Bailiff_weekly

Weekly Report ( Nov 24th - 30th )

The fishing, like the weather, is not very good at present. Carp are difficult to locate, and no one area is proving to be consistent throughout the week. Anglers that do locate them are taking reasonable catches of up to eight fish in a session. Even the Perch were not feeding well this week, with anglers using the trusty prawn and worm baits not getting a bite on some days. On Monday, Rob Tribe caught a superb Common Carp weighing 27lb.13oz, see the photo attached.

Mike

Weekly Report ( Nov 17th - 23rd )

Carp fishing has not improved this week and with this cold spell it will probably remain slow in the coming week. As with previous weeks, a few "twenties" are still being caught, with one angler catching two today.

My son Alan had a short session fishing for Perch on Friday, using worm and prawn on light float tackle close to the bank. He caught five double figure carp, best of 18lb.2oz., ( pics attached ) not bad on 4lb line.

He also landed four good Perch from 1lb.8oz to 1lb.14oz.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Nov 10th - 16th )

The carp are still proving most difficult to tempt, despite a few very mild days this week. A lot of anglers are struggling to catch and a days catch of about seven carp is good at present. A few "twenties were reported, and Geoff caught a twenty three pounder on Thursday.

Better news on the Perch though, with two very different episodes to report. On Tuesday, two anglers fishing prawn baits for the Perch landed three superb carp in a short space of time, at 23+lb., 21+lb. and 19+lb.! Then today in the miserable rain, an angler fishing for the "stripeys", had a super catch including some fish weighing over two and a half pounds.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Nov 3rd - 9th )

Wet weather I think caused many anglers to stay indoors, certainly there haven't been that many fishing Broadwater this week. The week started reasonably with a a dry Monday and some good fish caught, as I walked round that afternoon Derek landed a 22lb+ Common, and Steve fishing in the next swim caught a 17lb+ Mirror. Carp have not been caught in any numbers and there were less "twenties" caught than in previous weeks. The big Perch are not showing yet, but the prawns being used as bait for them have certainly excited the carp. Good carp are coming to these perch baits, particularly close-in where loose offerings are tossed around the float.

Mike.

Picture sent in of Broadwater at sunset

Weekly Report ( Oct 27th - Nov 2nd )

The extreme weather in the middle of the week, harsh overnight frosts and a hint of snow, then torrential rain, certainly put the fish down. Early in the week there were a few catches of around thirty carp in a day, but following the drop in temperature the carp have been difficult to catch. Despite the pouring rain on Saturday, our three stalwarts, Ben, Dave & Eric, were catching carp. Eric was rewarded with a "twenty" in his catch.

I am disappointed to have to report that due to the mindless and disgusting vandalism by a small group of youngsters, we are now locking the toilets during the hours of darkness. We have repeatedly cleaned and repaired both toilets, but I can no longer expect Graham to have to deal with this.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Oct 20th - 26th )

The fishing seems to have deteriorated as the week progressed, with the catches and the size of the fish caught seemingly getting smaller. Early this week on one of the coldest mornings, following an overnight frost, Derek landed a superb Common weighing 28lb.3oz., see pic attached. On the same day there were two other "twenties" caught by another angler, at 20lb and 23lb. Some anglers have managed reasonable catches, but the average size has been quite low.

I have also attached my photo, taken on Tuesday morning, of our two Broadwater security guards.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Oct 13th - 19th )

The weather and high pressure conditions are still making daytime fishing difficult for all species. Forty anglers, fishing the "silver fish" match today, are finding the going very hard. Low weights generally of small Roach, with very few Perch being caught. The Carp of course put in an appearance as they do not count, with a lot caught and lost, but several "twenties" were landed on the light match tackle ( poles & rods ) and maggot baits.

Carp fishing through the week has been very slow, although some very good fish have been caught. The best recorded being a 28lb.8oz Mirror caught by John on Monday afternoon. Small baits, pellet or Boilie, appear to be the most productive in the current conditions.
Mike.

Weekly Report ( Oct 6th - 12th )

High pressure has resulted in superb weather this week, allowing the anglers to sit back and enjoy the sunshine. But the downside is that the carp have not fed well in these daytime conditions. Those anglers arriving early have enjoyed good sport, until the sun takes effect by slowing sport until the late afternoon.

The carp are feeding well after dark, when 9 year old Jordan fishing with his Dad caught his first "twenty", a 20lb.4oz Common. But these conditions did not stop Les Pethybridge from taking a big daytime catch which included three "twenties", with the best weighing in at 25lb.12oz.

Crayfish are still a real nuisance to those fishing the lake margins, despite the numbers being trapped and removed by Graham each week. But those who persevere with close-in tactics, float-fishing maggot, worm or prawn, are now being rewarded with some two pound plus Perch.

Please note that next Sunday ( Oct 19th ) the lake will be closed from 8am until 4pm., for a Match.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Sept 29th - Oct 5th )

The colder weather slowed the fishing in mid-week, but the lower pressure ( with rain ) has got the fish feeding again. Good numbers of carp being caught today by anglers braving the wet and muddy conditions.

Graham had two very good night sessions recently, catching 31 then 21carp and including four "twenties"; a pic of his best at 27lb attached. He has also done a very good job with the crayfish, removing over 100 in each of the last two trappings; thank you Graham.

The Roach are still feeding, plus a few Crucians, but the bigger Perch are still proving difficult catch

Good to see that again this weekend the EA Bailiffs have been round the lake checking licences.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Sept 22nd - 28th )

Some very good catches of carp taken this week, and the "twenties" continue to feed. A good number of big fish caught up to twenty seven pounds.

Other species also feeding well, with Roach to one and a half pound, plus Perch over two pound now showing. The " Silver Fish " match today was won with a 30lb catch by Eddie Rippon. Most competitors had good bags which included Roach, Rudd and Perch, and several quality Crucian Carp were caught.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Sept 15th - 21st )

Sunny days and colder nights this week, and the carp continue to feed, albeit with a lull during the middle of most days. On Monday Phil Godman caught a 25lb.12oz Mirror, and another angler had a 26lb Common. Tuesday a 22lb.8oz was caught by Bob Pickett, but the star that day was a lady angler. Fishing with her husband Pete, Mrs Chris Robinson, caught two Commons weighing 21lb.4oz and 21lb.2oz. ( see pic below of the largest specimen ) Pete had a few carp, but could not match Chris on the day, but proved to be a very good Gillie !

Also attached is a pic of Roy's 25lb.10oz Mirror caught on 23rd August. Roy caught a 20lb Common this Saturday, and Stuart Murray had a superb 26lb Mirror on the same day. Then today, Sunday, an angler celebrating his birthday caught a 27lb Mirror, and further down the bank Mel landed a 27lb.2oz Common.

The most successful method appears to be a fairly small halibut pellet, say 12mm, with a very small pva bag of mini-pellets attached. Sweetcorn and small boilies are also getting good results.

Graham continues with his good work in Crayfish trapping, removing another couple of hundred this week.

Chris Roy Stuart
click on pictures to enlarge
Mike

Weekly Report ( Sept 8th - 14th )

I will start this week by thanking two of our Broadwater "regulars", Dave Ruffle and Phil Godman, for their generosity. They have both provided fishing tackle, a range of equipment that they no longer use, to be given to any young anglers that will benefit. The young recipients were delighted and most grateful, so thank you both.

Good numbers of carp continue to be caught, with the best catches being taken early or late in the day.

Roach and Rudd being taken on float and feeder, with fish of both species topping the pound mark.

My thanks to Graham who trapped a further 120 crayfish today, following his catch of about 200 last week.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Sept 1st - 7th )

Despite the awful weather good numbers of hardy anglers have fished the lake, with mixed success. There have been some good catches of carp, with a reasonable number of "twenties" recorded, with a best of 27lb.

Unfortunately the Junior Multi-Species event on Saturday, with the first stage at Broadwater, suffered from terrible weather with heavy rain on and off throughout the day. But all credit to the youngsters they all fished all three stages ( Broadwater, Busbridge, Marsh Farm ) through till 4pm. I am proud to report that my two Granddaughters, Rosie & Chloe, won the event for the second year running. ( pic attached )

I've also attached a picture of Reece Carroll's 25lb.4oz Carp as reported on August 10th.

click on pictures to enlarge
Please note that the Junior Match is at Broadwater next Saturday ( 13th ) the whole lake will be closed from 8am till 3pm

Mike

Weekly Report ( Aug 25th - 31st )

Another mixed week as far as carp catches go ; some days producing good numbers and others, with no apparent change in conditions, proving very difficult with few fish caught. A reasonable number of "twenties" were caught, with a 25lb.4oz Common taken by Eric on Saturday afternoon among the best this week.
Another superb fish, a 26lb Common, was taken by a new member James Hodson whilst night fishing. "

The match today was won with 199lb.6oz of Carp by Alex Mackenzie, following up his second place in the previous match on the lake. A weight of 147lb secured the second place in today's match.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( Aug 18th - 24th )

The fishing on the lake is like the weather this week, variable ! But still some good catches and specimen fish being taken, but no consistency of swims or on any two days. Quite a few "twenties" taken this week, with the best carp verified being 25lb.4oz on Saturday. I've just met a very happy Junior Member today having caught his first "twenty", in a twelve carp catch, so far !

Please note that the whole lake will be closed next Sunday 31st August from 8am till 4pm for a match.

See your permit for details of this match, and the fixture list for the rest of the season.

Mike

Weekly Report ( Aug 11th - 17th )

The carp continue to frustrate the anglers, with large numbers to some whilst other "swims" fail to produce.

There have been a lot of catches of over twenty fish to an angler this week, with a good number of 20lb + fish caught. Dave Ruffle had a superb catch early this week, nineteen carp with sixteen in double figures, including fish of 21lb and 21lb.4oz.

The Junior Coaching on Saturday morning saw a small group of excited youngsters sharing rods and catching thirty carp between them. A great success due to the time and effort given by Peter, Alex and Andrew.

The five hour match record for Broadwater was broken today, Sunday, with Eddie Rippon's winning weight of 243lbs of carp. He would have topped that weight if his landing net hadn't broken whilst he was attempting to transfer a "twenty" into his keepnet, only succeeding in dropping the fish back into the lake. The second place went to Alex MacKenzie with another big catch, weighed in at 176lb.

Mike

Weekly Report ( Aug 4th - 10th )

Due to the problems of water quality in Richardson Lake at Marsh Farm, I have spent a lot of time over there this week helping to maintain the pumping and aeration equipment. Therefore I have not been around Broadwater as much as usual. My thanks go to Graham Harman, who has covered for me by double-shift Bailiffing, plus trapping the Crayfish. Another 200+ of these pests have been removed from the lake this week, thanks to Graham and his sons, Matt and Alex.

The fish are behaving as in previous weeks, with big catches being made by some around the lake, whilst others are struggling to catch. The carp still appear to be moving in tight shoals. Catches of over 30 carp being taken in a day session, with some even larger catches taken at night. A significant number of "twenties" caught this week; with a superb 25lb.4oz Mirror taken by Junior Member, Reece Carroll on Friday.

Roach and Rudd are providing very good sport, falling to maggot and corn on both float and feeder methods.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( July 28th - Aug 3rd )

We continue to have success in removing Crayfish from the lake with two hauls of about 200 this week, bringing our total to approximately 1,200. As Alan and I have had to deal with some fishery problems at Marsh Farm this week, our thanks go to Graham and his two sons for carrying out the trapping operations.

The familiar fishing pattern continues, with some anglers taking big catches and many struggling with just a few fish. Quite a few "twenties" caught this week, but the average size is down on last season, with large numbers of smaller carp being caught. I attach a pic of Les Pethybridge's superb Common Carp caught last week, weighing in at 28lb.4oz. Quality Roach and Rudd being taken on both float and quiver-tip methods.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( July 21st - 27th )

The trapping of crayfish is a continuing success, with only 30 traps, our total is now about 800 removed.

The current very hot weather has slowed sport, even frustrating the anglers in having to watch lots of carp basking on the surface during the heat of the day. While this weather lasts the mornings and evenings will prove best. Some very good fish caught, topped by a 25lb.4oz Common caught by a 9 year old angler yesterday ! The roach and rudd continue to feed throughout the day. A good ploy being adopted by quite a few anglers, is to fish one carp rod, and enjoy float-fishing on the second rod for the 'silver' fish with sweetcorn or maggots.

Mike

Weekly Report ( July 14th - 20th )

The carp still appear to be closely shoaled, as while some swims produce large numbers, the adjacent swims produce few. Catches in excess of thirty carp being taken by at least one angler each day, generally smaller fish up to 18lb., using small pellets or boilies. Fewer "twenties" caught than the previous week, but still enough to make it interesting. Quality Roach and Rudd continue to feed, with float and quiver-tip equally effective. Maggot, caster, sweetcorn and small pellets all proving successful.

We lifted the 30 crayfish traps again this Wednesday catching 125, bringing our total to date for just three 'lifts' to 500 of the pests.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( July 7th - 13th )

Some big carp caught this week with plenty of "twenties", with at least two 25lb+ and a 26 pound Common.

Stevie Lake abandoned his pole fishing this week, opting for a quiver-tip rod, and had a superb day-session taking twenty good carp. Best catch of the week being a sixty carp haul in a single day session by Phil Godman.

Good Roach and Rudd still feeding well, and two super Crucian caught today at 2lb.7oz and 2lb.6oz.

We had a couple of good results with the 30 crayfish traps, catching nearly 200 on Tuesday, then a further 171 of the pests when we lifted them again on Friday.

May I remind all anglers to read and abide by the rules when fishing our waters, it is disappointing to find a significant number not doing so, or choosing to ignore them. More permits have been taken already this season than we took all of last year, together with many warnings for minor offences. Barbed hooks, large weights, and alcohol have no place at Broadwater.

Note that it is the "Mixed Pairs Match" on this coming Wednesday evening, 6 till 9pm., draw at 5pm.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( June 30th - July 6th )

The carp fishing still proving very inconsistent, with a few good catches each day, but the majority of 'swims' producing few fish. A number of "twenties" have been caught this week, with the best reported being taken by Kelly Lucas, a super Common weighing 26lb.12oz. Having weighed and photographed it for him, I was interested to note that it was the same fish taken by Graham Harman a couple of weeks back. Note the 'split' tail in the attached pic.

Good Roach and Rudd catches being taken, generally to float-fished maggot. Prawn baits accounting for good Perch, and of course, the inevitable Carp.

Seventeen Juniors took part in their Match last night, and all caught despite the colder weather and high winds. Well done to you all, with special thanks to those who gave up their time to organise and assist thro' the night. Organiser Keith Jefferies, and his team of Roger, Dane and Val ensured that the youngsters were well looked after and enjoyed the event.

Ben McPherson won with 138lb.13oz., with Ryan Coates very close in second place with 131lb.3oz., then Jacob third with 102lb.3oz. and Callum fourth with 74lb.2oz. The largest carp of the match was caught by Rhys Morgan, a 19lb Common. The best catch of 'silver' fish was 12lb.1oz., taken by Connor Wilson. I have attached a few pics that I took of some very weary young anglers this morning, at the end of a long night.

Finally, Alan, Graham and I have installed 30 Crayfish traps this week, in an attempt to significantly reduce the numbers of these pests in the lake.

Mike.

Weekly Report ( June 23rd - 29th )

Some very good catches of carp made this week, including a lot of twenty pound plus fish. But, as the previous week, sport is not guaranteed. Whilst some swims may produce catches in excess of twenty carp, the adjacent swims may produce very few ! The carp still appear to be tightly shoaled up.

Small baits ( 10mm boilies or pellets ) coupled with small hooks, say size 10, are proving the most successful. Float fishing with maggot, corn, or prawn, has produced some very good roach and rudd. The best roach reported this week fell to a float-angler and weighed in at 1lb.8oz.

We carried out a further netting of the bird-feeding area this morning, transferring approximately 80 more carp to the main body of the lake. Many of these fish weighed over 15lb., with the best close to the 20lb mark.

In addition to the common and mirror carp, we also moved some large crucians and perch. Many thanks to the team of volunteers that turned out to assist Alan Millington and I with this operation.

Please note that the Junior Night Match will be held on this coming Saturday ( 5th July ), and all anglers must leave the water by 5pm. The match runs from 7pm Saturday till 7am Sunday, therefore the lake is not open to others until 9am on Sunday.

Finally, I attach a picture ( courtesy of Ray ) of the 28lb.4oz Mirror caught by Ray Carter, as reported last week.

click on picture to enlarge
Mike

Weekly Report ( June 16th - 22nd )

The carp appear to be shoaled up at present, with those anglers who find them catching big numbers, whilst others struggle to catch a few. But as the week progressed this situation has improved a little, with the carp now moving more in response to the introduction of bait around the lake.

We have an additional Bailiff this year, and I thank Graham Harman for taking on the role. Graham also managed to do some fishing this week and was rewarded with a good catch, topped by a 26lb.12oz Carp.

Ray Carter has enjoyed two superb day sessions, with a catch of thirty nine carp on Monday, then forty nine on Thursday. His best being a Mirror Carp weighing in at 28lb.4oz. !

I am disappointed to report that three carp have been caught this week with BARBED hooks in their mouths, may I remind anglers to read the rules in their permits.

Mike Holcombe

Pre-Season Report ( June 1st )

Not long to go !! Our season at Broadwater Lake starts on June 16th.

May I take this opportunity to thank all those who helped Dave and I to carry out the essential maintenance works on the lake this closed-season. We appreciated the good attendance at our Sunday morning work-parties, and all the good work that was done.

Special thanks to Edward Ballam, Stuart McAllister, Ted Green and Graham Harman for attending virtually every Sunday morning and acting as "project" foremen.

The "projects" included significant repairs to a number of areas of lake bank, plus improvement to "swims" with clearance of obstructions, improving drainage, and some re-surfacing. We also cleared the outflow stream right down to its junction with the main river, thus improving flow in an important fish spawning area. Thanks again to you all.

Finally ; as you will see on the "News Page" of this website, the bird-feeding area now has a "fish-barrier / fence to keep the carp in the main lake. Those in that area were very vulnerable to poaching / theft, so the majority have now been transferred to the main lake.

Thanks to the fence construction crew, the divers who completed the underwater works, ant to the netting crew lead by Alan Millington. A great job well done.

See you in the new season, and trust you will all enjoy good fishing.
Mike Holcombe.