Hawkhurst Fish Farm Catch Report and Latest News
We are delighted to announce that the winner of June’s fish of the month competition was Ray Smith for his 44lb Catfish caught on the Main Lake using Luncheon Meat. Well done! Ray wins 24hrs free fishing!
Summer has finally arrived at Hawkhurst Fish Farm. Although we have had the odd cold night and heavy shower, winter seems like a distant memory. The plant life has taken on a life of its own due to the warmer weather, and the lakes are looking stunning in full bloom. Most of the ducks have had their chicks now and ducklings of all varieties are happily enjoying their watery home.
As always, the warm weather has brought out large numbers of anglers and the catch report is a reflection of how well the lakes have been fishing now that the water has warmed up a bit. Some of our largest fish have been caught, including the ‘two tone’ Mirror at over 35lb and the big Common at over 37lb. These fish will be several pounds heavier towards the end of the season so look out for our first 40 of the year!
The junior lakes have proved popular and very few of the youngsters have left with dry nets. Dove Lake is usually considered the hardest lake on the complex but at times recently it has fished better than ever. One angler turned up and caught a 20lb Common within half an hour of setting up and followed this up with 2 other fish of a similar size on a 12hr day session.
Main Lake has again proved how successful our winter drain down has been, with very few smaller fish being caught. Lots of 30’s have come out this month as the fish were feeding heavily in preparation for spawning. A combination of pellets and boilies being the most popular method, with very few people using particles or maggots which can be very successful.
Father and son team Harry and Tony Bond enjoyed a fantastic arm-aching few days fishing with us recently, they fished a 96hr session and landed no fewer than 40 fish. Several double hook-ups were encountered and they even had three fish on at once on one occasion. Amongst their catches were a 30lb 2oz Common, 34lb 8oz Mirror, 27lb Common, 25lb 6oz Mirror, 24lb Common, 22lb 2oz Common, 10 x 20lb Commons, several large Cats up to 32lb and Grass Carp up to 18lb 2oz. What a great session! All caught using Cell boilies with pellet.
Ashley Reeves had a session of a lifetime for his birthday also catching at least 40 fish. This time only fishing for 48 hours!! His fish were all caught using prawns and included 6 Grass Carp up to 20lbs, 16 Catfish up to 27lb and 18 Carp, 10 of which were over 20lbs, two were over 30lb including the big Mirror at 37lb. Not bad for 48hrs fishing and proving that being a little bit different can really pay off! Liam Hayworth had a 29lb Mirror and 31lb Cat on cell. Mick Smith had a 37lb Cat and a 28lb Common on luncheon meat. Harry Sharp had a 25lb Common, 15lb Mirror, 16lb Mirror and a 20lb Common. An angler not leaving his name caught a 35lb Mirror on cell, we believe it was two tone! Jamie McKeegan caught a 40lb Catfish on a cell dumbbell, Adam Eckley caught a 16lb Common and Chris Tilman from Hastings had a 21lb Mirror and 6 other fish on cell. Justin Mead caught a 27lb 8oz Mirror. Well done to all those anglers who have been hauling.
Dove Lake as previously mentioned has fished really well; at least 3 30lbers have graced the banks this month up to 35lbs. Lots of 20’s and at least 2 Cats. One guy had a 8.5lb Tench and a 6lb Tench with was a surprise as we did not think there were any left in there. Again particle baits have scored well, but monster squid and fusion boilies are starting to take their share of fish. Craig Thompson caught a 25lb 3oz Mirror and a 34lb 2oz Mirror. David Hicks had a 21lb Common, 23lb Common and a 24lb Common all caught on monster squid with fake corn. John Shotten had a 19lb Common and a 27lb 4oz Mirror on fusion boilies. Lee Whittaker had a 34lb 9oz Mirror and a 23lb Common on a cell dumbbell fished over particles and chopped cell boilies.
Specimen Lake has fished off and on with spawning occurring around the island area. Lots of fish to mid 30’s being caught and the Blue Carp was caught for the first time this year at over 42lb by Nick Drogman who also caught 9 other fish including a 31lb Common. Mark Taylor Had a 34lb 4oz mirror and a small cat on mixed particle. Lots of other fish have been caught not reported when the lake has been on form. The fish have responded well to all tactics and its more about confidence in what you are doing and being in the right place at the right time.
Well done to this month’s fish of the month winner Ray Smith who wins 24hrs free fishing. This month’s competition is well underway so make sure you send your catch reports to info@hawkhurstfishfarm.co.uk
Please keep checking our Facebook page for more regular catch reports and pictures and hints and tips from our bailiffs and regular fisherman.
Waterside Café is now open 9am – 5pm Weekdays and 8am – 5pm Weekends and Bank Holidays. Why not pop in for a gut busting breakfast or for a lighter option try one of our famous cream teas.
All night fishing sessions must be booked by calling this number 01580 753813.Please see our website for a list of rules and tackle requirements.