Method note 03 · Predator Season
Predator season
From 1 October to 31 March the Old Lake turned to pike and zander. The aeration flow kept much of the lake free of ice, so the fishery could stay open through the winter.
Figures
At a glance
1 Oct – 31 Mar
Predator fishing season
1 Oct – 31 Mar
The same months in which boilies were allowed for carp
16 lb
Average pike quoted for corporate days, to close on 30 lb
Close to 10 lb
Average zander quoted for corporate days
Ice-free
Large areas kept open in winter by the aeration flow
14 lb
Largest zander so far that season, Halloween 2011
The season
“Predator fishing begins on October 1st through to March 31st”, the fishery wrote in 2002, describing pike to almost 30 lb and a lake record zander of over 16 lb [Archive, 24 March 2002]. Its corporate “Big Fish” predator days ran in the same months, from bank and boat [Archive, 12 December 2001].
Open through the winter
The aeration flow mattered most in the cold months: “the flow generated keeps large areas of the main lake free from ice meaning that we are truly open every day” [Archive, 29 January 2002].
What the sources do not say
The fishery’s surviving pages do not describe predator rigs, baits or rules in detail, and the archive will not guess. If you fished the predator season and remember how it was done, please send a memory. Catches reported at the time are on pike and zander and in the BHF Predator archive.
From the old site
Restored original pages
- The Fishery page (2002)/fishery.htm
- Corporate days page (2001)/corporate.htm
- Newsletter: 14lb Halloween zander (2011)/pipermail/bhfpredator_buryhillfisheries.com/2011-October/000022.html
These pages are restored at their original addresses. See the full index of restored pages.
Also on the swim map
Other methods
Questions
Frequently asked
Did Bury Hill stay open in winter?
Yes. The fishery said its aeration flow kept large areas of the Old Lake free from ice, so it was open every day.