Fishing News

Fran started off on a 6 metre whip with a stick float rig but he was unable to reach the fish which were further down the peg.

He changed to rod and reel and was then able to trot a stick float further down the swim and started catching fish.

He fished maggot over loosefed maggot and hemp and tares.

He caught roach, gudgeon, a ruffe and a few skimmers for a total of 4lb 11oz.

I fished a match rod and centrepin reel with a wire-stemmed Avon float rig.

I fished maggot over loosefed maggot and hemp and tares.

I started fishing close to the bank in slacker water and, holding the float stationary at intervals, I gave the fish time to take the bait.

Later in the session I fish further out and caught fish by letting the float run through unchecked or by occasionally holding back.

I caught roach and an odd skimmer for a total of 2lb 2oz.

Fran started fishing with a rod and closed face reel but after geting mechanical problems with the reel, he changed to a 6 metre whip and stick float.

He fished maggot on the hook over loosefed hemp and a few maggots but he also caught on the odd tare and urid bean.

He caught roach, skimmers, perch and a few gudgeon for a total weight of 9lb 1oz

I fished a 17 foot rod and centrepin with a stick float.

Hookbait was maggot, although I did catch on the odd urid bean and a caster. I loosefed hemp mixed with a few tares and urid beans.

I caught roach, skimmers, gudgeon and chub for a total weight of 5lb.

Two other members were fishing, one on the SLAC bank just below the footbridge who had a good net of roach and the other upstream of Fran who estimated he had about 15lb of roach in his net.

It all shows there's plenty of fish in the footbridge area at Oath and it's fishing well at the moment.

Dan Squire caught this nice mixed net on Stuckies.

Pete Smith caught this 4lb tench ledgering sweetcorn near the downstream end of Cocklemoor. He also caught lots of roach up to 1lb in size.

We've noticed members have been propping the gate open recently with bricks while they drive in or out.

For the last few years, there has been a wire loop fixed to the fence which hooks over the top rail of the gate to hold it back. The wire loop can be bent tighter around the rail of the gate if required.

You'll find this is more reliable than propping the gate open with bricks. I've now taped the wire loop to make it more visible.

I know some members aren't happy about the weed in our lake. However, the weed is very beneficial to our fish and the waterfowl. It contains lots of food in the form of invertebrates. It provides shelter and protection for our fish. It also helps to keep the algae levels down and improve water quality.

Most of our fishing can be done in front of the platforms so we only need to clear the weed from where we want to fish. This is easily achieved by spending a few minutes raking before we tackle up. This gives a short period for the swim to settle before fishing. Raking also stirs up the silt which attracts the fish into the swim.

A simple weed rake (as shown above) can be made by joining two garden rake heads back to back and securing with cable ties. A length of strong nylon rope can be securely attached.

Fran pole-fished near to a lily bed, fishing maggot or sweetcorn over groundbait and loosefed hemp. He lost a few large tench in the nearby weed beds.

He caught 4 small tench, roach and perch for a total of 2lb 1oz.

I fished a rod and centrepin with a light loaded waggler float tight to a lily bed. I fished maggot over groundbait and loosefed hemp and maggot.

I caught roach, rudd, perch and a small eel for a total of 2lb 4oz.

Fran pole-fished to a nearby lilybed using groundbait and maggot, sweetcorn or pellet on the hook.

Apart from a lot of fine bubbles around his float, at times, he didn't see a single tench. All he caught was roach and rudd with bites being few and far between.

I fished a match rod and centrepin reel close to a lilybed. I fed groundbait laced with micro-pellet and liquidised sweetcorn and fished maggot or sweetcorn on the hook. I had less bites than Fran and finished up with a few roach, rudd and a couple of small perch.

We both felt afterwards that the groundbait wasn't really drawing the fish in!

The blanket weed has come back with a vengeance again but there are some clear swims which are fishable. In the clear swims, there is a grey surface film; I don't know if it's an algae or just scum.

Appreciable rainfall and wind should take care of the blanket weed.

The cormorant deterrent ropes have been put up, once more, for the winter.

It also looks as if most of the blanket weed has now gone.

I first raked the swim to clear any loose pieces of weed, twig and blanket weed.

I fished a 4 metre whip with a light waggler rig, dotted right down.

Using a bait dropper, I put some loose groundbait and hemp alongside the lily bed. I fished maggot on the hook and loosefed hemp and maggot.

After an while without a bite, I shallowed up by an inch off the bottom and caught a couple of small perch. Shallowing up by a few more inches, I caught a few more fish and ended up fishing at half depth for the rest of the day! I caught roach, rudd and perch for a total of 2lb 13oz.

Two other anglers on the lake only caught a few small roach.

The water is now fairly clear, I could see my float sink down into the depths for each bite.

Most of the weed is now sinking to the bottom but there is a fair bit of blanket weed slime on the bottom; it's still worth raking your swim before you fish to ensure the bait isn't masked by it.

The carp are still active; there were a few head and shouldering, swirling and splashing around the lake.