Oliver Wells lands three 30's to 35-08 from Cherry Lake

This year bookings have been slower than the past few years (where Covid over-hang and the staycation boom meant we could have sold out Cherry Lakes a good few times over). It is clear that the 'cost of living crisis' has required prospective guests to be more circumspect than in the past, with bookings generally occurring much closer to the holiday date. Bookings for the Cottage have in particular been slower because I guess it is families which have been hit hardest by inflation etc.

I am pleased to see that we are now filling up nicely for summer, although we still have some vacancies. We have the following available during the rest of June

12-16 June. Pochard Lodge on Cherry Mere.

Between 12-23 June. Cherry Lake Cottage

26-30 June. Heron and Osprey Lodges on Cherry Lake.

Regular angler and good friend of the fishery Oliver Wells retuned for a week which finished on Monday. Having struggled on his last visit, it was good to see that Oliver had got his 'mojo' back and in fairly challenging conditions he managed 7 Carp.

Oliver continued the trend of catching one of our shyest Carp, the stunning Mirror known as 'Houdini' at 34-04 (although given this fish was caught in April by Stuart Crafer, as well as last autumn it is running the risk of losing his elusive status). The normal reserve of fish like 'the Pretty One' and 'Houdini' seem to be put 'on hold' during the run up to spawning.

Whilst mentioning spawning, there have been signs that some Carp have spawned on Cherry Lake, but I don't think the majority have. With the heatwave forecast for the next few days and in particular the high night time temperatures, I remain hopeful that a big successful spawning is close.

Oliver also caught two cracking big Commons. The 35-09 Common above, was caught at the same weight by Ben Teagle in April. The 31-08 Common below, which I think is a male fish (if not it is spawned out?), is a new entry in our 30+ catalogue. The running total for 2023 is 57 different Carp above 30lb including 8 above 40lb+.

Apologies for the shorter than normal update. The result of an old college reunion. It's amazing how much my friends have changed and aged over the last 40 years.....whilst I have not of course!! The combination of my age/memory, over-indulgence, and a lack of photos means I have been briefer than normal!