Hawkhurst Fish Farm Latest News and Catch Report
We are delighted to announce that this month’s winner of the Fish of the Month competition was Ollie Cox for his 32lb 12oz Mirror caught from Dove Lake. Well done Ollie you win 24hrs free fishing!
This month’s competition is now well underway so make sure you email us your photos and brief catch report to info@hawkhurstfishfarm.co.uk to be in with a chance of winning. Make sure you include your name, how the fish was caught including bait and rig etc. what lake it was from and the date of capture. Any entry without these details will not be considered for a prize.
Hawkhurst Fish Farm is buzzing with life at the moment and not only the wildlife but many keen anglers have been travelling to our banks in search of some of the monster Carp and Catfish that inhabit our waters. The Catfish have been very active lately and those targeting them have caught some magnificent specimens. The largest we’ve had reported was 56lb and several 40lb fish have also been caught. The carp have been feeding well mostly in the early mornings and late afternoons as well as through the night and the next few weeks will be the best time to be on the bank as the fish will start feeding up ready for the cooler months that are only just around the corner. Historically spring and autumn have been the most productive times of year and we predict this year’s catches will follow the trend after the very hot weather starts to cool.
Several large carp have been reported including a 36lb mirror from Dove lake and a 36lb common from Main Lake also “Two Tone” a 34lb + mirror was caught for the third time this year from the Main Lake. Specimen Lake has been consistent as usual and good numbers of 30’s are being caught. Once again early mornings and late afternoons have been good times but one angler who solely fishes nights has caught consistently well just doing 12 hour overnight sessions.
The Junior Lakes – have been very popular whilst the children are enjoying their summer break and many newcomers have enjoyed their first magical fish captures with us which is always nice to see. Many baits scoring well including meat, bread flake, and corn but the most popular bait is pellet paste which we make ourselves and is available from the onsite fishing shed.
Main Lake – has been fishing steadily this month although during the hot days the fish seem to be more interested in cruising around and sunbathing than they do feeding, but as soon as the temperature drops in the early evening they will start to feed again. Anglers have been making the most of this and some are actually leaving lines out of the water in the daytime to give the fish confidence to feed later on. During the night good catches have been taken as is quite common at this time of year. Particles have been scoring well as have boilies of various types. It’s not necessarily what bait you use that matters but the location and feeding pattern that makes the difference. David Burton caught a 22lb Grass Carp, Dale Parsons caught a 56lb Catfish, Jordan Huggins caught a 37lb common using sticky baits Krill. Jake Carling whilst practising for the BYCAC at linear fisheries had a brilliant three short afternoon sessions catching 15 fish including a 37lb Catfish and a 24lb 12oz common all caught on CC Moores new bait Equinox which is out some time next year. He was fishing over spod mix containing chilli hemp, pellets, 10mm live system boilies and Caramel Cloud Goo. Gary Beresford caught a magnificent 35lb 7oz common, Mike Miller caught a 36lb 9oz Common and a 17lb 9ox Mirror fish Solar Dairy Cream pop ups over crushed Cell, John Richards caught a 21lb mirror, a 17lb 4oz grass carp and a 27lb catfish all on pop-ups. Richard Blakey had a good session catching two PB’s in the shape of a 29lb common and a 32lb mirror amongst other fish all were caught using CC Moores Live System.
Remember not to bait too heavily as people are fishing the lakes all the time and there will generally be bait in the swim when you arrive and you’re only adding to it if you use a lot of bait. A better tactic is to arrive early and keep an eye out for the fish feeding as sooner or later they will show themselves. Then you just need to use minimal bait to tempt a bite as the fish can be shy of lots of bait. As the cooler months arrive you can afford to use more bait as the fish will be feeding more strongly but it’s still worth going easy to start with as you can’t take it out once you’ve put it in.
Dove Lake – Has also been fishing really well in fact what was once considered a hard lake has proved to be relatively easy for those putting in the effort to find the fish. The fish are easier to spot in this lake due to its clearer water and during the hot midday sunshine they can easily be seen cruising around near the surface giving away their patrol routes so you can have an educated guess as to where they are likely to be most catchable from once the evening feeding spell starts.
Ollie Cox caught a 32lb 12oz mirror, Tony caught a 36lb 7oz mirror, Gary Whittaker caught a 31lb common, a 26lb common and a 17lb mirror, Frank Morgan and his son enjoyed a productive 48 hours catching 8 fish between them including a 32lb mirror and a 28lb common, they also caught one of the few tench in the lake at around 6lb and a 19lb catfish. All fish were caught on squid and scopex boilies fished over hemp and maize. Jamie Robinson and Albert Lynn caught a fish a piece in 24hrs which were a 24lb mirror and a 27lb 4oz common respectively.
Don’t fish too tight to the islands as it’s really shallow here and the fish will tend to just be sunbathing if they are in these areas. A better idea is to fish a rod length or so away from the island down the bottom of the island shelf where the fish will patrol looking for food at night and in the early mornings.
Specimen Lake – Has been very consistent this month with most experienced anglers catching a few fish per session. Generally we find new members struggle at first until they gain a bit of knowledge of the lake and then once they’ve caught a few fish they can capitalize on their success and enjoy good results on a regular basis. Heavy baiting can work well on Specimen Lake as there are a large number of big fish in there that can get through a lot of bait although it is worth starting out gently until you can gauge how the fish will react to bait and then gradually increase the amount of bait as your session goes on. Another successful tactic which has proven very effective for the bigger fish has been to bait an area for at least 24hrs without fishing it and then once you’re sure the fish have been feeding confidently then to place a rig on the spot and action can be pretty instant!
Don’t forget we will be holding this year’s annual Golden Balls charity event on the 7th and 8th of September so come and show your support for what is a very worthy cause. All lakes except the junior coarse ponds will be shut for this event but feel free to come and watch. Check out www.goldenballsfishingcharity.org.uk for more information and event details.
Keep a keen eye on our Facebook page for more regular catch reports and updates on how the lakes are fishing. Also it’s a handy source of tips if you want to ask our bailiff any questions. www.facebook.com/hawkhurstfishfarm
Please note that the junior lakes are cash only as we don’t have card facilities in the junior shed. If you do wish to pay by card please head to the main office and see Lucy who will take your card payment and give you a receipt to show the bailiff to show you’ve paid.
Thanks for your interest in Hawkhurst Fish Farm we look forward to your next visit.