Weather no obstacle to river roach

Severe weather cuts many fishing sessions short, but James Denison battled the wind and rain to bank this immaculate 2lb 10oz roach.
Fishing a centrepin outfit on an undisclosed stretch of a southern river, the electrician trotted a single maggot hookbait after initially putting down a bed of loosefeed.
“The bite came around 30 minutes before dusk and was from the only roach of the day in what was a tough afternoon’s fishing,” James told Angling Times.
“This was my third 2lb roach of the season, and the best months are yet to come.”
James’ specimen was taken on a 12ft Greys Prodigy TXL float rod and centrepin reel combination with terminal tackle consisting of a 6BB Drennan wire-stemmed float and a size 12 barbless hook.

More anglers join 2lb roach hall of fame

To catch a 2lb river roach is seen as ‘the holy grail’ for many anglers but to catch one on float tackle is special – this week two anglers joined this exclusive club.
Roach fanatic Billy McDonald used traditional trotting tactics with stick float and maggot on the River Test at Timsbury to bank a haul of big roach topped by a 2lb 8oz specimen.
The Milton Keynes angler made the long drive to the Hampshire venue a trip to remember when he netted roach of 1lb 1oz, 1lb 2oz and 1lb 10oz, followed by his biggest, which was just 1oz off his personal best.
However, the day could have been even better for Billy had he not lost an even bigger fish at the net.
 “I lost two other fish that looked about the same size as the two-pounder, along with a third fish that was much bigger. I was gutted at the time, but to catch so many stunning roach in a day made this one of my best-ever trips,” he said.
Billy caught all his fish, along with dozens of trout and grayling, by targeting a 7ft-deep glide with red maggots as feed and on the hook.
 His stick float rig was made up of 4lb reel line with an olivette positioned a couple of feet above a 2.5lb hooklength and a size 16 hook.
Big-fish man Lee Chatfield also used trotting tactics to bank a stunning 2lb 3oz roach.
The Sonubaits-backed specialist from Sussex  fished an unnamed chalk stream where, like Billy, he also used a stick float and maggots to record a bulging 65lb net of dace, perch and barbel to go with what is his first-ever 2lb river roach.
Lee’s tackle consisted of a 14ft Drennan Acolyte float rod, a Dave Harrell 12xNo4 alloy stick float, 3lb mainline, a 0.11mm Powerline hooklength and size 18 Drennan Wide Gape match hook.
Both fish follow the captures of a number of big redfins since the turn of the month.
The best of these was a 3lb 8oz monster landed by carp angler Jake Baxter from the Norfolk Broads last week.

3lb 4oz roach found dead at pike water Chew Valley

This is the picture of a 3lb 4oz roach that was found at the UK’s finest specimen pike water.
The dead roach was discovered by former British pike record-holder Neville Fickling and Angling Times columnist Paul Garner when the pair fished from the deck of a boat on the famous Chew Valley Reservoir.
It’s a venue that’s already produced two pike over 40lb and numerous 30lb-plus specimens so far this season, but the roach proved why many experts believe that the next British record pike isn’t the only history-making coarse fish that is lurking in the depths of the vast Somerset venue.
“As soon as I saw the fish I shouted ‘hang on a minute, that is absolutely huge’ so we sped over to investigate,” Neville told Angling Times.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that there are roach like this in this place because everything seems to grow to such huge proportions. But all that said, I didn’t think I’d be having my picture taken with a 3lb 4oz roach during a day at Chew.”
Along with pike to 44lb 6oz and perch to just under the 5lb mark, respected specimen all-rounder and fisheries scientist Paul Garner also believes that Chew and many of the other vast trout fishing reservoirs in the UK could contain coarse fish of massive proportions.
“This roach is further proof of just what could be in these lakes, because many of them are perfect breeding grounds for specimen fish,” said Paul.
“Chew is such healthy water that’s rich in food and nutrients, so it’s no wonder why it’s not only home to huge pike.
“I’ve seen huge coarse fish rolling while fishing this type of venue and if you do a bit of research you’ll find out about a 20lb 2oz bream that was found dead at Thames Water’s Farmoor Reservoir some years ago – just one of many examples of what lurks beneath the surface of these waters.”

3lb 8oz Broads roach biggest of the year

The biggest roach of 2015 and a handful of huge river specimens have kick-started the season for one of the nation’s favourite species.
This 3lb 8oz example was caught from the prolific Broads system by carp angler Jake Baxter.
He had the surprise of his life when the only bite following eight gruelling sessions on Oulton Broad in Lowestoft, Suffolk, produced the huge specimen. It took a liking to a snowman rig baited with a trimmed-down 18mm bottom bait tipped with a smaller pop-up.
It was an offering intended to deter any roach or bream, but the 26-year-old local angler certainly wasn’t complaining when he slipped the new personal best on to the scales.
“I had a few small bleeps and pulls and then the rod screamed off.
I thought it might be a bream but it seemed to be to going too fast, then I saw the red fins, thought ‘whoa!’ and realised it was a true roach,” Jake told Angling Times.
“A couple of pike anglers came over to help me photograph it and confirmed what it was. This was a really solid fish like a chub and it was 2ins-3ins wide. Laid down on the net next to my arm it was double the length of my hand and reached more than halfway up my forearm!”.
Jake used 14lb mainline, a 15lb coated braid hooklink and a size 8 hook with a running lead set-up.
The theme of shock captures continued as a 2lb 6oz roach fell to a barbel angler on the River Ribble.
Lee Hitchon used a 15mm Source boilie to set a new personal best on the tidal section of the North West venue. It was the only bite of the day for the 30-year-old from Preston.
“The rod-tip started bouncing and I thought I had a small chub on, but then this massive roach came up. I’ve had them to 1lb 8oz before on the Ribble, but nothing like this.
“I was using a PVA bag full of micro pellets which must have attracted the roach,” said Lee.
Fishing-mad Labour MP Jon Cruddas, who is part of the All Party Parliamentary Angling Group and a supporter of the Angling Trust joined the list of anglers netting big roach when he spent a day on a chalk stream in Hampshire.
Alternating maggot and corn hookbaits, the biggest specimen of the day at 2lb 7oz fell to his fishing pal Vaughan Lewis, of Thames Water, while Jon set a new pb with a redfin tipping the scales at 2lb 2oz.
 “It was a really special day – not only did I catch my first fish on a centrepin, but I was fortunate enough to catch what most coarse anglers consider to be a fish of a lifetime,” said Jon.

2lb 12oz roach best

This 2lb 12oz roach was the highlight of a roach fishing session for Alan Storey.
A visit to a southern stillwater produced around 80 roach for the Oxford specialist, who alternated maggot and groundbait feeders at 50yds with maggot hookbaits flavoured with Nash Baits’ Tangerine Dream.
He backed it up with a three redfins of 2lb 4oz, 2lb 2oz and 2lb 1oz, which were all fooled with a paternoster rig made with 4lb mainline a 4lb fluorocarbon hooklink and a size 16 hook.

Close to home for four 2lb river roach

Roach fishing fanatic Mike Townsend made the catch of a lifetime when he banked four river redfins over 2lb on float tackle.
The specialist from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, has spent the last 15 years travelling to some of the south’s most famous roach fisheries to satisfy his obsession with catching specimens of the species.
But he struck gold when a waterway just minutes from his home ironically produced the incredible catch which comprised roach weighing 2lb 2oz, 2lb 1oz and a couple at 2lb on the nail.
“I really can’t believe the fact that I’ve spent so many years travelling and clocking up thousands of miles in search of big roach at venues such at the Hampshire Avon, yet I’ve done this on my doorstep. I’m blown away,” said Mike.
The fish were caught in the space of just a couple of hours and were kept within range with the introduction of loosefed casters. Mike then trotted a tiny Drennan dibber float expertly through the swim.
His winning rig was made up of a 0.10mm hooklink tied to a size 18 hook on to which were threaded two casters.
“I lost one fish that was even bigger than the rest, landed another two just under the 2lb mark and probably could have winkled out a few more, but a small pike started showing an interest so I called it a day,” he said.
“River fish like this are so rare from up north, but to catch a bag of them is really something else.”

Bread tempts 2lb roach

Iain McDonald demonstrated that traditional tactics still have their place in an angler’s armoury when he slipped the net under this 2lb roach.
The Kent angler tempted the prime specimen from his local stretch of river using a tactic known as stret pegging, which involves setting your rig well overdepth with a heavy shot close to the hook so that the float lays on the surface.
Iain introduced no loosefeed, relying on a breadflake hookbait to draw in the redfin.

Roach boost on the canals

Roach stocks in Britain’s most popular canals are set to receive a boost with the launch of a forward-thinking project.

The Canal & River Trust has revealed its plans to entice thousands of lapsed canal anglers, among them an initiative aimed at producing more roach for anglers to target.

The Grand Union Canal will be the first place where the Roach Restoration Project will be trialled. Thousands of pounds are set to be invested after numerous angling clubs complained that stocks on the waterway were in serious decline.

It is hoped the scheme will be rolled out nationally if it proves to be a success.

However, rather than stocking roach bred on fish farms, the project will instead go about working to protect fish already in the canal and encourage them to spawn with the help of specially designed mats on which they can deposit their eggs.

The inspiration for the scheme has been taken from the highly successful Avon Roach Project which was set up by Budgie Price and Trevor Harrop back in 2003 to help reverse the decline in redfins on the Hampshire Avon.

Detailed plans for the project are yet to be finalised, but the CRT’s National Fisheries and Angling Manager, John Ellis, hopes it will help bring more anglers back to canals.

He said: “The quality of silverfish angling on many canals is in decline, particularly for roach. We want to reverse that so that those who fish on our waterways can expect lots of bites.

“We need to reduce predation by removing some of the zander in the canal and provide fish with adequate shelter before building the mats to help stocks increase for the future,” he added.

Work is set to begin in the Milton Keynes and Northampton area, spreading to other stretches later if the project proves a success – but John pointed out that not every stretch requires attention: “The areas we will be concentrating on are those where a lot of match anglers like to catch silverfish. We won’t be removing zander from the whole canal circuit, as on some sections they are the prime target of lure anglers.”

The charity is in talks with the Angling Trust and Environment Agency to help fund the project with cash from their Angling Improvement Fund, but it is also appealing for help from the public.

To donate towards the scheme go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/get-involved/appeal  or call 0303 040 4040.

500 sessions for 2lb roach

More than 500 sessions in search of a big river roach finally ended in success for Phil Taylor when he banked this immaculate personal best specimen on the float.
The Skegness angler set his heart on landing a redfin over 2lb four years ago and has been visiting local rivers several times a week in an attempt achieve his goal.
His latest session saw him turn his attentions away from what has become an obsession and set his sights on winning a friendly competition that had been arranged by a group of friends.
But, ironically, it was this switch of focus that saw him achieve his goal.
“A few of us who mainly concentrate on catching big fish decided to change our mind-set for a month and arranged a species hunt tournament,” said Phil.
“The winner would be the angler who could land the most types of fish during that time. I’d gone down to the river to catch a few small silvers of different species to get my effort under way and I landed this. I can’t believe it!”
A simple stick float rig baited with two red maggots helped tempt a few small roach and dace before he set his hook into his new personal best.
“I knew instantly it was something big, but never for a single second did I envisage a new pb roach would be attached to the other end.
“It made a few attempts to shed the hook and when I finally saw it the nerves really kicked in as I knew there was every chance it was the fish I’d worked so hard for. When it was confirmed, I was lost for words,” said Phil.
“It’s ironic that I have spent so much time searching for this fish and it finally comes on a day when I wasn’t really looking for it! A 2lb roach is the holy grail in my book – it is definitely my biggest angling achievement.”
His winning rig was made up of a Middy Pete Warren stick float and 3lb 6oz Drennan Double Strength line to a size 16 hook.

2lb 11oz roach personal best

To catch a roach over 2lb from a river is the goal of many anglers, so Iain McDonald was celebrating when he netted this 2lb 11oz specimen.

Fishing a River Thames tributary, the Canterbury all-rounder trickled maggots into his swim and then trotted a single maggot hookbait on a size 20 hook downriver.

The specimen sets a new personal best for the species by 1oz, and came from a shallow section of the waterway popular with big-fish anglers.

Secret lake's huge roach

An untapped day-ticket lake has been uncovered as one of UK’s top roach angling hotspots following the capture of dozens of specimen fish.

Anglers have flocked to Springwater Fishery in Ayrshire in recent weeks after news came to light that huge roach to almost 3lb were being caught on a daily basis, sparking venue comparisons with Stranraer redfin superwater, Lochnaw Fishery.

The catches, which include fish to 2lb 13oz in huge nets topping 50lb, are being taken on the Scottish fishery’s mixed-stocked, Match Lake, with visitors reaping the rewards thanks to an initiative which saw hundreds of giant roach transferred from an onsite fly fishing pool.

Owner Willie Scott said: “We originally stocked some small roach into one of our fly ponds eight years ago and left them alone but then when we netted it in 2013 we were shocked at how big they had become.”

“Since we moved them they have grown even bigger and the fishing has been incredible. An international angler recently visited and broke his personal best at least 10 times in a single session - there are just so many big roach stocked” he said.

It is thought that growth rates could have been boosted by the use of high-protein baits used on the 25-peg lake since the fish were moved.

The exciting discovery looks set to create a tempting prospect for specimen anglers and Shimano and Dynamite Baits backed Darran Goulder is just one of the dozens of anglers who could make the long journey north to take advantage of the sport of offer. He told Angling Times: “There are few waters in England where you can catch the roach of a lifetime but the likes of Lochnaw and now Springwater offer a genuine chance of several fish over the magical 2lb mark.”

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Ton-up at Ridgeway Fisheries

With temperatures rising weights have started to soar on the Cotswold’s Ridgeway Fisheries with anglers filling 100lb-plus nets of carp and silvers.

The four interlinking canal pools, known as Walters Lake are where all the action is taking place and with 73 pegs to choose from you won’t be without a swim if you’re a day-ticket angler. What’s more the lake has recently been restocked with thousands of small carp to boost sport even further.

Depths on the canal average around 5ft and thanks to bank erosion the width is now up to 20m in places meaning pole fishing is not the only tactic which can catch fish as anglers have discovered this spring with small method feeders, bomb tactics and even wagglers with banded pellets taking carp averaging 3lb. Fishing the inside ledge at 4-5m and down the edge is also productive with pellets, maggots, corn or meat too. The best anglers here work between two or three lines taking fish from each. A mainline of around 0.12 with black hydro or Preston 15 elastic should be fine for anything you should encounter in here. If you want to concentrate just on the silverfish, which include skimmers and roach, a 40lb bag can be obtained fishing smaller baits down the middle of the track.

Prices: £8 a day, £5 for children sharing with an adult.
Contact: 01285 860412
Location: Ridgeway Fisheries, Wickwater Lane, South Cerney, Gloucestershire, GL7 5UQ
Facilities: Café, toilets, disabled toilets, bait shop (no casters or maggots), accommodation
Rules: Barbless only, all nets to be dipped on arrival, no floating baits, no bite alarms, no boilies, one rod maximum

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Carp and silverfish galore at Toft Farm Fisheries

Warwickshire's Fisheries is a perfect example of a simple yet effective modern commercial fishery. Its two identical, tear-drop shaped lakes are divided into carp and silverfish waters so you can guarantee you’ll catch exactly what you set out for this weekend. Whether it’s a club match where 100lb of carp is needed to win, or simply a winter session after a few roach, Toft certainly has it covered.  With ample space in between pegs and modern wooden platforms as well, a decent days fishing is always on the cards. Here’s a breakdown of what is on offer:

Carp Lake (55 pegs)
With an island at the east end and a huge body of open water to the west, the Carp Lake is ideal for most methods. The pellet feeder filled with 2mm micro pellets and a banded 6mm pellet will catch carp averaging 4lb steadily when cast to the island. Alternatively, fishing the waggler or pole shallow in open water pegs with maggot or pellet will account for good bags of carp as well as the odd big roach. The anglers winning the matches on here recently have only been fishing a top kit plus two sections, where the near shelf bottoms out at around 6ft. 81lb of carp and roach was taken off peg 46 recently using this method, with 4mm, 6mm expanders and meat proving the best baits.

Silverfish Lake (34 pegs)
With a uniform depth of around 6ft and a central island at only 13m away from each peg, the pole and feeder tend to rule here. Dobbing tight to the island reeds with bread accounted for a 107lb mixed bag of barbel, roach, skimmers and F1 carp for one anger recently. A fairly strong elastic is advised so the fish can be pulled from the snags. Try fishing on the deck down the track with 4mm soft pellets over micros and maggots to find skimmers to 3lb. The margins are also noted to produce the odd big carp to 10lb on dead maggots – which were moved from the Carp Lake into the Silverfish Lake to boost catches weights.

Prices: £7 a day
Contact: Ester on 07934 237103
Location: Toft Farm Fisheries, Kites Hardwick, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 8AD
Rules: Barbless hooks only, no keepnets unless in matches, no cat or dog food
Facilities: Toilets, Parking, tea and coffee at weekends

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Strike silver at Portland Waters

We might be six weeks into the river shutdown, but anglers who want to catch chub can still get their fix from stillwaters up and down the country.

Take Portland Waters in Nottinghamshire, for example. At first sight this complex near Newark appears to be your typical commercial fishery but recent catches here are more like those you would expect from the nearby River Trent in a couple of months.

Matches at the fishery have seen huge bags of silverfish netted as Radcliffe on Trent’s Mark Baker discovered when he won a recent Angling Times Bait-Tech Supercup event with 60lb of chub from the Portland’s Old Wood Lake earlier this month.

There are five day-ticket lakes to choose from at Portland and they’re all stuffed with silverfish, alongside the more expected carp. We recommend the in-form Four Island Lake, where, chub, barbel, roach, rudd and carp and can all be targeted specifically depending on what you wish to catch.

This 30-peg pool is square in shape but its four islands make each swim more like a canal with pegs on the inside and outer part of the lake. The islands are reachable with 12 metres of pole and like a canal, the deepest water can be found down the middle (5.5ft) with around 2ft in the margins on the inside and across. The barbel go to nearly 7lb and anglers can catch these by design by fishing down the edge with maggots or meat.

The chub average around 2lb and in past summers anglers have bagged 80-90lb of them by feeding a couple of pole cups filled with chopped worms or alternatively catapulting casters and fishing double caster on the hook tight to the far side or down the egdge. There are also some big roach and rudd to over 1lb, and again, these can be targeted specifically by fishing either down the middle or tight to any reed beds with typical redfin favourites like caster or hemp.

If you do want a real red-letter day and catch more 200lb, though, you need to target carp and these can be located by feeding a line down the bottom of the near ledge with your top-two-plus-one as well as across either to an island or one of the gaps between which are known to hold fish using corn, maggots, meat or pellets. 

The carp average around 3-4lb but avoid fishing too light as the odd ‘lump’ up to 14lb can make a surprise appearance. On warm days fishing up in the water with a banded pellet will pay dividends as will paste fishing close-in. Most pegs fish well in summer but pegs 18-22 on the inside are the most consistent.

If you prefer more of a natural style of fishing then head to the Old Wood Pool where you can imitate what Mark Baker did in catching a big bag of chub on maggots but there are also tonnes of roach and skimmers to enjoy too. This pool was also recently stocked with thousands of ide which will take a liking for maggots or casters but it’s not all about silverfish as nets of carp can also be sought with pellet waggler the top tactic.

With so many options and different species to go at other than just carp anglers need not wait for the rivers to re-open to experience silverfish heaven in Nottinghamshire. Simply pay a visit to Portland.

Prices: £6 a day, £5 concessions
Contact: 07818 552307, www.portlandfishing.co.uk
Location: Portland Waters, Longhedge Lane, Sibthorpe, Newark, Notts, NG23 5PN
Rules: Barbless only hooks, no keepnets, no cat or dog meat, no floating baits, no boilies or nuts, no hooks over size 12, no dogs
Facilities: Clubhouse/café, toilets 

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Alan Stagg lifts the Drennan Cup

“I’ve dreamed of this moment since I first started targeting big fish and to think that my name will now sit alongside some of the greatest anglers of all time just blows my mind.”

These are the emotional words of Alan Stagg, who has this week been crowned Drennan Cup Champion.

The Basingstoke based fishing fanatic took the most coveted prize in specimen angling after votes cast by specimen fishing’s elite put him well ahead of the rest of the field in this year’s competition.

At the end of the 2014/15 season Alan had amassed an impressive five weekly awards in his quest for the famous Drennan Cup and ultimately it was the Gardner tackle employee’s versatility and ability to catch some of the biggest specimens from both still and running water that saw him secure the prestigious title.

“It was my birthday and I was in my garden having a celebratory drink and I got the phone call telling me that I’d won and my jaw hit the floor. I could hardly speak as it was the best present I could have ever wished for,” a delighted Alan told Angling Times.

”I’ve had the Drennan Cup in my sights ever since I started targeting big fish and many all of my fishing heroes have their names on the cup and I’ve been close in the past, but words can’t describe what this means to me. It’s such a huge honour because the unique aspect of this competition is that the winner is decided by votes from your fellow anglers and there’s no bigger accolade than that.

Alan’s campaign began last May when he ended a seven-year quest to beat his bream personal best when he slipped the net under a huge 17lb 3oz that was backed up by another fish weighing 16lb 12oz during a session at a southern gravel pit.

His incredible run of form continued on the same venue a few weeks later after netting one of the biggest braces of all time with a combined weight of 34lb 11oz.

The first trip to a new water saw him gain with his third weekly award when he adopted a float-fishing approach to achieve a long-time ambition of catching a rudd over the magical 3lb barrier.

It took him hours to locate the fish but when he found them he landed specimens weighing 3lb 5oz, 2lb 7oz and 2lb 5oz.

He then switched his attentions to running water and proved why he’s regarded as one of the most gifted all-rounders in the sport when his second river session of 2014 on a tributary of the River Thames produced a 15lb 8oz barbel.

It was only fitting that his fifth and final Drennan weekly award saw him join an elite group of anglers who have banked 3lb-plus roach from both still and running water.

The 3lb 3oz 8 dram fish was the first ‘proper’ roach he’d ever banked  from a river and came from a southern chalk stream caught on feeder fished maggots.

“It really was a dream season for me as I achieved so much and banked fish that I’ve been after for so many years,” Alan continued.

“To have come out on top of a field of anglers that’s made up of such well-respected and genuinely inspiring people is a huge honour, but to have my name on the famous Drennan really is as good as it gets.”

Leading the chasing pack in the 2014/15 Drennan Cup competition was Angling Times columnist and Peg One consultant Paul Garner.

He finished his campaign with a total of three weekly awards for impressive specimens such as a huge 12lb 10oz tench, a 3lb 11oz 8 dram rudd and a 4lb 2oz 8 dram personal best rudd.
The remaining places in the top four were filled by well-respected big fish anglers Brian Ingram and Mike Lyddon.

Drennan Cup sponsor Drennan International have again been delighted with the continued popularity of the competition and congratulated Alan on his victory.

“Congratulations to Alan on a richly deserved win.  In all sport, rewards are generally directly proportionate to the amount of effort & practice invested, and I know first-hand how much time Alan puts into his fishing, Said Stewart Moss of Drennan International.

“I’ve personally bumped into him several times on various venues banks over the years and he really is an expert specimen angler and will be an exceptionally popular Drennan Cup champion.”

What they win:
1 Alan Stagg, £2,000
2 Paul Garner, £1,000
3 Brian Ingram, £500
4 Mike Lyddon, £250

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Target silverfish at unique Redbridge Lakes

With its unique layout and virtually carp free stocking policy Redbridge Fishery is a refreshing change from you ordinary commercial fishery.

Both the fishery’s pools contain a mixed stock of tench, cruicians, roach, perch, bream and ide and anglers visiting the venue recently have been bagging up with the latter with nets topping 40lb.

LAKE CUTHBERT (30 pegs)
Every peg has a rush bed to target close in as well as a small bay around 26m across on the edge of the island. Depths average 5ft and with only a handful of bigger carp to over 10lb light tackle and simple rigs are all you need on this pool. With a huge stock of silverfish, tench and crucians it’s a great place for a pleasure session where bites are not difficult to come by. At the moment casters and maggots fished shallow at around 11m is the top tactic for the ide.

LAKE DAISY (34 pegs)
This pool which has depths averaging 5ft is devoted to the pleasure angler. Huge nets of ide, roach, crucians, perch and tench can be caught fishing simple tactics like pole and waggler. At the moment anglers are catching well fishing a 4mm pellet over a bed of fishmeal groundbait at around 10m out. There are also some big perch in this pool to over 4lb and these are often caught fishing caster and worm tight to features like the rush beds found in most pegs.

Prices: £15 a day, £10 taster day
Contact: 020 8551 5663, 07774 990 100, www.redbridgelakes.co.uk
Location: Redbridge Fishing Lakes, 1 Salix Lane, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 8LY
Rules: No keepnets, landing nets supplied by fishery, barbless only, no fixed leads, no bait discarding, no boilies, joker, cat meats
Facilities: Toilets, café, tackle shop, disabled access; tackle hire, free kids coaching

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Bag 30lb of stillwater barbel from Thorpe Fisheries

There are few commercial fisheries that can be branded as ‘natural’ venues, but Thorpe Fisheries in Tamworth certainly fits the bill thanks to its spring fed waters. The excellent water quality has helped keep the fish healthy across both lakes to insure you’ll be catching immaculate looking specimens throughout your session. When it comes to stillwater barbel, there’s no better place to head than the 42 peg Brook Meadow Pool where they grow to a rod-bending 7lb.

Most methods will catch them however a worm fished next to the sluice between pegs 38 and 39 may well bring you 30lb worth. Aside from barbel, carp to 16lb, tench, roach, chub, bream and crucians all reside here, with 60lb mixed bags a regular occurrence in matches fished over the weekends.

Many anglers prefer to fish the pole at 12m where the shelf starts to run down to around 13ft deep. Krill groundbait works wonders here, especially when double caster, worm or corn is fished over it. Alternatively, the reed lined margins are a perfect place to attack with this groundbait late in the day for a big double figure carp.

The Method feeder with dead maggots on the hook will also produce good bites from tench and carp when chucked to the island.

Alternatively, the 22 peg Spring Pool offers the same species to catch bar the barbel. Due to the vast space of open water, 100lb of quality carp can be amassed on the pellet waggler during the summer, which will soon start to show.

Prices: £7 a day, £5 concessions
Contact: Rosie on 07707680758
Location: Thorpe Fisheries, Clifton lane, Thorpe Constantine, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 0LH
Rules: Barbless hooks, no meat, no surface fishing, only 3 tins of corn, landing nets to be dipped before fishing, carp friendly pellets allowed, small inline method feeders only, no dogs allowed.
Facilities: Toilets, parking, disabled access.

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Plenty of ide at Pine Lakes

Regarded as one of the best ide fishing venues in the UK, Pine Lakes in Doncaster offers you the chance to put together a 100lb-plus net of the silverfish in just five hours.

The two-lake complex was something of a mystery until recently when new management took over to boost lake stocks and the overall flora and fauna of the fishery.

Since then it has come on leaps and bounds with some really superb fishing on offer. The 27-peg Big Lake with the single island is the place to head if you’re after a big net of ide. In 2009, a 119lb bag of just ide was recorded off peg 5 on casters. The angler had fished shallow on the pole at 7m and 9m whilst sprinkling casters over the top via a catty.

Alternatively, carp, F1s and tench have been stocked and are often caught on the Method feeder and maggot cast to the island, or corn fished down the edge late in the day. The 30-peg Small Lake offers similar fishing but with three islands to target. The ide go big in here, and specimens to 2lb are a regular occurrence. Double maggot fished shallow will work but try fishing on the deck for a slightly bigger stamp. The pellet wag cast to the aerator between the islands with a banded 4mm pellet can also produce big ide, roach and rudd, as well as the odd carp to double figures.

Prices: £6 a day, £5 concessions
Contact: 07867 553645
Location: Oak Field Farm, Kirton Lane, Thorne, Doncaster DN8 5RQ
Rules: No boilies, hemp, cat and dog meat, bloodworm, joker, tiger nuts, floating baits, braided hook lengths, bolt Rigs, you must use the Landing net provided by the fishery, keepnets are available for hire £1 extra and for this you get two nets, one for silvers and one for carp, all nets must be returned.
Facilities: Parking, toilets, pellets available, drinks available

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Trinity Waters caters for all tastes

There's growing pressure on modern fisheries to provide anglers with a diverse fishing experience but Trinity Waters in Somerset certainly offers that and much more. Comprising four unique lakes, the fishery sets a standard of angling that meets the desires of pleasure anglers, matchmen and specimen carpers alike. So whether it’s a bag of silverfish or a 30lb carp that makes you tick, Trinity certainly has the goods to deliver. Here’s a breakdown of the lakes:

SITE 1

Woodland Lake (31 pegs)
Woodland is the main match pool and is the lake to fish if you’re in search of big nets. Current match and pleasure weights are rolling in around the 80lb mark – although a 120lb bag of carp was recorded recently on the pellet wag fished 3ft deep at range. Paste will soon come into play down the edge when the weather warms up, whereas the Method feeder or pole fished short on the deck with maggot and caster will account for 40lb-50lb bags of roach, tench and skimmers all year round.

Ash Lake (20 pegs)
This six-island water has the potential to produce triple-figure nets of carp, crucians and tench in the summer; however 50lb bags are currently coming out on small bits of paste. Fish down the track and on the deck with the pole and feed micros via a cad pot to catch. The Method feeder with worm segments on the hook to the islands will also work as the weather warms.

SITE 2

Wildmarsh Lake (78 pegs)
Wildmarsh is a hit with both carpers and matchmen as it offers a shot at big carp to 16lb as well as huge nets of bream averaging 5lb. Boilies and PVA bags of pellets cast into open water will find the carp, as well as the odd big bream to 11lb which have been caught by carpers in the past. If you’re a pleasure angler though there are plenty of mixed fish stocked including tench, barbel, chub and small carp as well. Alternate between the pole and pellet down the edge or the Method feeder in open water with paste or maggot to catch a range of species.

Chandos Lake (8 pegs)
Known as the specimen carp lake, Chandos has suffered a drop of form during the winter however the fish are starting to feed again. Carp to 29lb are stocked – and an encouraging 21lb common was banked just last week. Over hanging willow trees, lily pads and islands provide plenty of features to cast your boilies and PVA bags of pellets at, with bright pink or yellow pop-ups proving the most successful hookbaits of late.

Prices: £6.50 a day, £4 concessions
Contact: 07896982567 or 01278 450880, www.trinitywaters.co.uk
Location: Trinity Waters, Straight Drove, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2BQ
Rules: Own keepnets can be used BUT MUST GO IN WATER DRY – two nets to be used for carp and silvers, barbless hooks only, no stalking of fish, unhooking mats for large fish, use bait in moderation, no boilies (apart from Wildmarsh and Chandos lake), no rods to be left unattended, no floating baits.

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Huge potential at quiet Westerly Lake

Nestled in Yorkshire’s rolling countryside resides this stunning one and-a-half acre water which offers a very secluded and exclusive fishing experience. It’s a lake that seems to have drifted into the ‘forgotten gem’ category as anglers are seen few and far between here – with many now opting to head for the carp-filled commercial fisheries where a bite-a-chuck is virtually guaranteed.

This neglect however has allowed the fish to thrive at Westerly with the chance of a specimen now on the cards. Perch to 4lb, roach to 2lb and carp to 20lb will provided the majority of bites, with the chance of a big tench, chub or crucian carp thrown in for good measure.

The structure of the lake also caters for different styles of angling thanks to the variety of features on offer. The central island is a prime target for the feeder or bomb, whereas the vast space of open water is ideal for pole and waggler enthusiasts.

On the other hand, if margin fishing is your thing then the reed lined margins or overhanging trees are there if you need them.

Prawn is a must-have bait here with virtually anything that swims snapping them up – either via a hair rig or simply nicked on the hook. Matchmen fishing a pleasure session can amass 20lb mixed bags of roach, chub and perch by fishing maggot, worm and prawn over groundbait on the long pole.

Alternatively, the carpers can find fish to 25lb lurking around the island shelves if they can get them to feed on boilies and pellets.

Prices: £6 a day, Concessions for caravan residents
Contact: Geoff and Barbara on 01904 448500, www.westerlylake.co.uk 
Location: The Lodge, Westerly Lake, Wheldrake, York, YO19 6AH
Rules: No night fishing, barbless hooks only, no fixed rigs, no braided hook links, boilies:-no more than 1kg per angler, fish must only be ‘wet handled’ no dry mats or towels, groundbait in feeders and pole cups only, catfood on hooks only, no keepnets, no fish to be taken away from the fishery, surplus bait must not be dumped in the lake, no spodding, no baitboats, surface fishing in moderation is allowed, but bread must not be used.

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