thecarpcatcher

A lot of the 'Madness' that is going on at Milton Country park is to do with 'Health and Safety' and of course the arrogant, bigoted attitude of the ranger. This is why they have cut down all the trees banned youngsters throw boulders in the swims to shallow them up to make em safer..... Don’t get me started................... If you have issues or find that others have when fishing there then sign the petition eh.

I get many emails each week asking me where my waters are. I have always given out the info for the 'pack' but not others. I never answer emails for location of waters unless they are polite. I get abuse too for not revealing them sometimes. That goes with the territory I guess. Most anglers are polite and understanding when I say "out of respect for the other anglers fishing there I cannot revel its location". I try to take a measured approach in everything I do and say, without discrimination.

Alright Kev I will be concentrating on another water next year 'Windmill lake'. Actually their is a few blogs coming up of it, with some carp in it too ..and yes the woolpack. Some say that it's nothing to do with me and my blogs that its become so busy this year and some say it is.

I think I might be elsewhere from now on as I have other challenges. I have fished the pack very little this year (compared to last year). This year it has been very busy on lake 3 and as you know i like a bit of solitude. However, never say never eh?

Alright all As some of you might be aware the woolpack is up for sale. Lakes 1,2 and 3 are not (lake 3 is the one I fish, mostly) as these are not owned by the aggregates company selling them. The entire gold side is up for sale ( I think 160 grand) and also the ‘unfished’ landscape lake plus two others one very big and a small lake which I think in total is over 100 acres and about 200 grand. There is plenty of 20t’s 30t’s and some 40t’s and a 50t (I don’t think that’s a secret anymore is it?) The point? well there will be a lot of new members there so you might wanna give it a miss, however that will also be a lot of new water to fish if indeed they open as fisheries….

There are a number of nice fish in this lake from what i have been told however I have not fished it in five years and it has become very popular (and messy with litter ect). I know a number of lads who have fished it and while there is not large numbers of carp in it they are all nice looking fish. It has extensive shallows and is a pretty conventional gravel pit as far as fishing is concerned. Best feature is most likely the margin. I should think it would present a good challenge for anyone. Here is a picture of the only carp i had from the lake in the few sessions I did back in 2003. It weighs 17.8lb I think it amply demonstrates what I mean about nice looking fish.

shh! lol yes some excellent waters and some not so Trouble with some as far as litter is concerned for sure, but on the whole i like the club I only fish Milton at the moment because of a lack of time (I only live five minutes by car away) I did a tour of there waters a few years ago with my eldest’s boyfriend we just got in the car each week and went somewhere new and it was fun Club waters can be a great way to start carping as they are cheap and the young ones can afford them. So, its a great shame that at Milton Country Park youngsters (obviously old enough to be fishing on there own) have to be with a grown up when they are fishing, its also very discriminatory because it only applies to anglers.

Alright fella CFPAS took it over this spring at the request of Cambridge Sport lakes. I have spoken to the club president and he tells me that they are taking a softly softly approch this year. The ranger is a bit of a pain for sure (understatment of course) however read my written blog here about a trip there the other week I call it TheCarpCatcher Strikes Back! lol http://www.thecarpcatcher.co.uk/mypicture.php?view=1822 it might make you feel a little better, it did me

Tis I for my sins

28 yrs ago I caught my first carp at a lake known as Todds Pit it weighed 3lb and it changed my life forever. Back then my local club had the ticket. South Cambs district council (SCDC) took it over in 1990 ish and they referred to it as a 'Disused Gravel pit'. Of course it was not disused! but they had so little regard for the wildlife and the anglers that used the lakes it fitted there needs to call it such. They employed a whole host of park 'rangers' (what a grand title eh) and started with the destruction of the habitat and the wildlife which has commenced ever since. SCDC employed people who, not only had little regard for the lakes and wildlife but in particular anglers. Worst of all is the head ranger who takes it upon himself to make the lives of anglers there hell (I kid you not) Here is ones such story from a 16 year old lad who has just signed the petition. Bear in mind that this young lad and his friends are decent lads, really polite and kind and honest to a fault. “I have fished there since the age of 5 and have started to fish more seriously for the bigger fish there since about the age of 13 or so. Now to the point... there has been many occasions when the head ranger has 'done me' for silly little things like having BBQ's and silly little things like that, and not that long ago he cut trees (healthy young living!!) down on Dickersons pit, and the teenagers that we are we thought it would be a good idea to remove them from the lake, the ranger was not happy this resulted in a ban for us, but we agreed with the ranger and the guys at the Sports Lake upon doing work in the park to work the ban off, fair enough we were in the wrong... but he did act very harshly upon us resulting in a ban for the whole season and if this isn't bad enough he got the police involved, why is that? the best thing to do would have been a phone call and a letter, but no, he had to sent two police officers round my own house to tell me about the 'laws' me and my friends have broken... what a load of rubbish. But I would like to see this head ranger's authority to make the decisions he does removed from him, in my eyes he is just obsessed with cutting down trees and making bad decisions, why oh why does he do this? most of the time you don't need to touch the trees! Most (if not all) of these tree that have been cut by him are healthy living young trees! He is just ruining it for everyone, not just the for the people who fish there. Sorry but this is how I feel and I think with many others that this has to stop” and another… “The ranger is rude and disrespectful l am a 14 year old angler from Norwich and travelled to Milton Country park as the fishing is said to be good. I was not fully aware of the rules and fishing in a area where you were not allowed to fish as I did not know. He did not ask me to politely move he was aggressive and put me off from fishing.“ and another… “I have fished the park for a couple of years now. and I have been banned twice, and for the most stupid of reasons like using a bait boat when there was no rule about it! The Head Ranger couldn't even find the rule himself but insisted that there was one. something has to be done about his attitude towards fisherman, people and the park. I want to see it stopped!” You are not allowed floating baits, you are not allowed to bait up spots, you are not allowed to have your bivvy even one inch out of the space for swims. He even went so far as to use £1000 of pounds worth of litter bins and chains to hold in place a floating barrage to stop anglers fishing a hot spot. He has cut down trees and dumped them right into the swims where the anglers fish just to hinder and stop angling ect, ect I know a number of good anglers who have had there lives made hell by this guy and the attitude of the rangers and management of SCDC. If you have fished there then you know, if not then mabee you know of the sort of person I am referring to. The point of all this and the petition? We now have new management at the lakes (Cambridge Sport Lakes) and a great club controlling the fishing (Cambridge Fish Preservation and Angling Club) and it is everyone’s sincere hope that things improve for the lakes, the wildlife and the anglers. If you have fished there and been appalled by what’s gone on for the last 18 years then NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY! Please sign the petition and lets all stand together and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! To sign the petition please go here>> http://www.thecarpcatcher.co.uk/mcp_petition.php Thanks for taking the time to read this.