Shefford & District AA members often struggled for bites during the heat of the day when temperatures soared above 25C.  However, the return to cooler temperatures has resulted in a marked increase in catches. 

Sid Fuller’s latest 48h session at Broom Lake started with 3 common carp on Thursday night with two more fish slipping the hook.  It proved impossible to tempt any carp during Friday’s daylight hours with the carp cruising around near the surface and just not interested in feeding.  However, the carp switched on during Friday night and 6 hard fighting carp topped by a 16lb 6oz common gave Sid a fairly sleepless night.  Peter Thompson’s day session produced a 9lb 5oz common, and two bream of 5lb 4oz and 5lb 8oz. Terry Peniston kept up his run of success at the venue with 10 common carp to 20lb 8oz and a tench just under 4lb. 

Members are reminded to ensure all gates are left securely locked after entering and exiting venues.  Particular care should be taken when using the first gate at Broom Lake that is shared with the Alcove syndicate and ensure both locks are left secured to the metal ring and both locks are located behind (not in front) of the gate.  Please report any issues with the locks to either Richard Bell or Colin Stitt so that the problem can be investigated ASAP.

With both air and water temperatures soaring,  Shefford & District AA members often struggled to catch consistently when the sun was high in the sky.  Fish welfare is paramount during these conditions and unhooking mats and cradles should be thoroughly doused with water before any fish are laid on them.   

Terry Peniston enjoyed yet another successful trip to Broom Lake when he landed nine common carp to 16lb 8oz during his latest morning session. 

The SDAA committee has reviewed the ‘additional rules’ that apply to SDAA fisheries, and the full set of revised rules will soon be available to download from the SDAA website. SDAA members should respect that others may wish to take a more cautious approach to the relaxation of laws concerning social distancing and wish to continue avoiding close contact with others. Therefore, all members must keep well distanced (>2 metres) from other people whilst visiting SDAA fisheries at all times, unless all parties agree to closer contact.  The sale of guest tickets remains suspended for the foreseeable future.

Week ending 11th July 2021

Terry Peniston returned to Broom Lake for another day session and landed 6 common carp to 16lb 8oz, lost another carp and also landed 2 bream around the 3lb mark.  Terry commented that the smaller carp put up a hell of a fight for their size.   Bailiffs have discovered a few members who had forgotten to renew their EA rod licences at the start of the new season.  This information has been passed on to the EA enforcement team who will be paying visits to SDAA venues in the near future.  Anyone caught fishing without a valid EA rod licence can expect a hefty fine if caught by an EA enforcement officer.
 
Richard Cook and his son Steve Cook enjoyed a highly productive session at The Airman targeting the catfish.  Richard managed 3 catfish all over 30lb up to 34lb.  Steve landed 4 catfish at 26lb, 43lb 8oz, 50lb and 51lb 6oz.  All the catfish were caught on meat.  Another well attended work party was held last Saturday with a number of maintenance tasks completed.

Several Shefford & District AA members have enjoyed some good catches during the last week on both stillwater and river venues. 
 
The carp have been in a more obliging mood at Broom Lake with several members enjoying multiple catches.  Richard Knight’s recent 48 session produced 6 carp to 17lb.  Terry Peniston landed 3 common carp to 12lb 8oz during a day session and returned a few days later and landed 5 commons and a mirror carp to 21lb 8oz.  Lewis Ambrose also reported a common carp of 21lb.  With recent heavy rainfall keeping the ground relatively soft, it is important that members keep to the ‘tramlines’ when driving along the track around the lake, and parked vehicles and items of tackle (e.g. brollies and bivvies) must not be placed such that they impede users of the track.
 
Sid Fuller spent a very frustrating 48h session at The Airman targeting the catfish with several dropped runs as well as having two fish ‘on’ that felt very big before they both slipped the hook.  Sid was looking at a blank until a new PB 20lb 1oz pike took his bait.  Harvey Jones landed a 40lb catfish, which was his first ever catfish.  A work party is being held at The Airman on Saturday 10th July from 08.00 to 14.00, during which time no fishing will be allowed and only those involved in the WP will be allowed to be present on site. Members not attending the work party must vacate The Airman by 07.30. All members are invited to attend the WP.
 
James Busby spent a short evening session Biggleswade Common section of the Ivel (which is controlled by the IPA) and managed 3 chub in the 4-6lb bracket.  Member’s should note that the EA’s annual weed cutting programme on the Ivel has started and will continue for the next few weeks.

Shefford & District AA members are reminded to securely attach a passport style ID photo to the inside front cover of their membership book before they go fishing on any SDAA water.  Bailiffs will ask any member without an ID photo in their book to pack up and leave, and refer the matter to the committee.   

An excellent turnout of 12 volunteers attended the recent work party at The Airman, which meant a significant amount of maintenance work was achieved.  Another work party will be held at The Airman on Saturday 10th July from 08.00 to 14.00, during which time no fishing will be allowed and only those involved in the WP will be allowed to be present on site. Members not attending the work party must vacate The Airman by 07.30. All members are invited to attend the WP. 

Broom Lake has proven to be a popular venue since the track around the lake was reopened and several new members have enjoyed success.  Peter Thompson managed a 12lb 2oz common carp on his first trip to the venue, whilst a short evening session resulted in a 10lb 12oz common for Richard Fuller and some roach and perch for his son Jake who fished pole and maggot.  Sid Fuller’s most recent 2 night session produced 5 commons to 16lb 8oz and a mirror carp.

The new season started  on 16th June for Shefford & District AA members, which coincided with a change in the weather and heavy and persistent rainfall last Friday had a dramatic impact on local river levels.  Members should note that a work party is being held at The Airman on Saturday 26th  June from 08.00 to 14.00, during which time no fishing will be allowed and only those involved in the WP will be allowed to be present on site. Members not attending the work party must vacate The Airman by 07.30. All members are invited to attend the WP. 

Bailiffs have reported several cases of rule breaking during the first week of the new season and disappointing many of these incidents involved established members of the club.  This season all members must securely attach a passport style ID photo to the inside front cover before they go fishing, in addition to signing the declaration on page 1 to confirm they have read the membership book and agree to abide by the rules.  Incidents of rule breaking reported by bailiffs have included: not having an EA rod licence, fishing with too many rods, Associate Junior member fishing a different swim to the supervising adult, not having an unhooking mat and use of treble hooks at The Airman. 

Filamentous algae (blanket weed) has continued to produced large floating clumps at Willington Lake that move around the lake as the wind direction changes.  These clumps can impede angling, particularly when a large fish is hooked and the line picks up large clumps of the algae.

Shefford & District AA members will be pleased to hear that following the recent spell of warm (and thankfully dry) weather the track around Broom Lake has finally been opened to use by vehicles (cars and light vans only).  Vehicles must be driven at walking pace (<5mph) and follow the solid ‘tramlines’ and avoiding areas of bare soil that has been reseeded with grass.  Care should be taken to park off the track so that other vehicles are not forced to veer off the ‘tramlines’. 

The warm weather has triggered many species into spawning across all SDAA waters and members are urged not to disturb or cast into areas where fish are engaged in spawning activity.  The club runs all its waters as mixed fisheries and does not close its waters because one particular species is spawning, otherwise our waters could potentially remain closed from February through to July.  Anglers of a certain age will remember that the current close season (15th March to 15th June inclusive) that still applies to coarse fishing on rivers used to also apply to virtually all stillwater coarse fisheries. 

Another consequence of the warm and bright conditions has been an explosive growth of filamentous algae (blanketweed/ silkweed) at Willington Lake, which has probably been aided by nutrients deposited in the lake during the winter floods.  The filamentous algae has produced large floating clumps that can impede angling, particularly when a large fish is hooked and the line picks up large clumps of the algae. 

There have been no ‘official’ catch reports from members this week, but bailiffs  are aware that carp to over 20lb have been caught from all our major lakes and in addition The Airman has produced perch to 3lb, decent tench and catfish.

The closing date for renewal applications from existing Shefford & District AA members was 31st May 2021.  The Registrar is in the process of offering remaining membership places to those already on the currently waiting list.  The membership waiting list for the 2021/22 season is now closed. 
The ground around Broom Lake has started to dry out and hopefully the track can soon be opened to vehicles.  Sid Fuller’s recent 48h session at Broom Lake started without any action, but a decision to move to a different part of the lake resulted in 6 carp topped by a 20lb 7oz common. 
A reminder that Willington Lake reopened for fishing on Friday 28th May.   The recent upsurge in temperatures is likely to trigger many species into spawning across all waters and members are urged not to disturb or cast into areas where fish are engaged in spawning activity.

A final reminder that current Shefford & District AA members have until the end of May to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  Renewal applications received after the 31st May 2021 deadline will not be accepted. 

Contractors have now repaired the flood damage caused to the track around Broom Lake and the lake is now reopen to fishing.  However,  the recent heavy rain has once again saturated the ground making it too soft to allow the track to be opened to vehicles.  Hopefully a few days of dry and warm weather will allow the ground to dry out sufficiently to allow the track to reopen.  Please note contractors will be working on the cricket bat willows located between the lake and the river.  Mick Baldwin has been enjoying success at Broom Lake in recent weeks and the total weight of fish he has caught is 410lb, with two sessions producing  over 50lb of fish.  Mick ledgered using 1.25lb test curve rods and landed 57 bream (best 7lb 5oz), 6 carp (best 20lb 7oz), 5 tench (best 6lb 1oz), a dozen roach and rudd, and 2 pike.  Whilst bream may not be everyone’s favourite species, Mick found them to be reliable feeders especially under windy and overcast conditions. 

Willington Lake will reopen for fishing on Friday 28th May following the recent ‘spiky’ diatom bloom.   The lake has been closely monitored and fish behaviour has slowly returned to normal, including some species going through spawning.

Current Shefford & District AA members are reminded that the deadline for renewing their membership for the 2021/22 season is the end of May.  Night permits are being issued on a 'first come first served' basis and any membership renewal applications received after the 31st May 2021 deadline will not be accepted. 

Willington Lake remains closed to fishing following a recent ‘spiky’ diatom bloom that resulted in the death of approximately 2,000 small roach.  Spiky diatoms can cause damage to fish gills when in high density and subsequent water samples revealed that the levels of spiky diatoms had considerably decreased.  There have been promising signs of fish behaviour slowly returning to normal, including bream spawning in the margins.  Assuming there the situation continues to improve the plan is to reopen Willington Lake to fishing on Friday 28th May. 

A number of catfish have been landed at The Airman with a significant number picking up baits intended for carp.  Steve Burbidge was one of those targeting the carp when he latched into a 44lb catfish that put a significant bend in his carp rod before being successfully landed.  Wayne Butts was targeting the catfish during a recent 24h session when his son Theo suggested freshening up his hookbait.  15 minutes after rebaiting and recasting, Wayne landed his first catfish of 2021 weighing 35lb.  David Fensome also reported a catfish of 27lb whilst Jay Plume landed one of the increasing number of large perch at 2lb 8oz. 

Contractors will soon be repairing the track around Broom Lake.  The lake will be closed during the repairs, but once completed the track will be opened to cars and small vans.  The exact dates for the repairs have yet to be confirmed and the lake may need to be closed at relatively short notice.

Willington Lake is currently closed to  Shefford & District AA members following a recent incident when approximately 2,000 roach were found dead or dying. The vast majority of the roach were immature fish well under an ounce. The EA responded very quickly to the incident and confirmed water quality (e.g. dissolved oxygen) was well within usual parameters. Water samples taken from around the lake were sent for analysis and showed the presence of diatoms (Synedra species), which can cause damage to fish gills when in high density. No further dead or distressed roach have been observed since the initial incident.  However, the water will remain closed to fishing until further notice as the fish will still be under some stress and further water samples will be taken to check the levels of diatoms present. There was no sign of any problems immediately before the incident when a number of carp to over 20lb, tench and bream were caught. 

All current Shefford & District AA members have been sent an email or letter regarding renewing their membership for the 2021/22 season.  If you are a current member and have not received an email or letter please contact Richard Bell ASAP as the deadline for renewals is 31st May 2021.  Night permits are being issued on a 'first come first served' basis. 

Sport at Broom Lake has remained relatively slow with Mick Baldwin landing 3 bream in a recent session, whereas this time last year he was bagging up on most of his bream sessions.  Mick also reported finding an item of tackle left by another angler on 5th May, so please contact the club if it is yours.  Gareth James landed a common carp of 19lb 14oz and a bream approaching double figures on hemp and corn fished just over a rod length out. 

There have been relatively few reports from The Airman this week.  Mick Baldwin set his stall out for tench fishing with relatively heavy tackle and although he did not catch any tench he still managed a good net of decent sized roach.

All current Shefford & District AA members have been sent an email or letter to highlight that they have until 31st May 2021 to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  Night permits are being issued on a 'first come first served' basis and any renewal applications received after the 31st May deadline will not be accepted. 

Overnight frosts and relatively cool daytime temperatures have had an impact upon fish activity, but some members have  enjoyed some good catches, particularly at The Airman.  Chris Jenkins enjoyed another successful 24h session with 4 catfish to 52lb and one that ‘let go’ 10 minutes into the fight, with fish feeding throughout his session. Michael Kell also landed a catfish of about 30lb.  Peter Swallow’s first trip of spring produced only one bite that resulted in a 3lb perch.  Ian Webb has concentrated on the roach in recent weeks and recently landed roach of 2lb 3oz and 2lb 4oz, plus several roach just under the 2lb mark.

All current Shefford & District AA members have until 31st May 2021 to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  Please note that any renewal applications received after the 31st May deadline will not be accepted.  Night permits are being issued on a 'first come first served' basis.  The SDAA committee has imposed a cap on membership numbers and night permits for the 2021/22 season, and after 31st May 2021  remaining membership places and night permits will be offered to new and lapsed SDAA members who have expressed an interest in joining SDAA.
 
Once again the relatively fine weather has seen plenty of expectant anglers visiting the lakes, but overnight frosts have kept water temperatures relatively low and the fish have not been feeding as actively as usual for this time of year.    The Airman has seen plenty of anglers visiting and several species have featured in catch reports.  Pete Allen landed a perch of 3lb and several good roach well over the pound mark on the pole.  Dariusz Blahuta tempted a 19lb 1oz pike during a short pike session after work.  Chris Jenkins arrived at 11am for an overnight session for catfish and anticipated a long wait for any action based on recent trips.  At 1pm a catfish took his bait and after a long fight landed a 46lb specimen.  Then around midnight and with everything covered in frost, Chris landed another cat of around 35lb.  Chris then lost a fish at 4am that felt like a really big catfish, followed by no further action before leaving at midday.
 Sid Fuller’s 48h session at Broom Lake started off with a common of 19lb 8oz after a couple of hours followed by the loss of what felt like a good fish in the early hours after playing it for several minutes.  The only other action was a common of 12lb during Sid’s second night.  We hope to soon agree a date with the contractors to repair the track around Broom Lake, which will need to be closed to fishing whilst the contractors are on site.  We will announce the closure dates as soon as they have been confirmed

All current Shefford & District AA members have been sent an email or letter inviting them to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  Emails and letters used the member’s contact details held by the club.  If any member has not received an email or letter please contact the club ASAP.  Further details and renewal forms can be found on the membership section of the club’s website.  Please note that all SDAA renewal applications must be received before 31st May 2021 at the very latest.   Night permits will be issued on a 'first come first served' basis. 

The committee has imposed a cap on membership numbers and night permits for the 2021/22 season.   After 31st May 2021, remaining membership places and night permits will be offered to new and lapsed SDAA members who have expressed an interest in joining SDAA. 

The relatively fine weather has seen anglers venturing out in larger numbers, but the fish have not always been in an obliging mood, probably due to the overnight frosts keeping water temperatures relatively low.  Jason O’Niel landed a 16lb 8oz mirror from Willington Lake that was identified as a VS Fisheries carp stocked in 2018. 

The track around Broom Lake will remain closed to vehicles as it requires repairs to make it safe following damage caused by the winter floods. Broom Lake will need to be closed to fishing whilst the contractors undertake the repairs and the closure dates will be announced in due course.  Volunteers are also working their way around the lake modifying and repairing the swims whilst the lake remains open to fishing, which may cause minor disturbance for those fishing nearby.

Current Shefford & District AA members can now apply to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  Members are currently being contacted by email or post with details of how to renew their membership, and further details and renewal forms can be found on the membership section of the club’s website.  Existing members have until 31st May 2021 to renew their membership.  After this date, remaining places will be offered to new and lapsed members who have expressed an interest in joining SDAA.   

With both daytime and night time temperatures well below average the water temperatures have been affected and sport has been a little slower than might be expected for this time of year.  Patience has been required by those targeting the catfish at The Airman, but the catfish activity has been slowly increasing in recent weeks.  Having caught his first catfish of the year at 31lb two weeks ago, Chris Jenkins returned for another session on a cold windy day. Starting at 11am Chris waited without a bite until dark and considered going home, but decided to give it "a bit longer".  With one rod packed away and just about ready to leave, a steady run at 8.30pm was followed by a 10 minute fight before a catfish of 50lb was safely landed. A long wait but worth it!  Bill Burton also tempted a 36lb 5oz catfish during a recent session.  Phil Thompson presented a small ‘Robin Red’ pellet on a size 14 hook that was wrapped in groundbait to attract any passing fish on relatively light tackle.  Phil was surprised to find himself attached to something large and powerful, which eventually resulted in his first ever catfish of 35lb being landed.  Several carp have been landed including a 19lb 8oz mirror landed by Alfie Youd.

Current Shefford & District AA members will be contacted by email or post during April inviting them to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  The SDAA committee has set an upper limit to both membership numbers and night permits to ensure our waters do not become too busy.  Existing members will have until 31st May 2021 to renew their membership.  After this date, remaining places will be offered to new and lapsed members who have expressed an interest in joining SDAA. 

The resumption of night fishing on the club’s stillwaters coincided with some unusually high daytime temperatures and several members enjoyed success with the carp at Willington Lake during their first overnight sessions for some time.  Twins Barry and Dean Jarvis were there for ‘opening night’ and had a decent common and mirror carp during their session.  Steve Burbidge fished a 48h session and landed several of the recently stocked VS Fisheries mirrors around the 14-15lb mark as well as a mirror of 20lb 2oz. 

A number of members headed to The Airman hoping the catfish would be in a feeding mood, but most left disappointed.  Several carp were caught including a 17lb ‘old warrior’ mirror landed by Steve Leslie.  Odd tench also showed up in catches as well as some decent roach for those targeting the smaller species. 

Reports from Broom Lake were thin on the ground but Darren Stratton did land a nice 6lb 4oz tench.  The track around the lake remains closed to vehicles as it requires repairs to make it safe following damage caused by the winter floods.  The lake will need to be closed to fishing whilst the contractors undertake the repairs and the closure dates will be announced in due course.

Those Shefford & District AA members who are in possession of a night permit will be able to resume night fishing on the club’s stillwaters from 8pm on Monday 29th March 2021, provided there are no late changes to the Government’s Roadmap out of lockdown.  All members are reminded that the club’s Covid-19 additional rules (dated 8th December 2020) still apply whilst visiting SDAA waters and these can be viewed on the homepage of the club’s website.

Catches at Broom Lake have been steadily improving as the water temperatures have slowly risen.  Mick Baldwin has enjoyed a few early season tench during recent sessions targeting the bream, which has also produced the odd carp.  A bailiff witnessed another member landing a 16lb+ common carp on a feeder set up that had already accounted for several bream. 

Although The Airman has seen plenty of anglers, catch reports have been rather thin on the ground.  Kyle Price-Smith reported a 15lb mirror that was identified as one of the AJS Fisheries C3 stocked a few years ago.

Current SDAA members will be contacted in a few weeks time with details of how to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  Once existing members have had an opportunity to renew their membership, any remaining places will be offered to new and lapsed members who have expressed an interest in joining SDAA.  The committee has set an upper limit to both membership numbers and night permits to ensure our waters do not become too busy

Shefford & District AA members are reminded that no fishing is allowed on river venues for the next 3 months as the river close season applies from 15th March to 15th June inclusive.  Neil Bygrave ventured to Broom River just before the start of the river close season hoping that his ledgered worm would attract some of the venue’s large perch.  Neil fished three swims during his session with no sign of any perch, but his second swim did produce a small roach straight away followed by a new personal best 6lb 6oz chub. 

The Airman continues to be a popular venue that has continued to produce a number of different species.  Some anglers have been enjoying multiple catches of carp in a single session once the areas where the carp are feeding have been located. 

The Angling Trust has announce that they have confirmation from the Cabinet Office that night fishing should be able to resume from 29th March under planned changes to Government guidance for the wider return of outdoor sports and recreation.  Night fishing is not currently permitted on SDAA waters and the committee will make their decision about resuming night fishing once changes to government Covid-19 regulations have been announced.

Current SDAA members will be contacted in a few weeks time with details of how to renew their membership for the 2021/22 season.  Once existing members have had an opportunity to renew their membership, any remaining places will be offered to new and lapsed members who have expressed an interest in joining SDAA.  The committee has set an upper limit to both membership numbers and night permits to ensure our waters do not become too busy.

Shefford & District AA members are reminded that there are only a few days left to fish river venues before the river close season applies from 15th March to 15th June inclusive.  The club’s stretches of the Ivel have recently been producing some decent perch, including an unweighed specimen caught by Matt Dale whilst lure fishing.  Peter Gill reported a 2lb 14oz perch from the Broom River stretch.
 
The Airman continues to be a popular venue that has been producing a number of different species.  Dick Cook enjoyed an excellent session with a bag of roach, a perch of 2lb 8oz and two pike to 18lb.  Junior member Alfie Youd had success whilst carp fishing with his best two mirrors weighing 19lb 3oz and 19lb 8oz.
 
The AGM that was due to be held on 24th March 2021 has been cancelled and nominations have now closed for committee and officer positions.  The committee will be discussing membership and potential rule changes for next season during March.  Members will then be contacted regarding renewing their membership for the 2021/22 season.

With rivers fining down and some spring like temperatures more  Shefford & District AA members have been venturing out to fish.   Members are reminded that we are still in national lockdown and fishing is restricted to day sessions only (night fishing is not permitted) and members must continue to follow Government guidelines regarding travel and exercising.  The SDAA committee do not anticipate making any changes to the clubs ‘additional rules’ regarding the Covid-19 situation before 29th March 2021.
 
Neil Bygrave made a trip to Broom River on the Ivel in search of chub and perch.  Fishing worm on the hook Neil’s first swim produced a solitary gudgeon.  Moving swims Neil cast a light link ledger downstream just a rod length out and took two chub of 3lb and 4lb in quick succession.  Neil’s only other bite resulted in a small ‘tommy’ ruffe, a fish that is a very rare encounter for the vast majority of anglers these days.
 The Airman water levels have returned to normal and has been popular with members since the ice has thawed.  Carp have been feeding with some anglers enjoying multiple captures of double figure carp in a single session.  Nathan Rusbridge had a pleasant surprise when a 13lb 8oz catfish picked up his white scopex squid pop up just after casting out.  Several pike have also been caught including a 19lb pike landed by Kevin Currington

It has been a struggle for Shefford & District AA members to find any venue to fish in recent weeks.  River venues have been flooded for much of the time, which resulted in both Willington Lake and Broom Lake experiencing flooding.  Then as flood waters receded the cold spell led to the lakes being frozen over.  Hopefully with milder weather forecast the fishing will improve, provided there is no further flooding.  River anglers should be aware that the river close season will come into force from 15th March to 15th June inclusive, so there are only a few weeks left to explore the club’s river venues.   

Water levels at The Airman are settling down with just the fronts of a few swims under a little water.  Fishing was rather slow just before the lake froze over, but a few pike and roach were still being caught, as these species are usually willing to feed even in low water temperatures.  Although roach were not being caught in large numbers there were still several roach well over a pound landed, with odd fish approaching the magical 2lb mark.

The AGM due to be held on 24th March 2021 has been cancelled.  Any member who wishes to put their name forward to join the committee, act as an officer or become a director should contact the Chairperson or Club Secretary ASAP, who should also be contacted by members if they have any proposals for rule changes or questions/comments about the club.  The committee have started to discuss plans for the 2021/22 season.  Current members will be contacted in the spring regarding any changes being introduce and how to renew their membership.

We expect a number of Shefford & District AA members will be looking forward to visiting club waters over the festive season.  Members need to be aware of the impact of the changes to the local restriction tiers, which come into effect from 19th December.  SDAA waters will move into Tier 3 (very high alert) with the exception of the Ouse at Little Paxton that will remain in Tier 2 (high alert).  The Government advises against all unnecessary travel into and out of Tier 3 areas, and a fishing trip is not judged to be necessary travel.  Before visiting any SDAA fishery, all SDAA members must fully familiarise themselves with the current set of additional rules governing SDAA fisheries (and all other club rules) that can be found on the SDAA website. Some members are still failing to observe the basic 2m social distancing rule at all times whilst on SDAA waters.  There have also been instances of members leaving their baited rods in the water to visit friends in nearby swims and verbal warnings have been issued, which is likely to result in a ban if the member is found leaving unattended rods again. 

There have been relatively few catch reports in recent weeks.  The Airman has produced a number of double figure pike, but blank sessions seem to outnumber successful trips.  Some anglers are still enjoying good catches of roach along with some decent perch, but locating the shoals of fish is the key to a good net of fish.  Please note that peg 11 (Green Swim) has been closed as the swim had become totally waterlogged as it had acted as a sump for rainwater runoff from the surrounding land. 

Whilst anglers have struggled to catch specimen chub and perch on the river venues using larger baits, a number of members have discovered a switch to smaller hooks and baits can often produce some good nets of roach and dace on several of our Ivel and Ouse venues. 

It was with great sadness that the club heard the news that John Wigg had passed away on Sunday 13th December.  In recent years John was a regular visitor to Broom Lake where he especially enjoyed pole fishing for the roach.  John will be known to many club members and the club would like to pass on our condolences to his wife and family.

The drop in temperatures resulted in far fewer Shefford & District AA members venturing outside to the club’s waters during the last week.  Dick Cook visited The Airman last Wednesday and his catch included a 2lb 8oz perch, plus roach of 1lb 12oz and 1lb 14oz.  The venue has produced several roach over the magical 2lb mark this season and whilst several have been accidental captures by carp anglers, some members have successfully persevered with selective baits to avoid the smaller roach and pick out the larger redfins. 
Please note that the wording of the ‘additional rules’ document has been updated to reflect changes to Government Covid-19 guidance as well as an update to the document outlining the Covid-19 risk factors that are relevant to SDAA members.  Both updated documents will appear on the home page of the club’s website.

The Government’s Covid-19 Winter Plan has now switched to the new restriction tiers and all  Shefford & District AA waters are currently located within Tier 2.  Before visiting any SDAA fishery, all SDAA members must fully familiarise themselves with the current set of additional rules governing SDAA fisheries (and all other club rules) that can be found on the SDAA website.  Bailiffs have noted some members failing to observe the 2m social distancing rule at all times whilst on SDAA waters. 
Work on modifying the swims at Broom Lake has been completed and the lake is now open to members.  Please take care where the soil has been disturbed as it will take time for the ground to consolidate.  The track around the lake will remain closed to vehicles until the ground has dried out in the spring.  Please note that the willows located between the lake and river are being cropped, so please take extra care when accessing Broom River via the lake.
 James Burton landed a couple of perch to 1lb 6oz from Broom River. One was tempted by ledgered lobworm and the other with a large bunch of maggots on a maggot feeder.  As is often the case on this stretch,  James caught both fish within a 20 minute spell during the late afternoon as light levels began to drop.  Whilst many have been targeting the perch and chub with large baits, some members have also reported a notable increase in small roach when fishing with lighter tackle and smaller baits.

The Airman has continued to provide  Shefford & District AA members with several notable catches during the last week.  A number of members have been targeting the pike and Chris Wilkins managed a single run in a 4h session, which resulted in a new PB pike of 17lb.  Ian Webb tempted an even larger specimen pike of 20lb 2oz on Saturday morning.  Steve Burbidge had several carp ‘topping’ in his swim before his bite alarm finally sounded that resulted in a 20lb 8oz mirror carp, which was identified as a VS Fisheries carp stocked just a couple of years ago.  Alan Lawrence is often ‘pestered’ by carp whilst tench fishing in the spring and summer.  Alan was fishing for roach on his latest trip when he hooked into something much larger that turned out to be a very unseasonal and large tench.  Unfortunately Alan only had a small set of scales with him to weigh any decent roach, so the tench was returned unweighed.  The club would like to thank all the volunteers who turned up on Saturday to help plant laurel bushes in some of the car park swims,  The volunteers also carried out some tree work and applied wood chippings to a number of swims. 

Work on modifying and repairing the swims at  Broom Lake began on 23rd November and notices will appear on social media pages when the work has been completed and Broom Lake has been reopened to members. 

Mick Webb fished a session on the Flit (Ivel Navigation) using some homemade cheese paste, which resulted in two pristine chub of 4lb 6oz and 4lb 2oz.  Although many areas of the Flit are quite narrow it is a river that can produce some surprisingly good catches.

Several Shefford & District AA members have enjoyed some notable catches over the last week.  The club’s Broom River stretch has produced a number of good perch this season to just over 3lb, but it is also known to produce the odd specimen chub.   Paul Burton was delighted when he broke his PB with a chub of 6lb 11oz that was caught on a legered worm.  Members are reminded that  Broom Lake will be closed and out of bounds to all members from 5.15pm on Sunday 22nd November for up to 10 days whilst contractors modify and repair the swims.  There will also be no access to the river via Broom Lake during this closure, so members wanting to fish Broom River will need to access from the Jordans Mill end.
 
The Airman has again been busy and several members have reported catching a significant number of small perch.  However, there are bigger specimens present and Dick Cook landed three perch over the 2lb mark, with his biggest weighing 2lb 10oz.  Shrubs will be planted behind some of The Airman car park swims on Saturday 21st November (not Monday 23rd November as previously advertised), which may cause some inconvenience to those fishing pegs 1-3.
 
Young Perren Wynnick enjoyed a ‘red letter day’ at Willington Lake where he targeted the pike.  He landed no fewer than 11 pike to 13lb 6oz last Saturday when it rained for much of the day.
 
With the undergrowth starting to die back an unacceptable amount of rubbish is being revealed.  One member even left a pile of rubbish in full view next to a bait box for the rats in peg 12 at The Airman. All members have a responsibility to respect the fisheries and take all their rubbish home with them.  Any member found deliberately littering on any SDAA water can expect to receive a life ban.

Both the Angling Trust and Sport England have confirmed that fishing can continue during the current period of national restrictions.   Shefford & District AA members must continue to adhere to the current set of additional rules governing SDAA fisheries (and all other club rules) that can be found on the SDAA website.  Broom Lake will be closed and out of bounds to all members from 5.15pm on Sunday 22nd November for up to 10 days whilst contractors modify and repair the swims.  There will also be no access for members to Broom River via Broom Lake during this closure.  Members should note that willow trees are currently being harvested on the land between Broom Lake and Broom River with machinery and vehicles gaining access through the club’s car park.  Regulars have reported that the carp catches at Broom Lake have tailed off dramatically in recent weeks.
 
The Airman has again been busy, but actual catch reports have been thin on the ground.  Associate junior Perren Wynnick has reported landing an 18lb mirror carp and a 2lb 4oz perch.  Shrubs will be planted behind some of The Airman car park swims on Monday 23rd November, which may cause some inconvenience to those fishing pegs 1-3.

At the time of writing this report the Shefford & District AA committee was still awaiting formal clarification via the Angling Trust regarding the impact on angling of the Government’s national restrictions that will come into force from Thursday 5th November.  In any event, Broom Lake will be closed and out of bounds to all members from 5.15pm on Sunday 22nd November for up to 10 days whilst contractors modify and repair the swims.  There will also be no access for members to Broom River via Broom Lake during this closure. 
The Airman has again been busy with anglers targeting a range of species.  Many anglers have been using float and feeder tactics to target the roach.  Whilst several roach over the pound mark have been landed, it has often been difficult to avoid the smaller roach getting to baits first.  Those catching roach steadily inevitably draw the attention of pike into their swims.  Junior member Joe Heffernan managed to land a nice pike around the 12lb mark.  Peter Gill started fishing for pike on a windy day that caused tangles with his braid mainline, so whilst unravelling the tangles he ‘lobbed out’ a carp rod and threw a handful of pellets and boilies at it. The result was two mirror carp in quick succession that weighed 18lb 12oz and 26lb 8oz. 
Junior member Aidan Bone enjoys fishing for pike and his first session of the season at Willington Lake produced a new PB pike of 15lb 12oz. 
Dave Baker spent 3 hours on the Ivel rolling luncheon meat in likely looking spots.  Dave was rewarded with two chub both over the 5lb mark.
 

Carp once again dominate catch reports submitted by Shefford & District AA members.  The track around Broom Lake had to be closed from 8th October to vehicles to prevent any further damage to the track.  Heavy rainfall had softened the ground, which will need to dry out before the track can be reopened.  Therefore, the track is now likely to remain closed until next spring.  Members should also note that Broom Lake will be closed to members for up to 10 days whilst contractors modify and repair the swims.  The start date for the closure is likely to be the end of November or beginning of December and the exact dates will be publicised once agreed.  On the fishing front, Paul Burton once again enjoyed success during his overnight sessions landing common carp of 17lb 9oz and 15lb 6oz, plus two mirror carp of 12lb 9oz and 12lb 6oz.
 
The Airman remains a popular venue with anglers in pursuit of a range of species.  Phil Wilcox cast out a hybrid feeder with small yellow dumbbell wafter hook bait using a little feeder rod with 8lb main line and 7lb hook length.  After a very quiet day he had a bite at around 3pm and Initially thought he was attached to a smallish carp as it came in quite easily until it got close to the landing net. The fish then woke up and went on several hard runs and Phil had to play the fish very carefully given its obvious size and the breaking strain of his line. Phil eventually managed to safely net a 20lb 15oz mirror carp that was a new PB for Phil.
 
The club has a policy of stocking small batches of top quality carp into its major lakes on a regular basis to ensure to ensure the long term future of the carp fishing.  Last Sunday the club took delivery of 30 stunning C4 (4 summer, i.e. 3.5 years old) mirror carp from VS Fisheries, which were split equally between The Airman, Broom Lake and Willington Lake.  These latest fish averaged 13lb and ranged from 10lb 4oz to 15lb, which was well above the average weights of C4s we  have received from VS Fisheries in the past.  We would urge members to submit photos (both sides) of any mirror carp caught from these lakes so that we can monitor the carp’s progress, which helps formulate our future stocking regime.

With water temperatures falling as we move further into autumn some Shefford & District AA members have continued to enjoy some excellent catches.  Chris Jenkins decided to stop his overnight sessions at The Airman and opted instead for a session starting at noon and fishing into the first few hours of darkness.  Only 10 minutes into his session Chris latched into a catfish that snagged him up, but after patiently waiting for over half an hour it moved out of the snag and a PB catfish of 58lb was successfully landed. Next was a catfish of 48lb and whilst playing this his margin rod went off.  Both fish were landed, the margin rod was a carp over 20lb, which was returned unweighed as the catfish was still on his other rod.  Another run on the margin rod produced a 22lb carp.  Before 6pm Chris landed another catfish around 30lb and his Airman PB carp of 24lb.  He stayed on until 9pm, but no more bites were forthcoming.  With 6 fish for 200lb in six hours this was the most successful short session Chris had ever enjoyed at the venue.  Junior member Alfie Youd had suffered a few blanks recently but his perseverance was rewarded with a new PB mirror carp of 27lb 4oz. 
Broom Lake continues to be a popular venue for many members but angling pressure has probably taken its toll on carp catches in recent weeks.  Carp have been caught, but not in great numbers.  Large bream have been featuring in catches and they often pick up baits intended for carp.  Lloyd Tooley managed a new PB 22lb common on a recent overnight session.  Members planning to fish Broom Lake should note that the track around the lake will probably need to be closed in the near future to prevent further damage as recent heavy rainfall has softened many areas of the track.
 

The autumn equinox has coincided with a noticeable change in the weather for Shefford & District AA members.  Many ‘fair weather ‘ anglers might be thinking of putting their tackle away until next spring, but the next couple of months are often the most productive as fish in both stillwater and river venues feed more freely as they try and pack on weight to see them through the winter.  Recent Government announcements have not imposed any further restrictions on angling.  However, it is important that all members comply with  the current set of additional rules (available from the homepage of the club’s website) that were introduced to help manage the Covid-19 situation on SDAA fisheries.  Most importantly, unless members are from the same household or support bubble, members must maintain at least 2m distance from all other members whilst on SDAA fisheries and must not share the same swim or equipment.  This set of additional rules is constantly reviewed by the committee to reflect relevant changes to Government advice and legislation. 
Pike also become a target species for many members during the cooler months and, despite their menacing appearance, pike need to be handled with great care and pike anglers need to carry the right equipment to safely unhook pike.  Chris Wilkins spent a couple of short evening sessions lure fishing for pike at  The Airman.  His first session resulted in just a small jack pike, but his second trip produced 3 follows that resulted in a 7lb pike that smashed into his lure and Chris followed that up with another pike around the 5lb mark.  Members fishing for pike at The Airman should note that the use of double and treble hooks or uncoated wire traces is banned between 1st April and 31st October. 
Associate Junior Daniel Rusbridge landed his first ever pike of 4lb 8oz caught on a copper red Savage Gear hybrid pike lure with curly tail whilst fishing at Broom Lake.  Carp reports have been thin on the ground this week, but Shaun Ring was rewarded with a 26lb 8oz common last weekend.

Members have experienced mixed fortunes on Shefford & District AA stillwater venues as temperatures fluctuated during the last week.  The Airman saw multiple catches of catfish one day and then a lack of activity, before they went on the feed again.  Steve Butts fished a 24 session at the weekend and found sport much slower than on his previous trip with a single 23lb catfish caught during the hours of darkness.  Steve was just about to call it a day and reel in when one of his rods ripped off, and after a 20 minute fight he was rewarded with a new PB catfish of 46lb 4oz.  Sid Fuller fished a 48h session and thought he had missed his chance when he lost a catfish on the first night, but his patience was finally rewarded on the second night with a 21lb 15oz catfish.  The carp were also being rather moody with several regulars blanking for the first time for several weeks.  Phil White managed to land two mid double carp during a day session.
 
Junior member Nathan Rushbridge landed a 21lb 4oz carp from Broom Lake, where reports from members have been thin on the ground recently.
 
David Hawkes made his first angling trip for some time and decided to target Broom River.  David’s worm rod produced a pristine 5lb+ chub on only his second cast followed by two hours of inactivity, which prompted a move to another swim that produced a small pike and a perch of 2lb 11oz.   David reported that the ‘cabbages’ were starting to die off and much of the main channel was weed free.  He passed two anglers who were catching plenty of roach on float tactics and one had caught a perch of around 2lb 8oz.  Associate Junior Jason Rusbridge was delighted to catch a 1lb 6oz perch along this stretch.

Last weekend witnessed a dramatic conclusion to the Shefford & District AA 24h match series with junior member Alfie Youd and Match Secretary Nigel Gilbert going into the last match both tied on 8 points.  The Airman match attracted 8 participants who found the fish in a feeding mood.  Junior Alfie Youd pinned his faith on his recent success with landing carp at the venue and managed two carp of 14lb 8oz and 13lb 3oz, but he also hooked into something much bigger on his carp gear.  After an epic struggle lasting well over an hour Alfie managed to land a specimen catfish of 68lb 8oz.  Not only had Alfie managed to land such a large fish on relatively light tackle, this was his first ever catfish and boosted his total weight to 96lb 3oz.  Meanwhile Nigel Gilbert decided to concentrate most of his efforts on catching bream and his feeder tactics saw a steady stream of 16 bream to 5lb 13oz come to the net.  Nigel added a further 12lb 7oz of silvers and a 15lb catfish for a total weight of 96lb 4oz.  This meant Nigel had pipped Alfie for first place in the match by just one ounce and also meant Nigel ran out overall winner of the 24h series with 13 points compare to Alfie’s 12 points.  Despite losing out by just a single ounce in the last match it is worth noting the achievements of young Alfie during the 24h series, especially as he did not fish the first match.  He won the first match he ever entered in which he landed his first ever 20lb carp, he caught the largest carp landed in the Broom match and the largest fish ever landed in SDAA match in history with his first ever catfish.  Third place in the last match was taken by Phil White with 82lb 13oz, comprising of 2 carp to 15lb 9oz and three catfish to 25lb 14oz.  Neil Bygrave was fourth with 24lb 14oz made up of a 19lb 7oz catfish plus silvers and Rhine Van Der Ven was fifth with 24lb 7oz with a 15lb 14oz carp plus silvers.
 
Carp fishing at Broom Lake has been patchy at times with several regulars commenting on the sheer amount of bait that is still being piled into the venue by spods and catapults on a daily basis.  As is often the case at this time of year the carp have been more confident feeders during the hours of darkness.  Barry Jarvis fished a short 12h overnight session and left exhausted with little or no sleep after landing 7 carp with the smallest at 14lb and topped by a 23lb 3oz ghostie caught at first light.  Paul Burton landed four commons weighing 14lb 10oz, 14lb, 14lb and 10lb 13oz during an overnight session.  Ewan Smailes landed a 20lb 2oz common during daylight hours.
 
Barry Jarvis also made a recent trip to the Ivel in Biggleswade and was rewarded with a chub of 6lb 3oz.

The last two weeks have seen many fluctuations in the weather but Shefford & District AA fisheries have continued to produce some excellent catches.   The third leg of the 24h series was held at Broom Lake and attracted six participants who all managed to catch.  Phil White won with a total weight of 114lb 14oz, comprised of 7 carp to 18lb 8oz, 2 bream and a tench.  Only 8 ounces separated the next two places with Rhys Baldwin securing second place with 7 carp to 17lb 15oz for 92lb 9oz, whilst Junior member Alfie Youd was third with 7 carp and a tench for 92lb 1oz.  Fourth was Nigel Gilbert with 75lb 8oz of mainly bream to 6lb and a few silvers.  Andy Collins was fifth with 2 carp for 28lb 8oz and Bill Burton sixth with 3 bream and a carp for 24lb 8oz.  After 3 matches Alfie Youd and Nigel Gilbert have 8 points, but seven anglers are still in with a chance of becoming the overall winner of the 24h series.  The final leg will be held at The Airman starting at 9am on Saturday 5th September and  ending at 10am on Sunday 6th September. The 24h matches are open to all members, entry is free and night permits are not required.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only).  Please note The Airman will close to fishing at midnight on Friday 4th September.  Please look out for notices posted at The Airman as volunteers may take the opportunity to undertake some essential maintenance work on Sunday 6th September immediately after the match whilst the venue is empty, which may delay the reopening until later in the afternoon.   
 
Broom Lake has been producing plenty of carp to low 20s in recent weeks and some areas of the lake have also been reliable for good nets of bream for those targeting the species, as well as accidental captures by those fishing for carp.  Many waters have seen an increase in the amount of litter left by anglers, which is inexcusable.  Particularly worrying was a large ball of strong  line plus a leader that was recently found partially hidden in the foliage next to peg 19 at Broom Lake.  All members have a responsibility to help safeguard the fisheries and wildlife, as well as the safety of other members, so take all your litter and waste home for disposal.  Yet again there have be incidents of gates being left open and/or unlocked, which appears to be a particular problem at Broom Lake especially with the gate that is shared with the Alcove syndicate.  The gates are there for a reason and anyone found deliberately leaving them open or unlocked can expect to be disciplined by the committee.
 
The weed growth at  Willington Lake over the summer has made fishing more challenging than usual, but this will hopefully now start to die back.  Dave Baker managed to find a clean spot to present his bait and was rewarded with a 22lb 4oz mirror carp with a very distinctive scale pattern that identified it as a VS Fisheries C4 carp that had been unreported for several years.  Dave also landed a bream of around 7lb.
 
The Airman has continued to produce plenty of catfish and carp, plus tench and bream, and the ever reliable roach for those in search of smaller species.  During the hot spell the catfish were clearly feeding well off the bottom with some falling to zig-rigs and one angler landed a catfish on their first cast with the fish taking the halibut pellet ‘on the drop’.  Peter Gill landed a mirror of 17lb 9oz and returned a few days later to land mirrors of 18lb 1oz and 26lb 4oz.  Nico Miceli reported a 21lb mirror carp on what was thought to be his first trip to The Airman.  Another reminder that members are asked to leave a piece of paper on the dashboard of their vehicle with their name and membership book number clearly visible in order to assist the bailiffs.
 
With nights drawing in and temperatures cooling down more anglers will be venturing out onto our river venues, especially once the weed has died down.  Kris Ransom decided to lure fish the Broom River section of the Ivel for the first time this season and was rewarded with several jack pike and a perch of 2lb.  Saving the best till last, Paul Welsher decided to fish the weir pool at Little Paxton following the recent heavy rains hoping the barbel would be feeding.  What Paul was not expecting was a hard fighting 31lb common carp to pick up his bait, which gave him an amazing fight in the heavy flow.  The club would like to reassure members that rumours that appear to be circulating in the St Neots area that we have relinquished the fishing rights at Little Paxton are completely false, indeed a new agreement was put in place with the land owner before the start of the current season.

The changing weather patterns have seen a welcome drop in temperature and plenty of rain as the week progressed that will benefit Shefford & District AA fisheries.   The Airman catfish were back on the feed during the early part of last week with several anglers enjoying success.  Steve Butts, son Wayne and grandson Theo enjoyed a very productive 24h session whilst temperatures were still high at the start of the week.  Steve landed catfish of 43lb and 14lb, whilst Wayne caught catfish of 47lb, 33lb, 25lb and 16lb plus a 20lb common with young Theo helping out with landing net duties.  All their fish fell to halibut pellet bait and both have now set new PBs for UK catfish.   Chris Jenkins fished a 24h session in extremely hot conditions that produced 4 catfish to 50lb and a 16lb carp.  Chris reported the catfish fed better during daylight, whilst the carp were just sunbathing in the shallows and not feeding until the hours of darkness.  Dave Price fished his first ever 24h session later in the week under cooler conditions and landed an 18lb catfish.  Junior member Alfie Youd tempted a 14lb mirror and the next day fished under extremely wet conditions to land a 7lb 15oz common and a surprise 1lb 9oz roach on double 16mm boilie as bait. 

A reminder that the next leg of the 24h series will be held at Broom Lake starting at 9am on Saturday 22nd August and  ending at 10am on Sunday 23rd August. The 24h matches are open to all members, entry is free and night permits are not required.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only).  Please note Broom Lake will close to fishing at midnight on Friday 21st August and reopen for fishing at midday on Sunday 2nd August.   Paul Burton managed commons of 13lb 3oz and 18lb 14oz during a recent overnight session.  Junior member Alfie Youd managed two low double commons during a day session under cooler conditions. 

The recent heatwave has resulted in even more weed growth at  Willington Lake in recent weeks, but those anglers who can get their head around fishing in weed have still been enjoying some success.  To prove the point, Jason O’Niel managed to tempt a 16lb 2oz common from a gap in the weed.

Finally, an important reminder to all members that (as well as the rules listed in their membership book) they must strictly adhere to the set of additional rules (that can be viewed and downloaded on the homepage of the club’s website), which were required to help manage the Covid-19 situation on SDAA fisheries.  Unless members are from the same household or support bubble, members must maintain at least 2m distance from other members whilst on SDAA fisheries and must not share the same swim.  This set of additional rules is constantly reviewed by the committee and an updated version will be posted shortly, which reflects the impact of recent changes to Government advice and legislation.

Despite soaring daytime temperatures several Shefford & District AA members have managed to land some decent fish with a number of carp being tempted by baits fished on the surface during daytime sessions.  The recent Memorial Match fished at The Airman saw many anglers target the catfish but Paul Williams was the only one to tempt a catfish of 28lb.  However, the carp were more obliging with around a dozen mid-doubles landed during the match, with several falling to surface baits.  Junior member Alfie Youd continued his run of success at the venue with mirror carp of 11lb and 13lb 8oz.  Junior member Alex Lovell tempted a 21lb 10oz mirror using a dog biscuit fished on the surface. 
Broom Lake’s carp have again spent much of the time cruising in the surface layers but despite this a few fish have been caught, including a 21lb 8oz common landed by Tony Thompson. The next leg of the 24h series will be held at Broom Lake starting at 9am on Saturday 22nd August and  ending at 10am on Sunday 23rd August. The 24h matches are open to all members, entry is free and night permits are not required.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only).  Please note Broom Lake will close to fishing at midnight on Friday 21st August and reopen for fishing at midday on Sunday 2nd August. 
Most anglers at  Willington Lake have recently been seeking shelter from the sun by fishing in the shade of the trees along the track.  Jason O’Niel tempted two mid double mirrors off the surface with the largest fish weighing just under 18lb.

The latest Shefford & District AA 24h match was fished at The Airman on 25th/26th July that attracted 7 members despite the wet and windy conditions.  Alfie Youd became the first Junior member to ever win a SDAA 24h match with a total weight of 52lb 12oz.  Alfie caught mirror carp of 18lb 10oz and 13lb 6oz in a ‘double take’ and then added his first ‘twenty’ in the shape of a 20lb 12oz mirror.  John Dickman was second with 51lb 2oz that comprised of a catfish of 47lb 6oz and a tench.  Nigel Gilbert was third with 36lb 8oz comprising of 5 bream for 27lb 12oz plus silvers.  Phillip White landed a 17lb 5oz carp for fourth, Lez Reed a 11lb 10oz carp for fifth and Neil Bygrave 9lb of silvers for sixth.  The next leg of the 24h series will be held at Broom Lake starting at 9am on Saturday 22nd August and  ending at 10am on Sunday 23rd August.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only).  Please note that The Airman will close to fishing at midnight on Friday 7th August for a Memorial Match (which is by invitation only) being held on 8th/9th August.  Please look out for notices posted at The Airman as volunteers are again hoping to take the opportunity to undertake some essential maintenance work on Sunday 9th August immediately after the match whilst the venue is empty, which may delay the reopening until later in the afternoon. 
The Airman has been in good form with catfish, carp, tench, bream and roach all falling to a variety of tactics.  Michael Kell fished a single 21mm halibut pellet in the margins during an overnight session and latched into a 65lb catfish that gave him “a hell of a fight”.  Chris Jenkins enjoyed a very successful 24h session landing a 38lb catfish in the early afternoon followed by two carp to 16lb.  These were followed by catfish of 20lb and 14lb during the hours of darkness before Chris rounded off his session with a new PB catfish of 54lb at 6am.  David Bills also landed a 35lb catfish during a recent overnight session.  Thomas Parsons enjoyed an excellent day’s fishing landing 4 mirror carp, including a new PB of 26lb 4oz.  Thomas also landed a couple of bream but was frustrated by losing two other carp including a decent size one at the net.  Peter Gill has continued his successful short sessions that have produced a common of 10lb and mirrors of 10lb, 12lb 12oz, 13lb 4oz & 15lb 8oz.  Junior Alfie Youd returned after his success in the 24h match and landed a mirror of 16lb. 
Broom Lake’s carp are now following a very predictable pattern often seen at this time of year with the carp seen cruising in the surface layers during the heat of the day and often only feeding during the hours of darkness.  Carp to over 20lb have continued to be caught, with Paul Burton reporting a 17lb 14oz common during a recent overnight session.  A reminder that when using the shared access gate, care must be taken to ensure the SDAA and Alcove locks are left such that unlocking either lock will allow anglers from both fisheries to open the gate. 
As is often the case, there have been relatively few catch reports from Willington Lake.  However, Junior member Alex Lovell was happy to report landing two mirrors of 10lb 8oz and 16lb 6oz.  Also a reminder to ensure the entrance gate is made secure after entering and exiting, as well as parking vehicles off the track so that the farmer can access the meadows.
 
Finally, with temperatures forecast to remain high over the next period members should immediately report any signs of fish in distress.   Higher water temperatures will mean lower dissolved oxygen levels and if this is coupled with any water quality issues it can rapidly lead to fish mortalities.

The next Shefford & District AA 24h match will be held at The Airman with the draw taking place at 9am on Saturday 25th July and the match ending at 10am on Sunday 26th July.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only).  Please note that The Airman will close to fishing at midnight on Friday 24th July.  Please look out for notices posted at The Airman as volunteers are hoping to take the opportunity to undertake some essential maintenance work on Sunday 26th July immediately after the match whilst the venue is empty, which may delay the reopening until later in the afternoon.  The Airman will again be closed on Saturday 8th August until 11am on Sunday 9th August for a Memorial Match, which is by invitation only. 
Catch reports have been rather sparse this week.  Jim Higginson landed one of Broom Lake’s very distinctive AJS Fisheries mirror carp at 11lb 2oz, whilst Daryl Jefferies reported a 24lb common and 5lb tench.  Tench have featured in a number of catches at The Airman and Peter Gill managed to tempt a mirror of 19lb 3oz. 
The SDAA committee has reviewed the set of additional rules put in place to manage the fisheries as safely as possible during the Covid-19 situation.  Members must continue to fish on their own in a swim, keeping well distanced (>2 metres) from other people at all times whilst within the fisheries (unless they are from the same household or 'support bubble').  Fishing sessions remain limited to a maximum of 48h duration and the sale of guest tickets remains suspended.  Members (but not Juniors) will now be allowed to be accompanied by a single non-fishing guest from their household or 'support bubble', provided the member takes responsibility for ensuring their non-fishing guest strictly adheres to all SDAA rules.  Any non-fishing guest staying overnight must be in possession of a Non-Fishing Night Guest Permit (cost £25) only available by contacting the Chairperson.  The latest version of the additional rules will be posted on the club’s website homepage ASAP.

A reminder that the Shefford & District AA 24h match series is now underway and the second match in the series will be held at The Airman with the draw taking place at 9am on Saturday 25th July and the match ending at 10am on Sunday 26th July.  The 24h matches are open to all members, entry is free and night permits are not required.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only) or the email address printed on p41 of your membership book.  These matches will be run according to a set of rules to ensure social distancing is maintained at all times.  Please note that The Airman will close to fishing at midnight on Friday 24th June.  The venue is due to reopen after the match at midday on Sunday 26th July, but please look out for notices posted at The Airman as volunteers may take the opportunity to undertake some essential maintenance whilst the venue is empty, which may delay the reopening.  Some of the maintenance work (I.e. weed spraying) will depend upon the weather forecast.
 
Chris Wilkins fished an overnight session at The Airman and was ruing the loss of a catfish when a 52lb 2oz specimen picked up his bait, which is the biggest reported so far this season.  Chris also tried some float fishing during daylight hours and was rewarded with a 5lb bream and two 1lb roach, rather than the tench he was targeting.  Other anglers enjoyed good catches of roach on float tactics with a number of perch also being caught.  Carp and bream were often seen cruising around the surface  of the lake.    Peter Gill has been a regular visitor and often struggled for bites this week, but he did managed to tempt mirrors of 17lb 6oz and 12lb.
 
Carp catches at both The Airman and Broom Lake appear to have tailed off in recent weeks and several members have again commented about the excessive amounts (i.e. several kilos) of bait that a minority of anglers have been regularly depositing in the waters via spods, spombs and catapults.  Fish will only eat so much food in any given time and excessive bait will ultimately result in impacts on water quality and potential fish mortalities.  Therefore, we would once again urge members to limit the amount of bait they throw in the lakes and take all unused baits home.  If you need convincing this is an abstract from an article written by Simon Scott  who is co-founder of VS Fisheries (who have supplied many of our carp), former lecturer in fishery management at Sparsholt College and a consultant for Korda: “it is reasonably hard to kill a fish through underfeeding; however, it is incredibly easy to kill a fish through overfeeding! Carp may not grow a great deal if they are only fed a little, but they will remain healthy and long lived provided they have sufficient nutrients to keep themselves ticking over. However, carp that are overfed are a great risk from all sorts of water quality problems and health issues. Too much food may be fine for a day or two but regular overfeeding will quickly lead to a dramatic deterioration in the quality of the water and this can cause oxygen crashes where fish suffocate or other issues with toxicity “

The first Shefford & District AA 24h match was fished at Willington Lake and disappointingly only attracted 3 entrants.  Rhine Van Der Ven ran out the clear winner with a total weight of 51lb 4oz comprising of two carp of 15lb 7oz and 13lb 14oz, 3 tench to 5lb 13oz and a bream.  Neil Bygrave was second with 15lb 1oz of bream and silvers with match organiser Nigel Gilbert third with 3lb 8oz of silvers.  The second match in the series will be held at The Airman with the draw taking place at 9am on Saturday 25th July and the match ending at 10am on Sunday 26th July.  The 24h matches are open to all members, entry is free and night permits are not required.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only) or the email address printed on p41 of your membership book.  These matches will be run according to a set of rules to ensure social distancing is maintained at all times.
 
Broom Lake has continued to produce a number of carp including a 24lb common landed by Steve Burbidge and a 19lb 13oz common landed by Paul Burton during a ‘quick overnighter’.  Phil Wilcox fished a maggot feeder (helicopter style) at the bottom of the marginal shelf resulting in  roach and rudd, and the occasional small perch before a 4lb 7oz tench put a bend in his light feeder rod. Phil also caught 3 bream to 3lb on his second rod using a hybrid feeder with a banded red wafter on the hook cast the edge of an island.
 
Plenty of catfish in the 20lb+ range were landed at The Airman but there were no reports of any of the larger catfish being landed this week.  Peter Gill continued  to tease out some carp during his short sessions landing mirror carp of 15lb 2oz and 14lb 2oz.   Junior member Alfie Youd reported a common of 14lb 6oz.
 
The club is still accepting membership renewals from 2019/20 members (details on the club’s website).  The committee also agreed to release a number of membership books more widely from 1st July; however, more people have expressed an interest in joining SDAA than the number of books released.  Therefore, a waiting list is now in operation.  All membership enquiries should be directed towards Richard Bell.  If you have not had a response to any email within 48h please give him a call as a few emails appear to be going astray.
 
A reminder that Junior members aged 12 and over are only allowed to fish unaccompanied during the daytime on SDAA waters provided a signed copy of a 'SDAA Junior Parent / Guardian Consent Form' has been completed.  A ‘Permission Letter’ will then be issued to the Junior that must be carried at all times whilst on SDAA waters.  This privilege will be withdrawn if the Junior member disregards any of the club’s rules.

The Shefford & District AA 24h match series gets underway this weekend with the first match being held at Willington Lake with the draw taking place at 9am on Saturday 4th July and the match ending at 10am on Sunday 5th July.  These matches are open to all members, entry is free and night permits are not required.  If you wish to fish this match please contact Nigel Gilbert on 07931 215778 (evenings and weekends only) or the email address printed on p41 of your membership book.  These matches will be run according to a set of rules to ensure social distancing is maintained at all times.  Please note members must vacate the venue by midnight on Friday 3rd July.
 
Club waters have seen some decent fish being caught, but bailiffs have also reported a significant increase in the amount of litter being found at venues.  If the litter problem continues the committee may need to close waters so that the litter can be safely removed by volunteers.  Anyone found deliberately leaving litter or waste at any venue is likely to face a lengthy ban from the club.
 
Jim Higginson enjoyed a productive day during changeable conditions at Broom Lake with common carp of 19lb 2oz, 18lb 6oz and two doubles, plus bream of 5lb 8oz and 4lb 8oz.  Mervyn Saville reported a common of 17lb 5oz. 
 
Kevin Currington has continued his successful start to the new season at The Airman landing a 22lb mirror (identified as an AJS Fisheries stocking) and tench in the 3-4lb range.  Kevin then added a distinctive 26lb ‘old warrior’ mirror carp later in the week.  Bailiffs have reported that several catfish have been caught that were trailing ‘dodgy’ rigs, including some with treble hooks that are banned on the venue from 1st April to 31st October.
 
Nigel Gilbert managed to snatch a quick trip to the Flit in the Shefford area and managed 4 chub up to 2lb 8oz, 2 roach around 12oz and plenty of small stuff all caught on the float.

Shefford & District AA is currently restricting applications for 2020/21 membership to renewals from 2019/20 members via email and postal applications to the Registrar.   Any 2019/20 member experiencing problems with renewing their membership should contact Richard Bell.  Please note, membership books are only posted out once funds have cleared into the club’s bank account, so please allow plenty of time for your application to be processed if paying by cheque   The committee will review the membership situation at the end of June, and may decide to offer a limited number of membership applications more widely.
 
The committee has decided to allow Junior members aged 12 to once again fish unaccompanied during the daytime, provided a signed copy of a 'SDAA Junior Parent / Guardian Consent Form' has been received by the Registrar.  The additional set of rules designed to ensure members can minimise the risks of spreading Covid-19 whilst fishing will be updated to include this change.  For the avoidance of any doubt, the announcements made by the PM on 23rd June has no impact on SDAA social distancing guidelines, i.e. all members must continue to maintain a distance of at least 2m from other anglers whilst on SDAA waters (unless they are from the same household or ‘support bubble’).
 
Members have continued to enjoy some good catches from stillwater venues.  James Turvey’s last three sessions at Willington Lake proved very productive.  His first two sessions resulted in over a dozen bream and two tench on each occasion.  The bream were relatively young fish to 3lb 8oz, with the tench ranging from 3lb to 6lb 12oz.  On his third trip James found a shoal of bigger bream and landed 12 bream to 6lb 9oz.  James then saw a carp cruising near the surface and quickly put together a surface rig and his cork ball pop up bait was taken instantly by a 16lb 8oz common carp.
 
Once again carp and catfish have featured in catches reported from The Airman.  Peter Gill was rewarded with mirror carp of 12lb 6oz and 10lb 13oz tempted with boilies on his first trip, and his next trip resulted in a 19lb 12oz mirror taken ‘off the top’ and a 13lb 6oz mirror on boilie.   Steve Butts had endured two blank sessions and feared a third blank was looming before a 6lb bream picked up his boilie bait as night fell.  Just after daylight Steve then landed his first ever catfish weighing 13lb at 4.50am, which was then followed in quick succession by common carp of 14lb, 18lb and a new PB of 25lb before 8.30am with all Steve’s fish caught on boilies.  Kyle Price Smith landed a catfish of 41lb 8oz and Sid Fuller broke his PB for the third time in a month with a catfish of 49lb 2oz, plus a bream.  Chris Jenkins landed 3 catfish to 48lb and a solitary bream.
 
The first catch report of the new river season has been reported with Michael Webb landing 4 perch all just under the 3lb mark and a roach of 1lb 6oz from Broom River.

Tuesday 16th June saw the start of the new 2020/21 season for Shefford & District AA and the long anticipated start of the new river season.   The club is currently restricting applications for 2020/21 membership to renewals from 2019/20 members via email and postal applications to the Registrar.   Any 2019/20 member experiencing problems with renewing their membership should contact Richard Bell (using the number on the front of their membership book).   The committee will review the membership situation towards the end of June, and if the committee decides to offer membership applications more widely this information will be posted on the club’s website. 

The additional set of rules designed to ensure members can minimise the risks of spreading Covid-19 whilst fishing have been updated by the committee and the latest version (effective from 16th June) is now posted of the homepage of the club’s website.  All members must familiarise themselves with the additional rules that apply to all SDAA waters before visiting any SDAA fishery. 

Members have again enjoyed some excellent catches from the club’s stillwater venues during the last week, despite a large amount of angling pressure.  Hopefully members will now be exploring our many miles of river venues, which should see numbers of anglers on the lakes drop to a more sustainable level.  The committee have received several comments from concerned members about the excessive amount of bait that a minority of anglers are piling into their swims.  There is a limit to how much food a fish will (can) eat.  The inevitable consequence of excessive amounts of bait being constantly applied to the lakes will be a dip in catches and poor water quality.  Another concern expressed by members has been fixed torches/lights being used to permanently illuminate a swim during the hours of darkness.  The agreed custom for night fishing is to ensure you do not disturb any other anglers around you, and a small head torch should suffice in most situations. 

Mick Baldwin returned to  Broom Lake three times during the week in pursuit of the bream.  Mick’s first trip was something of a disappointment with only four bream landed for a total of 17lb 8oz.  Returning in mid-week things improved with his standard bream tactics resulting in 9 bream and a ‘nuisance’ carp for a total of 51lb 2oz.  His final trip last Friday saw the bream slowly move in on his modest amount of bait applied at the start of the session, before bites finally began to tail off.  Mick was contemplating adding more feed, but the bream moved back into his swim and he ended up with a terrific total of 24 bream and a single pike for a total weight of 124lb 3oz.  Mick always keeps a diary of his catches and in 9 trips to Broom Lake he has landed 71 bream, 10 carp, one pike and one 3 inch roach for a grand total of 432lb, all caught using red maggots on the hook.   The carp have been feeding sporadically during the day and seemingly more confident to feed during the hours of darkness with fish to mid 20s reported.  Bill Burton submitted a photo of a 19lb 11oz common that was clearly carrying plenty of spawn but also a very different shape from all the other commons he had previously caught.  Careful comparison of the scales showed it was indeed the one and only common carp amongst the 75 AJS Fisheries mirror carp that had been stocked several years ago. 

Both carp and catfish have featured in catches reported from The Airman.  Peter Gill continued his run of success with a 32lb catfish, whilst Kevin Currington landed a 21lb mirror carp that had the very distinguishing scales and down turned mouth, typical of one of the ‘old warriors’.  Mikey Bell recently landed an 18lb 6oz mirror carp that was identified as one of the AJS Fisheries mirrors stocked a few years ago, and Mikey added a nice tench of around 5lb on another trip.  Young Evan Beedle landed an 18lb mirror carp recognized as one of the VS Fisheries carp stocked in recent years.  The next day Evan required all his strength to land a new PB catfish of 48lb, which delighted his dad Dan.

The Shefford & District AA committee has decided to continue to restrict applications for 2020/21 membership to existing 2019/20 members for the time being, and will review the situation towards the end of June.  Renewals are only available by email and postal applications to the Registrar (the renewal process is described on the membership page of the club’s website).  Any member experiencing problems with renewing their membership should contact Richard Bell (using the number on the front of their membership book). If the committee decides to offer membership applications more widely, the website will be updated to reflect changes to the current situation.
 
The additional set of rules designed to ensure members can minimise the risks of spreading Covid-19 whilst fishing are being updated by the committee to reflect recent announcements by the Government and the Angling Trust.  The updated set of rules will soon be available from the homepage of the club’s website.  All members must familiarise themselves with the additional rules that apply to all SDAA waters before visiting any SDAA fishery.
 
Members have enjoyed some excellent catches in the last week despite some changeable weather.  Broom Lake continued to produce plenty of carp to mid 20s and several members also enjoyed success targeting other species.  After a week away from the venue,  Mick Baldwin returned to land 8 bream for 35lb 4oz using his tried and tested feeder tactics.  Returning two days later and fishing one of his favourite pegs, Mick managed to tempt 11 bream to 6lb 9oz and two carp for a total of 75lb 1oz.  Junior member Aidan Graham was also pleased to land a decent sized bream.  Several tench to over 7lb have also been reported.  Venue regulars have landed some larger roach with fish over the pound mark featuring in some catches.  Feeding maggots tends to quickly fill the swim with a smaller stamp of roach, so the key to tempting the bigger roach is to leave the maggots at home and have faith in more selective baits eventually drawing in the bigger redfins.
 
After some very slow sessions at The Airman, Chris Jenkins finally found the catfish in a feeding mood. During a 24h session Chris landed 5 catfish ranging from 10lb up to 46lb, and also experienced 3 dropped runs, with all the catfish caught on halibut pellet in deep water. Chris added that others fishing that night caught carp, but one angler put his rods away as only roach and tench took his baits and keeping him awake all the time.  Peter Gill landed a 30lb catfish taken on carp gear and a 14mm pellet from the margins one evening and Peter landed a common of 17lb 6oz on a subsequent evening session.  Chris Wilkins reported that the ‘pike fed like crazy’ on a recent trip that was topped by a pike of  15lb 3oz.

Shefford & District AA  is currently restricting applications for 2020/21 membership to existing 2019/20 members.  Renewals are only available by email and postal applications to the Registrar (the renewal process is described on the membership page of the club’s website).  Any member who lacks access to the internet and/or email should contact Richard Bell (using the number on the front of their membership book) regarding membership renewals.  The SDAA committee are likely to set a limit on the number of SDAA membership books sold for the 2020/21 season to ensure that the waters do not become too busy. If the committee decides to offer membership applications more widely, the website will be updated to reflect any changes to the current situation. 

The club introduced an additional set of rules designed to ensure members can follow government guidance regarding Covid-19.  Before visiting any SDAA fishery, all SDAA members must familiarise themselves with this set of new rules, which are available to view and download from the homepage of the club’s website.  These additional rules will be reviewed as government advice changes. 

Some members have enjoyed some excellent catches in the last week or so.  Sid Fuller visited Broom Lake for a couple of nights and had a traffic haul of 19 carp, topped by a 22lb 11oz common.  Jim Higginson landed a 26lb mirror within 30 minutes of casting out and added two double figure commons and a 4lb tench.  Jonathan Bacon was delighted to land a PB 17lb 4oz common that looked in perfect condition.  Not surprisingly the warm weather saw the carp preoccupied by spawning at times, but seemed to get straight back on the feed with several anglers enjoying multiple carp catches. 

After his success at Broom Lake, Sid Fuller turned his attention to The Airman where he managed to land a new PB mirror of 26lb 3oz and a couple of commons, but reported he was also ‘plagued’ by bream.   Sid decided to target the catfish on his latest session and was rewarded with another PB of 42lb 4oz and another catfish of 19lb 14oz.  Peter Gill tempted a 17lb 4oz common on a surface bait one evening and returned to land a 19lb 6oz mirror from the margins.  Other members have reported some good bags of roach, a good number of tench and plenty of bream.

Due to an unprecedented number of enquiries regarding membership, Shefford & District AA  is currently restricting applications for 2020/21 membership to existing 2019/20 members, in the first instance.  The renewal process for existing members can be found on the membership page of the club’s website www.shefforddaa.org.uk/membership.html.  SDAA membership books are not currently available from any tackle shops.  Members should pass on the message to those who lack access to the internet and/or email that they should contact Richard Bell (using the number on the front of their membership book) regarding membership renewals.  The committee will assess the take up by current members, before deciding whether to offer membership for the 2020/21 season more widely. This will be kept under constant review and the membership section of the website will be updated to reflect any changes to the situation. 
The club has introduced an additional set of rules designed to ensure members can follow current government guidance on ‘staying alert and safe (social distancing)’ on SDAA waters.  Before visiting any SDAA fishery, all SDAA members must familiarise themselves with this set of new rules, which are available to view and download from the homepage of the club’s website.  Bailiffs have reported that the vast majority of members have been more than happy to abide by these new rules.  Anyone unwilling to abide by these rules will be asked to leave SDAA waters by the bailiffs. 
Catches have seen a steady improvement during the current spell of settled weather, following mixed fortunes during the first few days of waters reopening.  Willington Lake has seen the least angling pressure, but some of our publicity shy carp anglers have enjoyed some success once they have located the carp with fish from mid doubles to mid 20s reported.  Carp anglers have also landed several tench during their sessions, whilst those anglers actually targeting the tench with more traditional tactics have only enjoyed limited success. 
It had been a bit of a struggle at the ever popular Broom Lake when last week’s overnight frosts slowed down sport.  However, as water temperatures recovered the fish started to feed.  Mick Baldwin fished on alternate days and his first session produced 6 bream for 25lb 4oz, followed by 3 bream and two carp for 35lb, whilst his last trip produced 4 bream and 5 carp to 16lb 1 oz for 73lb of fish.  James Vosper landed two commons of 17lb and 13lb, whilst other anglers enjoyed up to six carp in a single session.  ‘Telboy’ managed a common of 14lb 8oz and added a 3lb tench. 
Not surprisingly The Airman has occasionally seen all the pegs occupied.  Bailiffs reported that a number of catfish had been landed to upper 40s, but other species have also been feeding, including a number of carp tempted on surface baits. 7 year old Evan Beedle was ‘over the moon’ to land a PB 19lb 8oz mirror carp using a homemade boilie over some pellets.  ‘Telboy’ managed to entice an 18lb 4oz common on sweetcorn ‘pop-ups’ early one morning.  Plenty of bream, tench and roach have also featured in catches since the reopening, including a 6lb bream reported by Kevin Currington.

Shefford & District AA  recently reopened The Airman, Broom Lake and Willington Lake to its members for fishing.  However, all the river venues will remain closed to fishing until 16th June as the river close season remains in place.  The club has introduced an additional set of rules designed to ensure members can follow current government guidance on ‘staying alert and safe (social distancing)’ and were based on the guidelines set out by the Angling Trust for a phased return to angling.  Before visiting any SDAA fishery, all SDAA members must familiarise themselves with this set of new rules, which are available to view and download from the homepage of the club’s website.  Failure to abide by these new rules is likely to result in a ban from the club.  The SDAA committee have recently issued a life ban to one individual. 
With limited access to fresh bait such as maggots, most anglers targeted species such as carp and most anglers were expecting to find the fish easy to catch and after several weeks without any angling pressure.  However, the reopening of the waters coincided with some sharp frosts and many anglers had to be content with a day spent in the outdoors rather than catching a procession of hungry fish.  The carp had been very visible to bailiffs during ‘lockdown’ and some had already been through the spawning process during previous warm spells.  With temperatures set to be in the mid-20s again it is likely the carp will soon be spawning again.  The Airman appeared to be the most productive venue with several catfish happy to feed, including a 39lb 6oz catfish reported by Chris Saunders.  A few of the distinctive ‘old warrior’ carp were also reported including an 18lb 6oz mirror landed by Kristian Hutchings and a 22lb mirror caught from the margins by Peter Gill, who also added a 6lb 8oz bream. 
Due to an unprecedented number of enquiries regarding membership, the SDAA committee has decided to initially limit applications for the 2020/21 season to current members.  Books for the 2019/20 membership remains valid until 15th June 2020 and full details of how current members can rejoin for the 2020/21 season will be posted on the website shortly. Current members will be encouraged to apply by email and pay by bank transfer, but postal applications will still be accepted.  The committee will assess the take up by current members, before deciding whether to offer membership for the 2020/21 season more widely. This will be kept under constant review and the membership section of the website will be updated to reflect any changes to the situation.

Amazingly we are still receiving a few enquiries from anglers asking if Shefford & District AA  waters are still open for fishing.  For the avoidance of any doubt, all club waters are closed to members (and non-members) until further notice to conform with the current government rules regarding social distancing.  Any member (or non-member) found on the private land around our fisheries during these closures will automatically face a life ban, whether fishing or not. 

A Newsletter (dated 5th April 2020) has been published for SDAA Ltd members and can be downloaded from the home page of the club’s website (www.shefforddaa.org.uk).  The Newsletter provides an update on the current situation and gives a brief outline of what would have been discussed at the 2020 AGM, which had to be cancelled.  Changes to the Committee, membership subscriptions and rule changes for next season are highlighted.  The newsletter also details who won the specimen fish trophies and match competitions for the 2019/20 season. 

As the 2020 AGM was cancelled, the SDAA Committee voted on who should be awarded the Tookey Trophy and Centenary Cup.  The Tookey Trophy for the best specimen fish was awarded to George Fairey for his 70lb Airman catfish.  The Centenary Cup was awarded to James Turvey, who over the years has made many important and varied contributions as a Committee member, Fisheries Officer and work party stalwart. 

We are still receiving reports of captures that took place before the closure of club waters.  Tom Mist enjoyed some successful short day sessions at The Airman with his last four trips producing 230lb of carp.  The day before the closures were put in place, Tom landed 5 carp in 5 hours, including two just over the 21lb mark, one of which was part of a brace that he landed within 10 minutes of setting up.  An earlier session included a 28lb 8oz mirror carp witnessed by the club’s Chairperson. 

Members should regularly check the club’s social media pages for any updates.

All  Shefford & District AA  members should be aware that all club waters are now closed to fishing until further notice to conform with the current government rules regarding social distancing.  Prior to the closures several anglers reported a number of good catches.  Mick Baldwin’s latest visit to Broom Lake resulted in a mixed bag of 5 fish for 36lb 3oz, which comprised of 3 bream to 7b 3oz, a 4lb 12oz tench and 13lb 4oz common carp.   Mick keeps detailed records and his recent trips to the venue have resulted in over well 180lb of fish with 49 bream, 2 tench, a carp, small roach and a couple of pike falling to his feeder tactics.  Several other anglers landed carp during the last week.
 
Several carp and catfish were landed at The Airman in the last week along with good bags of both bream and roach.  Jack Lancaster proved pike over the 20lb mark were still present by landing a 20lb 8oz specimen that took a rig intended for the catfish.  Kristian Hutchings was also delighted to catch a mirror carp of 15lb 3oz, which was probably one of the ‘old warriors’ that was stocked nearly 30 years ago.
 
Members should regularly check the club’s social media pages for any updates.

James Turvey was one of several Shefford & District AA  members who concentrated on river venues during the last few days of the river season, which are now closed to fishing until 16th June.  James concentrated his efforts on the Pavenham section of the Ouse in search of a specimen chub.  The biggest fish to grace James’ landing net was a decent chub of 5lb 14oz, catching the same fish twice on two separate visits.  Although the larger chub that are usually resident along this stretch eluded James, he caught a good number of other chub in the 2-5lb ranges as well as smaller chublets and roach up to 8oz. 
SDAA members are now restricted to fishing The Airman, Broom Lake and Willington Lake whilst the river close season is in place.  Anyone who has been advised to stay at home under the current government advice regarding possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection must not visit any of our fisheries, either to fish or just walk around.  The virus is reported to survive on hard surfaces for up to 2 to 3 days, e.g. the locks and gates at our fisheries. 
The SDAA Ltd AGM is due to be held on Wednesday 25th March 2020,  please check our social media pages to see if the meeting is cancelled.  In any event, members who should be self isolating or social distancing under government advice should not attend the AGM.  If the meeting does go ahead it will be an abbreviated meeting focused on formal AGM business.

The last opportunity for Shefford & District AA  members to fish river venues will be Saturday 14th March and then club’s river venues must not be fished until 16th June.  Members will be restricted to fishing stillwater venues for the next 3 months.  The Airman remains a popular venue for members targeting a range of species.  Roach anglers have enjoyed some decent nets of redfins with one angler reporting four fish over a pound in a single session.  The Club Chairperson twice came across anglers playing good carp and witnessed a 28lb 8oz mirror caught by an unknown member, who had earlier landed a 16lb mirror.  On a second visit he helped Paul Olney land a hard fighting 21lb mirror.  Paul had been targeting the pike with no success, so decided to cast out a carp rod that produced a quick result.  Wayne Butts was accompanied by his son Theo and landed a 29lb catfish during the hours of darkness.
 
Carp to mid 20s are still being landed at Broom Lake by both day and night anglers.   Reports from Willington Lake have been thin on the ground and hopefully water levels will continue to drop and make all the pegs fishable.  Kevin Wilkins has provided a photo of his 12lb 13oz pike from the last pike match that both confirmed Kevin as the series winner and was the largest pike caught during the series.
 
The final deadline for specimen fish claims is 16th  March.  The SDAA Ltd AGM is being held on Wednesday 25th March 2020 and the official notice of the AGM can be found on the club’s website.

With standing water in many fields, rainwater is now running off quickly into the rivers making it difficult for Shefford & District AA  members to time their river sessions between now and the end of the river season on 14th March.  Mick Baldwin would usually prefer to be sat by a river at this time of year but opted to fish Broom Lake whilst the rivers were unfishable.  Mick’s latest 3 trips have been successful with four good size bream for 20lb 12oz, followed by 6 bream for 26lb 7oz, and finally four bream and a tench of 4lb 9oz for 21lb 6oz with all fish taken on feeder tactics.  Nigel Gilbert is another angler who is desperate for the rivers levels to fall before the end of the season, so took the opportunity to fish for roach at The Airman.  Nigel had roach to 8oz on the float and a bream of 3lb on the feeder on his first session, but stuck to feeder tactics on his second trip to land roach of 1lb 5oz and 1lb 6oz, plus two 3lb bream.
 
Water levels at Willington Lake have been reacting to the adjacent river in recent weeks and several swims on the lake are still under several inches of water.
 
A reminder that the deadline for specimen fish claims is 16th  March ahead of the SDAA Ltd AGM that is being held on Wednesday 25th March 2020.

Despite the changeable weather Shefford & District AA  members have continued to report some good catches.  Neil Bygrave enjoyed a successful trip to Broom River even though he did not manage to catch any of his target species.  Neil adopted a roving approach at the Jordans Mill end in pursuit of large perch and his first two swims failed to produce any bites.  However, his third swim produced two 4lb chub and a 5lb common carp in a frantic 45 minute spell.  The swim went quiet for another 45 minutes before the tip dropped back and a new PB chub of 6lb 5oz slipped over the rim of his net.
 
The Airman again produced pike to mid doubles as well as the odd carp.  Several anglers had reported losing powerful fish in recent weeks, suggesting the catfish had started to feed.  15 year old Alex Lovell was targeting the perch and tench when he accidentally hooked into a catfish and despite his relatively light tackle he managed to land a 50lb specimen.  A wire trace with two trebles attached were safely removed from the catfish’s mouth along with a large length of line plus a  captive back lead, complete with cord and winder that were trailing from the treble hooks.
 
The final pike match was held at Willington Lake with the lake brim full with water after being briefly connected  to the adjacent river when it flooded a few days earlier.  Kevin Wilkins won the match with a decent pike of 12lb 13oz that both confirmed Kevin as the series winner and was also the largest pike caught during the series.  Match organiser Nigel Gilbert was second with a small jack of 2lb.
 
Work parties were carried out at both Broom Lake and The Airman last weekend with a tree surgeon in attendance to deal with a number of dangerous trees at both venues.  With relatively few volunteers attending these work parties (5 at Broom Lake and 7 at The Airman) relatively little was achieved apart from the tree work.  Therefore, there will need to be further lake closures at these venues for further work parties in the coming months to undertake other routine maintenance tasks.
 
A reminder that the AGM is being held on Wednesday 25th March 2020.  All members are encouraged to attend to find out about news and future developments of the club, as well as elect the committee and officers who will run the club on your behalf.   In preparation for the AGM, all cups and trophies need to be returned ASAP and the deadline for specimen fish claims is 16th  March.  The deadline for nominations for director, officer or committee positions and requests for any business to be moved at the AGM was 25th February 2020.

The weather has again influence Shefford & District AA  members choice of venue and style of fishing.  Strong winds and heavy rains deterred all but the hardiest long stay anglers last weekend and rising river levels have again seen many stretches of the Ouse threatening to top its banks. 

13 year old Luke Allen managed two pike on a trip to The Airman during storm Dennis with his dad Tony.  Luke’s biggest pike was a new PB of 19lb. Anglers targeting the roach on feeder tactics have once again enjoyed some good catches with the best roach reported in recent days just under the 2lb mark. 

With the rivers flowing high and coloured, Mick Baldwin decided to make a trip to Broom Lake where he fished the feeder with maggot on the hook to tempt 10 bream for a total weight of 48lb, with his biggest bream weighing 7lb.  The lack of really cold weather has kept the carp active and anglers targeting the carp at Broom Lake are still catching on a regular basis. 

The final pike match will be held at Willington Lake on Sunday 23rd February with the draw at 8.15am and fishing from 9am to 4.30pm.  Entry is open to all members, and for further details please call Nigel Gilbert (07931 215778 evenings & weekends only).  

A reminder that a tree surgeon has been booked to carry out some essential tree work at our major lakes.  For H&S reasons the venue will be closed to fishing on the day of the tree work.  The first two dates are Broom Lake on Saturday 22nd February and The Airman on Sunday 23rd February.  We will also hold volunteer work parties starting at 9am on these two dates to carry out essential maintenance tasks (as well as dealing with felled timbers), so all members are invited to attend (please bring suitable footwear and gloves).  Willington Lake will be closed for tree work on Wednesday 26th February, but no volunteers are required on this date. 

With less than a month of the current river season to go, there has been a noticeable increase in Shefford & District AA  members fishing our flowing water venues.  Michael Webb is a regular along the Broom River stretch and his persistent efforts were rewarded by a 5lb 10oz chub.  The vehicle barrier across the small car park near Jordans has been adjusted, so members should find it easier to park when fishing the downstream end of Broom River.  Storm Ciara brought down many branches and uprooted a few trees on the club’s waters, so members should take extra care when visiting club venues as further strong winds are forecast for the weekend.
 
The penultimate round of the pike series was held at The Airman and was won by Nigel Gilbert, who was the only one to catch.  Nigel landed two pike of 6lb and 9lb 5oz for a total weight of 15lb 5oz.  Earlier in the week The Airman had produced an upper double pike to an angler who was lure fishing.  The final pike match will be held at Willington Lake on Sunday 23rd February with the draw at 8.15am and fishing from 9am to 4.30pm.  Entry is open to all members, and for further details please call Nigel Gilbert (07931 215778 evenings & weekends only). Water levels at Willington Lake have continued to recede and all parts of the lake are now fishable, with most anglers currently targeting the pike.
 A reminder that a tree surgeon has been booked to carry out some essential tree work at our major lakes, which now includes dealing with trees damaged by recent storms.  For H&S reasons the venue will be closed to fishing on the day of the tree work.  The first two dates are Broom Lake on Saturday 22nd February and The Airman on Sunday 23rd February.  We will also hold volunteer work parties starting at 9am on these two dates to carry out essential maintenance tasks (as well as dealing with felled timbers), so all members are invited to attend (please bring suitable footwear and gloves).  Willington Lake will be closed for tree work on Wednesday 26th February, but no volunteers are required on this date. 

The Club Secretary would like to remind Shefford & District AA  members that the AGM is being held on Wednesday 25th March 2020.  All members are encouraged to attend to find out about news and future developments of the club, as well as elect the committee and officers who will run the club on your behalf.   In preparation for the AGM, all cups and trophies need to be returned by 20th February and the deadline for specimen fish claims is 16th March.  All nominations for director, officer or committee positions and requests for any business to be moved at the AGM must be received by 25th February 2020.  Anyone interested in joining the committee and playing an active role in the running of the club should contact the Club Secretary or Chairperson ASAP, or email info@shefforddaa.org.uk 
The last two rounds in the pike series will be held at The Airman on Saturday 8th February and Willington Lake on Sunday 23rd February with the draws at 8.15am and fishing from 9am to 4.30pm.  Entry is open to all members, and for further details please call Nigel Gilbert (07931 215778 evenings & weekends only). Willington Lake is over a foot higher than normal and several swims are currently inaccessible, but levels are steadily falling. 
A tree surgeon has been booked to carry out some essential tree work at our major lakes, and the lake will be closed to fishing on the day of the tree work.  The first two dates are Broom Lake on Saturday 22nd February and The Airman on Sunday 23rd February.  We will also hold volunteer work parties starting at 9am on these two dates to carry out essential maintenance tasks (as well as dealing with felled timbers), so all members are invited to attend (please bring suitable footwear and gloves).  Willington Lake will be closed for tree work on Wednesday 26th February, but no volunteers are required on this date.  Unfortunately The Airman work party date clashes with the pike match at Willington Lake, but the dates were governed by the availability of the tree surgeon and the need to carry out major tree work before the start of the bird nesting season.

This week’s report starts with a reminder to members that the Shefford & District AA Ltd AGM is being held on Wednesday 25th March 2020.  This may seem a long way off, but all nominations for director, officer or committee positions and requests for any business to be moved at the AGM must be received by 25th February 2020.  There are vacancies for members interested in joining the Committee and making a positive contribution to the future running of the club.  The Committee meets 12 times per year on the 2nd Tuesday evening of each month in Shefford.  If you are interested in joining the committee, becoming a bailiff, or simply volunteering for future work parties please contact us ASAP, ideally by email to: info@shefforddaa.org.uk 
Members have been faced by changeable conditions during the week that once again saw many sections of the Ouse in flood and over its banks, with Willington Lake briefly joined to the river.  The anglers attending the latest pike match at Willington Lake were faced with a recently flooded lake with water levels falling during the match.  Despite the conditions Kevin Wilkins managed to tempt 3 pike to 6lb 8oz for a total weight of 12lb 1oz to win the match.  James Turvey was second with a single pike of 6lb 15oz. The penultimate round in the pike series will be held at The Airman on Saturday 8th February with the draw at 8.15am and fishing from 9am to 4.30pm.  Entry is open to all members, and for further details please call Nigel Gilbert (07931 215778 evenings & weekends only).  The Airman has produced pike to 14lb in recent weeks. 
The carp at Broom Lake are still being caught, but feeding spells are often very short.  One member landed four carp in a hectic 30 minutes feeding spell and then remained biteless for the rest of the session.  Another reminder that the track around the lake is heavily waterlogged in several areas and remains closed to vehicles.  Vehicles must be parked in the car park near the lake and not left along the track running past the Alcove syndicate.  
Although the Ouse was running high for much of the week, levels on the Ivel and its tributaries quickly returned to fishable levels.  Mick Webb is a regular along the Broom River section and reported landing a 5lb 5oz chub.

The continuing relatively mild weather, coupled with stronger winds, resulted in several Shefford & District AA members enjoying some good catches.  The carp at Broom Lake returned to feeding during daylight hours with venue regulars enjoying multiple catches of carp to mid 20s.  Although the carp have been predominantly commons, several heavily scaled mirrors and even the odd ghostie has been landed recently.  The track around the lake is heavily waterlogged in several areas and remains closed to vehicles, which need to be left in the car park.  
Anglers enjoyed some consistent roach sport at The Airman where the roach were tempted on both feeder and float tactics, with redfins to 1lb 8oz reported.   
The carp fishing at Willington Lake is notoriously slow during the winter, so Matt Dale was delighted when he tempted a 21lb 5oz mirror carp during a recent overnight session.  Members have continued to enjoy some good bags of roach on float tactics and plenty of pike have been caught in close proximity to the silver fish shoals.  The next pike match will be held at Willington Lake on Sunday 19th January with the draw at 8.15am and fishing from 9am to 4pm.  Entry is open to all members, and for further details please call Nigel Gilbert (07931 215778 evenings & weekends only).
 Julian Peacock demonstrated there are still some decent barbel left in the Ivel on a recent trip to an IPA controlled stretch of the river.  Julian was after roach using a 2.5lb hook length to a size 18 hook with a single caster under a stick float, when he hooked into something much bigger and powerful than his target species.  The barbel was slowly coaxed into the landing net and tipped the scales at exactly 13lb.  Damage to the barbel’s tail fin suggest it had experienced a close encounter with an otter in the past.

The relatively mild January weather has required Shefford & District AA members to chop and change their tactics to keep catching consistently.  Successful winter pike fishing is associated with cold and frosty weather and with mild weather greeting the 3 participants of the latest round of the pike series at Broom Lake they all knew it would be a struggle, and they did not manage a single take between them.   The carp at Broom Lake also suddenly stopped feeding reliably during daylight hours, whilst anglers fishing overnight enjoyed multiple catches of predominantly common carp to upper doubles.  The silver fish also proved more difficult to catch consistently and it often paid dividends to keep changing depth to keep in touch with the roach and rudd that often fed well up in the water.
 It was a similar story at The Airman where feeder tactics with baits anchored on the bottom often failed to attract the attention of the roach, whereas those anglers float fishing frequently found the roach willing to feed well off the bottom.  With the water still coloured after the recent flooding at Willington Lake members have enjoyed some good bags of roach with maggot producing plenty of bites from the smaller roach, whereas more selective baits produced fewer bites but from a better stamp of roach.  The next pike match will be held at Willington Lake on Sunday 19th January with the draw at 8.15am and fishing from 9am to 4pm.  Entry is open to all members, and for further details please call Nigel Gilbert (07931 215778 evenings & weekends only).