FISHERY OF THE WEEK Slough House Lakes
Something for all at true mixed fishery
“Silverfish sport up there with the best”
THERE aren’t many venues where a catfish enthusiast is pitched up on one swim with a bream angler chucking a feeder on the next – but that’s exactly what you’ll encounter when you visit Slough House Lake. Just south of Brentwood, in Essex, the fishery is designed to accommodate as many types of angler as possible.
It has been constructed alongside a series of industrial units, but that urban feel is forgotten as soon as you step on to the bank, with the luscious greenery creating a sense of rural bliss.
Huge shoals of bream and roach are present in pretty much every peg, and bags over 60lb are well and truly on the cards.
Big carp anglers are in with a chance of slipping the net under a giant 30lb-plus specimen, while predator fans can have a shot at catfish to over 90lb.
Spacious setting
No matter where you pitch up on the lake, you are guaranteed to have plenty of space.
Each swim has been designed to accommodate a mountain of tackle such as a bivvy and a rod pod. There are swims most of the way around the outer bank, with anglers also able to launch their attack from the peninsula that runs down the middle of the lake.
Plenty of top-flight anglers have awarded Slough House Lake their seal of approval over the years, and local matchman Bill Reynolds is one of them.
“The lake is famed for its massive carp and catfish, but the silverfish sport on offer is up there with the best you can find,” explains Bill.
“It is teeming with bream, roach and perch and it can be a bite a chuck from quality fish all day if you get your tactics right.”
Pick your approach
Legering boilies and pellets is the way forward to find the big carp and cats, placing rigs in both open water and close to marginal features to enhance your chances of a run.
Rod-and-line tactics are equally effective for the silverfish, with a maggot feeder often Bill’s first port of call.
He favours an 11ft rod and a
4000 size reel loaded with 5lb mainline. A 2ft hooklength of 0.15mm line to a size 16 hook is at the business end, with double maggot a top hookbait.
When it comes to feeder choice, Bill reckons a Guru Multi
Maggot Feeder is best, as these sit on top of any silt and can be cast accurately with ease.
No matter which species you want to slip the net under, Slough House Lake can produce the goods for you this week.