Favourite Methods

There are only two real rules at these lake and that's "barbless hooks only", and no floating baits, but that shouldn't come as a big surprise to most of you.

At Willinghurst Fisheries, we also allow you to use a proper carp keepnet, which also makes the venue an ideal spot for more informal challenges between a group of friends, without having to book a lake in advance for a formal competition.

Most of the lakes contain a big head of carp, roach and rudd, so this is a real big bait venue, with corn, meat, paste, banded pellet, or worm all being successful on the right day. Hemp and pellet make an excellent feed, balling in groundbait doesn't normally work, but the 'method feeder' can be deadly sometimes.

Favourite methods seen are pole, running line down the edge or the method feeder. Very long poles aren't necessary here - 11 metres maximum - with 5 or 6 metres being ideal. As with most day ticket carp fisheries, the big fish come into the bank as the days wears on, and late afternoon/evening is the best time for catching a big carp in close.

As in many still water fisheries, the secret to catching fish is to fish with a warm wind in to your face, and to keep feeding. There's no need to feed vast amounts but keep some feed going in to the swim all the time, even if you're not catching anything. The biggest mistake that the occasional fisherman makes is not to feed often enough.

The "Sweet Spot"

O.K., here's how you can make the catch of a lifetime pleasure fishing at Willinghurst and it should work on the Old, New or Top Lakes. Pick a good area where you've got a bit of room and where there are no keepnets in the water nearby. The keepnets thing is important. Don't use a keepnet yourself, because we're going to get the fish to feed 3 feet from the bank, and keepnets force them back out to the middle. If there's any wind on the water try to find a good spot with the wind blowing in to your bank. Sit back a bit from the waters edge, so as not to frighten the fish, and throw in a handful of pellets on either side of you, a rod length away and about two feet from the bank. Now set up your tackle using a strong float rod, running line (4lb B.S.) and a pole float taking about 4 no. 8 split shot to a size 12 hook. Keep feeding a small handful of pellets every couple of minutes whilst you are getting everything ready. Don't fish either of these two baited spots until you can see carp swirling over the feed, preferably several carp. You can't miss them, you'll see tails up in the air as the fish hoover up their favourite food. The longer that you can contain your impatience to catch one, the bigger the bag of fish at the end of the day. You want them to get complete confidence before you start catching them. Bait the hook with corn, paste or banded pellet, and lower it gently in to the feeding fish. I guarantee that you will get a bite within seconds, and provided that you don't do anything too foolish you will continue to catch until you give up with aching arms. Remember to keep feeding, that's the real secret. You will find that most of the carp will home in on one spot or the other of your two swims. Once this happens you can concentrate on that one spot, it would be nice to be able to catch from both swims, but in my experience it just doesn't happen.

Thanks to Ross Nursey of www.anglinguk.net for this write-up