Visits to river and lakes rewarded with bountiful catches

Angling

The 2019/2020 traditional coarse fishing season has finished with the usual flurry of activity despite less than ideal conditions, with the River Stour remaining in flood, writes Paul Mercer.

Ernie Millard fished from his boat on the river and landed 17 good bream and a dozen quality roach to 1lb. At Fordwich Lake, Jim Malyn finished his excellent season with three more big carp culminating in a 35lb common, while Colin Winbush connected with a weighty 21lb 2oz common carp.

John Collins enjoyed two trips to Fordwich Lake and landed two 26lb commons, one at long range and the other close to the bank. Junior Canterbury & District Angling Association member Henry Weir’s final trip of the season to Fordwich produced a mixed bag of five bream to 7lb, three pike to 6lb and three eels to approximately 2lb. At Stonar Lake there have been a few good catches and the early signs that things are improving there after a relatively quiet few months. A mixed bag fell to Bradley Batten who bagged small bream, chub of 1lb and 2lb, and a mirror carp that weighed in at 36lb 8oz.

Terry Marshall netted roach to 1lb and several bream to 4lb, while Hugh Molloy targeted carp and finished with five mirrors and commons to 15lb.

In one session Tony Dellaway hooked 27 bream to 5lb and four carp to 12lb 8oz with a return visit producing 10 more bream to 6lb. A similar story for Stonar-regular Jon Glaiser who reported four small common carp and bream to 4lb and then four more bream to 3lb, seven small commons and most notably a 14lb mirror and a 22lb common carp. A number of other great carp hauls have been seen and pleasure anglers will also be pleased to know that good roach and rudd bags are being caught at Stonar.

Steve Mulshaw bagged skimmer bream and several rudd to 1lb 8oz and David Haworth took roach that included fish to 1lb 2oz. Canterbury & District Angling Association have most of their waters open through the traditional close-season with only SSSI areas unavailable.