimen. Club Secretary Alan Davies, a keen pike angler, went after chub fishing on an undisclosed stretch of the river and landed three big chub with two over 5lbs. His best was a 5lb 12oz specimen followed by a 5lb 8oz fish and a 4lb plus one too.
An early xmas present!
Around 240 chub were recently stocked into the lower Ivel at Tempsford by the Environment Agency. These young fish will provide a welcome boost to this section of the river and will be able to swim downstream into the Ouse if they should choose to do so.
Work has begun on the drain down of Grace Lake at Sandy in preparation for the creation of a new fishery which it is planned to open from next June. The residual fish are to be transferred into McGregor Lake and then the lake will be restocked with specimen crucian carp and tench.
Lack of rain continues to affect sport
Anglers fishing BHAA’s river stretches have found it hard going with little or no flow and clear water to contend with. Many of the fish continue to hold up near weed beds or close to snags for much of the day only venturing out as light fades. Neil Sampson has continued in his quest for a big Ivel chub though targeting one of the club’s stretches of the River Ivel near Sandy. Neil has landed the second 5lb plus chub of his campaign, a 5lb 8oz specimen that is sure to top 6lbs by the end of the season.
Pike fishing has been in full swing at Gingerbread Lake although no monsters have yet been reported. Alex Smalley fished with a ledgered smelt to take a nice 11lb 11oz specimen. John Lincoln tried his luck in the deep water catching two pike weighing 11lbs and 5lbs. The odd carp keeps getting caught but the successful anglers spend a lot of their time trying to locate where the fish are holding up and occasionally feeding. Steve Bull has been particularly successful in recent weeks landing several big carp, his latest being a 30lb specimen caught during an overnight session.
Who’s been eating all the pies then?
The most sought after fish in BHAA’s Gingerbread Lake for the last few years has been the mirror carp named ‘Cluster’ particularly as it was the only fish in the lake to top the 40lb mark. However, it now has a rival that looks to be well on its way to claiming its throne. Chris Tyrell fished an overnight session at the lake and landed another huge mirror carp weighing 41lb 8oz. The fish was in immaculate condition and has rapidly gained weight as a few years ago it only just tipped the 30lb barrier. It was caught around two years ago weighing 38lb but has since piled on even more weight to join the ‘40’ club. A number of the lake’s other large carp look set to exceed this barrier in the next couple of seasons helped on by the considerable amount of bait being introduced by carp anglers throughout the year. Dave Jones fished a short mid-week session in the factory bay catching a nice common. Most other anglers have found it difficult to get fish to feed despite signs of carp moving from time to time.
Mild conditions keep fish feeding
Barry Fox’s haul of pike from Gingerbread Lake reported last week consisted of fish weighing 10lb 2oz, 14lb 4oz and 18lb 4oz. Carp have been active throughout the week but have been reluctant to take anglers’ baits. However, the previous weekend Dale Walters went into the Dugout swim where he spotted some good-sized carp crashing out in the lake. He managed to get his baits into the area where the fish were active and, within a short time, caught mirrors weighing 26lbs and 28lbs. Thereafter, he fished on without another bite.
