MICK BOWMAN 08/10/11
A mixed week this week with 10 anglers on the lake. First out of the bag in the draw in the morning saw new Island Lake visitors Lee and Darren who chose swims 5 & 6. Next out were regular Island Lake visitors Eric and Rob Wood who picked swims 1 & 2. The third double swim went to anglers Neil and Eric who opted for 3 & 4. The single swims were picked with Tony choosing swim 13, Lee in swim 12 and Mark in swim 10. From the swims left, I opted for 7 & 8.
The lake has been fishing quite slow over the past few weeks so I went cautiously and once I had found some decent spots, I baited up little and often. The first two fish to come out of the lake were to father and son duo Rob and Eric. Eric had a 55lb mirror and Rob landed a 53lb common – both fish were personal bests so a great start to the week. My first glimpse of any action didn’t arrive until Monday evening and although the fish had been evidently showing in front of me, they were proving very diffcult to catch. That evening I landed a 46lb and a 43lb mirror. The weather was spot on for the time of year with light winds, slightly overcast and temperatures of around 18 degrees. As I was only fishing for 5 nights, I knew I had to stick to my baited spots and be patient.
By Thursday morning 13 fish had been out. Most people had caught apart from two of our anglers so I was hopeful that we would have a full house on the catch report. This was my first time fishing the lake in October and it was clear the fish were slowing down as the water cleared and the weed dropped. My approach of baiting little and often in the same spots appeared to pay off with five good sized fish (46lb, 43lb, 41lb, 48lb and 39lb mirrors) coming out over the five nights on the lake.
There are only two weeks left of the 2011 season and I still hope that some of the big girls come out of the lake during this time.
Mick
MICK BOWMAN 10/09/11
53lb mirror
Just back from the lake, fishing in the company of Dennis McFetrich and friends, with 7 anglers in total. The two weeks previous had fished pretty slow with not many big fish being caught so it looked good for a sizable fish to turn up. The weather was a mixed bag with temperatures ranging between 32 and 22 degrees. The latter part of the week saw strong winds and rain at times.
I ended up in swims 5 & 6 which I havent fished for over a year. The bulk of the fish started off in front of swims 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 where over a 48 hour period seven fish were caught, including a brace of 50lb+ for Dennis – a 59lb and 56lb – not bad for an old boy still learning the trade!! It was pretty quiet at the other end of 7 & 8, 10 and 12 where three fish were caught by Tuesday. The biggest was a 56lb for John Llewellyn and a 49lb for Matt Bailey. I had 7 fish by Tuesday topped off with a 53lb mirror.
The fish were evident in between swims 6 and 13 so it was just a case of sitting tight, waiting to pick them off one by one. The highlight of the first half of the week came from swim 13 where Dave Baldry had 3 fish, with one magnificent 76lb – a new lake record and his personal best – an absolute beauty (the fish not Dave!)
In the second part of the week the fish moved up through swims 13 onto swim 14, feeding on their naturals still. John Llewellyn moved from 7 & 8 to swim 14 and had a fish on the first night in the way of a 56lb common and his personal best. Dave was still catching from swim 13, Dennis from 1 & 2 and Chris in 3 & 4. The fish had moved but there was still the odd catch up at the end of 10 & 11 and 12. It was slow but the fish were still ripping up the bottom for their naturals.
By the end of the week we ended up with 39 fish including 18 x 30lbs, 15 x 40lbs, 5 x 50lbs and the big girl at 76lb. I myself landed 10 carp which included 2 x 37lb, 38lb, 2 x 41lb, 42lb, 45lb, 47lb , 48lb and a 53lb. All in all an enjoyable week with some good fish coming out.
Good luck, tight lines – until October when I am back.
Mick Bowman
MICK BOWMAN 13/08/11 – 29/08/11
Mick Bowman 55lb
Just back from a 2 week trip out on the lake with my son Fin. On the first week there was 8 anglers in total including myself with everyone set up in their swims by Saturday evening. We set up in swim 12 where we stayed for the two week period. The beginning of the week started off very slow. During the first part of the week, the fish were in front of swims 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 which produced 2 x 40lb fish on the first night. By Sunday, a large number of fish were showing in front of 13 and 14 where they stayed until Tuesday. Swim 13 had produced 5 fish by then.
After Tuesday the fish seemed to move around the lake visiting most areas and bays, feeding more on naturals. People were catching steadily by now but it still seemed slow. By Thursday the fish were showing most interest in the evening and through the night. It is such a good view in the early evening to see and hear the big fish, showing and feeding; it really gets you going (well it does for me!).
My first fish came on the third day so although I had a slow start, at 55lb it was a very welcome catch. The by the 4th and 5th day I had a 38lb, a 44lb and a 48lb mirror. Then on the last night that week I had a 42lb mirror. Fin had his 2 custom build 9ft carp rods, two 3/4 lb T/C set up for the first week but he is still waiting for his first Island Lake Carp.
To sum up, the first week, 27 fish came out in total including 9 x 30lb, 7 x 40lb and an impressive 11 x 50lb. 3 anglers caught their personal bests with one beating it 3 times in the week – it is great to see so many happy faces on the Island Lake when this happens.
Week two got under way with 7 anglers including myself. Two anglers pitched up in swims 1 &2, and one in swims 3 & 4, 5 & 6, 7 & 8 and one in 13. I stayed in swim 12. The number of anglers dropped early by one on Monday with one angler having to return to the UK unexpectedly, leaving 6 on the lake. The fish did pretty much the same as the previous week, moving in front of 1 &2 and 3 & 4. As the week went on, they moved into most areas and bays in search of the abundant supply of naturals.
Most people were catching by mid week and some more than others. It can be such a frustating place when you have fish showing all around you, feeding over your baited area but not much in the way of takes. But I believe if you stick to your task and keep focussed on your spot rather than moving, action will eventually happen for you.
I had a better second week landing 12 fish in total including 3 x 30lb and 9 x 40lb. Fin still did not catch on his rods although he did get a take in the night – but was far too tired to get up so left the glory to me and will have to wait until next year to try again! My good friend Dennis McFetrich from M.C.F was in swims 7 & 8 and had a fantastic week with 22 fish coming out which is a new lake record for one angler. There are no fish safe when he is around – a true master at what he does so well done to him.
The weed is still ok in most areas with most fish being landed from the bank still. All in all, I think the key to success is to pick a swim and work with it and hopefully you will reap the reward when the fish arrive – and when they do, make sure you are ready!
Good luck
Mick Bowman
MICK BOWMAN 23/07/11 – 30/07/11
Just back from the lake after a week spent with my son. The week before fished pretty well with some good anglers accounting for 50 fish so I wasn’t expecting too much action around the lake. There were 9 anglers including myself this week. The weather the previous week had been pretty unsettled with a fair amount of rain and temperatures around 24 degrees. Much of the same weather was forecast for the coming week so the fish were used to the unsettled weather by now. I fished out of swim 12 which is a first for me so I had to get the marker rod out and have a feel around the swim. Once I found some good areas I had all three rods out by 5pm that evening.
The first rod to go didn’t take long and I had a lovely 58lb mirror in the net within an hour. The action came steady from then on, accounting for 7 fish by Monday afternoon. Then I had a quiet spell where nothing was caught for 48 hours. I carried on recasting and applying small amounts of the Hertford Mix each afternoon. It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon when the fish decided to feed again and then action resumed. By the Saturday morning I had 15 takes, landing 12. I landed 5 x 30lbs, 4 x 40lbs and 3 x 50lbs.
The weed at the moment is well under control so all the fish I caught were landed from the bank – I did not use the boat at all. The fish are behaving differently this year as most of the weed cover has gone. They seem to be more grouped up in shoals and moving around in numbers, A lot of the action at the moment seems to be up the end of 5 & 6, 7 & 8 and 12 & 13. But at night the fish are moving down the lake in swims 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 under the cover of darkness.
Enjoy your fishing
Mick Bowman
Mick & Fin Bowman
Just back from a very productive week’s fishing – I spent the week with some great guys and good anglers. There were 8 of us in total so among us we decided to split up in order to cover a good proportion of the lake. Terry & Pasha went in swims 1 & 2, Matt & Daniel in swims 5 & 6, Naz & Kevin went for swims 10 & 12 and Andy in swim 13. I opted for swim 3 but fished out of the bailiff’s swim.
The fish were showing in most areas of the lake. The weather was very warm for the time of year – up to 30 degrees centigrade on most days with a couple of thunder storms at night. All in all, things looked good and the fish didn’t disappoint. I steadily caught throughout the week with fish coming through various ranges and spots. I used about 20 kilos of boilies during my session with the old faithful Hartford mix which accounted for 10 fish: 1 x 39lb, 7 x 40’s, a 57lb common and a 58lb mirror at the top end. All the other lads got through a fair bit of bait between them aswell – between 15-20 kilos each. I think this was key to the success of our week. We were lucky that the fish were in the mood to eat and all we all baited accordingly.
Some areas were more productive than others but all in all, we all caught and indeed caught well. There were personal bests had by most of the group. Terry Archie pulled in a 48lb common (PB). Matt Bunting had a 51lb mirror and then beat it with a 55lb mirror (PB). Kevin Miles also had a 45lb mirror pb and then smashed it twice, landing a 47lb mirror and then a 53lb common (PB). Naz Hassan also pulled in a 53lb common (PB) and Andy How followed up with his first PB of 46lb, followed by a 55lb and then 57lb mirror (PB) - incredible stuff! All in all we had 50 fish between us which included; 19 x 30’s, 22 x 40’s and 9 x 50’s – I believe this is the most 50’s caught in one week on the lake so far. It’s great to see how these fish are growing each year so who knows what is in store for the rest of the year? I am sure there will be some exciting surprises.
I would just like to thank Naz and his friends for inviting me to fish on their week – we had some top fishing and I enjoyed a great social time with the lads.
Thanks again.
Mick Bowman
53lb Common
Hi again. Just back from another week at the lake where there were 9 anglers on. The previous week fished pretty steady with most of the fish being caught from swim 5 and 6 and swim 13. The area in front of swim 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 was really slow and only produced one fish which was unusual for the lake. I did the draw on Saturday morning and everyone was happy with their swim choices. After everyone had chosen their swims, I was left with 10, 11 or 14. I chose swim 14 as I have not fished it before. I decided only to use the boat to find spots as per my previous trip then cast from the bank and played the fish from the bank. I manged this to great effect with the lead clip.
I ended up landing 11 fish from swim 14 wich included 3×30s 7×40s to 49lb and 1×50 in the shape of a 53lb common.The weed situation at the moment is still ok as I have not lost any fish due to weeding me up or having to take the boat. But to do this, you must lose your lead on the lake. The crayfish have become a slight problem at the moment eating soft bait hooks so I would advise any anglers visiting the lake soon to use hard hookbaits or mesh their hookbaits.
Regards
Mick Bowman
MICK BOWMAN – 26/06/10 – 10/07/10
Sorry this blog is late but I have been busy with things at home and in France. Went out to the lake at the end of June, beginning of July. I started off in swim 5 and 6. The lake was not very busy – just 5 anglers on in total. The fish were showing around the bar that runs from the point of the island down into the deeper water. All rods were positioned along this area and baited with the ever faithful Hertford Mix Boilies. The first morning I had 4 fish within an hour and from then on it was just a matter of keeping the bait trickling in and the fish kept coming, At the end of the first week I had 14 fish which included 5 x 30’s, 5 x 40’s, 3 x 50’s and 1 x 60lb. The second week I fished out in front of swims 2 and 3 – in front of the bailiff’s cabin. There were no fish present for the first two days so I kept the baiting to a low key. Then the fish started to arrive so I increased my baiting. Once they found it, I had 11 fish in 4 days which included 3 x 30’s, 7 x 40’s and the new lake common record of 66lb – Well pleased! I would just like to say thank you to Dennis from M.C.F for making quality bait and tackle. The lead dumper clips have increased my catch rates – as you can see the man is a genius – thanks Den and Frankie.
Regards
Mick Bowman
66lb Common
MICK BOWMAN – 22/05/10 – 29/05/10
Just returned back from one week’s fishing on the Island Lake with some friends – a great week of fishing. We caught 60 fish between 7 anglers which included 22 x 30lb+, 28 x 40lb+, 9 x 50lb+ and 1 x 63lb. This set another new lake record for the most fish caught in one week. I myself had 8 fish including a 55lb common and a 56lb mirror.
This is the first time Ihave fished the lake since the recent clearing of the weed and I have to comment on a job well done. Most of the fish were landed from the bank without the aid of a boat and 3 anglers did not use a boat at all during the entire week. Everyone caught from all over the lake which goes to show the fish are moving all over in search of food. With 5 of the anglers on the high quality hartford mix boilies i believe these fish are really taking a liking to it.So if you are going to the lake soon i would certainly give a couple of rods a try on it.
With 2 new lake records coming out the week before (64lb common and 71lb mirror), we are really pleased with the way things are shaping up in 2010.
So, tight lines to all of you who are fishing the Island Lake in the future.
Regards
Mick Bowman
