Mill Road Fishery
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Mill Road Fishery
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News and Pictures from 2011 November work party
We have parted company with Simon the bailiff. On the banks through the winter you will meet Rosie and Phillip, they are old friends of the fishery and will keep everything in hand. Just a reminder that you will need an unhooking mat. We have stopped lending them out as anglers stopped returning them! We lost eight through the summer, an interesting experiment but a bit expensive. (4 November)
Autumn Update It has been a while since we have updated the site, but after a hectic summer we should be able to provide some regular reports from the fishery. The first thing to say is that we have stopped loaning out unhooking mats to those that arrive without them. Unfortunately too many anglers thought that borrowing a mat entitled them to take them home! We lost eight mats in total over the summer. So the rul is simpler now - no mat, no fishing!! Please respect the rule and avoid the disappointment of having to pack up if you don't have a mat when Simon collects your money. The fishing has been good over summer, with a number of anglers catching double figure fish (see Simon's blog for some good examples)
"The first picture is Danny's 12lb 2oz caught on Friday 2nd Sept. 2011. My son Danny then moved swims and didn't stop catching carp, a very good day fishing, we like the lake very much and will be returning very soon. Many thanks" Below is another fish for Peter Belton who as had many fish up t 13lb this summer.
Left is a 11lb caught by Harry Bonnet
Picture Updates
Ryan Chalk sent in this picture of a carp he estimated at 12lb.
Here are two pictures sent in by regular visitors, no
details provided though!!
Heroes Welcome! We are proud to support the Heroes Welcome initiative at Mill Road Fishery. Great Yarmouth has recently been added as a location and a number of businesses are supporting this through enhanced services, special discounts or just a special welcome. We are offering free fishing to anyone showing their current Warrant Card on the bank. Further details are on www.heroeswelcome.co.uk (July 12) Bailey's Big Un
Super Rudd
Unhooking Mat
Loans Whilst our regular anglers know that when targeting carp an unhooking mat is essential it is still the case that many fishermen turn up ill-equipped to deal with big carp. This season we will be enforcing the rules regarding unhooking and landing nets - you must have one in the swim you are fishing. To help those that arrive to fish without a mat we have a limited number of mats available for anglers to borrow. This is not meant to replace the need for anglers to bring their own, but a way of reinforcing our positive fish welfare philosophy (7 May) Stop Press! Had a phone call from our bailiff Simon this evening, just a bit excited about his catch today. Six carp up to 14lb. Hopefully photos soon and no doubt you will hear about it (and get a blow by blow account if I know Simon!) if you visit the lake soon. The lake is quieter angler-wise after the busy weekend, but they are bagging up. After some spawning at the start of the week the carp seem to have even bigger appetites. (27 April) Fish Thieves About One unsavoury event over the Easter holiday was the confrontation I had at dusk one evening. Three gentlemen (clearly not Norfolk locals!) arrived to fish for the evening. They had previously phoned and asked about ticket prices, how far we were from Caister and whether they needed a licence - all fairly plausible. I went round to speak with them at closing time and told them that they needed to be better equipped if they came back, an unhooking mat and landing net for instance. Whilst talking to them I noticed the rucksack on the floor move. To cut a long story short I returned a 5lb mirror carp to the lake from the bag they had hidden it in and escorted the individuals from the site. We phoned our local police and provided them with details of the car registration, mobile phone and descriptions of the 'anglers'. We were impressed to hear that Caister police had contacted the individual (who was on his way back to London) and given him some very firm advice. We have started to notify other local fisheries, the worrying aspect was how plausibly they came across. We are asking our anglers to be extra vigilant and have posted signs in prominent places so that people know what to do if they see anything at all suspicious. (26 April) Easter Holiday Update
What a scorching bank holiday weekend that turned out to be! Several of our anglers went home much redder than they arrived! The lake has been fishing its socks off with huge numbers of fish to some anglers and some big carp to others. The first picture is Rick Funnell with a fish taken on the method feeder. Rick and his Dad Gary are regular visitors and nearly always catch a hatful of fish. Next an update on Owen Ward (story below), Owen is now a national superstar having appeared on Sky Sports on the Tight Lines programme, according to Keith Arthur Owen's fish was so big he could hardly hold it! Well done to Owen and thanks for getting Mill Road Fishery a mention on national TV. We managed to generate our own publicity when Jim Randall from the Anglers' Mail phoned and asked to do a feature on the fishery. The photos were taken in the winter, but the article appeared last week and very good it looks too! More highlights from the weekend included a trio of fish all weighing in at 1lb 8oz, the great thing being that they were a roach, a rudd and a tench. We would love to see these type of fish featuring more in the catch reports, I know from the comments how much pleasure they give to anglers.
Anyone wondering what the bird was that spent all weekend singing its head off and flying between the island and the gorse? Well it was a Whitethroat that had flown in all the way from Africa. It eventually settled in a spot close enough and with the light in the right place for this photo. Harder to do than catching the fish!! (26 April)
Email Reports The lake is definitely providing some top sport now that the warmer weather had arrived. This weekend there were plenty of carp and tench caught. Having kept the unwelcome Egyptian Geese out this year, the lake is looking beautiful. I received two email reports this week from anglers who were very pleased with their specimen catches. First was from Dennis from Hemsby - "denis caught 15lb 9 carp on thursday just on maggot also in the day caught 2 other carps 5 tench and hat full smaller fish a great day fishing by far best day ever fishing" . A nice fish, shame about the photograph!
"Hi Janet, Andy and Simon. Thank you for a lovely day fishing on Sunday 3rd april, Janet when you walked round you saw me catch a carp, My mum's partner Stuart brought me for my first carp fishing trip, we caught 11 fish up to 3lb and later in the afternoon I managed to catch this carp of 10lb 3 oz. I was using two pieces of sweetcorn for bait." Stuart has promised to come equipped with a well padded unhooking mat next time, at the rate Owen is catching the bigger the better!! We will be reinforcing the rule on unhooking mats this year. The fish in Mill Road are definitely getting bigger and in order to keep them looking in pristine condition we need to make sure that the anglers look after them in the best way possible. And if you are one of our more experienced anglers and see someone catch a good fish then go and give them a hand. At best you can help them treat the fish with respect, prevent any damage and help someone develop their experience. At worst you can say 'well done!' and offer to take a photo for them.
Looking Good The lake is looking really good at the moment. The trees are coming into bud, including all those planted over the winter. The water is at an ideal level and the banks are grassy and (mostly) dry. Access to a number of swims is improved thanks to the steps that Simon has built over the recent weeks. Whilst working on the lake today I saw one happy angler net an 8lb fish and there were certainly plenty of fish showing. In the warmer weather the fish are already looking for surface baits, so keep an eye out. We had a visit during the week from the Broads Authority, keen to see our new otter fencing. After a tour of the site they went away very impressed with our conservation efforts and the way we had minimised the impact of the fencing. It is good to receive such positive feedback. (27 March) Bailiff's Blog We have started a new feature that we are calling 'Bailiff's Blog'. Simon Abigail will be providing regular updates from the fishery. Simon visits every day and will be sharing all the latest news, catch reports, hints and tips and general observations based on many hours each week on site. Check the Bailiff's Blog page for all the latest action. (19 February) Spring Just Around the Corner
Had a lovely email from Stefano this week. He sent another picture from last year and was enquiring after the fishing in advance of this year's holiday. It is always great to hear the news from our anglers so don't forget to email your news, photos or general observations about the fishery to info@millroadfishery.co.uk Bailiff Appointed Andy and Janet are pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Abigail as the Mill Road Fishery bailiff. Simon starts on Monday 7 February and will be patrolling the banks every weekday and getting to know the regulars. Simon is a keen angler and shares our interest in the broader conservation and development of the lake and surrounding land. Simon will be taking a more active role as bailiff and in due course we will be including his weekly reports on all the action at the fishery on the website. (6 February) Latest News Today (Sunday 6 Feb) the fish were much more active with fish showing all round the lake. The milder weather and strong winds seem to have woken the carp up and the anglers fishing were getting regular sport. The water level is up the the maximum level and the overflow is preventing the banks from getting too wet. As mentioned below we are now 'otter proof', so please make sure you keep the main gate closed at all times. It would be very disappointing to find the otters had just walked through an open gate and made themselves at home! (6 February) Bailiff Needed We are on the lookout for a new bailiff. As Terry has decided to put his feet up. Anyone interested please call Janet on 07887 544408. You would need to be able to visit the lake on a frequent basis to collect the ticket money and look after the rubbish etc. This would suit someone who is local, has some time on the hands and likes the outdoor life. Our bailiff gets to keep a share of the ticket money collected and of course gets free fishing! So if you fancy it ring Janet or email for details on info@millrodafshery.co.uk (2 February) Otter Proof! We have finally completed the permanent otter fencing at the fishery. It is not what we would have chosen to do, but unfortunately the otter problem is not going to get any better so we had to protect our stock. The fence was put up by Rocky Cattana from North Walsham and he has made an excellent job of it. (2 February, 2011)
Otter Problems
In common with many other Norfolk fisheries we have now been visited on a regular basis by the infamous otter. We have only lost a handful of smaller fish thankfully and to prevent any more losses we have fenced the lake with temporary electric netting. This will deter the otters for a few weeks whilst we get some quotes and arrange for a permanent otter proof fencing to be erected. Whilst this temporary fence is in place anglers should be extra careful and make sure they don't come into contact with the netting. Carbon poles resting on the fence will probably be an excellent way of getting a nasty shock! The 'gate' that we have put in place is also less than ideal, but please accept the short term inconvenience as we try and protect the excellent fish we have in Mill Road. Once we have built the permanent fence I'll update the website with the specification and include some information for other fisheries faced with this expensive and upsetting problem.
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This website is the copyright of Mill Road Fishery and may not be reproduced, copied etc without the consent of the owners 2013
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The
banks at Mill Road are quieter now that the weather is more autumnal, but plenty
of fish are being caught. Last week we had the Mainstream Fisheries crew
on site again. James and Lee spent a day netting the lake as part of our
ongoing management programme. Netting the lake allows us to assess the
stock, check on the health of the fish and generally see what has been happening
in the last two years. It was great to see what great condition the fish
were in, there was hardly a split fin to be seen and no torn mouths. There
were high numbers of small carp, all of which will have been spawned in our
lake. This is unusual in a highly stocked water like this, but is due to
the cover provided in the way of the marginal reeds and sanctuaries (the swims
that we leave closed). There were quite a few pound plus roach, rudd and
tench which rarely see the bank. Of course there were plenty of big carp
including the doubles.
An
email received from Steve Tait is one of many this summer - 
I
have received a number of photos during the summer. First we have a fish
of 15lb taken by regulars Sue and Steve (right). Peter Belton sent in some
pictures of fish caught on meat and bread.
.jpg)
Here
is a photo from today of 9 year old Bailey Harwood fishing with his Granddad and
taking this nice common on a hair rigged pellet fished on the bottom.
(11 June)
I
have seen several Rudd this summer that have been over a pound. Here is another
received from Neil Kenwright. He writes "
On
the carp front the biggest reported was 17lb taken from the corner near the
Norfolk Reeds. There was at least one other of 13lb and several fish of
10/11lb. What we could really do with is some decent photos of these fish.
I may well organise some prizes for the best photo submitted, or perhaps a
report of the biggest non-carp fish, or maybe both!
