January 2012

 

 

A quiet period for anglers over the festive break still provided good sport for those few braving the cold and windy weather. At Fordwich Lake Steve Simmons landed a superb 21lb mirror carp from the north bank while plenty of fish fell to pole-fished maggots from both of our popular lakes at minster. Anglers at Stonar were catching a variety of fish including carp, roach and bream to different tactics. Scott Hubble's 31lb mirror carp and Phil Bing's 22lb mirror were the best of the period while others landed big bags of fish. Approximately sixty sizeable bream and eighty double figure carp were landed from the stillwater over Christmas and the New Year. Plucks Gutter on the river provided a first-class venue for Dick Callaway who landed 40lb of roach with hemp and tares, and 38lb of skimmer bream using feeder-fished maggot baits. While silver fish were on the menu at Plucks Gutter further along the river at Grove Ferry pike anglers were tussling with some sizeable fish. Keith Heckley, Steve Heckley and Garry Styles fished from their boats to share fifteen pike all caught upstream on sea fish dead baits. Gary's excellent pike of 19lb 6oz was the best of the session while Steve's of 16lb was a close second and equally as lively. By mid January the River Stour was fishing well with a variety of good fish coming to the net. At Plucks Gutter the Wednesday Club took a number of good bags with several over 40lb. Roach and skimmer bream were taken to all methods. During another notable session Dick Callaway hooked 34lb of skimmer bream on a feeder rod with maggot baits. The river at Westbere produced two superb specimens when Ian MacClean caught a 6lb 10oz chub on paste and Iain McDonald a very fine 13lb 14oz barbel on boilie and paste baits. Good bags of silver fish were also reported from Minster lakes with a few carp also being banked. The favoured approach was a six-metre pole with maggot. Trenley Lake was fished by Paul Downes who targeted tench and bream from the 'deeps' to finish with 60lb all taken on feeder-fished maggot. Paul's tally included tench and bream to 6lb. Fishing at Stonar Maria Wills landed a superb catch of carp that included eight fish to 10lb and nine more commons between 10lb and 19lb 4oz. Commons were very much the fish of the month when another twenty six good fish were landed along with five big mirror carp to 22lb 6oz.