LPAA
Fisheries Report
The year to date
2011

How quick the year has passed and with the lake frozen we seem to be ending the year as it began.
However it does mean that the predation from cormorants and goosanders is being prevented . The month of March was the time anglers started to return in any numbers and most were to succeed with plenty of carp being landed, with the ever consistent telecom John catching fish to low 20s. The carp fishing remained good throughout the spring with lots of upper doubles and 20lb  plus fish. Our junior member Darryl Young banked a 29lb Common Carp.
The good spring weather we received created the algae bloom that in turn encouraged the silver fish population to feed and reports were positive with nets of 5 to 7lb made up of perch and roach.
 During the end of May the roach were observed spawning on the net of the boom and temporary refuge with the carp going for it in the first week of June. 
July however was a month with many positives, throughout the spring I had been liaising with the Environment Agency. This was to secure funding for a biodiversity project the committee had put together to create a more balanced fishery. This involved creating a better spawning habitat and cover from predation, the result was a grant for £10,000 which was spent on two floating reed bed islands, consisting of one at 6x4m2 island and the other of 8x6m2. Parts of the bay were planted up with a mixture of plant species including ,Phragmites australis, Carex, Glyceria maxima, and the stunning white lily Alba to name but a few. Unfortunately with the large population of waterfowl on Leazes, the grazing from the birds was a lot greater than anticipated. Other volunteers and myself spent most of the summer creating mesh protection around these young plants to give them the best start, to flourish and spread.  July also saw the lake awash with fry, with a kiddies fishing net these were identified as being Roach so the introduction last November of approx 600 roach from Derwent reservoir had a positive impact.
The remainder of the year carried on to produce carp of good size to surface and bottom baits , mixed fish nets were recorded to 9lb .A few people made the journey to Derwent again in November , to catch and relocate roach and approximately 300 were introduced into the lake.
It has been a good year all in all regarding the fishing side of things and with the planting fully under way.
All that remains to be said is Merry Christmas to all of our members and here’s to an improved Leazes in 2012.

Tight lines , Mala
(aka Fat Mac)

Fisheries Report May 2010

Finally the weather warmed up, summer looks like it’s on its way, and we are all able to get out on the bank again!!!

The fishing on Leazes has slowly picked up since March and is now fishing very well.  Although the lake is very clear at the moment, it has meant that we have been able to determine quite a lot about the lake and its layout. A recent trip out in a boat revealed many large snags that were previously unknown, as well as revealing just how enormous the task of getting the cages out will be! These things are monsters, and are far bigger than a lot of people seem to think. My advice would be to give a very wide birth if trying to fish up close to them.

Whilst out in the boat myself, and Ian also witnessed two extremely large shoals of roach! Whilst these were not huge fish, it is encouraging to see, and hopefully the hard work put in to clear the drain of fish has paid off.

A number of rigs were retrieved from the trees around the island.  I understand that accidents happen, and I don’t expect you to swim out and retrieve your end tackle, but if you do happen to end up in a tree, please inform myself, Ian or Patrick, (or even one of the bailiffs) as to the whereabouts of the rig. We can then arrange for a lend of a boat and have the danger removed. The last thing we want is for any wildlife, (or even fish if in water!!) to get snarled up in line/ hooks etc.

There has been a number of large tench caught by carp anglers this year, including one of 5lb!! This was followed up on the same day, with a bream of 7lb 12oz!!! Both fish were weighed, witnessed and verified on the bank. The fish are there people – GET FISHING!!!!

A few individuals were given permission to fish in the bay area by the committee. This was in preparation for the new juniors programme, and I’m pleased to say that results were very good. There have been mixed bag catches of roach, perch, gudgeon and tench. In line with this, the juniors teaching programme has begun, early signs are promising and some have even caught fish!!!
As some people may be aware, the carp have recently spawned in the lake. Whilst this is a good thing, a disturbing thing happened. A member of the public was seen entering the water with a large net and attempted to catch himself a few carp, which were pre-occupied with other things!! The gentleman was politely asked to leave- note the sarcasm!!!!!  Anglers are reminded that ANY anti social behaviour should be reported to the police. The police presence in the park has been much greater this year and incidents have been reported and stopped very quickly! A good relationship between ourselves and the police can only be a good thing, in terms of our safety, day and night, at the park.

One thing that does concern me is that nobody has put themselves forward as match secretary yet. I believe that the first summer series match was cancelled and none have been fished since.  If anyone would like to take on the role please contact one of the committee. It would be a shame to see the match section fall away completely! If you would like to know more about any of these subjects then please attend the next general meeting which will be held on Tuesday 8th June at the clubhouse.

Tight lines, Deano!!!

LPAA Fisheries report March 2010

For obvious reasons, namely the ice 3 inches thick! there aren’t many catch reports for leazes,. The big freeze has put a downer on many people’s plans these last few months, but hopefully we will all be able to get out on the pond on a regular basis again soon! Carp catches have been on the increase this past week, with a new lake record mirror carp being caught! Malcolm MacDonald caught the beauty at 18lb 14oz! Well done Mala!

Recently 40 bream have been introduced to Thornburgh; the stocking took place on December 10th and went without a problem. All were of a good size and the smallest of which was believed to be around 1lb 8oz with the larger specimens being in the 4-5lb range. There was also a small stocking of 150 roach from the Derwent.
The rudd, which were stocked in September, are growing on well, some now getting up to the half pound mark and higher!

There is a new course fishery to open this coming year, thanks to Hexham AA. Wydon burn has been stocked initially with 2000 roach, 1000 crucians and 1000 tench and is due to open around the end of April. More information will be given at the next general meeting, but the fishery looks very promising.

The committee has decided that a work party for forresters is long overdue, but plans for one at the end of March have now been postponed.  This is due to the recent cold weather, and it now seems that one at the end of April may be better. The actual date has yet to be confirmed, but all volunteers and any help will be very welcome. Anyone wishing to be involved should contact myself or any of the committee.

There are also plans for a work party at leazes. This is to help clear any debris that may have ended up in the lake because of the recent ice and snow. There is also a need to solve the problem with the drain pipe (as was discussed at the general meeting) Again no official date, but their will be plenty of notice given.

Unfortunately, after a long and drawn out dispute, it seems that we will no longer be able to fish at lakeside. The owner of the land has stated that he does not want anyone to trespass on his land and that no fishing is allowed at any time. A fence has been erected around the site, and anyone found trespassing will be prosecuted. Please do not try to get onto the site, this will only damage the situation further and this is something we do not want. The TAA are aware of the situation and are doing everything they can to resolve this dispute.

The recent membership renewals night was a success despite the weather, with many regulars turning up and some new faces also. Well done to all those who attended. Members are reminded that all memberships must be renewed by the end of January to avoid having to pay the admin fee, therefore if anyone has not yet renewed their membership, they will be required to pay the £5 admin fee once more.

Thanks to all who attended this month’s general meeting.  As usual there was plenty to talk about and it was good to see a few more faces than normal. The next meeting will be held on the 8th June. If you do have anything to say then please attend.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER …………. Your rod license needs to be renewed at the end of this month! Last year the ea patrolled the park very early in April and again during the year. You have been warned!!!!!!!!!! lol

With the new juniors’ project well under way, and the ecology and planting scheme in its final stages, this year should be a fantastic year for Leazes and all of its members. I will update this section from time to time to help keep you all informed of what is going on, and I look forward to seeing you all on the bank. If anyone hears anything of interest then please feel free to let me know, if you don’t then it may be missed! All the best and tight lines!

Dean