Fishing in sub-zero temperatures, BHAA member Paul Elt had a remarkable 14 fish haul of chub from the River Ivel near Biggleswade. His best fish weighed 6lb 2oz with another four fish topping the 5lb mark. The remaining fish were all around 4lb each. If you want to learn the method Paul used to catch his fish, you will have to purchase a copy of IYCF magazine in which he reveals all. A few weeks earlier, Paul fished on a BHAA controlled stretch of the Ivel from where he caught a 4lb 5oz perch to add to his impressive tally of big fish catches.

Over the next few months, the Club will be making strenuous efforts to prepare Grace Lake for its opening as a fishery on 16th June. Working parties will be held on every second Sunday and on the last Sunday in each month. If you would like to help in this work, please come along. The work will involve bank clearance, land restoration and the creation of permanent swims. The Board has sourced supplies of mature crucian carp and tench to get the fishery off to a flying start. Further species will be introduced in due course.

Complaints have been received of inconsiderate anglers allowing their dogs to foul the bank side in swims and not to keep their animals restrained. Unless this situation rapidly improves, the Association will have no hesitation in banning dogs from its fisheries again and/or banning the offenders. READ AND OBEY THE RULES CONCERNING DOGS.

Some irresponsible anglers seem to think it is acceptable for them to discard litter at McGregor Lake. Bailiffs have been asked to inspect swims and any angler found with rubbish in his swim risks losing his membership. PLEASE TAKE YOUR RUBBISH HOME WITH YOU.

It is with regret that we have learned of the death of Eddie Felstead. Eddie was a keen angler and bird watcher who spent many of his later years at the Sandy Lakes fishery until he suffered a major stroke. Also, he was the first Chairman of the newly-formed Biggleswade and Hitchin Angling Association after the two clubs amalgamated. During this time, he did a lot of work behind the scenes to help with the development of Gingerbread Lake as a prime fishery.

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.

Cheese paste turned out to be successful bait for Winston Pogmore when he made a return visit to High Romper on the Ivel. Although bites were hard to come by, he still managed to catch chub weighing 4lb 7oz, 4lb 3oz and 3lb 14oz. Later, he ventured on to a seldom fished stretch of the nearby Ouse called Campers Meadow where most of the swims had become overgrown with blackthorn bushes. He still managed to catch a 3lb plus chub and missed several good bites during his visit. Robert Livock fished on an increasingly popular stretch of the Ivel near to the Sandy Lakes fishery and ended up fishing a swim from which he regularly catches chub. He kept getting fish knocking his bread flake hook bait and was beginning to think they were caused by small fish when a bold bite changed his mind. He struck and found he was into a good chub which turned out to be a 4lb 9oz specimen.

Fraser Hayden thought he might try for some of the elusive Ivel roach fishing The Riddy stretch of the river in Sandy. He set up with a stick float, centre pin reel, size 18 hook and a 2.2lb bottom. Bait was a single maggot. Fraser fed his swim with a dozen or so maggots every couple of minutes and guided his float down the centre of the river. However, it was not roach that he was to catch but some pristine conditioned chub. Over a short 3-hour session, Fraser took 5 chub between 3lbs and just over 4lbs for a total weight of about 18lbs.

Alan Lawrence fished on a BHAA-controlled stretch of the River Ouse from where he caught six big chub all over 4lbs. His fish weighed 4lb 3oz, 4lb 12oz, 5lb 5oz, 5lb 11oz and two 6 pounders weighing 6lb 3oz and 6lb. All of Alan’s fish were taken on quiver tipped popped-up cheese flavoured bread crust.

Notifications have been sent to night permit holders inviting them to renew their permits for the forthcoming season. The deadline date for renewal will be 30th April after which time any vacancies will be filled from the waiting list. If any member has not received his notification, he should contact the Membership Secretary.

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.

Winston Pogmore ventured on to his favourite stretch of the Ivel, High Romper at Tempsford but was disappointed to find the river almost without any flow and clear. After failing to get a bite in a number of swims, he moved down on to a wooded stretch of the river. The recent strong winds had brought down a number of branches creating some shelter for the fish and it was here that he found them. Using float-fished bunches of maggots, he soon found himself getting a bite every task and a steady stream of roach, small chub, dace and even minnows coming to the net.

Around 300 silver fish and small perch were transferred from Grace Lake into McGregor Lake together with an 8lb common carp and pike to 15lbs. The lake is now rapidly refilling and will soon be stocked with crucians and tench, hopefully, in time for the start of next season. There is still a lot of work to do removing debris from the banks and sowing grass seed around the lake. It should make a great addition to the club’s portfolio of fishing and offer anglers some exciting float-fishing in the future.

The continuing mild weather has meant that the carp at McGregor Lake have continued to feed. Robert Livock has been catching carp to over 13lbs with one or twp red letter days with multiple catches. Bradley Curtis ended the year fishing into a near gale force wind but managed to land mirror carp weighing 8lb 6oz and 15lb 3oz. The bigger fish fell to a banana flavoured pop-up boilie.

Chub fishing in the Sandy area has been good with several anglers catching fish to well over 5lbs. One of the more successful methods has been float-fishing with a single maggot which has accounted for most of the larger fish. It was this method that enabled Simon Carr of Walker’s Pitch to catch a 6lb 2oz chub. Whilst Simon concentrated on chub fishing, his young son Alex fished alongside him using a ledgered smelt. Alex hooked a big pike that threatened to pull him in but with dad’s guidance the fish was landed, a superb 21lb 4oz specimen from a BHAA controlled stretch.

PAC member Richard Callf fished a BHAA controlled lake during the week landing two super pike. Both were females and weighed 17lbs and 28lbs, the latter being a new record for the undisclosed venue. Richard was reluctant to publicise his catch for fear of putting too much pressure on these delicate fish as they approach spawning time. Recently, he has witnessed so-called pike anglers using inferior tackle resulting in fish being lost with lures and traces in them. He advises anglers wishing to pike fish to seek advice on the correct handling and unhooking of fish to minimize damage.

Alex Smalley was on hand to photograph another big pike, this time a 19lb 2oz specimen caught by club member John Smith whilst fishing at Gingerbread Lake. Alex caught another good pike too, a superbly proportioned 13lb 9oz fish.

Whilst many carp anglers have hung up their gear for the winter, Peter Housden has continued to persevere at Swan Lake. On a recent visit, Peter banked a 19lb 1oz common carp and was gutted to lose another big fish during his session.

The drain down of Grace Lake at Sandy has been completed and work will begin on the removal of silt from the shallower half of the lake. Officers were surprised to find that the other half of the lake was, at least, 10ft deep and free of any snags. The plan is to extend the dividing promontory of land to create two smaller lakes into which different species can be stocked.

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.

During the past week carp have still been rolling on the surface at Gingerbread Lake showing that they are still active but no reports of any captures have been received. Steve Bull caught a big bream after an overnight session but he unhooked the fish in the water so its weight is not known.

Pete Housden has continued to put in the hours at Swan Lake where he recently caught a 14lb mirror. Pete believes in trickling in a few boilies during the week to keep the fish interested in searching for food as the lake temperature starts to fall.

Robert Livock fished at McGregor Lake where he caught two carp shortly after setting up. The fish were a 9lb 4oz common and an 11lb 4oz mirror. Thereafter, his indicators remained stationary for the rest of the day. The lake’s carp continue to feed though as another member reported catching a 13lb mirror during the week too

Members often ask why the lake is called McGregor and why the new lake is to be called Grace. Well, all is revealed in the attached photo. They are both named after the owners dogs!

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.

Carp continue to feed at McGregor Lake with anglers prepared to fish into the cool breezes enjoying the most success. Winston Pogmore landed his best carp from the lake, a 15lb 4oz mirror and then followed it up with another double, a 13lb 8oz mirror. Both fish fed late in the day when other anglers were thinking about packing up. Another member fished a short day session to land a 12lb mirror and a small common around 5lbs whilst fishing close to one of the islands. Bream and skimmers were still being caught by anglers fishing the new swims on the track side.

The IPA Xmas Match is to be held on the King’s Arms stretch of the River Ivel in Sandy on Saturday, 3rd December. Anyone interested in participating should register with Mike Clarke on 07941 855405. The draw will be held by the weir at Beeston at 8.15am.

It has been a similar story at both Swan and McGregor lakes where sport has dropped off dramatically. McGregor Lake has proven to be the water where anglers have had the best chance of success with the odd carp and sizeable pike being caught. Jordan Smith reported catching a 13lb 2oz mirror using his own homemade boilies.

Thomas Finney ventured on to the IPA waters at Biggleswade for a spot of lure fishing. During the day he managed to catch three small pike and hook and lose some others. It was getting dark so he started to make his way back to the car park but could not resist a final cast with his Savage Gear 13mm 4play lure. It was taken almost immediately and, after a short tussle, Thomas managed to bank a nice double weighing just over 10lbs.

Within the next month, the Club is planning to net Grace Lake with the help of the Environment Agency when all of the fish netted will be transferred to the nearby McGregor Lake. It is hoped that Grace Lake will be restocked with specimen crucian carp and tench in time for the start of the new season. The Club has already got a quantity of health-checked fish earmarked for this purpose. Also, it is proposed that the new lake will be a ‘float only’ venue to enable more anglers to be accommodated.

John Lincoln had a cracking start to his season’s pike fishing when he fished at the Sandy Lakes fishery. John caught two pike weighing 16lb 6oz and 24lb 8oz. The smaller of the two fish fell to a ledgered smelt whilst the big one was caught using a section of eel as bait.

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.

John Murphy got fed up waiting for fish to feed at Gingerbread Lake and, instead, went to Swan Lake. He fished throughout the day though without a single bite and was on the verge of packing up when he had a screaming run. The hard-fighting fish turned out to be a 14lb 8oz mirror. John was in the process of weighing it when another of his rods was away and this time it was a 23lb 6oz mirror. He ended up with both fish on the bank at the same time and, needless to say, he was a happy man!

Our bailiffs have reported finding both litter and human waste in the proximity of swims at both the Sandy and Eaton Socon complexes. If the culprits are found they will be severely disciplined. Also, bailiffs have caught pike anglers fishing without landing nets or unhooking mats thereby risking damaging any fish caught. Please ensure you have these items with you when fishing on club waters. The increased use of gripping tools is becoming prevalent in the country and members are asked not to use them on club waters as they can harm the fish. A member hooked a sack whilst fishing at Swan Lake and when he opened it he found a 19lb 8oz mirror carp inside. The sacking of fish is strictly forbidden on all BHAA waters and anyone found breaking this rule faces expulsion from the Association. Fortunately, the fish swam off strongly when released.