Luton Angling Club - Weekly News Reports

Luton Angling Club Weekly News Report for the Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire & St Neots Cambridgeshire Area - 14th June 2026

Here is the weekly round up of news, information and catch reports from Luton Angling Club for the week ending 7th June 2026.

The wait is nearly over for those itching to get back on our River stretches — the river season opens on 16th June, After the usual three months of closed‑season rest,

The rivers are ready to welcome anglers back and we look forward to seeing your catch reports from our River sections - Will you be the first to report a catch from one of our River sections for the 2026/27 Season? Send us in your catch reports via the website or our social media pages.

Beckerings Reservoir

Harry Hart had 5 Carp from Beckerings on Saturday night - the weights were 25lb, 13lb, 15lb, 16lb and 20lb

Harry Hart - Beckerings

Carlo struggled to get past the Bream during his session,but eventually the rod ripped off with a nice 24lb common and then at first light he had another common.

Carlo - Beckerings

Junior member Jacob Moynes had nothing all day so decided to change swim during the afternoon. The move soon paid off with a lovely looking 14lb Mirror this looks like Stockie 17 from 2022.

Jacob Moynes - 14lb Mirror

Jacob's fish when it was stocked in 2022.

Rob Miller sent in some recent catches from Beckerings. Last week he had a Cat at 62lb from Peg 13. It was his first ever Catfish and was caught at half past midnight. He also sent in some pictures of this weekends session with him catching a 20lb Linear and his son Max had a 12lb Stockie. His other son Teddy had a beauty of a common at 16lb and a chunky 8lb Bream that he was chuffed to catch. Rob commented that Beckerings is an amazing water and that bailiff Neil couldn't be any more helpful and friendly.

Rob Miller 62lb Catfish - Beckerings

Rob Miller - Beckerings

Teddy Miller - Beckerings Bream

Teddy Miller - Beckerings

Max Miller - Beckerings

Midweek Match - Wednesday 10th June 2026 - Report by Terry Vickers

The famous writer John Ruskin wrote” there is no such thing as bad Weather, only different kinds of good weather “. Fifteen anglers who turned up to fish a match upon the Town South pound of the Grand Union Canal on 10th June 2026 would beg to differ. The weather forecast for 10th June was changeable with sunny periods and occasional showers. It should have read short sunny periods with a regular deluge!  

Even being aware of the likely vagaries of the weather, the anglers who did turn up showed hardy bravado and dared the weather to do its worst. 

The weather obliged. Some crumb of hope to be saved from drowning was grasped at due to the absence of The Great Leader and weather doom merchant, Dennis Hunt. In the event such hope turned out to be a forlorn one. 

Despite the previous days of persistent rainfall, the canal looked in a reasonable state. Tony Hickmott, our Climate Adviser, recorded a water temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, which roughly equated to the air temperature. 

The pound was well populated by moored boats and there was a constant procession of other boats passing through which did not help the water colour. Further jeopardy appeared during the match with heavy rain culminating in an overhead thunderstorm at the end of proceedings, resulting in the return to the car park becoming a march of endurance. (Someone commented that they had never seen Bart Bonito move so fast)  Also Thunder and lightning is definitely not welcome when using a 14m carbon fishing  Pole.  

Once again, the overhanging trees adjacent to the towpath were of concern in the high wind and heavy rain. Luckily no reports of falling branches or trees was evident this time. Nonetheless this is still an issue of which the CRT / Local Authority should deal with as promptly as possible. 

We are indebted to Bart Bonito for his scouting mission to establish boat numbers moored in the pound and for setting out the pegs in the available gaps. The number of boats moored in the pound made pegging less straightforward than it should have been. Thank you Bart. 

Also, thanks go to Tony Hickmott for standing in for Dennis to arrange draw balls, Match sheets, clipboards, pens and scales for weighing in. A very welcome return to the fold was in the form of Ray Burton, who as usual turned out on a day of dodgy weather to administer the finance and administration required to make an enjoyable match.  

Additionally, Tony, ably assisted by Colin Holmes, undertook the weigh in at the end of the match – Thank you again Tony and Colin. To repeat, we are truly blessed with such fantastic blokes who always pitch in to make matters as efficient and enjoyable as possible.

The actual fishing along the stretch was somewhat patchy as the weights set out below illustrate. However, some anglers did manage to engage with some good-sized fish in various parts of the pound.

The winning weight of 8lbs exactly deservedly went to Pete Smith (aka The Bedford Bandit a name earned from landing £100 prize pot for one 2oz perch in a match at Bedford ). He drew peg 6 which held some good-sized mature fish. The “deservedly” tag was appropriate because Pete forgot to pack his Brolly, so he fished 5 hours with no cover at all. Peter fished the pole in two lines at 6m and 12m respectively and capitalised by fishing pinkie over groundbait. This resulted in the capture of a number of skimmer bream and small fish which weighed in at 8lbs exactly. Well done, Peter.

 A long way behind Pete in second place was Tim Watts with 3lbs 7oz 8 drams made up of 62 small fish from Peg 11. Tim opted to target small fish with squatt and pinkie on size 22 and 24 hooks.   He fished 2 lines at 4.50 metres and 11.00 metres respectively. A good effort Tim – persistence rewarded,

The bread punch king, Chris Howard on peg 14 took third place with 2lbs 14 oz – again mainly small fish. Starting well, Chris caught consistently down the track for the first hour but struggled thereafter with the heavy rain causing inconsistent flow patterns in the water which was exacerbated by the passage of several boats. 

Dave Whillock experienced the same difficulties but still managed to finish in 4th place from Peg 13 with 2lbs 10oz. Dave also made a good start with a 12oz skimmer bream and some roach using bread punch down the track.  When this line stopped producing he reverted to pinkie over groundbait at 11.00m for a few small perch and roach to make up his bag.  

The overall result of the Match was as follows: - 

1st   Pete Smith 8lbs exactly  
2nd Tim Watts 3 lbs 7 oz 8 drams
3rd Chris Howard 2lbs 14oz
4th Dave Willock 2lbs 10 oz
5th Simon Foulkes 2lbs 4 oz
6th Syd Wilson 1lb 14 oz 
7th Bart Bonito 1lb 7 oz 
8th Dave Abbott 1lbs 2 oz 
9th Sean Leatherland 1lb 1 oz 8 drams
10th Ray Burton 14oz 
11th Pete Mills 11oz 
12th Colin Holmes 6 oz 8 drams 
13th Tony Hickmott 4 oz 8 drams 
14th Dave Ridley 2 oz 8 drams 
15th Les Burton 1 oz 

Finally, once again our thanks are due to the Tracey for her assistance with the weigh in and all the post-match record keeping including the hot fishing posting, as well as keeping Sean on the straight and narrow.  

Our next match is on Wednesday 17th June 2026 which is to be held upon an away venue upon Wellingborough AC Snake Lake in the Fishery Complex at Ringstead, Northants.  Organisation for pegging, parking etc will be easier if people can advise the likelihood of their attendance at the earliest possible time. 

Draw at the venue at 8.30am, £5.00 optional pools. Fish 10.00am – 3.00 pm. The number of available pegs may be limited so book early.

For anyone thinking of joining us for the first time please message Dennis Hunt or Ray Burton so we know you are coming before turning up. Please bring your club membership book with you as you will be asked to produce it for your first appearance.

Pick and Choose - Match Result
Daniel Carr and Tony Hickmott.
Daniel and Tony fished their match on the canal at Town South today. They fished for 5 Hours with Daniel taking the win with 75 fish totalling 3lb 13oz.  Tony Hickmott weighed in 1lb 1oz. 
Daniel Carr angling shared his experience in his own words.
"Today I fished Luton Angling Club's canal pick and choose tournament. 1st round.
I arrived not too happy about the venue as my opponent chose town south which ain't one of my favourite stretches of canal and I had to borrow my younger brother's old tackle as my tackle was split between two places fortunately I got to pick the swims and I got the one I wanted.
So I set up two lines one 4ms out on whip and one on the far bank. Then kept it simple and fed groundbait and pinkies on both lines. I only ended up catching 2 fish on the whip but I didn't know what was happening for the rest of the day as I just kept catching fish nothing big and just and constant flow of them.
I finished with 75 fish for 3lb 13oz which is my best match numerically on the canal so was super happy with this result as I beat my opponent and move on to round 2" 

"In the Net History"

You may recall we published some historical pics from our members a little while back.  It's always great to see some historical pictures so if you have any to share from Luton waters then please send them in. 

One of our members Kletos' father passed away a couple of weeks ago and his mum has given him several pictures from when he was fishing with his dad in the 90s, including several from fishing at Beckerings and a few from the Canal.  As he goes through them he is going to send them over so we can share them.

The first one is December 1991 and Kletos' first double figure Pike (10lb 4oz). This was caught off Peg 4 at Beckerings. 

He said the venue hasn't really changed over the years other than the water used to be crystal clear and it was full of Canadian Pond Weed, particularly at the top end as you come in. 

You used to park in the Carpark by the gate as you come in and then walk all the way across the field to the base of the lake and up the stairs. 

He was talking to Neil, the Bailiff, about the venue yesterday and said that the Half Lin Mirror was in the reservoir at that point and came out at around 26lb 8oz back then.

He has got several more pictures to share including pics of the 2lb 4oz 4dr Perch which was our former long standing Junior Club Record caught on October 12th 1991. 

Kletos with a Pike from Beckerings in December 1991

Prompted by the facebook post of the photo of Kletos' Pike from the early 90's, Steve Humm dug out some old photos also of catches from Beckerings in the 90's - Thanks Steve for sharing these.

Steve Humm - Beckerings 1990's

Slipe Lane Pits

We've been informed that the lakes at Slipe Lane are open again following a temporary closure for spawning. The bailiffs have asked that all clubs remind members to make sure they read the rules. 

Our water share venues have their own rules which differ from our own so please ensure they are followed.

Important Notice: North House Lake Pre-Baiting Reminder.
Please be reminded that following suggestions from concerned members at the AGM a strict no pre-baiting rule remains in effect at North House Lake. 
Unfortunately this missed the print deadline so does not appear in the rule book however local venue signage has been installed to make anglers aware.
This policy is vital to protect the lake's water quality and to ensure fair fishing conditions for all of our members. 
Thank you for your continued cooperation.

That's all we have for this week.

Tight Lines

Dave M
Luton Angling Club

Luton Angling Club Weekly News Report for the Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire & St Neots Cambridgeshire Area - 7th June 2026

Here is the weekly round up of news, information and catch reports from Luton Angling Club for the week ending 7th June 2026.

This week we welcomed all our new members for the 2026/27 membership year. We hope that you enjoy fishing our waters and manage to beat some of your PB's please send us in any of your catch reports as we will publish them on our social media pages. A quick reminder to all new members to read and familiarise yourselves with all the rules in your membership book - Please also ensure you attach a photo to your book before going fishing.

North House Lake
Martin Scholes Saw in the start of the new season with 2 nights on North House on Sunday 31st May and Monday 1st June. He fished mad baits nutz plus with corn and hemp and used various pop up hook baits he had 10 fish in total lost 2 and 2 hook pulls but still pleased with the result.

Martin Scholes - North House Lake

After 4 blanks fishing for the Tench ,Raymond Lambert was packing up after session number 5 and had 2 takes at once, A Tench at 5lb 14oz which seemed quite empty underneath following spawning he reckons it would have weighed nearer 7lb before spawning. He also had an Eel at 3 lb 8oz

Raymond Lambert - North House Lake

Raymond Lambert - North House Lake

Carlo had not fished North House for about a year, So he was looking forward to a session there.

He caught a 24.14lb mirror at midnight, it went straight into a weed bed but he remained patient and kept a tight line on it and eventually it came free. 

The second one was an old common which also gave him the run around. 

Carlo - North House Lake
Carlo - North House Lake

Our Wyboston bailiffs—Brian Turner, Andy Smith, and Barry Emery were working hard on Sunday clearing snags from Peg 1. We've had quite a few reports of lost fish in that spot lately, so this was a much-needed clean-up. Great work, gents!

North House Lake - Snags
North House Lake - Snags
North House Lake - Snags
North House Lake - Snags

Beckerings Reservoir

New member Chris Gallagher fished for the very first time at Beckerings on a 24hr session - he had this lovely Common at 25lb 12oz. It was caught on a sticky bloodworm pop up over a bed of corn hemp manilla and the krill with some chilli sauce.

Chris Gallagher - Beckerings

After a run of 17 blanks at Beckerings, Finley kept at it and his perseverance paid off today as he had 4 fish 1 take after another, weights were 10lb, 16lb 17.5lb and a new PB at 21lb

Finley - Beckerings Reservoir

Finley - Beckerings Reservoir

Member Reminder – Otter Fencing & Pathway Access
All members are reminded that tackle or equipment must not be leant against or hung on the Otter Fencing at any of our waters. The fencing is there to protect our fisheries, and placing items against it can cause damage.

Please also ensure that the path around Beckerings remains clear at all times. Do not obstruct the walkway with tackle, barrows, or equipment, so fellow members can move around the venue safely and without difficulty.

Beckerings Otter Fencing

Alders Farm Open Day
On Saturday the Luton Angling Club Junior Team fished the junior Match at Alders Farm arranged by CRT as part of the Alders Farm open day, they fished against six other local Clubs and organisations. 

The weather wasn’t great as it was cold with wind and rain, and we didn’t get the greatest draw with wind and rain in some of the lads faces. The fishing wasn’t easy, but our lads stuck at it.

Alex hooked a large Carp on light gear in the afternoon which he very skilfully played for over 20 minutes listening to the advice of how to play it with the light elastic he had, but he was very unfortunate because the fish came up with a branch snagged on it and it threw the hook.

Alex was distraught after losing this fish as can be seen in the picture taken by his dad, but he got over it and carried on. He did however get a special award at the end of the match for the way he played this fish and conducted himself, well done Alex.

We won this match a year ago but came last this year, that’s fishing and you can’t win all the time. There is always next year, and the skills of our team are constantly improving thanks to the hard work put in by the coaching teams and the juniors themselves. 

A big well done to the lads who fished and the team managers Cody and Jack who both came up through our junior ranks.

At the same time, the Luton coaches were running a well-received Let’s Fish session on another part of the complex.

We hope that several attendees who showed an interest will now join the club. Encouragingly, several of them were girls, so we may soon have enough members to form an all-girls team.
a disappointed Alex after losing a large carp

Match Report 3rd June South Lagoon Wyboston
We met at Wyboston on a cool morning with a gentle breeze, did our admin and checked the new Club books, did our draw, and then set off for our pegs. As we set up some ominous grey clouds started to appear and the breeze stiffened, and 30 minutes after starting the rain appeared, drizzle at first becoming heavier, which had everyone reaching for umbrellas and wet weather gear, which always makes fishing difficult. Another wet Luton Wednesday in prospect !
We had a couple of hours steady rain, which cleared around lunchtime and apart from another heavy shower as everyone was packing up the rain stayed away in the afternoon. Just after we started Tristan Davis, one of our local EA Enforcement Officers came round and checked all our rod licences, all of which were (as expected) in good order, and was good to see him out checking.
Many of us will see him again at the Alders Farm open day this weekend on the EA stand. Later on in the morning Richard Darbon brought Terry Vickers out to see us, Terry is still recovering from a recent heart attack. The outing cheered Terry up a lot, it was good to see you Terry and we hope you are out fishing with us all again soon.
For those on the south bank of the Lagoon adjacent to North House Lake and sheltered by the trees  the conditions were quite benign, but for those on the west bank who were exposed to the strong wind, conditions were much more difficult with strong undertow and waves on the surface. It was a day when the bigger fish decided they didn’t want to show, and smaller fish dominated.
Keith Ward on the calmer southern bank fished the pole at 14.5 metres using ground bait laced with dead maggot, micro pellets and casters, feeding a small ball of this groundbait every half hour. He took a good mixed bag of small Skimmers, Roach, Rudd, and a decent 10 oz. Perch using a variety of hook baits, Maggots, dead Maggots, casters, pinkie and worms to take his fish, ending with 5lb 2oz.
Barry Roper on the more exposed western bank also fished a pole and caught most of his fish at 9m on caster. Barry commented as the wind picked up it made seeing and hitting bites much more difficult slowing his catch rate right down. He weighed in 4lb 2oz,
Third place was taken by Chris Howard also on pegged on the west bank. Chris said he had caught very little by midday, so decided to change tactics and set up a light waggler. He then fished down the edge and caught Dace and Roach on dead reds, wheat and tares over hemp. Chris said he wished he had done this earlier as he could have caught more and considerably boosted his finishing weight of 3lb 8oz.
Graham Stringer on the south bank started off by feeding about 6 or 7 large feeders of groundbait with a few maggots out in front at about 40 meters and left it for about two and a half hours to settle. While waiting for that to work he fished the pole at top kit plus 4 with red maggot on the hook about 6 foot deep, All he caught on this line were bleak so he decided to come in close fishing 18 inches deep to catch the Bleak, before trying his feeder line for about half an hour, but with no signs of any fish he  went back on the short line until the end finishing with 3lb 4oz.
Many thanks to those who did the admin and the weighing teams, again a great team effort .
Results  
1st Keith Ward 5lb 2oz
2nd Barry Roper 4lb 5oz
3rd Chris Howard 3lb 8oz
4th Graham Stringer 3lb 4oz
5th Dave Ridley 2lb 1oz
6th Andy Francome 1lb 14oz
7th Simon Foulkes 1lb 5oz
8th Malcolm Ogden 1lb 1oz
9th (Joint) Dennis Hunt & Pete Smith 1lb 0oz
11th Dave Whillock 0lb 14oz
12th Tony Hickmott 0lb 12oz
13th Ray Burton 0lb 7oz
14th Sam Rose 0lb 7oz
15th Les Burton 0lb 4oz
Our next match is Wednesday 10th June and is on the GUC at Town South, meet for an 8.30 draw as usual, £5.00 optional pools, Fish 10.00am – 3.00 pm
For anyone thinking of joining us for the first time you must message us, so we know you are coming before turning up. This will help us to manage the pegging of the venue.
Please bring your club membership book with you as you will be asked to produce it for your first appearance.  
A disappointment this week was that as we weighed in we found a cache of empty beer bottles and larger tins which we cleared away, obviously left by a previous occupant of the swim, you must take your litter home
South Lagoon - Midweek Match
South Lagoon - Midweek Match
South Lagoon - Midweek Match

That's all we have for this week, Keep sending in your catch reports!

Tight Lines

Dave M
Luton Angling Club