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LATEST NEWS & INFO...
‘PB’s aplenty!’
Updated June 2009
  
  
As previously reported, May kicked off with the first of many PB’s to be broken during the month – mine!
I had a 31lb mirror from the new Kingfisher swim whilst fishing a weekend with pals Justin & John, although John took the biggest fish honours with a 36lb mirror from Box.
Also benefitting from the new Kingfisher swim was young Ross Myers, who despite only having 24 hours to fish Joylake (as part of the Odessa St Youth Group’s first ever trip to France), managed a superb 30lb 12oz mirror – having only ever caught fish up to 10lb.
Next up were father and daughter due Dave & Tasha Ryan. Dave beat his previous PB (just!) with a 33lb 6oz mirror, but special mention must go to 14 year old Tasha. Despite not upping her PB (which already stands at an impressive 32lb) Tasha managed a 30lb 12oz mirror, 6 x 20’s and several doubles during the week, all played, landed & handled like a carper with many more years experience!!
4 of Steve Morley’s group of 6 broke their PB’s, and 1 of the other 2 equalled his in a week where the fish fed sporadically.
First off the mark was Steve himself with a new PB 19lb 8oz mirror, later bettered by a lovely stalked common of 22lb, and closely followed by Nick Solanki’s 36lb mirror from the Kingfisher swim.
Andy Corrigan fishing on Stump then beat his PB with a 20lb mirror, and finally Ray Collins was ‘slightly’ chuffed as he smashed his previous PB of 11lb with a stunning mirror of 30lb 13oz, stalked from the Point bay with Brian Duxbury’s assistance (the cheer could be heard all around the lake!). Brian himself was unlucky not to up his PB of 33lb as he landed a mirror of exactly the same weight from the Withy swim, but went on to add several 20’s including a lovely common of 23lb 8oz. The final member of the party, matchman Tony Deegan was struggling for runs on method tactics, but finally broke his duck on the last day with a mirror of 19lb 8oz from Pads swim.
Finally for May, trio Dan Spooner, Chris Flatt & novice Craig Angliss eventually arrived at Joylake after a marathon 12 hour journey from Calais which involved breaking down and getting lost ‘several’ times (watch out for the article from Dan – the tale needs to be told!!)
Their endeavours were quickly rewarded however, as first Dan (33lb 8oz) and then Chris (31lb 8oz) broke their PB’s on the first night. Dan, fishing on Stump, then added a further mirror of 32lb 8oz and Chris, on Pads, a 29lber on the Sunday morning. Not to be out-done, Craig then smashed his previous PB of 10lb with a lovely mirror of 27lb 4oz, and then went one better with a 33lb mirror, all from the Box swim.
The lads finished the week with 21 fish between the 3 of them, despite the fish starting to spawn on the Friday.
Bait-wise, Quests Surf N Turf is still doing the business over all other baits, although Pineapple Crush is starting to produce consistently too. Bottom baits and snowman rigs are both working well, as is stalking the fish in the pads during bright sunny days. With the warmer weather moving in, a few fish should also start falling to surface baits....
With spawning now out of the way, more PB’s are likely to fall during June.......watch this space!
“Kingfisher” Swim off to a flier
Updated May 2009
 
Having installed the new Kingfisher swim over the winter, owner Neil decided to try and be the first to catch from it last weekend. Fishing with pals Justin & John, who opted for the Stump & Box swims, Neil didn’t have to wait too long and had a 22lb 8oz Mirror and a new PB 31lb Mirror on the Saturday afternoon within two hours of each other. Successful bait was Quest’s Surf N Turf bottom baits with a piece of imitation maize and small PVA bags of lake pellets/crumbed boilies.
John had also got off to a flier on Box with early morning mirrors of 16 & 17lb, closely followed by a clonking 36lb Mirror @ 7am. Two further doubles (one a lovely silvery common) and a 27lber completed a fine weekend. Fishing the ever reliable Stump swim, Justin had 5 fish, amazingly 4 of which were 16lbers!! (16lb, 16lb 4oz and 2 @ 16lb 8oz), topped by an 18lb 8oz mirror.
Surf N Turf was again the top bait, with all bar 2 fish falling to this new flavour (Rahja Spice claiming the other 2). With the weather now warming up it will be interesting to see if the trend continues, or if the sweeter flavours (especially Pineapple Crush) will take over for the summer - we shall see........
The fish are becoming increasingly active, and are now crashing out all over the lake regularly; May should be a cracking month!!
‘Two-Tone’ makes Nick’s week!
Updated April 2009
 
Joy Lake’s distinctive ‘two-tone’ mirror, last caught by Ron Key in Oct 2008 @ 30lb 4oz (see Article), made Nick Cruse’ week and smashed his PB in the process. The fish had obviously had its head down over the winter, as it came out this time at 32lb 4oz!
Nick stalked the fish after spotting it stirring up the bottom under the trees to the back of the Pads swim. A single tutti-frutti pop-up proved irresistible and the fish took off almost instantly. A nerve jangling 10 minute scrap ensued with the fish making several lunges into the lilies, until the net was finally slipped under it.
Nick was fishing with mates Dave Coleman and Dave Foresuch, and the party had a total of 12 doubles, 8 x 20’s and the two-tone 30 between them. Not bad considering the changeable weather which included some very chilly nights and heavy rain.
Best bait was again Quest’s Surf N Turf, fished in a variety of ways (snowman, dumbbells, single bottom baits), but Rahja Spice and Tutti Frutti pop-ups also worked.
First '30' of the year!!!
Updated February 2009
  
Lake owner Neil took a few hours off from branch-cutting, leaf raking etc, and had 3 fish in 2 short afternoon sessions this week.
The first fish came on Thursday 26th Feb after less than an hours fishing and weighed in at 18lbs 8ozs.
The following day, and again after less than an hours fishing, a cracking 30lb 8oz mirror came out, closely followed by a 24lb mirror.
All of the fish came from the Stump Swim, and fell to the new Surf 'n' Turf flavour boilies from Quest Baits.
The fish have become very active since the weather warmed up two weeks ago here in Brittany, and obviously have their heads down right now!
What a great time to get those rods dusted off and take advantage of our Winter Breaks prices - running until the end of March!!
New 7th Swim Completed at Joy Lake!
Updated January 2009
 
Work on the new 7th swim, (named 'Kingfisher' after numerous sightings of one of our residents during the work) has now been completed.
The swim is on the same peninsula as 'The Point' swim, and opens up a previously unfishable area of Joy Lake (see Lake Map for overview).
As with all of our other swims, this one has plenty of features - overhanging trees to the left margin, lily pads to the front, (with several clear channels) and more tree cover to the frequently productiove far bank (right) margin.
Looking forward to seeing the first fish come out of here!
Work is also underway on the upgrade of the island shelter area, (including the addition of a new stone bbq on the island) and the cabins - whoever said running a fishery was relaxing?!?
More on these projects upon completion - watch this space!
Joy Lake signs up with Angling Lines!
Updated October 2008
Neil & Caroline are proud to announce that with immediate effect, Joy Lake has teamed up with Angling Lines for the 2009 season. As such all booking and availability enquiries will now be handled by the Angling Lines team on 08712 004466/01246 857600 and at www.anglinglines.com
'The Veteran' leads the way............
Updated 18 May 2008
 
Steve Sheppard & Chris (aka Badge). May 2008.
Steve Sheppard returned to Joy Lake for his fourth visit, and used all his experience to bank a best ever five 30's in a week.
The other 4 anglers in Steve's party also chipped in with a further five 30's, giving a weeks total of 10 x 30's, 19 x 20's and 35 doubles.
40th Birthday boy Kevin endured a frustrating start to his week on Point with hook-pulls, parted line and lily pads testing his patience. He persevered though and had several doubles, three 20's (including a lovely 22lb 8oz Common) and a 30lb 8 oz mirror - which unfortunately meant a forfeit for his troubles (don't worry Kev, I'll not post the piccies on the website!).
Chris (aka Badge) had a great week in the Pads swim, beating his PB on several occassions. His best two fish being 30's at 30lb exactly and 31lb 3oz, and backed up with three 20's and numerous doubles. Even a wade into his swim (to retrieve a rod pulled in by an unknown carp) could'nt dampen his week!!
Dave's week on Brace swim started well with a 28lb 8oz Mirror on the first day, two 20's on the second day and two more on day 3. But the runs tailed off (nothing to do with a dip in the swim Dave??!), although a new PB of 29lb did put in an appearance on the Wednesday.
Also off to a flier was Wayne with a 31lb 15oz Mirror from Withy on Day 1. A number of doubles followed, plus two 20's (best 27lb 8oz), before a lovely Mirror of 31lb 9oz finished the week on a high on the last day.
Finally as mentioned above, Joylake veteran Steve fishing on Stump had a best ever five 30's (topped by a Mirror of 33lb 4oz), four 20's (best 28lb 12oz) and eleven doubles.
Two of Steve's 30's came during a hectic hour on the Tuesday, with fish of 31lb 3oz, 31lb 9oz and 27lb 14oz all coming out.
An excellent week had by all, look forward to seeing you all again (even the Rovers fans!)........................
See the 'Latest Photo Gallery'
for pictures of some of the above fish..................
More PB's smashed...... - Ben Dixon & Hazel Spencers Party of 3 Anglers.
Updated: 28th April 2008
Hazel Spencer & Ben Dixon
Thankfully the weather had improved somewhat by mid-April when Ben, Hazel and Mick arrived.
Hazel set the pace for the guys early on with a superb new PB of 34lb 2oz from the Stump swim, and went on to add 20's of 22lb 2oz, 28lb 4oz, 28lb 8oz and another '30' of 31lb 8oz.
Rising to the challenge, Ben responded with a brace (hooked at the same time whilst stalking in the Point swim bay!) of 22lb 1oz (Common) and a 30lb 8oz mirror, and had further 20's of 25lb 4oz, 27lb 12oz and a new PB of 33lb - also coming from the Stump swim.
Both Ben and Hazel took full advantage of having exclusive use of the lake and caught a number of fish whilst stalking.
Taking life a little easier in the Withy swim, Mick found the bigger fish had deserted the area, but thankfully a few of our stockies kept him occupied, including a nice 19lb mirror!
Looking forward to the re-match in July!!!
See the 'Latest Photo Gallery'
for pictures of some of the above fish..................
This Years First Customers - Mick & Julie Knaptons Party of 6 Anglers.
Updated: 7 April 2008
 
Mick Knapton & Julie Knapton
Joy Lake's first customers this year under the new management had a fantastic week. Mick & Julie Knaptons party of 6 anglers endured some very 'unwelcoming' weather, arriving in sleet closely followed by hail and lots of cold rain!!
Despite this, the galant band managed to bank some lovely fish and 4 out of the 6 anglers upped their personal bests.
Mick & Julie (pictured with their new PB's) endured a run-less first few days in the Brace swim, before deciding to move to the more sheltered & deeper Withy swim. The move paid off with Mick landing fish of 24lb, 26lb 9oz, 28lb 2oz, 28lb 6oz, 2 different fish @ 29lb 12 oz and a cracker of 35lb 12oz (pictured). Not to be out-fished, (and despite also doing the cooking for the entire party!) Julie also managed fish of 15lb, 22lb 7oz and her new PB of 33lb 6oz (pictured).
Also beating their PB's were Peter (Stump swim) who had a number of our new 'double' stockies before hitting into fish of 21lb 2oz (the only Common of the week!), 27lb 12oz and his biggie at 30lb 2oz, and Roger who struggled for runs on the shallower Pads swim, but still had his new PB at 18lb 15oz.
Finally Mark (aka Pug!) in the Box swim, also had several of our new 'doubles', 2 x 20's and a 30lb 9oz mirror and Alan (aka Tank!)
on Point - also struggling for runs in the shallow bay, had 2 fish, both 24lbers.
Once the rest of the photos arrive (ROGER!!) I'll post them in the 'Latest Photos Gallery' for all to admire.
Well done to all
and hope to see you again soon - bring some better weather next time though!!!
Under New Management!
Updated: 3 March 2008
Neil and Caroline at Joy Lake, April 2008.
Joy Lake is under new management! We recently took over at the beginning of March, and hope to continue and build upon the good start made by its previous owners. The lake has been a carp fishery for nearly 4 years now, but used privately.
We stocked a further 50 fish at the beginning of 2008 to supplement the exisitng stocks taking levels to around 150 carp. The 'stockies' weighed between 13lb and 26lb (including a couple of gorgeous commons), and have already started putting in regular apperances on the bank.
We hope you'll come and see our beautiful lake, and sample the fabulous fishing here soon!
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