Quay Sports Mr Biso with a lovely old common caught recently from Jennetts Reservoir which is part of the Coarse Fishing South West Lakes Trust. Biso used the newly released ‘DS1’ Boilie from Remix Baits alongside a Sticky Baits Signature wafter with his rig choice being his ever faithfull blowback rig. Pop in for a chat with Biso he will share any tactics/spots and even show you how to tie this if required.
All orders online are 24H delivery with any orders over £25 being free postage.
Nigel Early would Like to say a big thankyou to my son Tom for an amazing two weeks in Thailand. It included a weeks fishing at Exotic fishing where we caught red tailed cat fish,chao prias and to top it off Tom caught this near 300lb mekong cat fish. Then off to the coast for a week chilling where we saw and met some lovely people, several trips out but to me the highlight was a trip to the elephant sanctuary which was an unbelievable experience. It only remains me to say thankyou Tom for a wonderful 65th birthday present.
The new trout lake is fishing well since being recently enlarged and has been well stocked with rainbows, Spartics and brown trout.
The venues carp lake is producing regular catches of twenty pound plus carp.
Anglers Paradise was created by Zyg Gregorek around forty years ago a man who had a vision to transform a few acres of marshy ground into a fishing paradise. Visiting the complex to attend the annual netting event it is apparent that Zyg’s vision is still going strong.
Each year one of the complexes thirty plus lakes is netted to ensure fish stocks are kept at optimum levels. The netting also signals the start of the venue’s charity week.
This year the float lake was to be netted, a lake of around one acre that holds koi, barbel, golden tench, carp, goldfish and a large population of rudd. The plan was to remove a large number of the rudd, transferring them to the pike lake. The koi, golden tench, ghost carp and barbel would be returned to the lake along with a few new additions including chub and blue orfe.
I arrived at around 9:00am and found the netting party assembling at the side of the lake. I took a walk around the lake capturing a few images of the partially empty lake. Late autumn sunshine illuminated the scene highlighting autumn colours on the trees.
I chatted with Joe and Zenia who between them run the complex that is very much a family business. As the working party slowly gathered one or two were undoubtedly nursing hangovers from a night before in the renowned Safari Bar.
Netting a lake requires a degree of planning and after many years the operation is a well-rehearsed project. The first task being to ensure that the lake is at the right level. Too much water and it becomes dangerous, too little water and there is a risk to the valuable stock.
There is always a sense of anticipation as the net draws together and the contents are slowly revealed. The fish within were sorted with carp, rudd and a selection of koi removed for relocation across the complex.
The enthusiasm of the team for the task at hand was impressive with no one grumbling about the mud and cold water.
The netting day signals the start of a week of events to raise money for charity. This year’s charity is Tackling Minds. Tackling Minds is a charity formed in 2020 that offers support to people from all walks of life who are suffering from a huge range of issues. In 2022 Tackling Minds teamed up with Angling Direct and Anglia Ruskin University to highlight the measurable benefits of angling for both mental and physical health conditions.
I think we can all relate to the massive increase in mental health issues over recent years. I chatted with several present about mental health and how angling provides a valuable link to the natural world that is good for the mind. Speak with young people today and it is frightening how many know of friends they have lost to suicide. This is I believe the largest cause of death for young men. A fact that is often reported in the national media.
Angling provides a vital connection to the natural world that is recognised as being extremely beneficial to mental health. There is of course also a social benefit from mixing with like-minded people who share the passion for angling.
I fear that mental health is going to be increasingly high on the agenda in future years. Elon Musk raised the possibility of AI removing the need to work and that this will result in people searching for meaning in life. As social media continues to polarise opinions and religion becomes less relevant to many mental health will become increasingly challenged.
Fishing and other pastimes will perhaps play a vital role in exercising our minds and ensuring a vital link with the natural world.
Each day of the annual charity and netting week see fund raising activities such as quiz nights and bingo nights. The week culminates in a fireworks bonanza. This year’s event raised an impressive £3000 + for tackling minds.
The complexes thirty odd lakes are now well established and offer rich and diverse habitat where wildlife abounds. Many of the visitors to Anglers Paradise have been visiting for years and as each generation grows they bring their families. Those who first fished as children now returning with children of their own to share the joys of angling.
We are absolutely delighted to share with you all that from last week’s fundraising events and events throughout the year that we have raised 3K for the inspirational Tackling Minds
The Events that helped us reach this total were –
Charity Wine – Anglers Paradise
Thumbnail painting – special thanks to Nicky Lock
Bingo – special thanks to Di and Andy Mepham
Fishing Match – special thanks to Sam Wahid and his boys
Pool and Darts matches – special thanks to Adam, Georgina and Harry Smith
Quizzes – special thanks to Paul Tegg
Tombola – special thanks to Kathryn and Ellis Williams
Treasure Hunt – Anglers Paradise
Raffle – special thanks to EVERYONE
The GUY – special thanks to Di, Di, Trace, Georgina, Adam, Harry and Dawn and to Sam Wahid for bidding for him!
Badges – special thanks to Di Mepham
Party Games – special thanks to Kathryn, Ellis, Mark and Dawn
Waxing of chests and backs – special thanks to the volunteers Toby Hayward and Devon’s Austin Powers aka Will Peyton and to Jaz Trent for getting the waxing strips
Chilli party night – special thanks to Georgina and Adam Smith
Fireworks- Step Pearson, Spen and Paul. Thank you for a fantastic display and finishing the week in style
A MASSIVETHANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HELPED AND DONATED TO GET US TO THIS AMOUNT!! THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU
We’re very excited to tell you that we have partnered with Catch to be our fishery management and booking partner.
From 16 November 2023 day tickets will only be available through Catch. Season tickets remain bookable through our website, but will be available through Catch from next year.
Catch are giving our season ticket holders a six-month free subscription so you can book day tickets via the app and enjoy the other benefits. If you already have a Catch account this will automatically be applied. If you don’t, Catch will be sending you an email shortly with details on how to access and begin your free subscription.
Download the Catch app from App Store or Google Play, create a free account and take advantage of all the great features straight away:
Interactive lake maps
Masses of information at your fingertips
Receive catch reports, news and events in real-time
Upload your own catch reports directly to our fishery pages
Book your next session days, weeks or even months in advance
Receive automatic reminders when your next session is due
… and much more!
These guys know what they are doing and have your (and our) best interests at heart. They’ve made the platform easy for everyone to use and we strongly believe that we’ve made the very best decision possible: by partnering with Catch we’ve brought our fishery administration bang up to date which will, in turn, benefit you as an angler.
We appreciate you may have questions so feel free to contact us directly or the Catch team at [email protected] for more information. There is also a live chat option on the Catch website.
17 years ago Furzebray Carp Fishery near South Molton was created and Island lake stocked, The fishery has gone on to be the crown in the jewel of North Devon carp fishing. This week its has produced a superb carp of over fifty pounds.
Massive well done to Scott Pollard on smashing his PB and setting a new lake record with the mighty Dropscale at 50lb 10oz!
Notice is hereby given that the 2023 AGM will be held at the Bideford Conservative Club on Friday 17th November 19:30 – 20:00 sharp.
Please note that all proposals for changes to our rule’s or applications to join the committee need to be received by our secretary before midnight on Friday 27/10/2023.
Rule changes need a seconder.
Proposals for committee membership must have the agreement of the person, with a proposer and a seconder in writing.
All proposals must be with the secretary via email at [email protected]
The lake was still barely a breeze. The sky many shades of grey reflecting in the water.
“Its not easy, you’ll be lucky to catch on a short session said the angler on the lake.”
Too much gear.
Twenty four hours that’s a long session for most anglers but not carp anglers who camp out for days waiting for their traps to work.
The reality of carp fishing sank home; pictures of bronze flanked carp adjourn the angling media including the pages of this website. Those pictures tell of the success not of the hours of inactivity.
It was my first trip to Torridge carp lakes and i was using a twenty four hour ticket I had won in Jamie Stewards raffle earlier in the year.
With the top lake full I headed to Old Meadow Lake and set up in the vacant end peg. The only other angler on the lake told me he had tempted a fine carp of over twenty pounds earlier in the day.
Sixty odd carp in 1 acre of water. plenty of features. A nice intimate lake surely I could winkle one out?
Unlikely to catch with those rods set up like that!
I had some quality bait from Remix Baits and set my traps in spots that screamed carp.
I settled into the bankside life.. Watching, observing plotting. Spodding out, measuring the wraps.
Afternoon drifts past, night descends.
I sleep intermittently.
Dawn of a new day.
Rebait, lines pointing out into stillwater’s all is still not a bleep.
Late morning a breeze stirs the water. A dragonfly hovers over the water, any moment now I think? But nothing happens.
It’s time to pack away. Nothing happened a blank trip.
Above a crow and a sparrow hawk play out a dogfight in the sky. The mewing of buzzard’s drifts across the lake. I thought back to the breaking of the dawn when the song of a solitary wren had emitted sweet melodies across the calm waters. The glimpse of the electric blue of a kingfisher. The owls hooting in the dead of night.
Its all over and what a mornings fishing at the climax of South West lakes Mainline Baits Pairs Competition. it was in peg 34 for Mike Toms and Aaron Rundle, starting the morning down in 6th place. Two runs this morning changed everything with a 20lb 1oz mirror and a 18lb 3oz common, shooting them up to the top place with 52lb 11oz. They take home the £2000 first prize.
Stefan Dziadulewicz in peg 30 fished incredibly well on his own coming second with 40lb 04oz. He takes £1000 prize money for his efforts.
Rich Harman and Richie Eaton in peg 28 hold on to 3rd place with 38lb 13oz to bag the £500 prize.
Section winners were:
Section One – Nige Woods and Rich Ford
Section 2 – Matt Pepperell and Chris Hudson
Section 3- Chis Budd and Chris Wadge
Section 4 – Nick Harvey and Stuart Rann
A massive Thank you to Mainline Baits for sponsoring the event, all the bailiffs and volunteers for helping with the marshalling, cafe for food and everyone that took part.
We will announce dates for next year so keep your eyes peeled for the announcements.
That’s it now for this years South West Lakes Trust Mainline pairs competition. We look forward to welcoming you next year.
(Above) At Lower Tamar Lake Oli Dietrich banked common carp of 33lb 10oz, 32lb 8oz, 28lb and a mirror carp of 21lb.
