Fisheries start stocking for the new year

Some of the best commercial fisheries in the country are introducing tonnes of fish in a bid to boost their stocks and make this one of the best-ever winters for big catches. 

Bradshaw Hall Fisheries in Lancashire, Gold Valley Lakes in Hampshire and Lincolnshire’s Westwood Lakes are just three of the venues that have introduced thousands of pounds’ worth of F1s, carp and mixed silver fish species over the past four weeks. 

Partridge Lakes fishery manager Barbara Ikin reckons that anglers’ demands have had a vital influence on the rising number of fish stockings taking place at the Cheshire venue. 

“Our anglers want to be the first to catch the new fish going into the lakes and are always enquiring about the next stocking,” she told Angling Times. 

“The main bulk of our stockings are strains of F1 carp known as ‘ghosts’ and ‘blondes’ as we’ve found they feed really well in cold conditions when other species tend to switch off,” Barbara added.

“So far this winter we’ve introduced 600lb into the Pine Canal, 300lb into the Spey Canal, 300lb across Willow and Piper Lakes as well as 150lb into Ribbon – we’ve even had anglers queuing up on Holbar Lake to catch two 20lb carp that we’d only just stocked in there.”

The news has been welcomed by many of the sport’s top match anglers who fish commerials throughout the winter.

One of those is MAP and Dynamite Baits-backed Andy May, who is applauding fisheries for their initiative and encouraging anglers to get out there.

“It’s easy to see why F1s are so popular as they provide bites throughout the year, no matter what the weather is like,” he said. 

“Almost all the fisheries where I coach have a big head of them, in fact you could almost say F1s have been the saving of winter angling.

“Their willingness to feed means a lot more people are fishing all year round. 

“The new stockings at fisheries throughout the UK will keep people on the bank, and that can only be a good thing for angling as a whole.”

The demand for extra stock has meant fisheries have had to ramp up their orders from fish farms across the country. 

As a result these farms have been working around the clock to ensure orders are met – but some argue that practical fish management should be considered at this time of year. 

Andrew Ellis, owner of AE Fisheries on the Warwickshire-Gloucestershire border, said: “We’re working with fisheries every day through the winter, so we get to see what’s happening on a national scale.

“This is a very busy period, as it’s when most fish farmers start their harvest. 

“Cold water holds more oxygen, which means fish are less stressed and easier to transport, as they are not full of food or in spawn.

“On the other hand, fisheries still need to make sure they’re ordering just the right amount of fish – overstocking can lead to the malnutrition of individual fish in the long run. 

“You don’t need half the stock many believe to make possible sustainable match weights and maintain good general fish catches in the winter.”

To find out more about fishery management practices and restocking your water responsibly, contact Andrew Ellis at: www.aefisheries.co.uk