South Our guide to the Lea at Dobbs Weir and hot fisheries to head to this week
To encourage them to stay with the sport, they need waters where bignets of fish or lots of bites are guaranteed. Here’s our pick
NOW the kids are off school, it’s the perfect time to take them for a day’s fishing.
And that’s where we come in! In every 2-for-1 deal on these pages, you can take a junior fishing for FREE!
Just cut out the voucher, take it to one of the fisheries, and your child can fish for nothing.
NORTH BARLOW COARSE FISHERY, CHESTERFIELD, DERBYSHIRE
On all four coarse lakes a waggler and maggot approach will catch roach, skimmers and perch. In the heat, carp will be up for a piece of floating crust. Contact: 0114 2890543 Postcode: S18 7TJ
BRADSHAW HALL FISHERIES, BOLTON, LANCASHIRE
Lakes 8 and 9 have thrown up match weights to 166lb in the last week, mainly carp, F1s and ide approaching 1lb. A pellet waggler or the pole shallow is the go-to tactic. On Lake 4, meat or dead maggots in the margins will be taken by barbel in the 2lb-3lb bracket and carp to nearly 10lb. Contact: 01204 307197 Postcode: BL2 4JW
FIELDS FARM, SANDBACH, CHESHIRE
Big Beam is good for bags of quality carp on the pole with corn down the margins. Banded pellets up in the water will bring bites from F1s. For much larger fish try Sandy Pool, where carp over 20lb and some big catfish lurk around the many features. Contact: 01270 753074 Postcode: CW11 4TE
HAMBLETON FISHERY, HAMBLETON, LANCASHIRE
A float fished against the reeded margins won’t stay still for long! Catch carp, barbel, tench, chub, bream, roach and rudd on maggots, corn, meat and pellets. Contact: 01253 700818 Postcode: FY6 9EL
HERONBROOK FISHERIES, ECCLESHALL, STAFFORDSHIRE
The Meadow, Canal, Bridge and Match Lakes can be truly prolific. In a recent match of 72 anglers, 31 of them topped 100lb. On Bridge Pool meat down the track will catch F1s, chub and barbel. On Meadow Pool, carp are coming out to 18lb. Contact: 07879441282 Postcode: ST216LX
LAKESIDE FISHERY, RETFORD, NOTTINGHAM
With five lakes here you can catch anything from trout to tench. The Specimen Lake holds carp in excess of 30lb which have a liking for quality fishmeal boilies. On the pleasure and match waters the pole with pellet, meat or casters is best for a catch of skimmers, tench, chub, roach and crucians. Contact: 01777 818524 Postcode: DN22 8LW
LLYN-Y-GORS, ANGLESEY, NORTH WALES
Carp and catfish are well on the feed in the Old Carp Lake. Boilies presented on strong, reliable rigs will work well for both species, but if it’s carp you want a zig rig is well worth a go in the current heatwave. For more consistent action from smaller fish, the Pleasure and Match Lakes are both full of carp, bream, roach, tench, barbel and rudd. Catch them on float tackle with traditional baits. Contact: 01248 713410 Postcode: LL59 5PN
MIDLANDS ARDEN LAKES, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, WARKS
In tranquil surroundings The Bowl, although deep, offers fantastic margin fishing for carp. Try floatfished meat or pellets to tempt fish to double figures. The lake also holds perch over 2lb, which are best approached with natural baits such as lobworms. Contact: 01789 730882 or 07850 453274 Postcode: CV37 0QF
BARFORD LAKES, NORFOLK
The aptly-named Pleasure Lake boasts a brilliant mixed stock, so a bite or two is always on the cards. Those who love their silvers should try caster up in the water on the pole or waggler. To score hard-fighting carp, a worm hookbait over dead maggots and groundbait is hard to beat. Contact: 01603 759624 Postcode: NR9 4BJ
COPPICE LANE POOLS, BURNTWOOD, STAFFS
For those who love catching carp there’s quality sport with fish to 20lb on the Specimen Pool, which boasts an impressive stock of double-figure fish. Beckett’s Pool is the most popular. Keep it simple with meat, corn or worm over carp pellets down the edge for carp action. Contact: 0121 3515198 Postcode: WS7 0LB
FACTORY BANK, RAMSEY, CAMBS
This offshoot of the old River Nene runs for miles, and is visited by thousands of fish in the winter. At this time of year it will still be full of smaller fish and, as a result, plenty of pike can give sport on surface lures. Floatfished maggots will take silvers and the odd tench. Contact: 01487 814077 Price: £4 per day on the bank
LAKESIDE LEISURE FISHERY, SOUTH LINCS
On this venue, you really won’t know what will show when your float or quivertip registers a bite. For carp of all types, including grassies, floating baits on the Boating Lake will see you right. Juniors will enjoy a session on Horseshoe or Golf Pond, where wag and mag against the reeds will score. Contact: 01754 872631 Postcode: PE24 5TU
PACKINGTON SOMERS, MERIDEN, WARKS
Bags of 200lb-plus are more than possible on Little Gearys, where F1s and carp will respond well to a pellet or caster approach shallow. If you wish to keep it short, meat over pellet down the edge is also deadly, especially early and late. For youngsters, Gratuities is ideal for a mixed bag. Keep things simple with floatfished maggots. Contact: 01676 523833 Postcode: CV7 7PL
PEATLING POOLS, PEATLING PARVA, LEICS
Three pools here can all produce big mixed nets. The gem has to be the tiny Parva Pool, where perch to 5lb and roach to 3lb have been caught on polefished worm and maggot on the deck. With only eight available pegs, set your alarms early this weekend. Contact: 07860 644023 or 0116 2867316 Postcode: LE17 5PU
SOUTH FURNACE BROOK FISHERY, HAILSHAM, EAST SUSSEX
Some immaculate fish are in this 5.5-acre complex, and a day on the float or feeder could see you catch anything from a beautiful crucian to a giant grass carp. A waggler with maggot or caster will bring plenty of silvers – some
of the rudd here regularly come out over 2lb. Contact: 01435 830835 Postcode: BN27 4QR
HOW END FISHERIES, BEDFORD, BEDFORDSHIRE
Records are tumbling here. Dani’s is in superb form, with the six-hour match record beaten three times this month and now standing at 252lb 8oz. These are mainly carp but there is some fantastic silver fish sport on offer too. On Yasi’s the three-hour silvers match record went 51lb 3oz of roach, rudd and skimmers. Fish the pole shallow with maggots and feed regularly for a bumper catch. Contact: 07711 637338 Postcode: MK45 3JT
LAKE JOHN FISHERY, WALTHAM ABBEY, ESSEX
A session on the pole with pellets and casters will see the float bury all day long. You could either catch carp or quality bream. Recent matches have thrown up multiple 100lb bags, and one angler landed 177lb of bream. Contact: 07958 938153 Postcode: EN9 2BJ
LITTLE CANSIRON, EDENBRIDGE, KENT
Hard-fighting double-figure carp are common on the Big Fish Lake. Fish the waggler or Method feeder close to the overhanging features. Out in the middle of the lake corn, maggot or pellet will tempt roach and rudd. Contact: 01342 850739 Postcode: TN8 7EE
TRINITY WATERS, BRIDGWATER, SOMERSET
If you are looking to catch carp, Wildmarsh Lake and Chandos take some beating. Anglers have been reporting catches of more than 20 fish in a weekend on Wildmarsh, most of those being into double figures. Boilies are a good bait, but on the days the fish are being fussy it can pay to go back to basics with a luncheon meat hookbait presented in the margins. Contact: 07896 982567 Postcode: TA5 2BQ
WINDMILL FISHERY, BRISTOL
There is something for everyone, including young anglers, at this venue. Carp to over 20lb can
be caught from the Carp and Specimen Lakes. The Silver Fish Lake will provide a bite a chuck and is the ideal place for youngsters to learn how to fish for the first time. The stock here includes roach, bream, tench, perch and carp. Contact: 07805 326772 or 07864 649425 Postcode: BS37 8QZ