Fishing lakes in Berkshire

[JamesandBunny]

Hello,

 

I am looking for people's opinions on lakes in the berkshire/Hampshire/Wiltshire area. I am located just outside of Newbury and have fished at Frobury and seven lakes but haven't really been taken by either of them, even though I have caught at both.

 

I have just got back from the day at theale island lake and I was disappointed, and it seemed quite expensive for me and my partner, considering we can go elsewhere for half the price.

 

The nearest lake to me is Barton Court, and I have fished there a number of times but only caught one fish. I love the setting there, part of it is intricate and part of it is open and I feel I get the best of both worlds, but I have been slightly put off after talking to some of the guys there who reckon the water level has dropped and some of the fish were killed off due to a recent algae problem. Even so I really enjoy it there.

 

I can't really find much information on other lakes in the area, other than the big pits around reading or the syndicates, and I am reluctant to join any as of yet as my experience is lacking.

 

Does anyone have any information on lakes I could try?

 

Can't seem to find much on Barton court or peoples experience there and would be grateful for any pointers or tips anyone has for fishing here?

 

Thanks

[dayvid]

Take a look here , http://www.farnhamanglingsociety.com/value for money is excellent and  with some of the UKs premier carp venues with fish over 50 lbs, but then theirs the opposite end where certain venues, catching 20+ fish in 24 hrs is not unheard of.

 

I joined this year and found the fishing to be Excellent and baliffing of the waters equally as good , many of their venues are gated ,so are as secure as it can be.

 

As the crow flies its around 27 miles from Newbury to Farnham although its in Surrey with The Yatley Complex in Hampshire.

[ianain]

Welcome to the forum James and Bunny, sorry I can't help with your question, just wanted to say 'Hi'

[johnplumb]

Hi , I'm guessing you didn't like Theale because you didn't catch , at £11 / day it represents good value around here ( Reading )for the fish it contains . I don't think you will find many places under a tenner and if you do they will be awful little places that you wouldn't want to fish. There is a place at Aldermaston called Court Farm 3 lakes to chose from and you should get a bend in the rod .

From what you said be careful where you chose to fish because you will only get fed up when you blank , I fish the Island lake at Theale and its one of those places on paper that looks easy enough but isn't . Believe me your not the first to leave there dissapointed .

If you can find somewhere that you like and can catch at stick with it for a while , build up your skills . Catching bigger fish can be more rewarding but as you are finding out it's harder and can get realy expensive per fish caught . Good luck.

[emmcee]

take a look at RDAA ( Reading and district angling association). like farnham angling they have lakes of varying difficulty so you can choose where according to your ability

[JamesandBunny]

I will take a look at those society's, Farnham is somewhere I know quite well.

 

As for Theale, I think I came across wrong saying I was disappointed with the lake itself, it was a beautiful lake, but I think I went there with a preconception that you were likely to catch a few (from a couple of posts I found on the Internet before I went) but the reality was that it was pretty hard going. It wasn't so much the fact that I got frustrated because I blanked, but I don't know whether it was the fact my confidence took a bit of a knock because I felt a bit out of my depth.

I think i would as you said, rather be at a nice lake rather than a small lake that isn't a nice surrounding even if the fishing was a lot slower. In your opinion, do you reckon I should stick at Theale and learn from my mistakes, or carry on with somewhere smaller and a bit easier?

[emmcee]

well you have got to learn somewhere mate. if that means fishing a small lake full of fish and smoothing out any creases in your fishing then so be it. you can get to know what rigs work, baits work and the most important in my book learn your watercraft. you get those 3 right and have utmost confidence in them  and you can go anywhere and catch fish be that theale lake or any other , as long as your "on fish " cos if they arent there then you can't catch them. you will always be learning no matter where you fish and no matter how long you've been fishing for. good luck

[buzzbomb]

And welcome to the forum.

[JamesandBunny]

well you have got to learn somewhere mate. if that means fishing a small lake full of fish and smoothing out any creases in your fishing then so be it. you can get to know what rigs work, baits work and the most important in my book learn your watercraft. you get those 3 right and have utmost confidence in them  and you can go anywhere and catch fish be that theale lake or any other , as long as your "on fish " cos if they arent there then you can't catch them. you will always be learning no matter where you fish and no matter how long you've been fishing for. good luck

Cheers for that.

I think one of my major downfalls at Theale was I couldn't locate the fish as well as I could as to other places I have been. I'm pretty confident in the rigs I am using, and I always take a selection on bait so I can swap around. But as you say, i was only speculating the fishes position.

 

I think that I'm likely to stay at Barton court for the time being, seeing as it so close by. I think it is quite a good place to work on my techniques. if anyone has any tips about Barton they would be hugely appreciated.