Basildon angler Paul Dale is riding high after landing a superb 24lb mirror carp at Billericay's Lake Meadows.

Paul's cracking fish was the best taken during a week which saw numerous big fish landed at the venue.

Paul Dale displays his personal best 24lb Lake Meadows carp Pipps Hill provides

Pipps Hill Carp fishery continues to provide its anglers with big fish.

Lee Clarke was again making the news when he landed a 20.2lb ghost carp along with a cracking mirror of 18lb.

Both Lee's fish feel to starmer boilies.

Darren Fox also got amongst the big carp, landing a 18.8lb fully-scaled mirror from the beach area. Carp rewards at reservoir

Hadleigh reservoir, one of the area's most difficult carp waters, has continues to surprise many anglers this week by producing considerable numbers of quality fish to 15lb.

Despite the winds many fish, vissibly topping, have proved elusive to anglers persevering with floaters.

Mark Lewis, of Canvey, continued his excellent run by landing a 18.12lb common and a1 4lb koi although the reservoir's fish of the week must go to Justin Eccles who landed a perfect 24lb 5oz common.

Justin saw several fish topping at the opposite end of the lake and moved to take his fish two minutes after re-casting.

Paul took the big fish, known as One Scale, from the point, tempting it with a homemade boilie. Earlier in the day he had taken a mirror carp of 15lb, and he followed it a few hours later with a common of 18lb 12oz!

Billericay angler Steve Childs also got amongst the Lake Meadows carp taking a mirror of 21lb.

The fish fell to a homemade boilie presented alongside the stick, a post in the water which seems to attract fish. Companion Pete Avis shared in the action landing mirrors of 14lb and 18lb.

Junior anglers have also been taking some excellent carp at Lake Meadows. The heaviest recorded by a junior over the bank holiday was a superb mirror of 18lb 3oz taken by thirteen-year-old Jason Watts. The fish came from a swim on the houses bank and fell to an Activate boilie.

Without doubt the most noteworthy catch by a junior was taken by eight-year-old Danny Dowson who landed a Lake Meadows mirror of 15lb 8oz.

Danny was fishing as part of a large group of anglers, which included his brother Ben, and his father Rod.

They were fishing the swim in the shallows near the Children's playground when Danny hooked the big carp, tempting it with a strawberry mini boilie. Father Rod was on hand to offer advice and net the fish, but otherwise Danny landed it unaided!

Gloucester Park has been producing excellent catches, with carp and tench making up the majority of the big weights.

The best recorded pole caught catch of the week fell to Stan Howard who netted an 80lb haul from the eastern tip of the Island. Stan's catch, taken on sweetcorn, consisted mainly of tench with the odd crucians and small carp adding variety.

Basildon angler Matthew Rivett chose a swim by the incoming sluice to take a 50lb plus Gloucester Park catch on waggler tactics. Using trout pellet bait Matthew landed numerous tench plus a few crucians and small carp.

Carp angler Neil Raynor fished the Gloucester Park cockle bank to land eighteen carp during the course of a day. His biggest fish, a mirror of 15lb fell to a suspended crust, with the rest of his haul taken on either crust or bottom fished boilies.

(Right) Eight-year-old Danny Dowson shows his 15lb 8oz carp Mixed bait gets reaction

Rochford's Doggetts fishery continues to fish well with carp and tench producing the mainstay of sport.

Paul Bennet, of Hawkwell, started the week by fishing into the wind from the end of the north bank.

Fishing with both worm and boilie hook bait, Paul ended his session with an impressive mixed bag consisting of a 12.5lb common, a mirror of 10lb plus bream to 3.5lb and three good tench.

New club member Adam Sayer enjoyed his second successful night fishing from the tree swim on the north bank and was justly proud of a perfect 17.5lb fully scaled mirror. His fish was not shy - taking his boilie hook bait from only two feet from the bank.

On the whole, the best bags of tench, roach and bream have been going to anglers who have perservered with quality ground baits, usually well-laced with hemp and flavourings.

Junior angler Alan Slade landed a hard-fighting 14lb common plus six tench to 4lbs with companion Clayton Barber managing five tenhc but missing out on the carp.

Bob Hume visited Doggetts to be rewarded with four good tench to 3.8lb.

Tom Price, who is renowned for float fishing with his homemade paste baits, fished the south bank to land his first twenty pounder of the season.

Seven-year-old Billy Atkins enjoyed his first, and possibly his last, fishing trip with Dad, Peter.

Billy landed a fine brace of tench along with a 3lb bream from the north bank while his dad returned with nothing . . . proving the point that you should never work with children or animals! Conditions round-up

Southend boats

Patchy sport has been reported from Southend boats. "Predator" had one of its best days this year with 23 smoothounds and 12 roker all caught on crab.

Increasing number of eels are being caught along with small bass.

Southend beaches

With crab baits there are enough flounders to stop the boredom, plus a few undersize bass on night tides. Soon there will also be plenty of eels to catch at night.

Southend Pier

With the better, warmer weather appearing, more big garfish are being caught up to 1lb 10oz, especially in the early mornings.

There are also increasing numbers of flounders along the stem falling to crab baits. At the head of the pier there are plenty of small undersize bass but very little of anything sizeable. At night these fish are also being caught along the stem with one or two eels.

Dereck Cross fished the pier and caught 51 flounders, whiting and eels before his bait run out. Lol Hooper had 10 flounders and an eel pleasure fishing.

Canvey

Not much to be caught during the day apart from the odd flounder, but it is well worth trying for a few bass at the known marks. At night there are more eels and bass.

River Crouch

Still plenty of undersize fish to be caught but soon eels and more sizeable bass will be caught to crab and rag baits.

From the boats, Alan, from the "Tartar" reported an 8lb spurdog and larger numbers of thornbacks to 12lb, more sizeable bass, eels and smoothounds being caught on herring, squid and crab.

Also, a lot of garfish have been seen offshore with codling between 2lb-3lb still being caught.

Some mullet have also started moving into the marinas.

Gravesend, Tilbury and Stanford

Reports of plenty of eels being caught, and flounders being taken from Stanford on crab baits.

River Blackwater

John Rook on the "Misty Blue" has reported roker to 12lb, more bass to 3lb, increasing numbers of eels and smoothounds.

Phil, taking out John Rawle's "Kingfisher" while he is in Florida, has reported the same catches but also had on board a 16lb spurdog.

Ryan Tall, on his first boat trip, caught a 6lb roker on Terry Batt's boat while the rest of the party caught roker to 10lb.

Again herring, squid and crab provedto be the best baits.

West Mersea

Dave Weaving, aboard the "Jenna D" also reported numbers of smoothound and roker. One of his anglers caught a herring on squid and ragworm which is very unusual.

Sea round-up

Contact Bait and Tackle's Ray Power on 01702 617764

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