FISHERY OF THE WEEK Burley Fields Lake
50lb-plus catches are always on the cards
FAST-PACED bream fishing action is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and Burley Fields Lake is a venue that serves up such delights.
The slabs cruise around their home at the Gloucestershire fishery in giant shoals, and catching one is almost certainly a signal that dozens more will soon be coming your way. At first glance the complex appears to be made up of two lakes, but they merge into one through a narrow channel which the fish can navigate.
As you drive into the complex, the first part of the lake soon comes into sight on the left. This is the deepest part and is fairly featureless. Continue a little further down the lane and the rest of the pool is on the right. It has a slightly different feel and has a lot more character. An island is the obvious starting point for anyone chasing carp, with the narrow channel at the back a great little spot in which to seek shelter in high winds.
But the bream are well renowned for sitting in the open water bowl in this half of the lake and they can contribute to exceptional silverfish weights.
Work up a sweat
The shoals of bream and skimmers are made up of hundreds of quality fish. They range from 1lb to 4lb, and a 50lb plus catch is always achievable.
Local Jamie Read has enjoyed numerous busy sessions in the past few months and reckons it is among the most consistent waters for the species.
“The bream and skimmers will feed in pretty much all conditions and it doesn’t take long to get them interested,” explains Jamie.
“Pole fishing is my favourite tactic, but I have no doubt that you could also catch plenty on a small cage feeder or waggler.”
Bream are the primary focus at this time of year, but there are also plenty of roach to 1lb and perch to over 2lb. A few of each species will often show up during a bream session to add that bit of variety we all crave.
There’s also a good head of carp, and fishing close to the features with big pellets or single popped-up boilies gives you a chance of a 15lb-plus fish.
Use chopped worms
Attracting the fish into your swim is rarely difficult, but
encouraging them to stay put is different.
“I’ll cup in a mixture of finely chopped worm, casters and a sprinkling of micros at the start. This goes in around 13m out. It gets plenty of bait to the bottom and creates a cloud.
“I don’t top the swim up until bites slow down, as feeding on the top of bream can spook them in an instant. When they do back off, a tiny nugget of the same mix is all that is required to concentrate them again.”
Hookbait rotation is effective, jumping between expanders, worm pieces and dead maggots.
It pays to use a set-up that gets the hookbait to the bottom quickly. A 0.4g float is shotted with a bulk and a couple of droppers. This bombs the bait through the top layers before slowing it down to make its fall look more natural when it reaches the shoal.
If bream and skimmers tickle your fancy, Burley Fields should definitely be top of the list for your next trip.