DUDLEY NO.1 CANAL, MERRY HILL, W MIDS
YOU don’t need to head to your local commercial to catch a bag of big rudd and tench this summer – how about trying your local drain instead?
The Forty Foot Drain in the Cambridgeshire town of Ramsey is in great form at the moment. This narrow, Fenland waterway, with depths averaging 4ft-5ft, is ideally suited to pole anglers but you may need some strong elastics.
To catch your fair share of rudd, tench, bream, perch and the roach shoals that swim in this waterway you don’t have to be too technical. A 4x16 size pole float fished around 12m out 4.75 acres in area and the depths range from 8ft-10ft. There are also carp to over 35lb to be had on boilie outfits. The catfish have been known to take these baits too so gear up appropriately with strong hooks and lines. Contact: 01842 827812 Postcode: IP26 4JW with a bulk of shot is all that’s required. Pot in some dark groundbait along with some chopped worm and caster and only re-feed when bites dry up.
Local angler Rob Lincoln
SHERWOOD FOREST FISHERY, MANSFIELD, NOTTS
HOLMEDALE and Sherwood Lakes are the waters you need to be fishing if you’re after a 100lb bag of carp. A mixed range of tactics are working, although the pole is dominating – fished up in the water, long, or down in the margins with pellet, caster and chopped worm hookbaits.
The carp are not the only fish showing, as plenty of skimmers and ide have also been caught early on in matches. Contact: 07721316334 Postcode: NG219HL says: “Fishing natural baits on the hook is a winning combination when feeding groundbait and chopped worm, but more commercialised baits tend not to work.” The Pine Lake is the place to play the numbers game. with plenty of small carp to 6lb to be caught. Cast a small cage feeder loaded with dampened micros and double maggot on the hook to the island for a potential 60lb bag. Contact: 01824 780501 Postcode: CH7 4QX The Link 51 section has really hit form with double-figure nets commonplace. Most anglers are catching on the pole with skimmers, rudd, roach and perch showing in catches. Contact: Steve Robson, 07786 002531 Prices: Free fishing, £2 a day from tackle shops soon, Woodside AC plenty of skimmers to groundbait feeder tactics fished around mid-river. Expect the odd barbel to show too. Contact: Worksop DAA, 01909 486350 Prices: £4 a day on the bank, Worksop DAA