Olivemead Lake is well stocked with a wide variety of Mirror and Common Carp. Over the past few years the lake has been stocked with up to 130 double figure mirror and common carp.
The lake record now stands at 33lbs 4oz (Mirror carp) Caught by John Turner , with other fish caught or netted - on, or just above, 30 lbs. Please follow this link for the Gallery
Catch reports will be updated every Sunday
GREAT NEWS!!!!! Back in March/April we had a large stock pond excavated at the top end of the site, this is going to be used to grow our own fish on which will then be stocked in to The Mead and sold on to other fisheries. We have already got over 40 large carp in the pond, called J.B's Retreat, of which around 20 of these are well over 20lb. The carp which were stocked in to J.B's have spawned and we have approx 1,500 stunning small carp also. A selection of these fish will be grown on for 3 summers and then introduced in to The Mead, the surplus fish will be sold on to other fisheries. The 40 or so large carp which reside in J.B's are going to be stocked in to the main lake in December/January time which will be a great addition to the already impressive number of large carp in The Mead. We had J.B's Retreat electro netted a week ago and of the carp which were caught the average weight which they had put on in only 6 months was 2.5lbs, impressive eh?? However one of the carp was stocked in to the pond in June, post spawned. This particular fish was stocked at 21lb 5oz and now weighs 25lb 3oz, thats a fantastic weight gain of 3lb 14oz in only 4 months. I'm pretty confident that by the time we drain down the pond in December/January we may have another 30lber or 2 as at least 4 of the fish were stocked in at between 24lb - 26lb, i'll keep you posted.
Please be advised that we have had our lake mapped and you can purchase a copy of the lake and its contours from www.contourmapfishing.co.uk and can I just say that it is a real asset to any one who is coming to fish the lake.
21st October 2008 - Hi every one, very sorry for not up dating the web site for the past couple of months things have been quite hectick here at The Mead. Here's a quick up-to date report and then i'll explain the reasons why I have been slack in up dating the web site. Since the last catch report we have had 32 carp caught up to 24lb. The lake has produced plenty of twenties over the past couple of months with plenty of big upper doubles as back up. Fish are starting to show more at the shallow end of the lake again where the lillies are now starting to die off, although most swims on the lake are producing fish. The Tench arn't putting in there usual frequent appearance but when do get caught it's usually a quality fish of 7lb or over. We've even had a couple of Pike anglers come to the lake for a day session where they landed no fewer than 12 pike between them in only 8 hours using only spinners and lures, I wish more of you would give the Pike fishing a go, they go to 30lb you know!! Baits used for the carp are the usual, good quality boilies and pellets, fished either in P.V.A bags or spodded out.
11th August-24th August-Appologies for the delay in updating the catch reports! The Mead is fishing quite hard at the moment with only 16 fish off since the last up-date. A few nice20's though and some new P.B's to boot. Well done to Mark who beat his P.B three times with his best fish going 22lb. The Tench are still putting in a regular appearance with some nice fish being caught to well over 8lb. Again, take advantage of the surface fishing and don't miss out on what could be a bumper catch off the surface. There arn't any baits that are out performing any other and the same has to be said of the swims. Best tactics at the moment are perseverance, the fish are there, active and can be viewed openly on the top taking plenty of freebies but they seem to be more aware and have to be worked for.
2nd August – 10th August – Not a bad week on The Mead with 21 Carp off and 15 large Tench with 8lb+ being the biggest of the week. A few 20lb+ fish put in an appearance with the largest going 21lb 8oz. Well done to Harry and Darren who kept the tally of larger carp up to a respectable number for the Manchester Boyz with Harry bagging the biggest Carp, which was a stunning original Linear of 20lb 2oz, and Daz who had 8 fish with half of them going over 17lb 8oz. Baits used were OM1’s and Cell with Pellet and Method mix as ground bait. Swims fished were Woodland, Snug, Point and Deep, The Bay, Oak and the Cabin’s Decking. I’ve got to say that although my water is predominantly a specimen carp water the stamp of Tench which we are experiencing being caught is quite exceptional, going over past catch records the average weight is well over 5lb+ and the number of 7lb – 8lb Tench being caught is one in eight fish, even the specimen carp hunters are happy with catching this stamp of Tench. Anyway keep reading the catch reports because as previously mentioned I have some very exciting news with regard “The Mead” and the new “J.B’s Retreat” which I will share with you very soon. A taster for you to ponder is this, J.B’s Retreat, when officially opened, will be an intimate water which holds nothing under 20lb+!!
14th July - 1st August. Sorry for the 3 week delay in up dating the weekly catch report for The Mead we've had no telephone/internet connection. The last 3 weeks have been quite hard for the anglers on The Mead but saying that we have had over 50 fish off in the last 3 weeks with 11 going over 20lb+. Congratulations to Clive and his dad Doug who both had new P.Bs with Clive bagging himself a new P.B mirror of 23lb 8oz and Doug land a new P.B Tench of 8lb, well done gents I was well chuffed for you. There haven't been any baits which have out fished any other, OM 1's, Cell, Essensial B 5's and Trout pellet have all been catching fish. Well done to Chris Jennings who had the biggest Tench off so far this Year at huge 9lb 8oz, not a carp i know but what a fish, well done mate. Congratulations to both young Caleb and Ronan who at 8yrs and 9yrs of age managed to land new P.Bs of 17lb 2oz and 14lb 4oz respectively, to say they were over the moon is an understatement, nice one boys keep it up, a 20lber is only a cast away? Myself and Sarah managed a couple of floater sessions and Sarah almost beat her P.B with an immaculate looking mirror of 15lb 10oz, not to be outdone by my other half I managed a few fish off the top with a couple of them going over 20lb+. The weather over the last 3 weeks has been up and down which i think is affecting the Carp's feeding patterns but do not dismiss floater fishing, if you do then you are missing some fantastic fishing opportunities, we have got loads of big old english carp at The Mead and viewing them from the surface is a sight to be hold, hooking them on mixers is another matter but get them competing for floaters and you could be in for something quite special. Anyway that's it for this catch report but I have some very exciting news with regard The Mead and our new 1 acre lake "J.B's RETREAT" which i will share with you in the next month or so.
13th July. "What has happened to the weather this week??? Quite a slow week on the Mead with only a dozen or so Carp off but what stunning fish! The lads endured torrential rain all week with a months worth of rain falling in 24hrs on Wednesday which put the fish off for a while but the lads never gave up. Lots of fish lost, with Dale losing a big common at the net but congratulations to Both Patrick's who both had new P.B's, little patrick had fish to just over 20lb+ and his uncle, Patrick, then went on to land a new P.B on little Patrick's rod which was an immaculate old original mirror of over 26lb+, stunning looking fish and well done lads. Anyway the lake won't be seeing much pressure over the next couple of weeks as 2 anglers have it exclusive for themselves BUT that won't stop The Mead from producing the goods i'm sure, I will keep you posted"
Here's last weeks catch report, not much to report with regard to carp caught as our guests were match fishing for the Tench and silver fish, anyway here goes. "28th June - A quiet time on The Mead this week. Mr and Mrs Owen having the lake to themselves and opting to fish for the Tench and Silver fish which was successful for their targeted fish. Not having much angling pressure over the last 2 weeks the lakes residents, Carp in particular, seem to have switched over to naturals, but saying that Mr Owen managed to land over 20 large Tench to over eight and a half pound, which was a new P.B. for him and loads of silver fish. Bait used was predominantly good old bread and proved a success for Mr Owens targeted species. Swim fished was from the decking in front of the cabin and both Mr and Mrs Owen and Toffee the dog had a fab week.
21st June-Not a bad week on The Mead considering there wasn't any pressure the previous week. We had only one angler and his girlfriend on this week, Chris Bewsher and Samantha Ball, but what can I say except CONGRATULATIONS! to Sam who had a P.B Mirror carp of 10lb and a P.B. Tench of 4lb+. Not to be outdone though, Chris had 16 carp up to 20lb+ and a couple of Tench?? Well that's not strictly true Chris managed to land no fewer than 30 Tench with the biggest going over 8 1/2lb, not what he intended to catch but the biggest Tench out of The Mead this season so far, well done mate. Chris moved around the lake following the fish and had fish from the Decking in front of the cabin, Shelter, Island, Woodland and Snug and Sam had her P.B's from the decking and Wodland. Baits used were OM1's and Shell Fish b5. Well done guys and look forward to seeing you back at The Mead soon.
15th June- We have kept the Mead closed this week, the carp finished spawning over the weekend so the decision was made to keep the lake closed for the rest of the week and give the carp a rest from angling pressure. I think it was the right thing do judging by the movement of the fish, the lake came to life mid-week with loads of fish moving all over the place, "the carp have got back on the munch me thinks" as the big girls are now showing a lot more.
13th-15th June- Dave walker had a decent 48hr session considering the carp were still spawning; Dave managed to tempt 2 carp, 16lb and 19lb from the Woodland swim both fish came to our OM1 boillies.
7th June- Here's the last 2 weeks catch reports, there's not much to report as I think the carp were finishing off spawning and this last week we have kept it closed to give the fish a break. Anyway here goes: "7th June- The Mead has had a quiet week compared to recent weeks but where it lacked in quantity it certainly made up for in quality. With a great week of weather, very warm and sunny, Just 2 anglers on for the week, Anthony Wain and Robert Cope. They had some stunning looking fish, 10 in total, but Rob had the largest with a new P.B. Mirror of 23lb but young Anthony wasn't going to be out done and he went on to land 3 different 20's to over 22lb along with a string of upper doubles and a Tench just under 8lb, lovely fish!. The carp were at the end of their spawning and seemed reluctant to feed hard as they were being picked off with single hook baits with a scattering of freebees rather than P.V.A. bags of pellet and boillie or beds of bait. Swims fished were the cabin, shelter and Island and baits used were M.B.Baits and Nash Whisky, no OM1's??? Well done lads glad you and your partners had a good week.
1st June- well the boys from up north did the business. 29 fish caught, about 16 lost, with plenty of 20's landed. Well done to Paul Hollingsworth who has landed the biggest Common so far this year at a massive 27lb and a new P.B. for him to boot, congratulations mate it was well deserved. The boys from Manchester had to work hard for their fish and had to contend with rising temperatures and 36hrs of torrential rain. Andy, well done mate, your 25lb 10oz mirror is one of the prettiest fish I have seen out this year, stunning!! A big well done to all the lads from Manchester, it was a pleasure to have you stay with us and Harry, hope you enjoyed living off the land, there are few less pigeons roaming around Wiltshire. Nice 1 lads, look forward to seeing you next year where the fish will be even bigger! Oh and Neil the NG's need to see some action?
24th May- What’s happened to the weather this week, rain rain rain and cold easterlies!!! Anyway we had the Foster Care Association on this week and a good time was had by everyone, especially the KIDS, where we had a few new P.B's out as well. Over 20 fish off again with a few 20lb+ fish putting in an appearance with the biggest going 24 1/2lb. Many upper doubles to back them up also. Swims fished were the point, deep, bay, waterside, cabin and shelter, photos can’t be shown for legal reasons but I think it’s fair to say that the smiles on the kid’s faces when they caught fish said it all, let’s face it that’s what it’s all about. Lots of different baits used including OM1's, tutti fruity and pineapple pop-ups fished along with pellet and method mixes. The boys from Manchester are on next for the week so watch this space as I am expecting BIG things from them.
25th May- WOW!!! What a week, or should I say a 4 day session. Jim Blythe and Ken Bean turned the Mead into a runs water for the 4 days/4 nights they were there. Between them both they landed no fewer than 46 fish with a further 25 lost. From the 46 fish landed only one was under double figures, they had 6 different 20's, a handful of 19's, a handful of 18's and a handful of 17's with the remainder between 13lb-17lb. Swims fished were Island and Shelter with baits being used OM1's, Cell and Active-8. Both Jim and Ken lost a couple of very big fish and needless to say they were gutted with the thought of that 30lber + going astray. Lots of the fish caught were originals and the majority of the larger fish still had the full curtain intact in the mouth which goes to show that the Mead definitely has many more surprises up her sleave. Ken is on course for the £125 tackle voucher unless somebody beats his catch, hard to do I know but the Mead is becoming the place for some amazing catches and with it being a new water to day ticket anglers the fish are not wise to rigs or baits at the moment.
18th May- What a week on the mead the lake is becoming the place for new P.B's, with 23 fish off this week and with the lake record being smashed with an unknown 33lb 4oz mirror, brilliant. Also lots of 20lb+ fish being caught again this week with 8 different 20's coming out. Congratulations to both Roger Mills and his 14 yr old grandson Harry Mills who both had new P.B's from the Cabin decking with fish of 22lb 2oz and 25lb respectively, well done boys. Lots of back up upper doubles also with many at 17lb-19lb coming out. Most productive swims being the Bay and the Cabin decking. Best baits again being OM1's and bright pop-ups with moderate amounts of free bee's, pellets and method mixes. Even the Tench are worth having a go at with Steve Mathews catching plenty of carp with 2 20lb+ fish and a few Tench to over 7lb. The lake has woken up now and I think another 30lber will not be long in coming, watch this space??
LAKE RECORD SMASHED; 14th May- A bit early for my weekly catch report but COME OONN!!! HOOORRRAY!!!!!!!!!!! and a massive congratulations to JOHN TURNER who has today smashed Olivemead Lakes record with an immaculate mirror carp of 33lb 4oz. John 67, who is convalescing after a serious illness, booked the cabin for a week’s fishing with his lovely wife Doreen and had only Tench up until today where he smashed his previous P.B. of 18lb. John had his fish on one of his bright hi-viz pop-ups with a scattering of OM1's around it. Well done John and Doreen you both deserve it!! Oh! and don't forget you are on for the biggest fish prize of £125.00 worth of tackle vouchers.
11th May-Another productive week on the Mead, 22 fish off with 6 going over the magical 20lb mark. Lots of big back up fish with 9 of them going over 15lb, the average weekly weight is going up steadily with the majority of fish caught being well over 15lb. Even the Tench are becoming worth catching with the average fish going over 5.5lb. Most productive swims are again the Cabin, Bay, Snug, Oak, Point and Deep and the Motorway. Baits used have been the reliable OM1's, Pineapple pop-ups and dog biscuits. Well done to young Nathan who put in a 48hr session and had 2 different 20's with a new P.B of 23lb and a big well done to Steve who had a few carp and a big pike of 17lb+. Well done lads!!
4th May - Another good week on Olivemead with almost 30 carp out. We've had 8 different 20's off this week with the best going just over 22lb and with 3 different 19+ fish, a couple of 18's and 4 different 17+ fish it's only a matter of time until the first 30+ of the year is going to put in an appearance, the big girls have been spotted on the surface taking mixers. Congratulations!!! to Gary Clydesdale and Justin Carpenter who both had new P.B's this week, well done lads that’s what it’s all about, and a big well done to Geoff Stephens whose had 6 fish off in 72hrs with 3 of them going over 20+, nice 1 m8! Most productive swims have been The Snug, The Bay, Oak, Point and Deep and the lower decking from the Cabin. We've also had some nice Tench off this week with the best going to over 7lb, lovely fish! Going bates at the moment are OM1's, Mainline Cell and Pineapple pop-ups with our H.N.V pellets and Trout pellet as back up, the carp have woken up and are on the munch.
26th April - Chris Shaw then came on straight after Dale and Chris for a 24 hour session and had a 23lb 4oz mirror from the Cabin Decking swim within 1 hour of fishing, Chris went on to loose a couple and had a 5lb stunning Tench.
19th April - 26th April Dale Hosker and Chris Taylor had the lake exclusive and with that freezing Easterly wind the first two days were slow, then it warmed up and the fish switched on. Between them they had 16 carp and a couple of Tench. Only 1 carp under 10lb the rest going up to 20lb 10oz and some really stunning looking fish, fish came from The Deep, Woodland and the Oak swims and most fish came to OM1 boillies fished on the bottom, with a couple coming to double maggot and floating trout pellet. Our stockies are banging the weight on and the simmo's have put on between 8oz and 1lb 14oz in only 9-11 weeks, fantastic!!
12th April-18th April. Well what a week! The weather couldn't make up its mind and where other fisheries switched off Olivemead switched on. Plummeting temperatures, freezing winds, hale, rain and sunshine hasn't put the fish off with 20 fish off this week going up to over 22lb the fish switched on and the carp came from all over the lake, waterside, woodland, blackberry, motorway, snug and point. When it was sunny the fish were caught on the top with dog biscuit and when it was cold they were caught in the margins on the bottom.
Congratulations to Ron who got a PB at 22lb 1oz previously uncaught original mirror. Well done mate!
Both Ron and Darren are on course for the largest fish caught so far this year and Darren for the most fish caught in one session
10th April- Young Adam had a quick 12 hour session and managed 2 fish from the Blackberry, one stockie over 11lb and an original going 18lb15oz.
The lake is going to start to see a lot more angling pressure from this week end on and the fish are starting to get their heads down and feed. Will keep you posted!
2nd April- WHATS GOING ON WITH THE WEATHER? We are having sunshine, rain, sleet and snow every couple of hours and the temperatures are plummeting, any way I had the chance to put in a quick 4 hour session in the stalking area and managed to bag the first stocked "simmo" this year. It came out @ 22lb 3oz and was in great condition.
29th-30th March- Only 1 fish off this week end caught by Andy and the fish weighed in @ 14lb 1oz. The lake hasn't seen much pressure over the last couple of weeks but we have kept to our feeding programme of OM1 boillies and pellets and the fish are certainly showing a lot more.
Anyway, 21st-22nd March- 7 fish off this weekend the best being a 20.2lb original mirror. Fish came from the Snug, Blackberry, Woodland, The Oak and The Bay. Bait used was OM1 boillies and pellets, maple pop-ups and pineapple pop-ups. The new stockies are putting in a regular appearance and are packing on the weight with the average weight gain being 5oz per month for the winter, brilliant! None of the new Simmo 20's out yet but with 19 of them being stocked 7 weeks ago it's only a matter of time!
15th March- Enduring torrential rain and cold winds, Ian managed to bank 3 of our immaculate Pike with the best fish going just short of 15lb. The Pike are never really fished for and they do go to 30lb!!
Sorry for the delay in reporting our catches the internet had been down for 10 days.
12th March saw Sarah put a 2 hour quick session in at The Bay where she landed one of our stockies, a common, at 14lb 1oz. The fish came to one of our OM1 bottom baits with a few free offerings and some of our pellets. The fish was in great condition and had put on 15oz since its stocking on the 16th December.
7th March- Another funny week with the weather where our anglers have endured gale force winds, dropping temperatures and torrential rain but the fish continue to show all over the lake. Steve Adams had two out, one new stockie @ 11lb 3oz and an original which went 20lb 7oz, both Steve’s fish came to our pellets, OM1 pop-up and OM1 boillie bottom baits. Lee Bangs has managed one of our linear mirrors which he tempted with a
29th Feb- Another turbulent week weather wise but the carp are starting to put in an appearance, Dan had one of the new stockies out from the Woodland and his mate had one from The Oak, both fish going double figures. Fish came to our pellets Pineapple pop-up and OM1 boillie.
3rd Feb- Chris Shaw put in a short session in The Snug swim to take 4 carp to 14lb 8oz, 3 of his fish were new stockies and all have banged on the weight. Fish came to pop-ups and bottom baits.
Pineapple boillie, the pretty carp weighed in at 10lb 1oz. Lee also tempted one of our elusive pike which tipped the scales @ 15lb but the bigger girls have been seen lurking!
