Midlands Focus on Stretton Lakes and great swims for you to try this weekend
WHETHER you’re after a bumper net of silvers or a hectic arm-aching session hauling hard-fighting carp, a visit to this complex will be right up your street.
Situated within 120 acres of picturesque farmland in the tiny county of Rutland you will find Stretton Lakes – a five-lake coarse fishing complex which is currently on top form!
Match angling fanatic Thomas Kehoe recently spent a week on holiday at the complex. Naturally he squeezed in plenty of fishing, but how did he get on? He told us: “I had a lovely week’s fishing... the seven-hour drive from West Wales was definitely worth it!
“I had some great silver fish sport on the second lake, the one in front of Bluebell Lodge. I took 81lb to simple pole fishing tactics, and was only fishing to hand at 3m – nice quick fishing. I fed a sloppy groundbait mix, and fished a maggot hookbait between 8ins and 3ft deep in the cloud.
“My groundbait was the new F1 Sweet from Dynamite. It’s changed the game – the fish go mad for it! My rig was made from 0.13mm PI Power Reflo through to a 0.11mm bottom and size 20 or 22 hook – I use small hooks for confidence but could have probably stepped the hook size up to an 18 and still caught well.
“I also had a go at some of the carp which inhabit the lake. I picked these up fishing meat down the edge on stepped-up rigs. I fished over a big pot of Dynamite F1 Sweet pellets and the bites just kept on coming – there are quite a few carp in here and a lot of them are doubles!”
LOCATION: Stretton Lakes, Stretton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 7QS CONTACT: 01780 410507 PRICES: Adult day ticket £6, concessions £4, extra rod £1 RULES: Barbless hooks only, all nets to be dipped in disinfectant bins before fishing, 1kg groundbait limit, under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, no boilies FACILITIES: Holiday lodges, toilets WEBSITE: www.strettonlakes.co.uk