Some good fish are coming from The New Monk at Elphick's, the carp lake at Goudhurst run by fishery manager Chris Davies from the original Monk Lake.

The five-acre specimen water, which has been stocked with only carp from 7lb to 32lb, has now been open for about five weeks and up until last week the best fish was just over 19lb. At that time nobody had caught more than one fish in a session.

During a visit to the water with Alan Carter of Bexhill, it was still very cold and three fish were caught between us.

Fishing with boilies, Carter landed mirrors of 18lb 7oz and 15lb 12oz, while I had one of 13lb 14oz.

A couple of days later both of these records were broken by Phil Barden of Ticehurst who fished from peg 20 with pop-up boilies for mirrors of 23lb 8oz, 22lb 8oz and 13lb 4oz.

Subject to planning permission, the complex, which already has two lakes, will eventually have eight catering for most types of angler from those who do not want to fish for carp, to the big fish angler after the biggest that swims.

The other lake already on site is a smaller water above the Specimen Lake which is stocked with a variety of fish including carp to low double figures, tench, roach, rudd, perch, orfe and chub.

All the lakes at Spring Wood Fisheries are fishing well and a spectacular catch of carp which included 39 fish was taken by Jamie Cashman for an estimated catch of 250lb.

He fished the pole with a variety of baits including sweetcorn, maggots and luncheon meat on Beech Pool. Later he also fished the top pool to catch an estimated further 50lb of mixed bream, roach, carp and crucians.

On the trout scene at the same fishery Paul Russell caught the biggest rainbow of year so far from the water weighing 16lb.

There was also a brownie of 10lb 6oz taken Barry Reynolds and a 12lb 6oz rainbow caught on a damsel nymph by a local nurse.

Spring Pool and Long Pool are also fishing well with lots of limit bags being taken and plenty of fish in the 3lb to 5lb range.

Gold head daddies, buzzer, damsel and cat's whisker were the most successful flies.

At Powdermill Reservoir a day ticket angler caught the biggest rainbow from the bank weighing 6lb 13oz. There were plenty of six fish limits caught from both the bank and boats on a variety of flies including: montana, pheasant tail nymph, alder and buzzer.