2016 Start With A Bang!
Posted: 10th Apr 2016
Well it's been very quiet over the winter on our behalf, I have been updating FB page randomly but posts have been few and far between. I have been working flat out right through the winter on the 15 acre lake, cursed with many problems at the backend of 2015 with the machine, losing months of valuable time when the weather was perfect. Beside the ups and down I have just pulled off the lake bed this week, with the 7th island complete and the whole dam & lake bed shaped and finished with an ending in sight. The hard part has been completed and rain or sun I can continue to landscape around the lake and build pegs without worrying everytime it rains. The aim is now to complete the job inhand and open for 2017...mid summer this year we can be certain of the plan and start taking bookings.
Besides the work on the lake we are open for business on the 7 acre lake once again...we have two slots left for this year, one week in July & one in Oct, apart from that we are booked. First week this season has started early on the 26th March and with two anglers booking the lake they soon got amongst the fish and it was the perfect start to the season!
Dave & Graham are seasoned regulars so had a plan in place with the fish soon starting to look for bait giving the chaps multiple pick-ups at the same time while baiting up. It soon became apparent that the sound of the boilies raining down was acting like a dinner bell, so the lads kept baiting little and often which produced the results. Graham stayed in Peg 3 fo the week tackling the main body of water, Dave set up in 5 taking fish for the first few days including the largest of the week at 53lb, he then moved into Peg 1 taking a riduclous amount of fish in the first 24hrs. It was strange because the 53lb he took in Peg 5 made the same mistake and he caught the fish again in Peg 1 that week....funny because she only graced the bank once last year in September, but I have seen this scenario many times on different waters. The week ended on 61 fish with a very even split of 31 fish & 30 for the two anglers...incredible weeks fishing for a small body of water and the quality of the fish was very special indeed. Once again I have been using FB for posting multiple images and it's very satisfying to see all the young stock fish coming through the ranks, fish worth treasuring. As you all know I'm not a numbers/weight man but we do have to have some-of-that to please the punters!!! well numbers it has been this week with the repeat 53lb being the largest, 11 fish over 40lb to 49lb+.16 fish over 30lb+ (including 9 over 35lb & 2x 39lb) 17x 20s to 29lb+ & 15 of the most beautiful stockies....all ranging in size from mid-double to low 20, but the pictures can do the talking instead of the weight. All in all it has been the perfect start, weather has been pleasant, very changable but no frosts this week and some lovely Spring sunshine.
Week two has just passed and the Regular "Stoke Lads" had a much more challenging week due to a big change in the weather. Now these lads seem to draw the rain each year regardless of the time they book, I'm starting to think Dave is a Witch doctor so if we are having a draught these are the lads to call in!! With the lads coming twice per year and Paul most weeks having the better catch due to being a much better angler than the rest:) I had a small surprise for Dave when he arrived. 10kg of bait on me, to prove a point that bait does make a difference. Despite him outfishing the other lads this week and using all the bait up and catching more fish this week than he has in the last 8 years of coming, he still tried to tell me it was not on the "special" bait.....Ha,ha you just have to give me a little credit...... BTW I will have more for September but its £18.50 per kilo Dave!!!
After the constant downpour on the Saturday when they arrived it broke for a short period on the Sunday but started again making the conditions not ideal. We had it all this week, from hard frosts at the end of the week, mixed in with hail, rain & sun. The fish seem to be both ends of the lake this week and I was hoping the central part of the lake was going to produce the bulk of the fish, but that was not the case. All the chaps had 40lb+ with John in Peg 2 taking the largest at 47lb+, Kev took the first Grassie of the season which even though not weighed because it was just too dam big and angry, they estimated between 45-50lb...beast. Dave had 3 fish over 40lb+ to 44lb & Paul took a brace of 40s from Peg 5 giving a total of 7 fish over 40lb this week. 29 fish was the weeks total made up of the 7 x 40s to 47lb, 12 fish over 30lb+ (including half over 35lb, and 2 x 39lb+) 6 x 20lb+ to 28lb and 4 scaley stockies not weighed. All in all a week not to be sniffed at, but with the lake water being much colder and clearer this week I had the feeling the fish had slowed down somewhat.
Lots happening on the nature front with the Osprey arriving this week which is late, followed by the Cuckoos calling each moring around the lake, Hoopoe in the garden today, Both Redstart & Black have returned to reclame nesting sites along with a whole host of other birds and animals. Red squirrels have kittens now in the drey behind the house along with the Green & common lizards just starting to emerge after their winter hibernation, stretching out on any available sun-trap around the lake margins.
We have another group of regulars in this week so let's see how they fair, the weather will be a big factor I'm sure this week. All in all it's been a good start & we are all looking forward to enjoying this season and everything this piece of paradise has to offer.
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Team Sanctuary