kevtaylor

Your best off on Bluebell lake at this time of year and generally if your new to the complex anyway. Bluebell is the shallowest and therefore 1st to warm up. Good luck!

Bluebell is a lovely lake, I've often found them to follow a warm wind, always check the snags at both ends too especially near the Kingfisher bridge when they are cleaning themselves early spring. The grassy bank after the willows is generally a good area as is the causeway. Been a very long time since i've fished it though, but I dont expect its changed much. I do still fish the complex a couple of times a year so pass by Bluebell.

Enjoy it chaps - nice lake, it could do with more people on it.

I hadn't heard about that one! Safety in numbers I guess, except thats often what were hoping to avoid! TBH since leaving Leics for my fishing I dont feel anywhere near as safe when I do have the occasional local session. Theres a lot to be said for secure trouble free clubs and syndicates - lifes too short to be worrying when your trying to enjoy your time off work and catch a few. I'd probably look elsewhere if I'm completely honest - forget what I put previously!

I've seen a pic of a 40 from a few years back and went for a walk round soon after. Looks a nice place really so I say overlook the rumours about trouble and fish the place to see for yourself. Things are often exaggerated to put newcomers off!

Bluebell lakes has kicked off good style so far - I'd go now if I were you - dont wait till June! http://www.bluebell-lakes.co.uk/big_fish/big_fish_2011/big_fish_2011.html

Didn't Matt Hayes return to the monument and do well on maggots?

Broome angling club have a few carp waters - no whackers though as far as I'm aware. Jelsons angling club has 3 carp lakes in Syston and Frisby - with some good fish. Frisby pits - think thats Melton Angling Club - or Frisby cant remember. Theres a club known as 'the MAL' Leicester Amalgamation of Anglers - or something. Pretty sure they have waters in leicester, one or two near pitsford Northants and a stretch of the Nene. Charnwood Water can be a yearly ticket I think - speak to Bennets Mountsorrel. One or two of the lakes on Watermead are council run tickets (day or year). Theres the Sand Pit syndicate/Birstall Pits - lots of lakes off the A46. Theres Tommy Teds syndicate Loughborough outskirts - pricey but big fish. You should find info on all these on the web. There are more plus plenty of day ticket waters, pm me if you want or search through old threads - weve listed loads of waters a couple of years back - its all on this site somewhere. Where you tried so far - and what sort of place you looking for? Good luck!

I'd ring Tony before setting off - the lakes could all be frozen solid, they were at the beginning of the week. The Lakes are not quick to get started each year coz the depth keeps the lakes colder for longer. Whilst I have fished the odd winter night and early spring session, I wouldn't recommend going until May tbh! Good luck!

You tried asking at Bennets tackle shop, Mountsorrel?

like you wouldn't put a rod next to the boathouse - happy days!

Ditto 1st venues to enter my head Doesn't western park have accomodation too?

Beedles Lake, Leics is the only place I've come accross that allows caravans. The fishing isn't easy - but its a lovely looking water and pretty big too. Personally I dont like anything like that at the side of the lake - an eyesore IMO Good luck in your search

i think you may be asking of a bit too much there mate. midlands is a bit of a blackspot for carp fishing, big carp fishing anyway. finding a water that size with hardly any weed, 30's and loads of 20's is next to impossible in this part of the country. if thats the fishing you want you need to be down south , good luck finding somewhere though, let me know if you do, iv been looking for one touching 7 year Bluebell Lakes Fishery - Sandmartin Lake and Bluebell Lake have the stock your looking for. Sandmartin is also lightly fished - depends on what your prepared to pay? Stacks of waters in Northants, Cambs and Notts you've not got to go down south at all

Havn't they put just a few whackers in the new pit - guess thats why its been so pressured. I wanted to start on the old carp syndicate lake then progressively move onto the others as I get to know the venue. Probably never get a ticket anyway, dont even know if I can get a recommendation anymore

I was told the new pit was the most difficult even though its only small. Would like to join myself - seems good, got a mate who's a member but he doesn't fish it, ticket collector for the future!

Keep at it mate you can take fish from the really weedy swims on there, the carp will be in and around the weed afterall. Dont follow the crowds on there doing the obvious spots at range - find fish and go for them where they are regardless of weed - theres always little spots. When people stop because they are scared of fishing in weed you get lots of choice on pegs its much better. No-one fished peg 1 last autumn - I fished a small channel in the weed close in during a short overnighter (only session last year) and had 5 takes landing 4. Will be going there overnight for the first time this year on saturday - would be nice to have a fish or 2

a stiff bristle like material like IQ pushed through the line aligner The theory seems OK but i'm not won over on the prospect of the stiff bristle damaging the fish's mouth once hooked? Is there really any need to be going down the silly named super rig route? unless you have a specific reason to do so?

Think you've misread - what the guy put. (4 fish in approx 96 nights thats 3 nights per week 4 weeks a month, for 8 months) - still think its a good average? Thought not! - like I said its poor. Average would be about 1 fish every 24 nights at that rate - now the fishing aint that difficult. A member had 3 out in his first night opposite me last autumn 2 x 30's and a 40 (only one appeared in the catch list - crafty!) - surely you should be looking at 15 odd fish a year as being OK.

Thats poor! - not going to be top rod is he

Have you fished any of the other lakes or is it straight on kingy? Are you only doing one night coz you say the 25th? I'll asume the above is right and therefore you need to pick your place carefully - if you can get a decent area like half way along any bank then take it. If not a quiet corner might be a winner! Some pegs are pretty prolific but people catch all over - dont ignore the margins either! You wanna get there early just to watch the water if poss - any show should tell you whether they are at the back of the wind or opposite and so take it from there. I like to put about 30 - 90 baits (few spods) out in say a 5yd area and fish 2 rods on that - on the edges, then a 3rd rod on a small pva bag only. If I was staying longer then I would top up the bait every evening if I was confident that they had had some - then again the small bream have become a bloody nightmare - so you might not have any bait in the spot anyway! At the end of the day fish well, try hard and enjoy it! Speak to people who seem to know what they are doing - but dont push for info, be cool and people will often open up and give up some info. My mate has caught absolutely loads of fish, usually on just tiny pvas - me I like a small spread of baits - do your own thing, get some quality bait - get that wrong you might as well give up before you've started. Keep it simple - forget your (insert whatever stupid named rig you wanna), simple bottom bait, simple rig, putty, heavy flat leads - for good hooking, sharp strong hooks, anti tangle rigs. Keep your line down! Do the basics well and have confidence - look for fish and dont be lazy - 10 mins in the right place and all that! Tight lines! and good old luck Enjoy I'm probably not going till sept/oct. not that it isnt a good time of year though - just a long wait

Beedles is a lovely lake - hit and miss, like anywhere I suppose! The stock numbers say that it is more difficult than Willesley. People seem to get it wrong on Beedles by going for known swims playing waiting games rather than being observant and letting that dictate your movements. Willesley - was put off when I read the stock but will be giving it a go this year - I say that every year! Does seem a good venue overall I have to say. I'm voting for Beedles simply because you havn't fished it!

Theres Jelsons club which has waters in syston and frisby, one of theirs (Meynell) has done 2 x 30's I think - and one of the Frisby ones has a good number of 20's in so I'm told. Melton club runs the big pit at Frisby and some other waters - again I think Frisby has done a 30. Birstall Gravel pits has club lakes and a syndicate - dont know about the stock on them, worth checking out. Theres a lake near Loughborough Tommy Teds or something like that - big fish and pricey - so I'm told. Murphy's is a syndi in syston/thurmaston - over the canal from King Lear's lake on Watermead Park - dont know whats in there anymore. Saddington Res is syndi - had big fish, re-stocked with simmos - no idea what sizes they are. Broome AS has some lakes both sides of the city - worth checking out, dont think theres too much in the way of sizeable fish though. There is a club known as 'The MAL ticket' - Leics Amalgamation of Anglers - or sommat! Only thought on that club is that it has a lake on the Ringstead Complex Northants or did have - that had decent fish or still does. Cant say that any info above is accurate - just what I used to know or have heard locally, dont fish in Leics hardly ever any more - bit out of touch. There is another couple of clubs that I cant remember at the minute and probably a few more syndicates that I'm sure will come to me or someone else will recall. Plenty of day ticket places and council run waters that are cheap to fish. Some even have a few whackers in Hope this is of some use? I've only mentioned Leics Waters.

Did 2 separate 24 hour sessions last year - last one was in Sept I think, blanked on the first, had 4 and lost one in the other. Visited 3 mates fishing it on a day session a couple of weeks ago - no one caught, but lake looked lovely as always, saying that the road was really muddy as they are doing some works. Fished it a lot in the past - up until I joined a club water, didn't renew in the end - just do very occasional overnighters now.

No it can be tied to a swivel with the coating still on - a palomar knot tightened with a bit of spit.