Jack Lyon lands a 41lb Mirror from Cherry Lake

I mentioned in my last update that given the conditions that I was confident that Jack Lyons, who is the only angler on Cherry Lake this week, would catch a few. Well he has!

The weather conditions are extraordinary for early January. It is mild, reasonable air pressure with some warm winds. The Carp are regularly showing and are behaving more like it is mid-March than early January! It is not hard to imagine why they are confused about the time of the year, with more of them activly showing and feeding. As far as I can see the weather forecast for this area is amazingly good. There is no forecast of frost or cold conditions over the next 14 days. It is just disappointing that we hardly have anyone booked on. Call me on 01285 869887 if you cannot resist it!

Over the last couple of days Jack has really got amonst the Carp. Fishing from Grebe Lodge he ha been studying the water and has landed some cracking Carp, 3 of which has been achieved by casting a small PVA stick set up at showing fish. Normally this tactic does not seem to work......Jack proved it did this week!

Jack, who became the 88th member of the Cherry Lakes 30+ club on a previous visit, is now the proud owner of the 40+ Cherry Lakes fleece following his capture of a 41lb Mirror Carp. Jack is the first angler to land a Cherry Lake 40lb+ Carp in winter. Given this amazing feat we have agreed to Jack's request to name the Carp 'Ruby'. 'Ruby' is named after his young daughter of the same name, who is pictured above 'en famille' in the lead photo above with Mum Ellie and Dad Jack.

'Ruby' picked up Jack's hookbait at around 11.00 in the morning, which was positioned amongst a small PVA stick of goodies, at the bottom of the slope from the bar which creates the large area of shallows at the car park end of the lake. There is a lovely shelf which follows the bottom of the bar for about 80M in about 6 feet of water. For me this is an obvious patrol feature, particularly for the Carp that do not want to venture into the 2-3 feet of water of the shallows.

'Ruby' only visited the bank once last year. Mike Houghton caught her in June at 40-04. She looked even bigger this time. She was.........although by only 12oz when Dave and I weighed her. Ruby is a long fish with a great frame and there is no reason why this lovely Carp cannot continue to grow. If we are right.....in that she is a female...she could be comfortably in excess of 45lb+ if caught in May before she spawns.

Jack has also caught some other stunners. The Carp are all looking great in their winter colours and really worth catching as this 25-08 Mirror (above) and 24-02 Mirror (below) clearly show. Not supriingly this is turning into Jack's best ever and most productive visit to Cherry Lake and he still has some time left! Well done Jack....top angling and well deserved.

I was almost as pleased with Jack's fourth Carp, as I was with Ruby. To be fair it would be so difficult to be more pleased than with our first ever winter forty! The smallest Carp of Jack's visit to date was this 16-08 Ghost Mirror pictured below. This is one of our 'home-grown' Carp doing very well. I am always (a little sad I know) excited when I see our 'babies'! The photo below does not really do justice to her fabulous colours and scale patterns. She was stunning in the flesh and very well proportioned. It will be nice to see her again in three years time when hopefully she joins the ranks of our 30+ Ghost Carp.