Big bream falls for a tiger!
David Rainbow found some old tiger nuts that needed using up so he decided to try fishing with them at Swan Lake for carp. Also, he spodded out plenty of other goodies as he wanted to get rid of more bait that had been cluttering up his freezer. A good run late in the morning produced a cracking 10lb 8oz bream that showed signs of having recently spawned. Earlier in the week, John Murphy had a single run which resulted in him catching another good-sized bream, an 8lb 4oz specimen.
Ryan Scotchford fished at McGregor Lake using a method feeder and went on to catch a nice 6lb 2oz tench. Another angler fishing off the long island landed two big bream around the 7lb mark. Robert Livock ended a lean spell on the lake when he banked a 9lb 8oz mirror carp in an otherwise quiet session.
The high pressure conditions experienced throughout the week certainly put carp off the feed at Gingerbread Lake after it re-opened on Friday but one angler did catch a 32lb mirror carp fishing near to the factory bay. Members will find that the track around the lake to the Links Pool has been completely upgraded with all the ruts filled. However, it is essential that vehicles are not driven fast around the lake if the surface is to last.
The recent working party at the Sandy complex has achieved a number of tasks including filling the worst of the ruts along the entrance road, improving defences against flooding on Grace Lake and installing concrete slabs to prevent gravel being washed away from some of the permanent swims. Also, members will find fencing has been installed in several areas to try to prevent vehicles being driven on to soft ground where they have caused bad rutting. Members are again asked to refrain from driving their vehicles too close to swims where the ground is almost permanently waterlogged and soft.
It is planned that New Road will be closed to traffic from 24th of June for about a week to enable roadworks to be completed for a nearby supermarket which is under construction. More information can be obtained from the Highways Agency on 01234 796197.
Cluster is on the munch!
Mark Collins had another big catch of carp fishing at Gingerbread Lake including the mirror carp known as ‘Cluster’ weighing 43lb 14oz, a 34lb mirror and four more big carp. Later in the week, the warmer weather triggered off a spawning session but, in between their spawning activity, the carp continued to feed. Floater king Chris Tysoe was at the lake and got the carp feeding catching no fewer than five carp during the day including Cluster for the second time in a week. John Harvey certainly has little problem in catching the lake’s carp too as he banked two fish during the day weighing 26lb 5oz and 12lbs. Anthony Pogmore changed his terminal tackle to chod rigs to help combat the weed which was growing fast since the water temperatures had risen. I the late morning, a screaming run resulted in a 25lb 8oz mirror which his friend Kevin Webb was on hand to net. A Denham Baits pop-up boilie was the successful bait. Keith Hoggett was pleased to catch one of the lake’s big tench during the week, a 7lb 12oz specimen. John Murphy returned to his favourite swim in the factory bay but found that bream had moved catching 5 fish to over 9lbs. He was playing one fish when he had a screamer on one of his other rods but by the time he good strike the fish had escaped.
Over the weekend, a working party has been busy reinforcing the bank at Grace Lake to prevent flood water entering from a nearby ditch, creating parking areas for use when the ground is too waterlogged to drive vehicles on and filling some of the remaining potholes on the track. During the coming week, a contractor will be laying a new track from the entrance gate around to the Links Pool. Members are asked not to drive on it at excessive speeds to prevent it becoming ruined once again.
Third different 40 of the year caught at Gingerbread Lake
John Murphy was getting bream bites from the moment he cast out into Gingerbread Lake but, after a heavy shower of rain, carp started topping in several areas of the lake. Soon afterwards, he had a run and struck into a fish which immediately surfaced before going down and hugging the bottom. John suspected that he was into a good fish and when netted it turned out to be the mirror nicknamed ‘The Lookalike’ weighing 42lb 4oz, the third different 40 pounder to be caught from the lake this year. Later in the week, Ian Fisher caught another cracking carp, this time a pristine 25lb common carp.
Kevin Young and his elderly father Jock had a day fishing together at McGregor Lake. There were a couple of other anglers fishing the lake too but by 5.30pm they had all left leaving Kevin and Jock alone. One of Jock’s rods soon after had a screaming run which turned out to be a hard fighting 14lb mirror carp. Next, it was Kevin’s turn for some action. He spotted some fish topping and re-cast his baits towards them. Within a matter of minutes, he had a good run but lost the fish soon after striking. Another half hour elapsed and then it was Jock’s turn again. His grandson, Conor, arrived just in time to slip the landing net under a 14lb 6oz mirror. Soon after, Kevin struck into a second run but again failed to hook the fish. The evening continued with Jock catching another mirror weighing 11lbs whilst Kevin lost a third fish. Granddad 3 Father 0!
Members are asked to note that the new track will now be laid from the 10th of June until the 14th, a week later than previously stated. Also, there will be a working party at Sandy Lakes carrying out vital maintenance work on all three lakes. Anyone wishing to help will be welcomed but apologies are given for any disturbance caused to people fishing whilst this work is being undertaken.
Cool conditions make it hard going again
The continuingly changing weather has resulted in some patchy results during the past week. Richard Holden fished overnight at Gingerbread Lake and caught the largest ever common carp from the venue, the ‘long common’ weighing exactly 35lbs. Also, Richard caught another carp weighing 24lbs during the same session. His successful baits were supplied by Denham Bait Innovations. Darren Coles was another angler to score using Denham Baits when he landed a beautifully conditioned 27lb mirror carp.
Teenager Conor Young caught his first ever 20lb plus carp whilst fishing overnight at Swan Lake. His fish was a 23lb 8oz mirror carp that put up a desperate scrap for nearly 30 minutes before being finally landed. Conor’s fishing companion, Kaleb, was well pleased too landing two big bream weighing 12lbs and 10lbs. Another teenager, Brad Hollidge, recently caught a 20lb 2oz mirror carp from the lake using a pop-up boilie.
Paul Prior fished with his two sons at McGregor Lake where they caught two big mirrors weighing 18lbs and 14lbs from a water that proved a little difficult to catch from during the cooler conditions. However, other anglers fishing for roach and bream have found fish to be feeding well with good catches of each being recorded.
Can you help? Bailiff Dave Hallybone mislaid his Delkim remote receiver whilst fishing recently at Swan Lake. If you have found it, please get in touch with the Membership Secretary to arrange its safe return.
Yan gets the jackpot twice!
Yanis Spalis has fished at Gingerbread Lake for the past two years but openly admits that it has been a bit of a struggle to get to grips with the lake’s big carp. However, this year Yan had already banked a couple of good-sized carp but was still anxious to catch that elusive 30 pounder. He decided to fish a swim in the corner of one of the bays which was often neglected by other anglers who usually tried to bag one of the popular swims. Yan soon had carp topping in his swim despite a cold wind blowing for much of the day. It was not long before he had a good run which turned out to be a 32lb 4oz mirror, a dream fulfilled. The fish was returned after weighing and photographing but he decided to fish on as there were still signs of fish topping. Late in the afternoon, he hooked into another carp which turned out to be a 24lb common. He returned to the lake later in the week but found the swim occupied so decided to fish another swim in the channel that had been recently vacated by a night fisherman. Only a matter of minutes after casting out Yan found himself fighting another big carp. This time it turned out to be an even more impressive fish, the mirror carp named ‘Moonscale’ weighing 41lbs, and a new personal best for the angler.
A few carp have been caught at Swan Lake during the week up to low 20s whilst sport at McGregor Lake has improved with good-sized bream and roach being caught plus the odd tench up to 7lbs. The carp in McGregor Lake have been less obliging for, despite their large numbers, several anglers have failed to get any runs.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
