September and October are brilliant months for catching carp, you can get good hits of double-figure fish… and a fair chance of hitting the 30+ mark; another mass influx of catch reports over the past 4 weeks prove that September has hit target and with October now upon us we are in no doubt that the biting streak will continue.
You can now sense the onset of autumn here at the fish farm with the familiar rusty glow gracing the trees that surround us. The fish can sense the gradual decline in temperature and have already started feeding up to put on their winter weight. Not only have the fish been feeding well but also they’re approaching their best weights so it’s certainly the time of year to better your personal best fish.
Firstly we must say a massive well-done to 12 year old Ben Marchant who managed to net an impressive 12lb 8oz Common from one of our junior lakes. Also to 4 year old Aliyah Page who hooked a brace of 5lb Commons fishing with her dad! Kian Palmer aged 10 caught his PB from our junior ponds – another impressive 8lb 1oz Common. Its great to hear that the juniors are doing so well!
Main Lake – As usual for this time of year, Main Lake has begun to fish really well. Jack Dudley fished a 48hr session netting 10 fish in total including a 24lb Common on cell and a 26lb Catfish. Dale Parsons had an impressive scaled 33lb 13oz Mirror on halibut pellet. Tom Gardiner fished a 12hr session hooking into 8 carp including Commons of 21lb, 23lb and 28lb on Krill Boilies. He then returned at a later date and had a 37lb 2oz Catfish on Halibut pellet. Chris Greening had a 32lb Catfish, Duncan Virgo our previous fish of the month winner had another impressive sized Cat at 43lb 11oz on worms. Bret Wildeman had a 26lb Common on Squid Boilie and a 23lber on Bloodworm Boilie. Alex Page fished 24hrs catching a whopping 58lb Catfish and a pristine 28lb Mirror, Tom Dickinson fished a day ticket and reeled in 3 carp to 23lb 8oz (a scale perfect Common), he then returned for another day session and hooked his 4th new PB from Hawkhurst this year; a 46lb 4oz Catfish on Halibut pellet . Chris Smith caught another pristine 17lb 4oz Common. Matty Bowler nailed his session banking 19 fish reportedly all in immaculate condition, the largest hitting the scales at 34lb 5oz, seconded by a 28lb Common and numerous other 20’s. Ken Hodkin banked 3 big Cats at 39lb 13oz, 38lb 6oz and 43lb 6oz using luncheon meat and worms. Richard Himbling caught his first ever Catfish fishing off the island using Crafty Carp King Prawn boilies hitting the scales at 45lb 5oz. Josh Spinks caught an impressive 33lb Commonfrom swim 2 on Nash monster squid purple boillie. Paul Birks smashed his PB twice, firstly with a 27lb Common then a lovely 31lb Common. The big Cats i.e 80lb and 70lb remain unstoppable, smashing up everybody in their path!
Dove Lake – Again has produced really well with some nice specimens coming out. Lots of nice upper 20’s have been caught. Swim 8 which is usually avoided by anglers due to limited space has been particularly productive so it is certainly worth considering especially by those fishing a day ticket. This is the only swim whereas you can fish behind the island and along the reeds; it seems to be the ultimate hiding place for the savvy Dove Lake carp. Rob Tong fished a 48hrs session from swim 3 and had 6 commons to 24lb 4oz, the largest being a beautiful silver-coloured Common caught on TSM Evil Bait. Tom King fished for 3 days and managed to hit his new PB with a 36lb Mirror on Purple pop-up fished over a bed of pellet.
Specimen Lake – Some anglers have reported almost instant results with runs occurring just minutes after casting out. Ashley Reeves fished a 24hr session and had a pristine Mirror weighing in at 28lb. John Stonestreet had an impressive session hooking into one of our famous big Carp which weighed in at 41lb 2oz along with 2 commons of 21lb and 22lb and a 24lb Mirror – All came to homemade wafters over particle. Clive Arnold – our fish of the month winner for his stunning 30lb 4oz Common also had a beautiful Ghostie at 22lb and a 24lb Common, all caught on wafters with hemp particles. Luke Sole tempted 3 stunning Mirrors to the bank weighing in at 34lb 10oz, 30lb 5oz and 28lb 13oz, his brother Che Sole also had an impressive session also hooking into one of our large carp which hit the scales at 33lb 1oz along with a 39lb 2oz Catfish. Patrick Thompson aimed for a 24hrs session and despite having an early finish had a 24.5lb Common and a lovely 26lb 12oz Mirror. He later returned to hit his target of netting both of Specimen Lakes elusive big Carp catching the second on a CC Moore snowman rig fished over pellet weighing in at 35lb 12oz. Patrick hooked both the monsters within 3 months!
It would be criminal not to mention Jamie Listers phenomenal session; although it was back in May and the catch report was sent in a little late he had 32 runs landing 26 fish, with Commons ranging from 16lb to 24lb 8oz and Mirrors from 19lb to 33lb 8oz including a 30lb and 29lb 8ozer and not forgetting the stunning 21lb 8oz Ghostie, 2 respectable Grass Carp and yet again one of our monster carp at 35lb 5oz!