welder

Neil, I'm pleased that all was well in the end mate. Thumbs up, in fact. Ian

Jules, no club book but Blakemere Leisure, just outside Whitchurch, is a cracking place to be. Ian

You are probably right there Ian and if it wasnt for the great breakfast we are having before hand tommorow i wouldnt bother going. I know how you and Mick bounce around off each other and knew something was coming hence his wink. But i thought you was going to say you love the place or something along them lines. Just glad i wasnt missing the point and what i seen is exaclty what it was. guessing there isnt any 18lb carp in there then? The lad who collects your money claimed that he'd had a 23lb common but he's the owners son and is maybe 11. Ian

Ross, if you're at all like me you'll be leaving a couple of hours after arriving, cursing the damn fool owner and his greed for money at the cost of disfiguring hundreds of what were once some of Mother Nature's finest. Mick has for some time been aware of my feelings about this situation, hence the wink at the end of his post. He knew I'd pull no punches. Ian

Hi Laws, welcome to the forum. As well as Mick's (leggs007) suggestion you could try Barston Lake, just down the road from Lavender Hall. Toilet and shower facilities and a rather good cafe/restaurant. Also, Willesley Lake near Ashby de la Zouche is a pretty place with a recently completed toilet/shower block as well as a stock of decent carp. Ian

Yes, I'm here. The place is a disgrace to be blunt, and the fish resemble parrots. Dreadful mouth damage is entirely commonplace, they have no lips. I've fished there once and shall never, ever do so again. Stock levels are ridiculously high, to the point that competition for food is necessary just for the fish to survive, so they'll just take whatever you put in front of them. A pork pie would probably do. When I left there I felt dirty and my conscience would NOT allow me back there unless it's to find the owner and give him the kicking he richly deserves. Now it's time to see if YOUR conscience will allow you to further damage the poor creatures. I have the impression that you're a compassionate angler so I sincerely hope that you'll give it a miss. Ian

Almost always do the same unless fishing to known snags. Ian

There's a fishery for sale nearish to you, Neil. Includes a stretch of the Trent, too. Take a look in Fisheries for Sale on www.fisheries.co.uk It's the one in north Staffs, near Rugeley. Ian

I'd be interested to know what sort of money Christine will be looking for. I can dream, can't I? Ian

Hodgey, welcome to the forum, mate. Don't know how near to Brum you want to fish and if Ashby de la Zouche isn't too far (12 miles, ish) then give Willesley Lake a look. It's a pretty place and holds some decent fish. You'll find it on www.Fisheries.co.uk as Carl (Beza) has suggested, above. Ian

Abosutely no coersion from their Dad, of course................ Ian

Latest info I've gleaned is that, at the end of March, the club currently running the pool are not taking up a further option. Rumour has it that one of Beaver Metals' employees is to take on the reins. Should have said, Beaver Metals own the pool and surrounding land. Ian

Chris, I walked my dogs down there this morning and there were a couple of guys fishing. The water was closed briefly in September due to a blue/green algae problem, now cleared. Ian

At £300 it's money well spent, in my opinion. You might want to PM a guy called carp.john for added info. He almost lives there. Ian

All that excitement's not good for your heart, though. Ian

Go on, then. I'll do a Tenner, too. Kim, you could start a Ferry Crossing Fund. Ian

You know it makes sense. You've certainly got your priorities right. Ian

Sime, work on a figure around £750-00 and you'll get your bait too. A little cheaper if you get enough people involved to book the lake exclusively. Cheaper still if said number of people have access to a minibus with enough room for anglers and tackle, as you'd be "saving" on multiple ferry costs and road toll fees. Fuel costs, too. As regards alcohol, I took Strongbow with me. Lots of it, you'll be surprised to hear. Turns out I could have saved money by buying locally. Not Strongbow but some good locally produced cider, as well as a serious host of other drink, is available at the huge supermarket around 6 miles from the lake. Hope this helps. Ian

And I'm going with him! Leggs went there following my description of the place and the whole deal, fishing, food and friendly, helpful owners. Next year there's a bunch of us going so we should add laughter to the above description. Ian

Keith, you're welcome. Ian

Rushes Lake, Les Nouys, Vire en Champagne. Any time of year but August suited me fine, thank you. You WILL catch carp between 20 and 40 pounds, lots of them. Unfortunately ( ) you'll also, probably, catch large catfish, Fascinating, enigmatic creatures that they are. 4 hours from Calais/Bolougne. No need for a baitboat, no snags, no weed problem, no need to cook as the food package is to die for. The tranquility is complete. I wish I lived there. Google Rushes Lake, you'll be glad you did. Ian

Only from that carpark where you were lying on your back, emulating a starfish and singing "We're Birmingham, we're Birmingham, we're Birmingham City". The attending constable leant into the window of my car and said to me "Is that person with you? If so, get it and yourself out of here. Sharpish." So I did. Extra sharpish, as it goes. LOL Ian

Doug, nice one, I'd overlooked that. Mark, Doug's quite right. The staff at Yateley Angling are helpful and friendly, they'll steer you right. Ian

Further word of advice. Don't take leggs007. Fortunately the Whitchurch constables are very tolerant. Ian

Cracking place! Peaceful and nicely remote. Oh, watch out for the diving Terns. I speak from experience. Ian