Woodpecker Pool Newsletter July 2009

Well here we are once more with the latest newsletter, it is surprising how time flies, it doesn't seem five minutes since the last one. The last couple of months has seen a great variety of weather and catches, some brilliant sunny days and one or two good thunder storms. The fishing has been all over the place with no consistency at all, most of the carp being caught between midnight and 5am with only a few in daylight hours although you can see them bubbling and rolling all over the lake, a few catfish and sturgeon being caught in the day. I always say to people that unfortunately I cannot change the weather or make the fish pick baits up but sometimes I really do wish I could as we want everyone to have a good weeks weather and catch a good number of fish but sometimes it just does not happen. Anyway now lets get down to what has been caught over the last few weeks.

The end of May and we welcomed back Sue and Andy Rudduck. Just Andy fishing and a very up and down week with the fish but he managed to catch some very nice ones considering he was in agony for quite a lot of the time with a bad back. Not recommended Andy wrestling with big catfish with attitude in your condition!!!! Anyway the total for the week was 15 fish, 3 x 20s, 3 x 30s and 1 x 40 carp, 2 x 50s and 3 x 60s catfish, the best common was 31lb 14oz, best mirror 41lb 2oz and the best catfish 65lb 8oz. This fish actually had a go at Andy when he picked it up for the photograph, something he or I have never seen before, he wasn't complaining though as it was a personal best. The total weight was 553lb 12oz with an average of over 36lbs. Andy managed to catch one of our Albino catfish the first one out this season of the two we know we have, although only small Andy said it was a very pretty fish. Thank you both for your custom and company again this year and we look forward to seeing you again next year and we hope you have now made a full recovery Andy.

Now into June and we welcomed back Dennis Phillips and Jamie Davey, also this time Dennis had brought his son Brad along so how would their week turn out. Quite a few fish out in daylight hours for a change, which was nice to see. They had a total of 33 fish including 16 x 20s, 4 x 30s and 2 x 40s carp, 2x 50s catfish and both sturgeon. The best common was 32lb, best mirror 42lb 8oz and the best catfish 56lb 8oz. The total weight was 970lb for an average of 29lb 8oz. Not a bad result when you consider it was hard going at times and they were not fishing 24/7. Thank you for your company once again and it was nice to meet you Brad, we look forward to seeing you all again in September.

Our next guests here this year have become friends over the years they being Jen and Terry Ringshall, John Graves and for the first time Barry and Maureen, what fortune would their time here bring them? When Terry turns up you always expect something strange to occur, he has a knack of catching things that you don't expect, last year he caught our first Albino catfish which we did not know we had, however this year was mainly uneventful apart from having to take to the boat with him to outwit a big catfish. The carp had really started to play hard to get for some reason although they were bubbling and showing regularly. The total was 33 fish including 12 x 20s, 1 x30 carp, 1 x 50 catfish and 2 x 60s catfish. There were a few fish lost along the way including a big catfish that frightened Barry with its sheer power, there were no commons caught, the best mirror was 34lb 4oz and the best catfish 69lb. Total weight was 852lb for an average of 25lb. Thank you all for your company and we look forward to seeing you again next year. Pam, John's partner didn't come this year, you were missed Pam, maybe next year?

Now it was the turn of our very good friends Jan, Stephen and Harold(Stephen's Dad) we have fished together for a lot of years, this time they brought Lisa and Chris for their first time here, would the fishing gods shine on them??? It was to be another tough time as the fish just did not want to feed very often in the day preferring to pick baits up between midnight and 5am and a few fish lost along the way. It was hard work for Steve and Chris, especially Chris as this was a steep learning curve for him as it was his first time in France fishing, but by the end of the holiday he had managed several personal bests and all had some nice fish on the bank. The total catch was 22 fish including 9 x 20s, 2 x 30s and 1 x 40 carp to Harold, 1 x 40 and 2 x 50s catfish, also one of the Albino catfish at 5lb 15oz plus a pike of 11lb 4oz. Again no commons caught and the sturgeon only once each, the best Carp was 40lb 8oz and the best Catfish was 56lb 4oz. The total weight was 561lb 9oz with an average of 25lb 8oz. A tough time with the fishing but that paled into insignificance due to the great company, see you again in September and we are looking forward to seeing you all again next year.

Now into July and we welcomed for the first time here Jan and Cid Ross and sister in law Margaret what would they make of what we consider our little peace of paradise. They absolutely loved it, the weather was good all week but again the fishing was very slow. Only Cid fishing and only doing days and it seemed that the majority of the fish were on the night shift. Cid also found it quite alien to fish how I was describing to him as he is used to fishing light and in the margins but in the end he managed to bank a few nice fish. Although not a great number he said he thoroughly enjoyed it and so did the ladies. The catch was 7 fish including 2 x 20s, 1 x30 and the other Albino catfish at 8lb this was nice to see as we did not know if either of them would survive, neither of the two sturgeon caught this week. The total weight was 121lb for an average of 17lb. Thank you very much for your custom and company this year, it was a pleasure to meet you and we really enjoyed having you here. We look forward to seeing you again next year and hopefully the fish will be a lot more obliging.

Our next people here are regulars, Oliver and Susie Jennings, this time with Oliver's Mum and Dad, Lorraine and Nigel after missing last year. What would their week bring? Yet again a very difficult week with the fish bubbling and rolling everywhere but rarely picking baits up, unfortunately a few lost fish as well along the way. Oliver kept asking me what they were doing wrong, I replied nothing at all, the fish just appear to be preoccupied feeding on natural food which seems to be more abundant than ever in the lake this year. The catch was 5 fish with the best being a new personal best mirror for Susie at 29lb 4oz and again no sturgeon caught this week. The total weight was 104lb 6oz with an average of 20lb 14oz. They had a couple of days out and Susie did not fish a great deal, she did fish the last evening however picking up two nice carp, you will have to fish more in future Susie. Once again thank you all for your company, it was really nice to see you again Lorraine and Nigel and hope it is not too long before you come back again. We look forward to seeing you Oliver and Susie next year and good luck with the new job Susie.

The third week of July and we welcomed for the first time here the Kocher brothers Mick and Steve with their two sons Mike and Jack, they are no strangers to fishing in France, the previous few weeks had been very tough so how would they fair. They had a reasonably good week with personal bests all round considering the fish were still rarely being caught in daylight hours, the weather was quite hot with a few thunderstorms and the fish were still bubbling and rolling during the day. The catch was 24 fish including 6 x 20s, 11 x 30s and 1 x 40, there were also 1 x 50 plus and 4 x 60 plus catfish plus both sturgeon. The best carp was a Mirror at 41lb, there were no commons caught and the best catfish was 69lb. The total weight was 858.2lbs with an average of 35.7lbs. Thank you for your custom this year.

The last week in July and we welcomed back Carol, Tadj and Rebecca Mikowski. Only Tadj fishing, he has fished here before so how would their week unfold. They had an excellent week with the weather, sunshine every day. The fishing was slow to start with but picked up during the later part of the week with the carp, however the catfish only showed on one day, both sturgeon were caught this week so things seem to be getting a little bit back to normal at last with several carp being caught during the day. The catch was 26 fish including 9 x 20s, 8 x 30s and 1 x 40+ carp, 2 catfish and both sturgeon. The best Mirror was 40lb 3oz, the best Common 34lb and the best Catfish 42lb 7oz. The Diamond Back Sturgeon came out at its top weight this week at 39lb 5oz. The total weight for the week was 832lb 12oz with an average of 32lb. It was a pleasure having you all here once again and look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Sue and I would like to thank everyone for the good order the grounds and chalet have been left and also a very big thank you for your custom this year, we really do appreciate it.

Just one more thing before we finish, so hopefully no one will be disappointed, we have very few weeks left for next year 2010, only six weeks in total!!! So if you would like a week or two next year then please think about it now to avoid disappointment, either give us a call, email us or check out the web site www.woodpecker-pool.co.uk for available dates.

All the very best till next time and good angling wherever that may be.

Sue and Doug

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