HORWOOD Lakes, Are fishing extremely well at the moment with some lovely fish coming out.
The latest match at Horwood lakes was fished over the two lakes.
Some stunning bags were brought to the scales by the match team.
Bottom lake
1st Stuart Russell with 219.13lb
2nd Mark Lynch with 179.15lb f
3rd Colin Cherrington with 132.4lb
Top Lake
1st Steve Barrell with 84.15lb
2nd Paul Morris with 70.6lb
3rd Gary Sullivan with 44.1lb
Match report.
Another lovely Friday match at HORWOOD this week, main lake is fishing very well with most methods catching, very close at the top between Stephen Craker and Graham Currington with Steve weighing in another impressive weight of 92lb pipping Graham who had 90lb 12oz, top lake was harder with a few fish deciding to feed late in the match and ever present Stephen Barrell managed the best weight of 38lb 19oz mainly small carp, Steve pushed Colin Cherrington into second on 29lb 15oz.
Third on each lake and just in the money was Gary Sullivan with 61lb and Paul Whitehead 22lb 3oz.
HORWOOD match anglers have booked the 4th Sunday of every month this year at Morchard Road, cracking venue and always seems to produce decent weights.
Despite a horrid wind and a very cold day it again fished well. It started hard but a few fish decided to have a feed towards the end. Very well done to John Lisle who had some proper lumps for his winning weight of 64lb 12oz from the near left hand bay, as everyone maggots seemed the bait, John pipped Paul Whitehead who fished the bridge peg and had 62lb 15oz Neilsen Jeffery managed third with 53lb 2oz from the first point just edging Graham Curnow who had 50lb 11oz caught from the left point. Cold but very enjoyable day and sure it will be a tad warmer next month, matches are capped at 14 fishing which gives everyone a bit of room.
Neilsen will be contacting all fishing members in March to see if they would like to renew memberships for 2023, numbers are limited.
I was pleased to take my friend Rick fishing at Horwood Lakes taking advantage of the Angling Trust & Environment Agencies joint Take a Friend Fishing Campaign.
Rick had not cast a line since 1985 and had been inspired to return to the water’s edge after reading my book “ I Caught A Glimpse”. We started off taking a walk around the the venue with fishery manager Neilsen Jeffery who has transformed the lakes in over a decade of hard work. Trees and rushes have been planted around the lakes perimeter where we observed several large hawk moth caterpillars feasting upon the willow leaves. These were collected from the juvenile willows and moved to the more mature willows on the upper Lake.
Swallows and martins swooped over the water as the summer sun beat down upon the reed fringed waters.
We set up in adjacent swims and selected a float from a float box that contained a pleasing array of balsa floats that had not seen the light of day for close to forty years.
The depth was set so that a grain of sweetcorn rested lightly upon the lakes bottom. A handful of corn was sprinkled around the float. Moments later the float bobbed and disappeared, a tiny tench was swung ashore for a smiling angler reconnected immediately to the joys of angling.
After an hour catching tiddler’s we spotted a few larger carp slurping down offerings of floating crust. Repositioning the weights to sit beneath the float we cast out segments of crust.
The carp toyed with the offerings often rejecting our hook-bait whilst devouring the free offerings. Persistence paid off though and throughout the day we caught half a dozen carp each the biggest an immaculate common carp its flanks glowing bronze and gold in the late summer sunshine.
It was a perfect day’s fishing using simple tactics that should be savoured by all anglers from time to time.
As we left the fishery we paused for a moment to reflect upon the memorial to young lives lost when a Wellington Bomber crashed nearby during the Second World War.
A great start to the summer holidays for Jensen Bowden who fished at Horwood Lakes. First time coarse fishing and he managed to land 75 carp and tench altogether with the best mirror carp of just under 10lb, Jensen caught well on corn and waggler from the top lake. Cracking day.
John Forster with a pleasing net of carp and tench from Horwood lakes. Day tickets available from Summerlands Tackle.