Caldecotte lake teases record perch

Ouse roach on feed. Mark Frost had two PBs in one trip

THE question keeps popping up – does Caldecotte Lake hold perch to beat the 6-3 national record? Some are convinced the answer is yes.

And some also believe that at least one, perhaps two, fish around that size have already been caught and returned without weighing, witnessing or a record claim being made.

Those apart, this week saw Szymon Szymon bank a clanker which, like many lure anglers, he measured rather than weighing. It was 51 centimetres long – over 20 inches in old money!

Ade Watson's Newport pits 17-10 'cold water' carp

The true weight of Szymon's fish will never be known, but unless he has incredibly small hands, this one must have been pushing the 5lb mark.

Around three to four years back another lure angler had what appeared, in photographs, to be an even bigger one – also returned unweighed.

MORE to the point for many is what the next Covid 19 'tier system' – and the city area's ranking in it – will mean for angling.

No one can say for sure until after Parliament gave its verdict on Thursday but the Angling Trust is hopeful that matchfishing will resume...subject to travel restrictions which, as they're likely to vary according to tiers, could be problematic!

Lure fishing newbe Max Hough has already beaten his pike PB twice

If it does return locally, MKAA's Christmas match is set for December 6, call 01234 713144.

On Parks Trust waters resumption of night fishing depends on government dumping its 'no staying away from home overnight' restriction. Hard to see that as last week recorded the highest death toll since May, but...

UPPER Ouse silvers are still feeding. On a well out-of-town section Mark Frost and Les Foxen shared 14lb of good redfins, Mark getting a double PB of 1-1 and 1-3 on maggott.

UPSTREAM at Olney the glut of predator catches continues with Ian Barnes getting a dozen pike Tuesday morning. Andy Garner has had perch to 2-10.

ON the city Ouzel Mark Fisher tried worms in a new swim for chub. He said: "I lost the really big one, but I know where he lives. Happy days."

ALDERS has been raising money to install a defibrilator on site, and the first part of the life-saving system has already arrived. Sounds like a good idea.