During the last four years we have been lucky enough to have been visited by some very well known anglers such as Dave Lane, Ian ”Chilli” Chilcot and Tim Paisley as well as many other anglers and we have learnt something from all of them. Their experiences have given us a wealth of knowledge that we would have never obtained though our own fishing alone. I’m sure this page will help you make the most of your weeks angling with us.

• Don’t neglect the margins. Some of the biggest carp get caught within a few feet of the bank.
• Look for hard bottomed, clean areas near to weed beds or any variations in depth.
• Pellets, hemp and boilies are the most effective baits, with T2 being the most successful bait so far this year.   We feed pellet and C.B.C. boilies when there are no anglers on the lakes.
• Bait up little and often rather than heavily once a day. You are far more likely to get the fish visiting your baited area if you keep bait going in. For instance, if you bait up heavily each evening there is a good chance that all of the free offerings will be gone well before any possible dawn feeding spell.
• Be prepared to use more bait than you may do normally, particularly during the spring and autumn when the fish are likely to be feeding heavily several times a day. There is in excess of 300 carp in the lake, most of which are mid twenties and above, and they can consume a large amount of bait in a very short space of time. Typically most anglers at these times of year tend to use between 20-30kg of boilies a week, with maybe 2 sacks of pellet and some sort of seed mix or hemp on top. This may sound a lot but in good conditions you may need to use more bait than this to maximise your catches.
• When the weather is very hot, as it can be particularly in July and August, feed smaller amounts of bait and try using highly visual hook baits like yellow or orange or small P.V.A. bags to grab the carps attention when they are not feeding heavily, especially in the heat of the day. It pays to use a higher ratio of pellet in relation to boilies in these conditions as the carp are able to consume and digest the pellet even when they appear lethargic.
• Use a good quality, food source bait, not over flavoured “carp sweets”. The larger carp particularly get caught time and time again on baits like T2 and Kick. Of course fish do get caught on other baits but if you use a good quality bait you will catch more over the course of a week than you will on cheap ready-mades. FACT!
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• Don’t just bait the areas you’re fishing from day one. Try to find more spots than you have rods, and keep the bait going in to them. This will give you options later in the week if action slows down enabling you to move your hook-baits to pre-baited and un-pressured areas. This little trick has worked time and time again for me over the years, although I personally tend to only use two rods at a time which gives me more chance to rotate the rods and not over fish specific areas. The important point is the carp can visit and feed with confidence without becoming aware of the end tackle. That is until you cast your hook-bait there. Top tip!

• Be prepared to move. Sometimes we see anglers catch well for a few days and then the fish move out of the area and their catch rates slow down. The carp may move away from a pressurised area. Take a walk round if this happens. You will soon find them with a little patience. Look for coloured water and feeding bubbles, it gives them away every time.
• Use large hooks 4-6. The carp at our lakes have large mouths and are big and powerful. Don’t try to use fine tackle. You won’t get any more action and you will loose fish, trust me.
• Use lead clips.  If you get rid of the lead on the take you will land a higher ratio of fish (they go mental)
• Lastly if you want to make the most of your holiday ask Chris. He lives at the lakes and knows them better than anybody. He is there to help you have the holiday of a lifetime, that’s his job!

Good luck and tight lines

Reg