Naseby Reservoir - Diminishing Fish Stocks

[Anglers]

Fish stocks have steadily dropped over past 4 years at Naseby. The fishing is abysmal this year (compared to previous years) - the catch volumes are down massively. Is anyone aware of it being netted by CaRT or has it had the fish nicked (by the usual suspects)?

[chillfactor]

You sure it's not otters ?  The time frame would fit 4-5 years then very little left .

[greekskii]

Second Chillfactor here. From what I gather it’s been run differently recently too? Won’t have been netted, it’s way too big. 

[Anglers]

me and my buddies have never seen any otters or dead fish at the fishery. we've seen cormorants in recent years but surely they wouldn't be taking carp of 15 pound and over.

[greekskii]

No they won’t and I doubt recruitment is good in there either without cormorants hammering the smaller fish. Just because you haven’t seen them dead doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Management could be clearing them up and keeping it quiet. 

From what I know of the place I’d put it down to years of heavy fishing meaning the fish are either dying early or becoming harder to catch if it isnt otters. 

[chillfactor]

Cormorants will stab & injure big fish though , which in some cases will cause a slow death if infection takes hold . Not knowing the place or area but looking at a map , it looks prime for otter visits . But I'm surprised you've not spotted any evidence.  Do you walk  around the whole reservoir regularly? 

[Anglers]

Over the years, we have all fished all areas of the lake and the fish caught are all in great condition.

[chillfactor]

Doesn't  sound like a big otter problem then really , as your group probably would of caught at least one fish over the years... that would of obviously had a lucky escape & bare the battle scars .

A big cormorant problem will hit the fishing too though as the fish don't tend to get there heads down as confidently from what I've seen . Hard to say as I don't know the venue. 

Greeskii is local though so his comments are probably more on point.

[greekskii]

Last I heard from someone I know he  had 8 out in a 24hr session. Wouldn’t say that’s bad going but naseby was always basically a Drayton type water. Also got told bait boats were becoming a must due to fish moving further away from the fishing bank. 

[yonny]

On 19/07/2019 at 19:15, Anglers said:

Fish stocks have steadily dropped over past 4 years at Naseby.

Is it just the catch results that are indicating that?

I know of a chap that smashed it to pieces over winter, he caught loads. I fished it myself on a social last year and had something silly like 27 takes, there were certainly no signs of poor stocks.

The place was a circus, always rammed, there is no way anyone could have been nicking fish without being spotted.

I hear they've made it season ticket now? Assuming angler numbers have dropped, could it not just be that the fish are avoiding the lines (where they had no choice previously)? The place is too big to be netted.

Tbh otters could hammer that place for 5 years and hardly dent the stock, there's thousands in there.

[Miah Too]

I've fished Naseby for over 20 years and it was a water where when the fish are "on" everyone caught 27 fish all aroun the lake. There will still be the odd angler who will get a good score. I know the bailiffs who walk all round the lake have said that the numbers are not there or showing as they used to. The fish use to boil at the top end when disturbed now there's just som that remain in that area. The arm is also the preferred area from Spring through to Autumn but it's got nothing in it this year. I haven't seen any otters or dead fish either. its defo not the water it used to be.