Erics Angling Willows Lake

Hassan

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 13:38:38 +0000

Hassan in at the deep end for a first fish gem…..
Arriving at the lake around 11am on Friday, I dropped a bucket in peg 8 after hearing the fish were gathered around the island swims. I went over for a chat with Lee Spence in Peg 9 and was soon photographing a 40 for him. I setup camp and started the session fishing single hookbaits and Solid PVA bags to the fish showing at around 95 yards near the bar inline with the point of the island. With no takes after a few hours and with plenty of shows I decided to wind in and have a lead around. The fish were stacked up the other side of the island over the bar which wasn’t my water. I found a weed bed in front of the bar and opted to fish zigs with black foam over the back of the weed to the left and right of it.
The tactic paid off and at midnight my middle rod melted off and I instantly new I was into a big fish. After 20 mins it had me round the back of the island and then over to the pole, feeling the line ping of the pole was heart stopping but it shows they do fold flat when needed. After a 30 minute battle I scoped up my first Erics Willows fish , and what a first fish to have the unmistakable Twisted Scale at 41lb 15oz. I was buzzing, a dream come true.
I went on to have another three takes including a 30lb 14oz mirror at 7:30am in the morning, a mint scaley 21lb 10 mirror at midnight again on my second night and a 28lb 5oz mirror at 8am on my final morning.
A 48 hour session I will remember for the rest of my life, especially as it was only my second session on the lake and I had blanked on my first 24 hour session. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the lads ( namely Tom, Andy and Lee) for helping with the photos and for the hospitality of this well run, stunning venue. I cant wait to get back down there.
Hassan

Spenny, his super session and the 4 X 40s that followed

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 13:35:38 +0000

Spenny, his super session and the 4 X 40s that followed…….
It’s been a few weeks since my last visit and having banked a 47lb Mirror from peg 1 on that trip so I was itching to get back on the lake. I booked some time off and got down there Thursday morning.
Having kept an eye on the catch reports I knew fish had been caught around the islands a few days before I arrived. I only had two nights and really wanted to get on the fish so was up at 5am and on the M62 from Manchester keen as mustard. After a good walk around to find quite a few swims taken I fancied peg 8 or 9 but it turned out the chap in 8 was actually staying another night making the decision to fish swim 9 an easy one.
Once set up, I decided to fish 2 rods in the channel between the islands to keep disturbance and the number of lines in the area down to a minimum. Rods out and brew made I sat back and must have nodded off briefly, until I was woken by a buzzer and screaming reel. After a pretty good scrap I realized I had landed a special fish, so put it in a retainer sling before gathering some help for photo’s. As I was putting the fish in the retainer, the other rod ripped away and another good scrap ensued, followed by another very good fish in the net!
Tom arrived to assist with the photos and weighing, the first fish went 42lb 10oz and the second 42lb 4oz. A brace of 40’s in under 2 hours fishing! I was completely blown away and absolutely buzzing!
Massive thanks to Tom who got some great pics of the brace for me, despite having to get in the lake in his pants! Just as the mood settled down and I got both rods back out I was in again. This fish had taken line and managed to find some lily pads in the middle of the channel so I took to the boat and gently eased myself towards the fish. Once over the fish I was able to free the line from the pads, but the fish was angry and pulled me around the channel for 15 minutes in every direction possible, I was merely a passenger being taken for a ride. I could see a big mirror below the surface, but just had to wait for the fish to tire, eventually it did and I was able to slip the net under another very good fish.
Once on the bank, Tom confirmed the fish was The Big Leather and on the scales it went 43lb 10oz. One of the A Team and a truly stunning fish!! At this point I had to pinch myself, a hatrick of 40s in an afternoon – I couldn’t believe what was happening!!
There wasn’t any action during the nights whatsoever, so at around 10am I decided to refresh each rod with new baits and rigs. I hadn’t seen any fish in the swim at all but knew there must still be fish in the area, sure enough I had another take on the right hand rod at around 11.30am and I was soon slipping the net under another good fish, albeit not quite as large as some of the previous ones. Another mirror weighing 29.10 was added to the tally and the same rod was off again a couple of hours later. I couldn’t believe my luck as it became clear I was playing another really good fish. After a long slow fight I finally landed another large mirror carp. It looked like another 40lber and I was over the moon to see it go 41lb 4oz, another near leather, with just a couple of small scales.
At this point I was literally lost for words – I had landed FOUR 40s in just over 24 hours!
It wasn’t quite over yet though and I added another lovely 33lb 10oz mirror to the scorecard just beforedark, and also managed to another fish around 30lb in the last 30 mins whilst packing up taking the tally to :
4 x 40s, 2 x 30s and 1 x 29lber in 48 hours.
All fish were fully treated for any marks prior to release
A real Red Letter session that I’ll remember for a very very long time! Thanks to all involved with Erics Willows Lake on providing a great fishery and especially Tom & Hassan for helping out and sharing the moment!
A selection of photos from various devices as battery was in short supply

Scott Mansley

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 13:33:03 +0000

Scott Mansley extended his session and made the most of it.
I arrived on Sunday for what was supposed to be a quick 24 hours and after a lap of the lake decided on peg 9 , the afternoon was quiet but there were plenty of fish in the area. By 7pm the middle rod was off and as soon as I lifted into it I knew it was a decent fish, resulting in a 41lb mirror .
The night went without a bite but I was confident of another run so booked on for another night to make the most of things. Again the afternoon was quiet but come 7:30pm the same rod was off again and I was into a 23.7lb mirror.
The following morning and the same rod again threw up a welcome 35.7lb mirror , a couple of hours later and yet again the same rod again ended up in me losing a decent fish at the net but you cant win them all.
It appears there are fish holding in this area along with 10. This in conjunction with the rising water temperature, I will monitor temperature, activity and movement over the next few days and I may enforce the ropes to allow a no go area between 9 and 10 prior to spawning to minimize stress. In previous year fish have been seen to spawn in all areas of the lake, however this year there is a lack of weed present on the whole which may explain why fish are congregating in this area. The Lilly pads were originally panted to provide a spawning substrate and supplement a safe haven.
Please keep an eye on the page for spawning updates as swim closures and potentially a lake closure may occur dependent upon fish activity.
As usual as much notice will be given as possible and anyone booked on with be contacted individually ahead of any sessions booked.
This may and most likely will cause inconvenience but fish welfare is our primary concern and the decisions will be solely based upon this.

Jason West

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 13:31:29 +0000

Jason West spent two days at the lake and things went according to plan in peg 14 fishing at short to medium range casting bags at showing fish. 5 takes resulting in;
14lb
16lb
19lb
37lb (photo)
44lb (photo)
This session smashed his previous pb which stood at 26lb, so one happy man
You may have noticed that the big leather has been landed a few times in quick succession over the last few weeks. Me and Tomo were on hand and checked the fish over fully to find no marks at all. The hookhold was treated and from witnessing the fight and return we can safely say the fish is in good condition.

Jonny Baron

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 10:47:31 +0000

Jonny Baron got among them on a 24 hour session landing had 2 stockie commons and this 27 lb mirror. Unfortunately he also lost a decent size common.

Nick Townson

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 10:46:10 +0000

Nick Townson spent 2 nights in 11 after debating where to drop in. The decision paid off when he landed this lovely dark mirror at 28lb 1oz.

Twisted Scale

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 10:43:34 +0000

Well it has been 1 year and 10 months since this fish last hit the bank when it was last landed by Vince Jewitt at 40lb 2oz from peg 12.
There have been rumors that the fish had passed away. I find this interesting as if anyone knows me by now they would understand I am honest with regards to stock and fish that are no longer.
There have been at least 3 accounts of a big common being lost within yards of the net both by bank and by boat; including Dan Johannessen and Jeppie Fick.
It just goes to show that fish can go missing for prolonged periods of time and Scar was no different evading capture for nearly a year before the male was landed by Dan Mcnicholas after Tomo.
I turned up for my 3 day session I started my lap around the lake . After a quick lap of the lake it was clear there were a lot of fish between the islands in 9 and 10 so I had a chat with the guy in 9 to learn that he had landed a few. He was off the following day so I thought it would be worth a move but I still needed to drop in for the first night somewhere
After a uneventful 12 hours I noticed a few fish on the surface off the side of the island, as a result out went 2 zigs and it didn’t take long before one was away . As I picked the rod up the fish had already found its way into a weed bed and unfortunately after a couple of seconds the hook pulled.
Gutted!
A couple of hours later I moved into peg 9 and it was clear there were a lot of fish between the islands and what looked to be some of the larger residents willows holds . After a bit of markering, I found 2 clear spots down the channel so out went 2 pop ups and 50 freebies . My third rod went behind the back of the island in a hole that I knew had done good fish before.
At 5:20 one of the rods down the Chanel absolutely melted off and quickly had me in a weed bed. I didn’t waste no time, donned the life jacket I took to the boat after her. With some steady pressure it came free and after a bit of nip one pearl 2 it was in the net . Paddy Ramsden next door was quick to tell me it was a fish known as twisted scale and hadn’t been caught for 18 month so that made it even more of a pleasure to catch it and see it is clearly fit and healthy .. It went 41lb 10 oz on the scales and after some photos back she went ..
Later that night at 12 my other rod that was also down the channel was away and after a bit of gently persuasion I had my second fish of the session in the net and a stunning 19 1/2 linear . After 2 more lost fish the fish seemed to move out . Thankfully later the next day it was clear they had come back and at 8 a clock my rod was away , after a short battle I landed another chunk . On the scales it went 38lb on the nose . The rest of the night went uneventful and seemed as if the fish had moved out again . Then at 10 to 12 with an angler waiting to jump in after me my rod was away and turned out to be an upper double and the last fish of my session till next time willows
A truly epic session to land a rare gem and a long awaited occurrence of “Twisted Scale”

Lee Rogers

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 14:04:04 +0000

Lee Rogers made a move…..
I arrived on willows lake on Sunday with my mate Paul for a long awaited 5 night session. After walking around the lake to see what had been happening and what swims were available, I decided to fish peg 20 after Scott had finished his awesome session of big fish. I had a good lead around and decided to just fish single baits as the swim had been quiet for the last 48 hours with conditions expected to change to south westerly winds and a low pressure due on Wednesday. I expected the fish would turn back up. By Wednesday morning I had seen no signs of carp at all in the main body of the lake and nobody was catching except from the islands area so I decided to bring the rods in and go to peg 10, which I learned was being vacated at dinner. After having a chat with angler in there, he told me that he had a 45lb on Monday and lost a couple of big fish last night and they were still showing, so it was obvious the fish were still there. I dropped my bucket and made my move. Once I was set up Tom came round and kindly showed me a couple areas to fish to. I put a solid pva bag to the left spot and a single pineapple goo tigernut balanced with plastic maize to the right. It wasn’t long before the solid rod was off and after a short battle Tom netted my 1st fish which was Cut Tail at 38.06 I was buzzing. Throughout the evening and night I had banked 5 more stunning looking stockies to mid double and a 21lb off both areas so I was really pleased I had made the effort to move. So with 24 hours left of my session and the fish still showing in the area I stuck with the same tactics and produced a further 4 more stockies by the evening, but activity ceased and the fish stopped showing. I thought they had moved. At 1am I had a flying take on the tigernut and i lent into a heavy fish which had taken a bit of line and was heading down the channel. I kept steady pressure on to turn her. After a hard fight and a few scary moments I scooped the net under her, bit the line and looked at my prize which was definitely a lump. I put her on the matt and treated the hook mark with a little treatment and weighed her at 44lb. I retained her in deep water whilst I went to find somebody to take the pictures. Paddy in in peg 8 kindly agreed to do so. Paddy did an exceptional job with the pictures and orchestrated me through holding the fish as if it was a front cover shot for vogue magazine. That was my last fish of the session but to get a 40, a 30, a 20 and 9 stockies in the final 40 hours was brilliant. I would like to say thanks to Paddy for taking the pictures and also to Tom for the information and running an amazing well run water give yourself a pat on the back mate.
Well in Lee, see you next time,……

Neil Brittain

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:51:58 +0000

Neil Brittain dropped on the lake for a 48 hours session on Tuesday, settling down in peg 6.
After a good hour trying to decide I went for 6 thinking it’s the nearest I could get to island where they seemed to be held up , hoping they come past me with a change in the weather , and head back down the lake . I fished towards the center on the edge of the 4 foot plateau in the slightly deeper water . Crushed krill and pellets with a white krill pop up on a multi did the business . I was starting to give up hope, then it tore off. After a good 15 minutes I had her in the net
A new pb over the moon !! . Big thanks to the lads next door for there help . Hope you get better soon fella !!
Verified and weight at 44lb exactly, the big leather

Alan Smith

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 13:49:58 +0000

Alan Smith smashed things up on a 4 day session….
I arrived at the lake Thursday and set about to have a look round settling upon peg 18.
A manic session resulting in 18 takes for 14 fish on the bank.
All fish was was caught over a mixture of boilies and particles.
I baited up in the day but decided to rest the swim until the evenings and spent my time walking the lake keeping an eye out for signs in case a move was on the cards.I think this proved successful as it allowed the fish to move freely over the bait without spooking on the tight lines (due to the range). This proved successful and soon built up their confidence.
Rods were deployed slowly in the evening with the bait boat over the baited areas, sometimes I was only able to keep two in the water.
The fish landed were as follows in weight order
40lb 9oz mirror
37lb 13oz common
37lb 9oz mirror
31lb 7oz mirror
29lb 9oz mirror
28lb 5oz mirror
26lb 13oz common
26lb 12oz mirror
22lb 8oz mirror
And 5 doubles (no photos)
What a session with very little sleep. Thanks to Scott Kelly, Spaniel Paul. Terry Brooksbank, Dodger and Brad Greening for all there help and photographs.
Super session!