Catch Reports
Pleasure anglers have reported good catches of Roach and Rudd. Bream to 7lb have been caught regularly, mainly falling to feeder tactics with corn. Above average catches of Carp between 2lb and 5lb have been observed this Summer and this could be put down to fish from Baffins, that were introduced into this venue. This is also coupled with the coloured water, due to the plentiful rain, giving the small Carp the confidence to feed. The number of Tench caught has continued its’ downward trend.
Carp anglers have had mixed results thus far, this season, with the larger Carp caught mainly from the first 3 and last 3 pegs. This is mainly due to these fish not venturing too far from the ‘No Fishing’ area, at the front of the Fort.
The number of Pike caught (although not by design) during the Summer have been significantly high. The Pike do not appear to reach large weights but the numbers are steadily increasing. It will be interesting to see how the Pike Anglers fare during their season. 

Fishery Problems
Bailiffs were very busy during the Closed Season, detering those people attempting to fish from the 2 bridges at the front of the Fort. Since the start of this season, fewer people have been seen fishing from the bridges but this is still regarded as an on-going problem, due to the fact that shoals of Bream and Carp can be easily seen in this area, as they are attracted to the readily-available food that is put in, on a regular basis, by the General Public feeding the water fowl. The Club are in the process of approaching English Heritage with a view to ‘fencing off’ this area, and moving the fish to ‘catchable’ areas.   Pegs 16 and 20 have not been fishable, during the warmer months, due to the ‘wild’ Lillies that have become established in front them. I am hopeful that this situation will be remedied by next season.
Peg 4 has a large Willow branch overhanging the water by approximately 9 metres, the end of which is approximately 1 metre above the current water level. The offending branch is due for removal by the end of this year Litter
Litter, continues to be the main problem on this venue, and one that is not likely to go away. The ‘No Fishing’ area, especially the Lay-By, and land adjacent to it, is still a favourite spot for fly-tipping and for ‘overnight parked’ Lorry Drivers to discard their waste. The Industrial Estate also borders this area and one Retail Outlet is responsible for a large percentage of deposited rubbish, a lot of which is due to wreckless behaviour of staff. The EPA, Local Council and English Heritage are aware of this problem and I believe the situation is being monitored.
The site around this venue is open to the General Public, and also, many of the Industrial Estate staff are prone to eat their lunch on the bankside, especially during the warmer weather, discarding their food packaging, cans etc.
Unfortunately, Anglers are still leaving litter, although I think this is slightly down on last year. Day Ticket Anglers have proven to be the main culprits but a few Society Members are still letting the side down.
At the end of April, this year, Brockhurst had its annual Litter Pick and I’m grateful to all those who turned up and helped out. We easily managed to overfill the Skip.