Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Hillview Lakes
Gloucestershire
THE form of fisheries across the country is creeping through the gears with their stocks of fish becoming more active by the day. You can be confident of visiting pretty much any commercial and getting a few bites now that the effects of winter are rapidly receding.
But top form is still a few weeks away at most venues, with a little patience still required between bites.
That said, there are some venues that are several steps ahead of their rivals. Their fish seem to have leapfrogged typical spring behaviour, preferring to go straight into summer mode!
Gloucestershire’s Hillview Lakes comfortably slides into this category with the action surpassing what most would expect as the daffodils rise and trees begin to bloom.
Two lakes and four canals are on offer and it’s fair to say they’ve all sprung into life at the same time!
To some, that may sound like a recipe for ‘ hook a duck’ sessions where fishing is incredibly easy, posing little challenge. That isn’t the case at all.
Nailing down the appropriate tactics is important and simply sitting there with an unsuitable rig or bait will see you fall flat on your face.
Local expert Glen Picton has experienced the venue’s impressive potential on numerous occasions and told IYCF: “A lot of fisheries are still getting up to top speed, but Hillview always kicks into life much quicker than other places.
“It’s got a wide range of species to have a crack at and you could catch anything from a small rudd right through to a double- figure carp.
“The mix of carp, F1s and silverfish is a big draw for many anglers and this mixed stocking ensures there is always something nearby that will take the bait.”
Open to most tactics
Both rod and line and pole tactics have the ability to produce the goods and there are pegs to suit whichever approach you fancy. The four canals are geared heavily towards the pole, with lines down the margins, in the middle and across to the far bank best rotated. Carp and F1s are the dominant species although huge numbers of small rudd make them good fun for juniors.
Moorhen has a central island that leans towards favouring those who wish for a day on the waggler or feeder, with Heron a real all- rounder that can throw up some incredible bags down the margins. Both of these waters have a really diverse stock comprising carp, F1s, roach, bream, chub, tench and barbel.
“I’d feel confident of a great day’s fishing from any peg. I love the versatility that the two lakes offer,” said Glen.
“Bites can come thick and fast, but a little rotation and careful session management is required. Fail to do that and a potential 100lb haul could easily end up being a relatively disappointing 30lb or less.”
Winning choices
Keen to have a dabble on both the bomb and pole, Glen set his stall out on Moorhen.
Bomb and bread was going to be his opening gambit before trying a long pole line at 13m which would be lightly primed with a combination of 2mm and 4mm pellets.
The lead was cast towards the middle of the lake, the rod placed on the rests and the waiting game commenced.
With talk of such prolific sport, I was half expecting the tip to wrap round almost immediately but the fish obviously hadn’t read the script.
Four casts to slightly different spots in 40 minutes didn’t produce a single bite. Not to worry though, surely the pole and pellet approach would prove more effective? Nope, not a bite!
“Both those things haven’t worked but this is what I love about fishing here – you have to crack the code before you start bagging up,” said Glen undeterred.
“I’m going to switch to maggots on the long pole and see if that get things going.”
Around 30 grubs were cupped in and within 10 minutes the float dipped and he was underway. A couple of feet of light elastic stretched out and a 12oz chub was soon in the net. A couple of roach and a big skimmer followed before he was given the runaround by a 2lb F1 that soon succumbed to pressure.
He was finally ticking over but it wasn’t really fast and furious, so the decision was made to start loosefeeding maggots by hand at 6m.
“I now know that maggots is what the fish want so I will keep trickling in bait every few minutes on this line. Within an hour it could be hectic,” he predicted.
More quality silverfish and a few F1s came on the long pole but would the late switch to fishing short really get things firing?
They sure did! Within seconds of the rig – that had a strung- out shotting pattern to provide a slow hookbait fall – touching the deck, the float buried.
It was the start of 90 minutes of full- on bagging, with F1s to 4lb and the occasional carp to 6lb dominating.
What looked like being a respectable 50lb haul was more than doubled in that time frame.
“What a way to finish the session. Had I stuck with pellets or bread there’s no doubt I’d have struggled today.”
The complete package
While the top- quality fishing is at the forefront of many visitors’ minds, there are also a plethora of facilities that are also a major part of the attraction.
There’s a well- stocked tackle shop, a spacious café serving a tasty breakfast and clean toilets. If you fancy making your visit a prolonged one there are also several accommodation lodges that are highly rated by those that have enjoyed a break.
Head to Hillview with the aim of bagging up and you’ll soon see what all the fuss is about.
“You could catch anything from a small rudd right through to a double- figure carp ”