Fishing Update:
2006 turned out to be a very good year for Bury Hill, although we did come under some pressure from the drought despite paying out thousands of pounds to put in a borehole. The fishing on all lakes was generally pretty good, helped I am sure by the completion of the huge stocking program which took place the previous winter with the Old Lake in particular, seeing some incredible sport as a result of over 600 double figure carp from Claremont Lake being stocked.
Indeed, the Old Lake now boasts in excess of 1000 carp, which includes at least 10 thirties, more than 200 twenties with the remaining 800 or so fish averaging somewhere between 16lb to 18lb. It is therefore no wonder that anglers have been catching bags of up to 50 fish per session.
Indeed this winter we have seen catches of up to 10 fish per session even in the worst conditions, see Ian Russell’s “Give ‘Em a Pasting” article in February’s Total Carp Magazine and last weeks (Issue 645) “The O’Connor Angle” in Carp Talk which shows just how easy it is catch carp from a boat even in the hardest winter conditions – and that’s unique!
Carp Fishing:
Staying with the carp, Temple has also had an amazing year producing 30 thirties
and over 300 twenties, indeed the average size of fish caught from Temple last
year was a whopping 27lb 2oz with the biggest fish just missing the magical 40lb
mark at 37lb 8oz. Not bad for genuine English fish! Indeed, in order to have got
your name on the Temple ‘Top 100’ list for 2006 you would have needed a fish weighing 26lb 6oz or more, indeed Temple produced over 150 fish over 25lb in the year, so watch this space as they say.
General Fishing:
On more of a general front, the fishing on all lakes has been good with the Old Lake throwing up some very good bags of bream with individual fish to over 10lb, the tench fishing has also been pretty good with a number of doubles also reported in the year, the best being 11lb 4oz. On the predator front, it comes as no surprise that the zander have dominated catches this winter owing to the mild wet conditions, in fact we have seen a good number of doubles caught topped by a very impressive fish weighing 15lb 4oz. Whilst the pike fishing has been generally slow, we have again seen fish to 24lb and fully expect to see one or two more better fish reported before the end of the season.
Turning to the two smaller lakes, Bonds Lake continued to fish and fish producing more match and pleasure weights over 100lb than ever before, which included fish to 14lb. Indeed we again saw match weights over 300lb. In turn, Milton Lake also fished well with some very good bags of tench and crucian being taken during the spring and summer months, however Milton really came into its own once we saw the first frost with some huge bags of silver fish reported by both pleasure anglers and match men alike this winter. Indeed, some of these bags have included roach and rudd to 1lb 12oz and perch to 2lb 8oz, although being such a mild winter we have also seen the odd tench and crucian being caught.
2007 Stocking:
Whilst our stocking levels are some of the highest of any fishery in the country, the quality of our fish stocks is also important and as such our policy is to maintain a high but safe stocking levels on all our lakes. With this in mind, we will be stocking a large number of tench early autumn splitting this stock into both the Old Lake and Milton Lake. In addition to this stocking, we will also be stocking 150 or so pike to 20lb into the Old Lake at the same time.
Regarding Temple, we will be stocking approximately 15 to 20 carp all around the 20lb mark. These are our own fish, which we have grown on in one of our outside ponds and are of the same strain which have seen such significant growth rates with some fish having put on over 8lb in one year.
Specimen Carp Club Membership:
2006 was another record year for our Specimen Carp Club with membership being over subscribed for the third year running. Clearly membership has been helped by the phenominal fishing experienced on both the Old Lake and Temple Lake with both lakes producing 40 thirties and over 500 twenties last year alone. Furthermore, the growth rates we have seen on Temple has been nothing short of incredable with some fish putting on over 7lb in under a year. As such, we have four fish nudging around upper thirties and we fully expect to see our first forty out in 2007 and that’s a genuine English fish!
Whilst we have had a waiting list for Temple, we have made a few places available for this year which will be offered on a first come first serve basis. You can download a Specimen Carp Club enquiry pack, application and details of last years ‘Top 100’ by going to http://www.buryhillfisheries.com/downloads.phtml. So if you fancy some great fishing in truly beautiful surroundings with no plonkers and secure parking, give us a call and who knows, the first forty might be yours!
Season Tickets:
Our season tickets are always popular and are sold out each year. Applications have just been sent out which you can down load by going to http://www.buryhillfisheries.com/downloads.phtml
New tackle shop opens April 1st:
We have been under pressure for some time to open a larger more comprehensive tackle shop on site and so as not to be left behind, we will be expanding our current shop shortly, which will open on the 1st April. Stocking a huge range of fresh, frozen and shelf life baits from leading companies such as the Carp Company, Mainline, Nash, Dynamite Baits and Sensus to name but a few, we will also be selling fresh quality maggots and worms. On the tackle front, we will be selling a large selection of end tackle from companies such as Fox, Korda, ESP and Preston as well as larger more expensive items from leading brands such as Drennan, Fox, Gardner, JRC, Korda, Nash, Preston, Shimano, Trakker, Angling Technics and Viper to name but a few.
You will find all bait and end tackle competitively priced with special discounts being offered on all larger items such as rods, reels, bivvies, luggage and clothing as well as a large range of bite indicators. Moreover, we will be open 7 days a week from 7.30am during the week and 7.00am at weekends, although bait etc will be available from when the fishery opens at weekends, which could be as early as 5am.
|
Top of page  |
Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust Ltd, FACT, today announces the launch of its website at www.factuk.co.uk
The new website gives;
- details about FACT,
- its member organisations and their present roles,
- news from FACT,
- details of FACT working groups and their activities,
- FACT press releases,
- contact listings for Members of Parliament,
- an extensive collection of acronyms of national and international angling, fisheries and conservation organisations, NGOs, Government Departments,
- a links page to FACT members and other angling organisations as well as loads of useful links outside direct angling or fisheries organisations.
Importantly there is a contact page for anglers to email directly to members of the FACT board or to make general contact with FACT. The board hopes that anglers will feel enabled to participate through these links in debates on issues affecting angling and our waters and to communicate directly with FACT board members on matters of interest or concern to the angler.
The website has been developed by a small team of board members, led by Sarah Thompson of Professional Coarse Fisheries Association, which has used a professional designer, sla associates ltd, to carry their plans into execution.
There is an opportunity, on each web page, for anglers to support the work of FACT by contributing to FACT resources using PayPal.
At present FACT is supported by subscription from its member organisations, but as the organisation develops into the planned single body to represent all of angling the board hopes to establish closer contact with anglers, who will, in time, be able to become individual members of FACT. To move swiftly to that advanced state FACT needs support from the angling and fisheries community and the new website provides anglers with their first chance to benefit and participate directly in the workings and future development of FACT.
Jim Glasspool, chairman of FACT, said
“We hope that anglers will take the opportunity the new website presents to tell us of their concerns and to express support or otherwise of the campaigns which FACT is involved in. We aim for FACT to be truly representative in time and this website is one of the first steps to that future.”
|
Top of page |
It is with great sadness that UK Fisherman has heard of the untimely death of Dave "Thumper" Fowler at the age of 64. A member of the Musketeers Angling Club, Dave will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
We didn't know dave personally at UK Fisherman, but he was a well known figure in the fishing world and he was an inspiration to all that met him.
Tetly from the Musketeers Angling Club tells us a little bit about his friend and fellow angling club member:
"Just to let you know we lost a great angler (Dave "Thumper" Fowler) on the 1st feb 2007. He was taken quite suddenly at the age of 64. Dave had been in many clubs and was well known through most angling circles. He joined the Musketeers Angling Club last year and was an inspiration and a gentleman ... always willing to help out. He had said on many occasion how friendly the club was and always joked that I threw to much bait in ... his cremation was today (14th Feb) at Beckenham, kent."
More Photos of Dave can be found at
www.freewebs.com/tetlys/dave%20fowler.htm
"We will be holding a match on 25th March on Reservoir at Hartleylands called the (Thumper) Trophy and will raise money on the day for a bench to be fitted at this venue (Hartleylands) with a plaque to remember him by....... each year the thumper trophy will be held here."
UK Fisherman would like to offer our condolences to Dave's family, friends and all his fishing buddys.
For more information please contact Tetly via his website - Tetleys Fishing Site
|
Top of page |
The NFA has received great support for the OCN in Angling and the Environment from Head Teachers around the country after promoting the course at the Sports Colleges Conference held on 1st and 2nd February last week in Telford by the Youth Sports Trust.
With over 1,500 Teachers and Head teachers attending the event the NFA had a prime opportunity to generate further interest in the course and increase schools awareness of the benefits which angling can bring to the students’ education.
Schools are being asked to offer more alternative leisure and recreation opportunities for students each week. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who spoke at the conference, emphasised the importance that sport can play within education; both in terms of increasing children’s awareness of the environment and in developing their numeracy and literacy skills. The NFA’s new angling education course can clearly demonstrate that this can be achieved through our sport.
The level of interest which the conference has generated has been very positive with schools from every region of the country signifying their desire to take up the course. With Assistant Head Teacher, Stephen Dove from Kent stating,
“The North School is Ashford’s Specialist School for Sport, Information Technology and The Rural Dimension. We actively seek to develop and extend our curriculum and enrichment activities to develop our students interests and a life long love of learning. We greatly value the outdoor classroom and seek to provide high quality opportunities for learning both inside and outside the classroom. It is important that our students respect the environment and understand both urban and rural issues in the community. Some of our students are keen anglers who I’m sure would appreciate the opportunity of gaining this qualification in a sport they love.”
It wasn’t only the teachers who found angling a hit as a number of professional athletes who attended also commented on their enjoyment of the sport. As we all know with Dean Macey our Ambassador for Angling, our sport is one of the favourites amongst our elite British Athletes. Katharine Merry, Olympic Medallist from Sydney 2000 commented, “Fishing is great fun”.
Julian Taylor, Angling Development Officer for the NFA commented,
“The conference was a great medium for the NFA to communicate to over 1,500 key decision makers in education. We are confident from the level of interest that we have received, a number of schemes will be kicking off nationwide from September 2007.”
|
Top of page |
The Environment Agency is restocking an Oxford lake with more than 2,300 fish.
A further 2,600 fish, including chub, tench and dace, will also be put in rivers across the region, including the Thames, the Thame, the Cherwell, the Ock and the Marsworth Moat in Tring.
The fish population in Hinksey Lake was devastated in 2005 after an algal bloom wiped out thousands of fish. Large blooms of the blue-green algae died out late in the summer, causing the oxygen levels in the lake to crash, killing the tench, roach and common bream.
But the lake has undergone a number of habitat improvements, including the installation of floating reed islands, angling platforms and disabled angling platforms. These were carried out by the Environment Agency, in partnership with Oxford District Angling Association and Oxford City Council.
The Environment Agency is now hoping that by re-stocking the lake, as well as the other rivers, it will aid the fish populations and encourage more fishing along these stretches.
Andy Went, a fisheries officer at the Environment Agency, said:
“Hinksey Lake suffered from a devastating algal bloom two years ago, and it seriously decimated the fish, and fishing opportunities, in the local area. But by reintroducing these fish today, we hope to boost fish populations, and help in assisting the recovery of the lake and much of wildlife in it."
“We also hope it will encourage more people to come to Hinksey Lake and take part in angling, which is a fantastic way to enjoy a great sport while getting closer to nature. We have already held highly successful junior angling days at the lake and are planning to hold more in the future."
“The reintroduction of the other lakes and rivers is taking place as part of our commitment to restoring fish populations in the area."
The fish have come from an Environment Agency fish hatchery in Nottingham, and are being transported today in time for the restocking.
The fish are being stocked at the following locations:
- Hinksey Lake, Oxford 300 bream 1,800 roach 250 tench
- River Thames at Cricklade 500 chub 300 dace
- River Cherwell at Thrupp 400 chub 300 dace
- River Thame at Chiselhampton 800 dace
- River Ock at Garford 300 dace
- Marsworth Moat, Marsworth, Tring 50 tench
 Back to News |
Top of page |
UK Fisherman is dedicated to bringing you all
the latest NEWS from the world of fishing. I will try
to keep you up-to-date with whats new and exciting in the worlds
of coarse fishing, carp fishing, game fishing and predator fishing. UK Fisherman would be delighted to hear from
anyone out there who would like to submit a news article for
inclusion at UK Fisherman.
To submit a news item to UK Fisherman,
please click the image below:
Fantastic offers on bait and tackle at UK Fisherman,
from some of the Uk's biggest names. Go on treat yourself. You know you
want to
February 22nd 2007 - 
|