Luton Angling Club - Weekly News, Information and Catch Report Roundup - Week Ending 22nd February 2026

Here is this week's round up of Catch reports, News and Information from Luton Angling Club.

2026/27 Membership - New and Renewals
We are starting to get lots of enquiries regarding membership, Our membership year runs from 1st June to 31st May anyone wishing to join the club as a new member should register their details via the form on the club website, that way you will be contacted when the new memberships go on sale in May. All existing club members are prioritised for renewals and will be automatically contacted to renew their membership in April. Existing members are reminded to keep their contact details up to date to ensure they receive their renewal invitations in April.

South Lagoon
Kletos and his son Nathaniel have enjoyed a superb couple of days on the South Lagoon this week. It’s been a tough spell for them on their sessions recently, with the river levels up more often than not — and this week was no different. Thanks to a mix of heavy rain and sleet, and the lagoon being connected to the River Ouse they saw the levels in the lake rise a full 4 inches overnight during their session.
Despite the weather conditions, Nathaniel smashed it again and in tremendous form, he landed a fabulous Common Carp of 28lb 9oz — bigger than anything Kletos has ever caught himself. Our Bailiff Andy Smith was on hand to witness the weighing and grab a few photos too.
The fish was in excellent condition. Kletos managed a couple of Pike at 13lb 5oz and 8lb 8oz.
Kletos - South Lagoon Pike
Nathaniel - 28lb 9oz South Lagoon Common
Nathaniel - 28lb 9oz South Lagoon Common
Beckerings Reservoir
Liam Murphy had a couple of Carp from Beckerings this weekend and they were his first ones of the year. A 24lb Mirror and a 20lb Common caught on spinner rigs.
Liam Murphy - Beckerings Mirror Carp
Liam Murphy - Beckerings Mirror Carp
Liam Murphy - Beckerings Mirror Carp

Also this weekend, our volunteer work party team were back at Beckerings continuing the necessary tree maintenance work. A superb effort by all those who helped out. We will be doing our third and final stint next Saturday morning as then we have to leave the rest until September after the birds have finished nesting.

Please take note of the venue signage and our social media posts which will advise which pegs will be closed for the morning. If you do intend on fishing the reservoir then we would advise arriving after 1pm as the car park will be very busy.
Beckerings Work Party
Beckerings Work Party
Beckerings Work Party
Beckerings Work Party
Beckerings - Fish Stocking
During the work party we also took delivery of some fish, We stocked 1000 Roach of 6-8 Inches along with 6000 3-6" ungraded fish which were mainly roach with some Bream, Perch and possibly Rudd present.
We wanted to buy the roach, but we would then have paid for delivery, but this was waived if we took their special offer of the smaller mixed fish.
Roach - Beckerings Stocking
Beckerings Stocking
Beckerings Stocking
Beckerings Stocking
Beckerings Stocking
Beckerings Stocking
Beckerings Stocking
Final Indoor Coaching Session Wraps Up a Winter of Progress
On Saturday 21st February, the Luton AC coaches held their last indoor winter coaching session at The Bushmead Centre in Luton.
Numbers were a little depleted due to half term but this did not detract from the enthusiasm shown by those attending.
As usual refreshments were provided in the form of tea, coffee, juice and biscuits.
The youngsters were given an introduction to rod and line fishing, including the use of long rods, slider tactics and basic waggler, with further information on the various types of wagglers to be used on a variety of venues. Each junior was also given a handout with basic waggler fishing advice and tips.
They were also given a talk, history, and demonstration of the various types of fishing reels that have been used over the years and given the opportunity to handle and examine for themselves first hand centrepins and fixed spool reels with explanations of their uses and their features such as front and rear drag, bait runner, and fightin' drag.

There was a demonstration of the different way to change spools by unscrewing or push button, and how, where possible, to change the handles from left to right hand wind. This was followed by reel care highlighting cleaning, oiling points, general maintenance and storage.
A brief talk followed about shotting weights on floats with an accompanying handout and each youngster went away with a free selection of pole winders and pole anchors.
All who attended said that they had enjoyed the session and looked forward to getting back on the bank when the weather improves.
The coaches would like to offer a big thank you to the taxi of Mums, Dads, and Grandparents without whom the junior attendance at these events would
be impossible.
Thanks also go to the staff at The Bushmead Centre who look after us so well!
If any member is curious in finding out more about the club's coaching activities, then please contact Mark Brooks or Dennis Hunt using the contact forms on the club website.
Bushmead Indoor Coaching Session
Bushmead Indoor Coaching Session
Persistence Tested as Ouse Flooding Forces Three Locks Switch
Match Report for Wednesday 18th February 2026
The Match Programme for the Wednesday Group showed that on 18th February 2026 a match was to be held upon the River Ouse at Wyboston. The persistent and often heavy rain in the 2 weeks prior to this date swelled the river level to such an extent that it was unfishable. The river level was reflected in the adjoining lagoon which made the obvious alternative to the river unavailable due to the waterlogged ground and covered platforms.
Thus, the group elected to change the venue for the match and fish the upper pounds of the GUC at Three Locks, Stoke Hammond.
The watchwords for anglers of all description are patience and persistence. John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States said, Patience and Perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. Such sentiments became very pertinent to this relocated match, showing how deluded politicians have always been!!
Eleven anglers turned up to fish the match. Many thanks are due again to Barry Roper for his yomp to reconnoitre the venue at short notice for availability in respect of boat occupancy in the pound and for setting out the pegs required for the match.
The water temperature was 5 degrees C with dry weather throughout. The wind was very light as the match started, but did start to gust by late morning, pushing poles and whips first one way, then the other. (Dennis Hunt was away sunning himself on a beach in Lanzarote so he would have got locked up for carrying out a rain dance there).
Boat traffic was very light, with only two passing through. One passed through our match area just as we started.
The draw for the match was carried out by Tony Hickmott and Ray Burton. These gentlemen also stood up to the plate to carry out the onerous duty of weighing in the catches. However, in the event such was not so onerous as only 2 anglers caught fish.
Tim Watts landed 5 extremely small Perch, 4 of which were the size of Minnows and Barry Roper landed 1 Minnow sized Perch. Consequently, Tony and Ray struggled with the weigh in, despite using the more accurate digital scales, which failed to weigh such a small catch from both anglers.
The result became a fish count, although it was quite obvious who took first place and who was second.
And the other nine patient and persistent anglers had a total blank with some leaving early as their cup ranneth over with disappointment.
Dave Ridley commented that he hasn’t seen his float go under yet this year, as the Carp he landed at Beckerings was caught on a feeder.
As usual the vital arrangements for financial duties and administration were carried out by the indomitable Ray Burton without whom we would be struggling.
The sudden change of venue together with the absence of our great leader again demonstrated what super people we have in our midst, who happily step into the breach to fulfil the duties required.
The overall result of the Match was as follows: -
1st Tim Watts - 5 small fish
2nd Barry Roper 1 small fish
DNW, Tony Hickmott, Graham Stringer, Sam Rose, Colin Holmes, Dave Ridley, Mark Sessions, Pete Mills, Sean Letherland & Simon Foulkes.
Finally, once again our thanks are due to the Tracey who does all the post-match record keeping and hot fishing posting.
Our next match is on the GUC at The Globe which is listed in the programme as a pairs match. Such being the case it will be easier to organise 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 plus £2.00 Pegging Fee, 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.
This will help us to manage the booking of pegging of this venue.
Please bring your club membership book with you as you will be asked to produce it for your first appearance.

That is all we have for you this week, Please send us in any stories, information or catch reports that you would like included in next week's edition. You can send in content via our social media pages or the club website.

Tight Lines,

Dave M
Luton Angling Club.

Luton Angling Club - Weekly News, Information and Catch Report Roundup - Week Ending 15th February 2026

Another wet week keeping anglers off the bank, and with rivers still in flood conditions and more heavy rain over the weekend there doesn't seem to be any improvement. Darren Lee fished South Lagoon today for Pike (Sunday 15th Feb) and he saw the levels in the lagoon come up around 6 inches during his session and his peg started to flood.

If you are interested in current river levels and flood conditions you can view river levels in our area on the Environment Agency website at the link below.

check-for-flooding - GOV.UK

Once again we have little to report in terms of catches this week so this weeks report is mainly just other news and information about club activities.

Beckerings Reservoir - Work Party

The work party volunteers were at Beckerings on Saturday to carry out some work on the trees around the reservoir, Due to the fact Beckerings is a raised irrigation reservoir we are not allowed to let the willows around the reservoir to get too big. There was a break in the poor weather and although a little chilly it was a very pleasant sunny morning and a lot was achieved so thank you to all those that helped. We will likely be continuing this work next weekend.

Beeckerings Work Party
Beckerings Work Party
Beckerings Work Party
Beckerings Work Party


MIDWEEK MATCH - BECKERINGS RESERVOIR

The Luton Match group fished their midweek match on Beckerings this week, Here is their report written by Terry Vickers

The Actress Gloria Swanson once said, “Life is 95% anticipation” So it was with that sentiment that 17 anglers turned out on a blustery, but temperate day for our weekly Wednesday Match at one of the jewels in the crown of Luton Angling Club Venues – Beckerings Reservoir.
In order to compensate for his absence again, Dennis Hunt had obviously donned the goats head for the Rain Dance and the spirits responded correspondingly.
As expected for such a premium venue and due to the growing popularity of the Wednesday Match Group the Match was well subscribed. The weather conjured up by Dennis Hunt was obvious at the start of the match with persistent showery rain for the first 3 hours. However, things did improve as the day wore on with sunshine and blue skies making an appearance for the final hour and a half of the match. Obviously, Dennis had only carried out the abridged rain dance this time.
The gusting wind made matters difficult on some pegs with those on the earlier and later pegs faring worst with the wind directly in their face. Such conditions made bite detection, bait presentation and casting long distances difficult for them. Anglers on the top bank and those on higher numbered pegs found shelter from the worst of the elements. Thus, it was no surprise that the higher weights came from these pegs.
As usual the vital arrangements for financial duties and administration were carried out by the indomitable Ray Burton without whom we would be struggling. Post match duties for weighing in were carried out by Tony Hickmott and Colin Holmes, once again showing how much, we are blessed with great people who happily step into the breach to fulfil the duties required. Grateful thanks to Tony & Colin for their efforts, which once again ensured that the match proceeded smoothly.
The water level in the Reservoir reflected the high level of rainfall we have experienced in the recent week with a couple of platforms being partly submerged. However, the water looked very inviting with some colour.
After one hour of fishing, it became apparent that fish would be scarce. The results set out below show that 7 dry nets were recorded. Additionally, we had decided that any Carp captured would be returned to the water immediately with a weight of 1lb being allowed for each fish. This rule came into force with two anglers, one being Dave Ridley, who managed to hook, and after a very long battle, land a 17lb specimen. A further surprise was in store for Simon Foulkes when he hooked into and landed a beautiful Pike of approximately 10lbs.
The winner of the match on Peg 17 was the ever popular Bailiff of the water, Colin Holmes. Colin put his intimate knowledge of the venue to good use,
His initial approach was to set up a 24g Method Feeder at 56 yards using ringers and wafters as hookbait. Colin saw little result for the first hour and three quarters and was contemplating changing to maggot as hookbait. However, as he was beginning to set up a rig for the change of method, he got a solid take on the method feeder resulting in a good-sized skimmer bream. A few more skimmer bream followed, but a crescendo came with the capture of two specimen Bream weighing 6lbs and 8 lbs respectively, which boosted Colin’s Final weight to 21lbs 12oz – a splendid effort. Well done Colin and well deserved for your patience and persistence.
In a distant joint second place on peg 19 was Danny Worth. Danny clipped up a window feeder filled with particle groundbait at 40m distance. Treble pinkie was the hookbait which tempted a few skimmer bream to make up his weight of 5lbs 2oz. Simon Foulkes joined Danny in joint second place from peg 23 with an identical weight again consisting of skimmer bream. Simon also clipped up at 40m but introduced a heavy groundbait regime at the start of the match with regular re- casts every 5 minutes to top up the feed level. This resulted in the capture of 4 skimmer bream to equal the 5lbs 2 oz captured by Danny. As already mentioned, Simon also captured a bonus fish of approximately 10lbs but alas it did not count as it was a Pike, which was not eligible in the match.
In Fourth place. On Peg 5, with 2lbs 14oz was our resident Beckerings and all round expert, Amer Jawad who managed a few fish for a weight of 2lbs 14oz which proves that he is human after all !!
The overall result of the Match was as follows: -
1st Place
Colin Holmes 21lbs 12oz
Joint 2nd Place
Danny Worth 5lbs 2oz
Simon Foulkes 5lbs 2oz
4th Place
Amer Jawad 2lbs 14oz
5th Place
Ray Burton 1lb 8oz
Joint 6th Place
Dave Ridley 1lb (one carp )
Keith Ward 1lb (one carp)
8th Place
Mark Sessions 11oz
9th Place
Bart Bonito 4oz
10th Place
Dave Whillock 1oz
DNW Les Burton, Andy Frankum , Terry Vickers , Tony Hickmott , Graham Stringer,Richard Darbon (Jampot Empty) & Sam Rose
Finally, once again our thanks are due to the Tracey who does all the post-match record keeping and hot fishing posting.
Our next match was due to be held on the River Ouse at Wyboston however in light of the recent and ongoing wet weather it’s unlikely the river will be fishable .
Therefore the group will switch their match to canal at Three Locks
Draw at 8.30am, £5.00 optional pools plus £2.00 Pegging Fee, Fish 10.00am – 3.00 pm.
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. This will help us to manage the booking of pegging of this venue. Please bring your club membership book with you as you will be asked to produce it for your first appearance.
Colin Holmes - Midweek Match Winner
Two New Competitions for Club Members in 2026
The Club are pleased to announce some new competitions for Luton Angling Club members in 2026, The Charlie Olney Memorial trophy and a four match GUC Summer Evening Series.
Charlie Olney Memorial Trophy
This competition is a single evening match of 3 hours duration to be fished at Three Locks on the GUC on Thursday 11th June, Draw at 5pm fish 6pm to 9pm. £5 entry per angler, £5 optional pools + £2 peg fee
The competition is whip only maximum length 4 Metres and the whip can be elasticated.
Other than this standard Luton Match Rules apply
GUC Summer Evening Series
This competition is a four round evening series with matches of 3 hours duration to be fished on the GUC on Thursday evenings, Draw at 5pm fish 6pm to 9pm. The best 3 points results out of the 4 matches will count, and standard Luton Match rules apply.
There will be a £5 entry per angler to fish the league, with a £2.00 peg fee and an optional £5.00 pool per round
2nd July - 1st Round
Three Locks
16th July - 2nd Round
Town South
23rd July - 3rd Round
The Globe
13th August - 4th Round
The Globe
Details on how you can enter these competitions will be shared at a later date.

Date for your Diary
Don't forget the club's annual General Meeting will be held next month on Thursday 26th March 2026 at Stopsley Working Men's Club in Luton. Members are encouraged to attend the AGM to have their say, share ideas, and keep up to date with club affairs. It's your club - get involved!

That's all we have for this week.

Tight Lines

Dave M
Luton Angling Club.

Luton Angling Club - Weekly News, Information and Catch Report Roundup - Week Ending 8th February 2026

More rainfall throughout the week has left rivers in flood, with high water levels, heavy colour and moving with considerable pace.These conditions have limited opportunities for anglers and curtailed activity across several venues. 

This week’s catch report and news round‑up whilst lacking in catch reports, provides a clear overview of recent club activities, current conditions, and matters of note as we await a return to more settled weather and water levels.

A Welcome Return for the Wednesday Match Group After Their January Break
Wednesday saw the return of the Mid week matches after the groups usual pause throughout January. Here is their report from Wednesday 4th February
The author John Buchan said “The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable – a perpetual series of occasions of hope “The match report from this week shows that most of the anglers attending were in pursuit of the elusive but with very little being attainable.
It was originally planned to fish upon the Town North stretch of the Grand Union Canal at Leighton Buzzard. However, the match was very well subscribed, due to the growing popularity of the Wednesday Match Group and also being the first Wednesday of the 2026 programme, with 23 anglers wishing to fish.
In the event due to illness and family commitments, 4 anglers had to withdraw at short notice. Consequently, with 19 bodies remaining it was decided to split up into 2 sections, one on Town North and one on The Globe stretch because of the Boat situation and the parking considerations.
Thus 10 anglers fished a separate match at the Globe and 9 anglers fished on Town South.
Two of the withdrawals were due to illness and we wish Dennis Hunt and Richard Darbon a speedy recovery. The upside was that as Dennis Hunt was absent and too poorly to rain dance (naked except for his Goats Head), we enjoyed good weather with sunshine and no rain!
In addition to this, the indispensable Ray Burton who we rely upon so much for financial duties and administration was also unavailable this week. Ray, you were greatly missed. However, we are blessed with great people who happily step into the breach to fulfil the duties required. Grateful thanks go to Tony Hickmott & Colin Holmes for administration, organisation and weighing in together with Barry Roper and Bart Bonito for pegging out duties. Their considerable efforts ensured that the matches at both venues proceeded smoothly.
The canal appeared to be in good condition with a little colour and very little tow. Our meteorological Guru Tony Hickmott advised that the water temperature was 7 degrees centigrade which more or less matched the air temperature at the time of the draw.
After one hour of fishing at both venues, it became apparent to everyone that fish would be scarce. The pegs that did find some action found that the fish stocks present had shrunk to about 2 -3 inches long!
At The Globe, pegs 1, 3 & 4 produced the best weights with Sean Leatherland on peg 1 prevailing with 2lbs 5oz 8 drams of very small Roach punctuated with 2 small Perch. Bait was mainly red maggot fished over crumb groundbait at 11m with pinkies and squat thrown in for good measure. In second place was Barry Roper with 1lb 5 oz. Barry hooked a large fish at the start but did not manage to land it. After a period of no action, he did eventually find some small roach on pinkie which he had to land quickly to avoid the attention of Pike in his swim. In third place was Keith Ward with 1lb 1oz 8 drams of small roach caught on red maggot over groundbait laced with squat fished at 11m across. Keith also reported trouble with very hungry Pike. Overall, the venue fished poorly with 4 anglers not troubling the scales at all
At Town South, the position was even more dire. The aggregate weight of all 9 anglers could not match the winning weight at the Globe. Bart Bonito topped the list with 12 ounces 8 drams of tiny roach fishing against the far bank. He used pinkie and squat over groundbait to tempt 32 fish. Tim Watts staggered into second place with 8 ounces 4 drams, a catch which again was made up of very small fish caught mainly on bread punch. Peter Mills struggled to 3rd place with 5 ounces of small roach using bread punch, hard against an opposite boat.
The overall results of the Matches were as follows: -
THE GLOBE
1st Sean Leatherland 2lbs 5oz 8 drams
2nd Barry Roper 1lb 5oz
3rd Keith Ward1lb 1oz 8 drams
4th Dave Abbott 9oz
5th Andy Frankum 3oz 8 drams
6th Dave Whillock 2oz 8 drams
Dave Ridley, Les Burton, Simon Foulkes & Tony Hickmott DNW
TOWN SOUTH
1st Bart Bonito 12oz 8 drams
2nd Tim watts 8oz 4 drams
3rd Peter Mills 5oz
4th Chris Howard 2oz 8 drams
5th Colin Holmes 1oz 8 drams
6th Dudley Frankland 1oz
7th Colin Macbeth 8 drams
Terry Vickers & Graham Stringer DNW
Finally, once again our thanks are due to the indomitable Tracey who not only does all the post-match record keeping and Administration but brightens our day as a ray of sunshine on the bank, even after a difficult time.
Our next match is at on at Luton’s premier venue, Beckerings Reservoir near Ampthill Draw at the venue at 8.30am, £5.00 optional pools plus £2.00 Pegging Fee, Fish 10.00am – 3.00 pm. It is likely that there will be a rush to reserve places. The venue is likely to be very busy during this match.
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. This will help us to manage the booking of pegging of this venue. Please bring your club membership book with you as you will be asked to produce it for your first appearance.
Wednesday Match Group
Wednesday Match Group
Beckerings Reservoir
Little in the way of catch reports however the bailiffs reported members were catching a few decent Bream.

A reminder as already mentioned above The Wednesday match group will fish Beckerings Reservoir on Wednesday 11th February. A significant number of members now take part in these matches so the venue and especially the car park will be extremely busy on that day.
Match Weds 11th February - Beckerings
Slipe Lane Pits - Work Party
The first of the 2026 Turnford (Slipe Lane Pits) work parties is on Sunday 15th February. Luton members are encouraged to attend and help out.
The lakes will be closed for fishing from 7am on the 15th, and reopen mid-day once the work party has finished.The volunteers usually meet in the car park at around 8am.
Boot pit at Slipe Lane
Fishers Green - Access
Some info from our contacts at Fishers Green that National Grid are about to start another phase of works starting on Wednesday 4th February through to the 12th February. There will be stewards in place for safety but you should be given full access to the venue at all times during this work. Please follow any guidance from the stewards.

Wild Birds Through the Lens of Howard Birley
Howard Birley who is an avid wildlife photographer has sent in some more fantastic pictures of wild birds that were taken at a Luton Angling Club venue. More of his work can be seen on his Flickr Page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/birleyinfocus/

That's all for this week, If you do get out fishing please send in your catch reports as they are very much appreciated. You can send them via our social media pages and through the club website.

Tight Lines

Dave M
Luton AC

Luton Angling Club - Weekly News, Information and Catch Report Roundup - Week Ending 1st February 2026

Unsurprisingly, the inbox has been quiet again this week with River levels high and the weather not being ideal it has been a damp, and wet week dominated by overcast skies. At the time of this report (Sun 1st Feb) the Wyboston bailiffs report the River Ouse is still well up and flowing very fast.

No catch reports have come in this week so our coaching activities and other features make up this weeks report.  

Wednesday Match Group
The Wednesday match group will start up their 2026 program after their usual January break and are due to fish Town North on the canal at Leighton Buzzard on the 4th Feb. We look forward to start receiving their usual weekly match reports.

CRT - South East Coaching Conference
As we have done for the last few years, Luton Angling Club hosted the Canal and River Trust(CRT) South East area coaching conference.
It was held on Saturday 31st January in the Bradgers room at Bushmead Community Centre in Luton and was attended by many existing qualified coaches from Luton, Wellingborough, Northampton, Ware and Peterborough and by others that are interested in becoming angling coaches.
Everyone enjoyed the day and went away feeling they had learnt a lot, with some registering interest in taking the coaching qualifications afterwards. We even had interest from some people who could not make it to the event.
John Ellis of the CRT did several presentations, including a detailed overview of the new revised 2026 ‘Lets Fish’ fishing and environmental awards and the certificates which are given to those on the program when they demonstrate the correct level of achievement and understanding required.
Rob Harris of Clubmate and Peterborough gave a very good demonstrations of Clubmate software developments with the focus on facilities for Juniors and outlined some truly exciting developments with alternative routes to gain coaching qualifications.
All who attended agreed it was a very interesting day, and are looking forward to 2026 on the bank.
CRT South East Coaching Conference
CRT South East Coaching Conference
CRT South East Coaching Conference
Molly's Rig Making
Molly, one of our Kingfisher Juniors and a regular attendee at our indoor coaching sessions at Bushmead has been desperate to get out on the bank again since Christmas, but the weather conditions haven’t been great, and she hasn’t been able to get out and fish.
Not to be put off, with the help of Grandad Dave, Molly has been busy making a rig making board so she can make and shot her own Pole rigs correctly and be ready for when the weather improves and she can get out fishing again.
Very well done Molly, it’s great to see you practising all the things you have learnt at our classroom sessions
Molly's rig board
Molly checking the shotting
In the Net History
Continuing on with "in the net history" where we showcase members catches from many years ago, this weeks picture is circa 1984 and is of Ian Fourmy with a Crucian caught while fishing with his family on North House Lake. If you have any very old pictures from Luton Angling Club venues please send them in so we can keep this feature going. Send them via our social media messaging or via the catch report form on our website. We look forward to receiving them.
Ian Fourmy - North House Lake 1984
That's all we have for this week. Please do send in anything you have in terms of catch reports as it's hard keeping these reports going this time of the year.

Tight Lines,

Dave M
Luton Angling Club.