Angling

THE biggest pike for at least ten years has been caught at Ardingly Reservoir by an angler from Eastbourne. Alan Parks fished the water with his father of the same name at Hammer Point and landed a pike of 29lb 4oz while ledgering a dead trout 40 yards out into the lake. The fish beats Alan s previous best of 21lb 12oz from the Wallers Haven.

When they arrived at the water they found it partly iced over and nearly didn t bother to fish, but eventually decided otherwise. They are glad they did for the fish came at 10.30am not long after they had started fishing and that proved to be the big fish. It was also the only fish of the day.

A few other pike were caught from the reservoir to 16lb with fish being taken from both the bank and boats to deadbaits and trolling.

Adrian Fellows fished Longreed Lakes at Laughton to catch carp of 12lb, 13lb and 16lb while float fishing with sweetcorn. Meanwhile on Ashreed Miles Gosling landed roach to 8oz and a 6lb carp on float fished bread flake.

On the river Brede the biggest chub recently went to John Greenhalf of St Leonards who fished with bread crust and cheese combined to catch a fish of 4lb 4oz.

Another huge perch has been landed from Alderwood Ponds Island Lake. Alex Toy of Littlehampton fished a worm in the corner of the lake to tempt a fish of exactly 4lb. Fishing the same lake with home made boilies Steve Burton of Portslade fished over night to land four carp of which one was a mirror of 15lb 12oz and the other three were commons scaling 11lb 9oz, 6lb 13oz and 6lb 5oz. Also fishing boilies Graham Adams of Shoreham caught a 13lb mirror carp first cast.

Sharnfold Farm Fishery is fishing steadily with a few chub to just over the pound, skimmers, roach and rudd to float fished pinkie.

At Horam Manor Bankey Fork has fished well despite the frost with maggots and worms accounting for roach and perch, while on the Great Pond carp are making up the weights.

Southdown Angling Association fished the second round of the Percy Baron on the Wallers Haven downstream of Middlebridge where skimmers, roach, a bream of 2lb 8oz and one tench were caught. 1st Alan Bates 4lb 4oz, 2nd Stuart Vanbeirendonck 4lb 2oz, 3rd Roger Izzard 3lb 5oz, 4th Steve Izzard 3lb 4oz.

Isfield & District fished the Mill Pond at Horsted Keynes, but by midday none of the 17 anglers had a bite so they called it off.