Welcome to the Updates For March – April 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…..

SPRING JUST AROUND THE CORNER

Welcome to the new season at Ivy Lodge, I think we have just about had every type of bad weather there is this winter and I’m sure you have all had enough of the cold miserable weather. Let’s hope spring is not far away and we will soon be looking for the sun tan lotion lol. At this time of year the fishing can be up and down with the constant changing temperatures although I have found over the years that once the day light hours equal the night time the fish start to wake up despite the weather. The last few weeks of February proved this theory (at least in my head lol) again and some cracking fish to low doubles have been caught by the anglers who have braved the cold conditions.

Kipper Baits Plumb Boilies are still producing the better fish. Once again these have out fished many other brands over the winter proving again that quality baits are the way forward. There is a lot of cheap rubbish bait on the market which simply does not work and is actually bad for the fish and water quality. Don’t be fooled into buying rubbish just because it is cheap or comes in a fancy packet that is sponsored by a named angler. The old saying “you get what you pay for” comes into mind and it will make a huge difference to your results.

We would advise all anglers to check their mainline at the start of the new season (as well as throughout the year) and make sure it is still in tip top condition. Personally I change mine at the start of each season so I know when I’m fishing I can rely on it to safely land anything I catch as there is no point hooking them if you cannot land them.

Bait is another one that needs addressed at the start of the season we all have half bags of this and that left over from last year(s) in our bait buckets. Pellets and groundbaits etc. go off they may look ok but the oils and additives in these deteriorate and turn sour over time. It is better to start fresh each season and throw any old full or bits of bags out let’s face it you would not eat food that is 8 months out of date even if it did look ok (unless you have consumed 2 bottles of buckfast and then it tastes great lol). Thankfully the carp have not discovered buckfast yet (probably because I drank it all lol) so why would we expect them to eat bait that has gone off. Pots of popups and dumbells etc. are ok as these are made to last, they are not designed to be eaten and are simply an attractive hook bait. These simple rules will make a huge difference to your catch rates as the fish will not eat bad bait that has gone off.

Willow pond has fished well despite the cold and some great catches of silvers and small Carp have been reported. Keep it simple on here for the best results, most anglers have been fishing to the islands, with maggots and small pellets being the most effective baits.

We have just purchased some new nets and cradles as you will see in the pictures below. Fish care is of the upmost importance and all the new items are to improve the safety of our fish while on the bank. These items cost a lot of money and we expect you all to treat them as you would your own gear.

Please remember to take time to read over the info you were given when you joined/renewed your membership all our rules are in place for a reason and if you do not wish to abide by them you will be asked (politely of course lol) to leave.

All membership should now be paid and anyone looking to join please contact the fishery and I will add you name to the waiting list. Please remember our membership as always is INVITATION ONLY.

Let’s hope spring is just around the corner and we look forward to seeing you all on the bank this season, and with plans in place to further improve the fishery the future is looking good.

This fish was first caught in 2015 around 1lb and it came out in the nets this year as you can see below at around 8lb. This shows our fish are growing steadily as they should do. Steady healthy growth rates are much better than forcing them with the wrong food just to make them gain weight which is not sustainable and extremely bad for the health of the fish. It takes time (and a lot of hard work) to grow fish big and healthily. This is why we constantly remind you about fish care and looking after them no matter what size they are. The 1lb carp you catch today could be your PB in a few years if it’s looked after and I’m sure you would want to catch it in as good a condition as it was the first time.

The new cradles and how they should be set up.

Cover can be used for kneeling on when taking photo’s.

Always remember to fold the feet out when setting up. Straps can be fastened to tension the base.

Never lift the net from the water by the handle.

Always slide the net handle towards you and lift the net by the spreader block.

I’m sure you will all be glad to see this pair return lol.

Some tree work at peg 14.

Interesting video from Simon Scott.

SEE YOU ON THE BANK!!!