Asheldam

I fished Asheldam on friday 12th July for 4 hours in the evening had 2 wildies between 5-9 pounds. one on method feeder one on floating crust.

James Hunt 

11 July 2002

Myself and my brother and our sons fished the first week at barleylands although on occasions it was hard going we still managed to catch 20+ carp 1 bream 1 tench including 3 18lb carp a 17lb and 16lb and 15lb carp 3 14lb plus lower doubles too ,our sons nicholas and craig both caught personal best carps of 18lb 2ozs and 18lb.

Nigel Sexton

1st June 2002

Barleylands Farm
As it was such a nice day for the start of the season I headed off early to Barleylands Farm with my Dad.  I had only fished there once before and blanked but the lake looked nice and the reservoir was fairly high.  Unfortunately the day didn't live up to expectations with little action - both of us were float fishing about 2-3 rod lengths out with maggot/corn and scaled down tackle - and trying for the bream or tench that also are found at Barleylands. We were there about 8 hours and although we didn't see one fish caught on the whole lake I did hook into a large carp on double maggot taken on the drop. Five agonising minutes of not being able to do much with it on 3.5lb line and a 16's hook and the hook finally pulled out !! My dad also had his rod pulled in with nothing to show for it as he searched for his membership for the bailiff !!  Still it was lovely weather and I've got the tan to prove it.

Tight Lines. Neil Owen 

Friday 30th August

Bicknacre
I had a couple of hours to spare, so I drove over to Bicknacre for a short spinning session. A lot of perch were nipping at the spinners, but wouldn't take them properly. However, after about an hour I did manage a perch of 1lb 1oz and another two , which were slightly smaller. From what I could hear nearby, some good quality roach were also feeding.

The one that didn’t get away!

Bicknacre Pool, August 2002

Common Carp 24lb-8oz

Just to report the capture of a 24lb 8oz Common Carp from Bicknacre. The fish was in great condition and fought tremendously in the shallows. After initial strong runs the fish bedded itself in weed bed and sulked. It came out again after I slacked off the line and the fish banked itself in the shallows. Special thanks to Rob Piper for netting, weighing and photographing the fish (I had no weigh scales and no camera!). The fish was taken at 8.25 from the Beach swim along with 3 other commons up to 10lb. I have also seen a much larger Mirror Carp, cruising  around in the shallows which looked over 3 feet long. 

Ross Chaplin

Armigers Lake

I thought you might like to see a picture of a 20lb leather caught from armigers last year.This was one of four "twenties" caught on the same day..All fish were caught from a marginal spot using Tails Up OCP liver boilies.As A footnote all fish were in excellent overall condition.

Chris Brown

30th November

Armigers
I fished the top lake at armigers, 30th November started with meat nothing, then tried the method still nothing. put a buzzbaits sweet boilie on, had a 21.12lb mirror, 12.6 common, 5lb mirror a 6lb,fished from 8am to 1pm. There was 15 other anglers on lake and 1 on bottom lake who all had fish. 

1st June 2002

Armigers
15lb Common Carp caught at Armigers top lake on first day of the season. Caught on double red maggot. Perfect fish. Wonderful weather and breeze made a great day and looking forward to a great season.

Kathy Chisnall 

Kings Court Reservoir

Took my first trip of the season down to Writtle intent on catching some tench. Lake was in great condition after finally making the long walk! It is definitely worth it though, begun fishing at about 8am and with only two other people on the lake and a quick chat with one member I plumped for a swim about halfway up the lake. The weed isn't too bad this year with just a bit on the bottom and a little around the margins. When I arrived another member had already taken 3 tench to 4.5lbs and a Crucian along with some small Rudd. I caught 6 crucians to 3lbs along with some Perch to 1lb, a few rudd and 1 small tench and had a thoroughly enjoyable day. All fish were caught on the feeder with corn/worms and I'll be back again to try and catch those tench !

PS there are thousands of small rudd in the lake again this year which seem to eat anything you put on the hook and there must be some big perch in the lake as I believe they are the only predators and could be seen chasing the Rudd across the surface frequently.

Neil Owen

2nd June 2002

Little Easton Fisheries Rectory Pond

Hello all, what a great start to the season I am having. After a successful days fishing at Little Easton ( top pond )I caught six carp on the float rod ( luncheon meat & sweet corn ) from 3.5lb to 5.12lb.

 I Came home at 15.30 and had some tea and decided that I couldn't handle watching big brother so I decided to go over Straits Mill as it is behind my house in Bocking. I am so glad that I did because after losing two fish in some snags, I caught a 28lb common carp at 20.45. My wife took some pictures (which I now have as proof) and I enjoyed watching it swim away back into the depths of Straights deep end. This fish has also shattered my original best by 13lb.7oz.

Mark Heckford

2 February

Little Easton Fisheries Laundry Lake

Caught a dozen or so crucians/commons on legered maggot.  Weather mild.  I was the only person fishing!

Mark Wicks

22 October 

Parsonage Farm
My son Tom fished the junior match at Parsonage and had caught many small Roach but wanted to drop in to Laundry to round off the Day and land some fighting fish. We have fished the left bank deep end near the pump believing that we catch less fish but better quality. Strawberry Boilies and halibut pellets have taken Fish in the 11 - 15lb bracket quite regularly, particularly as afternoon turns to evening. This day proved equally true. Tom landed a Common of 11.5lbs. Tom's Common is quite distinctive, as one section is pale and the remaining colouring darker. The same fish has been caught by Tom before and has since been caught by myself some 4 weeks later - it has been feeding up for winter as it now weighs over 12lb. We have kept a spreadsheet of our catch from laundry and our average fish in 2001 was just over 10lbs but it is now averaging over 11lbs in 2002. see photo of Tom and  the "Laundry Regular" attached. We have enjoyed our sessions at Laundry as they build our confidence with catches ranging from 2 - 8 doubles each visit. With confidence boosted we then  go back to Barleylands and Bradwell village which are much harder waters.

 Terry White

1st October

Laundry Lake
Weather too good to be true-time to go fishing! I headed for the Laundry Lake, a personal favourite of mine, there is something about the atmosphere that appeals. Only one car in the car park so plenty of options. I set up in the lily-pads to the left of the car park, fishing boilie over hemp and pellets. Conditions were good with a bit of sunshine to warm the shallow water at this end ,plenty of fish were topping all over, things looked promising As always, it didn't quite turn out as expected, the fish weren't really having it and it was hard work winkling out a few ! I finished the day with three commons-13lb,8lb, & 3lb all caught in the afternoon. I saw a couple of fish taken of the top by another member so even this late in the year a tactic worth trying, but beware of the water fowl as they are very interested in floating food too! I don't see many people up there midweek/later in the season but would recommend it. I know it's harder than Rectory Ponds, but there is always room and the fish pull like mad (what are they on? ) PS I also saw the Kingfisher which is a wonderful sight .

Tony Barrett

Monday 8th July 2002 

I had a day off of work, but with the forecast of near constant rain, I arrived at the lakes at 2.30 PM with an expectation of a drenching rather than a large catch. Fortunately the rain held off most of the afternoon. I fished the first swim nearest the car park, fishing 2 rods, one ledgering cockles about 15 yards out, the other float fishing a couple of rod lengths out using bread flake. Before I had even set my float rod up I'd had a carp of about 7lbs. Sport was then slow with bites few and far between, but I managed 4 carp on bread and 2 on cockles between 61/4 lbs and 13.7lbs, with a further 2 carp lost at the net. I fished until about 7.30pm. All in all not bad for 5 hours 

Alan Chown 

Monday, 03/06/02

Laundry lake

On bank holiday Monday, 03/06/02, i visited Laundry lake for only the second time in my two year membership to Billericay and District to target some of the excellent stock of Carp the lake holds. My friend and i arrived in the car park at around eight and were amazed to see hundreds of fish spawning in the margins! After a stroll round the lake to ask some other anglers how it was fishing ("they're having none of it mate!") we decided to set up in the two swims nearest the car park and fish the very inviting margins and trees that overhang the lake. Using some recently purchased Polarising sunglasses i was able to see what seemed like an endless procession of carp patrolling up and down the margin, none of which were 'spooked' by my presence on the bank. I decided to use small bright highly flavoured pop-up boilies fished on their own at a distance which i could still see the bait (would you believe it?!!) so i! could see how the fish reacted to the rig and bait even if they really "weren't having it" with my thinking being that they might not be hungry, but the temptation of such a bait might prove irresistible and that it would be picked up more out of habit than hunger. I opted for a Mainline Hi-Viz Tutti Fruity pop up, and a hand full of small pellets just to see if they would get their heads down and feed at all. I had my first fish before i had even got the second rod out, and i was lucky enough to see it pick up my bait, drop it, then catch it again and swim off! It was a lovely fat bellied 14lb Common (my second biggest common to date). The session continued to go well from that point for me. Later in the day when the fish seemed to disappear from my immediate margin and take cover in the tree to my right. I was able to walk a short way down the bank and drop a rig about two foot from the bank and throw in three handfulls of small pellet. I would th! en walk with the rod back to my swim and wait for the action to ensue! from this tactic i managed to land four fish including my first Leather carp, at 10lb and a 17lb Mirror! On one occasion i was playing a fish with my friend waiting with the net to help land it when he had a screaming take which resulted in a dash back to the rod and a baseball slide across the bank to prevent falling in and to strike the rod before it was pulled in by a cracking 12lb hard fighting common! 

In the end i managed six fish, all doubles, and this was without doubt the most productive session i have ever been on. Sorry this letter was so long, but i feel i have to let someone know how good it is that the Billericay season has started again! 

Fished June 25th, lots of small stuff, been there all day just backing up to go home and had a lovely 8lb 13oz tench on maggot.

 Brian Cheek

8th September

I fished Shalford pits on Saturday and had a great day, must of had about 35-40Ib of fish in my morning session but what did concern me was the condition of same of the fish. . 

Graham Claydon

Straits Mill

Mark Heckford 2nd June 2002

Hello all, what a great start to the season I am having. After a successful days fishing at Little Easton ( top pond )I caught six carp on the float rod ( luncheon meat & sweet corn ) from 3.5lb to 5.12lb.

 I Came home at 15.30 and had some tea and decided that I couldn't handle watching big brother so I decided to go over Straits Mill as it is behind my house in Bocking. I am so glad that I did because after losing two fish in some snags, I caught a 28lb common carp at 20.45. My wife took some pictures (which I now have as proof) and I enjoyed watching it swim away back into the depths of Straights deep end. This fish has also shattered my original best by 13lb.7oz.

20 August

Had two good days on Southminster pit 6 with my two sons, bagging 21 carp averaging 5 to 7lbs, biggest was 15lb using homemade boilies, fishing far bank features and margins.

long lake

Sampled the fishing today at long lake. Didn't arrive until 10am and fished until 4pm at the bottom left hand side. Non stop action with the carp, caught approx 20 carp in excellent condition, both commons & Mirrors all weighing between 5lbs. & 9lbs. had my hook straightened out twice, most caught on bread and two on crazy paste. this looks very promising for the future and I was very impressed with the work done at this Fishery.

Trevor Wilson 

windmill lake sat 15 june

I went fishing with my 2 boys dan 13 and aaron 9 to the windmill lakes on sat 15 june dan had a 10 lb common aaron had a pb roach a good 1 lb+ I caught a nice 15lb + common lost four other good fish and netted some smaller fish all on float 3 lb line 16 hooks and the bait of the day was worm nothing else seem to work on that day we tried all sorts pellets corn bread maggots cockles luncheon meat etc still we had a great day and will be going back soon 

gary mawhood