Welcome to the Updates For July – August 2018 – Ivy Lodge Carp Fishery catch reports and updates blog. We hope the blog will interest you and help to keep you up to date with what’s happening on the banks.
All Members please feel free to send us your pictures and catch reports and we’ll try to add them to the next monthly reports blog. As well as your reports we’ll be contributing our own catches from sessions too.
Please send your reports in an email to ivylodgecarpfishery@yahoo.co.uk with the email subject “Pictures” and add your pictures as JPEG attachments. We’ll do the rest…..

JULY UPDATE

Finally the summer we have all been dreaming of has arrived and after the long cold winter and late spring it has been great to see. With temperatures into the upper 20’s the carp have been on the munch and some cracking results have been reported with fish into double figures now coming out daily, the rest of the summer is looking good and I’m sure the fishery will throw up a few surprises come the autumn when the fish will be at their best ever weights.

Although the summer has been great for us to be out in (cold beer and BBQ’s lol) it has come with its own problems with low oxygen levels and a lot more stress on the fish.

At all times of the year, but especially during summer months it’s best to get the fish back in the water as soon as possible photos are not as important as the welfare of the fish. By all means take a quick snap if it’s a decent fish or a PB but not every fish needs to be photographed.

If you can please unhook them in the net while still in the water, this is the best way and most of our pegs you can do this on and all of the higher numbered pegs now have small step down platforms to aid with landing and returning fish.

All unhooking mats and slings must be kept wet and cool at all times, try and place them in the shade if at all possible and every angler must have a bucket of water in their swim at all times to keep the mats wet and the fish cool we have plenty of buckets in the net stores at the fishery entrance for this purpose.

Unfortunately we are still seeing anglers not handling the fish the correct way once in the net. The fish should be landed by having your rod high and gliding the fish to the net and your line should be slackened off once the fish is in the net. Nets must be lifted out of the water by supporting each side of the frame NOT BY THE HANDLE.

(Please see pictures below!!)

Yes this means getting off your seat which some of you seem to have problems with but the welfare of our fish comes first and if you’re not willing to get off your seat to land and lift the fish from the water the correct way please do not fish here.

This is not a match fishery and match style tactics should not be used here, NO FISH should be unhooked over your knee they must all be placed on the mats or unhooked in the water.

It’s not a race or about numbers and showing off about how many you caught, Ivy Lodge is about enjoying yourself, learning and hopefully catching a few along the way. Please ask me if you are unsure of anything.

I have taken the decision to set opening hours for the shop and this has simply been done to give myself and Elaine a break we will not be opening the shop until 8am and closing at 7pm Monday to Sat and 6pm on a Sunday we will also be closing it for an hour at lunch every day.

If you plan on coming before 8am you should be contacting me the night before anyway and if you need anything it can be left out for you in a safe place. If you arrive outside of these hours please continue to your peg and either come to the shop when it reopens or myself or Elaine will see you down there. The opening hours will be displayed outside shop and times will change between summer and winter.

OK, rant over for another month lol let’s hope the summer continues for a while yet and with plans in place for more development at Ivy Lodge (I might get a day off next year lol) the future is looking good for Ivy Lodge.

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NIALL O’HANLON MEMORIAL COMPETITION RESULTS

Well what a day we got for our annual charity competition torrential rain and thunder storms typical N.I. but fortunately the rain did not put the anglers off and once again we got a great turn out and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for taking part and donating to such a great cause and I hope you all got dried out ok!!

The fishing was slow as usual with the number of anglers on the bank and the big change in the weather we could not expect much else. Most anglers still caught a few and well done to Robert Bailie who took first place with a common at 10lb 8oz caught on the excellent Squid and scopex boilies from Kipper Baits. Second place went to Alan Maxwell with a mirror of 7lb 12oz again on Kipper boilies.

It was great to see the BBQ so well attended considering the weather and we would like to thank Mr and Mrs O’Hanlon, Niall’s uncle Frank O’Hanlon and Kirstin for presenting the prizes for us in Niall’s memory. Niall is greatly missed by us all at the fishery and will always be in our thoughts and memories.

We managed to raise a massive £1300 for our chosen charity Craigavon Intensive Care Unit which was presented to the hospital by our niece Abi in memory of her father Noel who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Big thanks to Kingsway butchers, Chris Quigley and Draynes Farm, Iornside Trophys, Irish Bait and Tackle, Roy Gregg, Ashley Henry, Darren Halley, Jimmy Ireland, Colin Seaton, and Mick Hamlin for donating towards the event.

Once again a massive thank you to all for taking part and donating to such a great cause.

Robert Bailie With The Winning Fish – 10 lb 8 oz

Willow Pond Catches……….

Work Continues At Ivy Lodge………….

SEE YOU ON THE BANK !!!!