In the first part, I concentrated on the first 10 of my top 20 waters in West London. These lakes mean a lot to me and are only a very short distance from where I live so are all very easy to find. No matter what level you angle at you will have great fun on all of these venues.
Frensham small pond GU10 3DW
Controlled by Farnham Angling Society (Burton on Sea) or Frensham Little pond has had a massive impact on the history of carp fishing – the big prize remains for the angler willing to put their time in. They reckon 4-5 original Leney carp still remain, with one around the magical 40lb mark. There are other carp stocked by Thames water and 30 Burton Bradstock carp. The water is very shallow, due to years of silt build up and the silver fish thrive in this jewel.
The pond itself is an amazing oasis of reeds and pine trees, with sandy beaches all the way around. It therefore lends itself towards the joys of dog walkers. The best time here is very early in the morning before the noise begins but the carp are seen mooching and bubbling around the reedy margins at dusk so you know if you are in the right area. I only spent one season on this historical water and managed a few Burtons and one of the originals ‘Pauls Fish’ at a stunning 36lb – a night I will never forget. To handle a fish over 50 years old that one of my relations put there in the first place is very special. Farnham Angling Society is an amazing club and has some fantastic waters. It’s probably one of the cheapest tickets in the country, great value.
Thorpe Lea Fishery TW20 8RH, Egham
If you need to get a bend in the rod after the latest beaten-up session on your syndicate, then Thorpe Lea Fishery is perfect. Stocked in 2003 with 2500 prime carp from Drayton Reservoir, these fish have really put on the weight with 30 over the 30lb barrier. If you’re looking for just a bite in the winter, singles at range is the tactic or if you are after a big hit in the spring then fill it in. These are hungry, hungry carp that are very competitive for food and usually aggressive on the take.
Short zigs towards the sunken road between the islands of pegs 52 is a great starting point as the fish use this as their main patrol route. At £24 for 24 hours value for money is key and often you will find many keen anglers at the gate awaiting the opening every morning. Yes it does get busy, but that’s testament to the amount of carp that get caught here year after year.
Wraysbury 1 (RK Leisure, Wraysbury)
This one is a little more difficult to talk about, as I have not fished it since the change from Cemex, but the stock that is still at Wraysbury 1 is second to none and a very special place to me. Being one of Britain’s most historic carp venues, having held the british record Mary at a whopping 56lb, this place has it all. Secluded island, bays, lakes within lakes, Bryant’s Bay, No Carp Bay, the railway lake and the fingers this place was where I really got into my boat fishing.
With some of the originals left; Rosie, Floppy Tail and Jackos this place still holds many surprises. Yes, the lake has been cut in half with the North Lake only fishable, but on a day ticket therefore making these carp easier to find. It used to be near on 200 acres with about 45 carp, now there is a lot more making way for the new craze of match carp fishing having held the BCAC final last year. I only managed 6 of these stunners during my time, but with an unknown mirror and Rosie for a brace one morning, it is a very special place. If you have never fished this magical venue before then it’s a must to tread in the footsteps of the greatest names in the sport and read the many tails of trial and tribulation from the likes of Terry Hearn and Dave Lane dreaming of what might happen when the beep comes. RK leisure now have a fantastic tackle shop in the heart of Wraysbury that Rupert Whitman holds up and is a great knowledge on the history and the locations of these special creatures.
Kingsmead Island lake (RK leisure, Wraysbury)
Well this is up there with my favourite waters of all time. When the sale of Wraysbury 1 went through, I thought I would struggle to find somewhere just as magical where using the boat would open my eyes to the underwater world that I had been used to. This was it – a place that has been under the radar for many years. Reed lined, many untouched overhanging trees and split into many different bays to explore and hunt down some real chunks.
Last season, I managed to get amongst them and landed 46 with 3 monsters over 40lb. I landed carp between 39lb 4oz and 39lb 12oz which shows that at the right time of year there are a lot of big 40 plus carp to go at. The weed here gets proper savage. You could walk across it, but it really gives the game away where they are lurking if you know what to look for. I nearly had the set last season – a 40 common, mirror and leather, but missed out on 3 ounces.
The fully scaled carp are to die for. The necessary requirements here is a buoyant stable boat, a BIC 252 is probably the best, an electric motor, automatic life jacket and an Aquascope. These are the most important tools to get amongst these carp. My choice for this year are short 10ft Scope rods and reels loaded with 50lb Whiplash braid. When the weed is right up the braid sits on top rather than the mono falling into the weed making life difficult.
They really respond to big beds of bait here at the right time of year, but location is the key and sometimes on an overnighter I have moved 3 times, so keep your eyes open; watch and learn on this 55 acre pit. This has to be on anyone’s bucket list of lakes with some real whackers in.
Crayfish Pool (RK Leisure, Wraysbury)
Now this was a real challenge, as last season most of my efforts were on the Island Lake next door. If it’s a history water you are after then this is the one. With a few of the original stocking to go at, these cheeky blighters can found loitering under snags inches from the margins making this a stalkers paradise if you know how to tackle it. All the carp in this little 3 acre pond have names with the likes of Ronnie and Reggie, SP’s and carp older than me.
You walk through the gate and you are greeted by an album in the box of all the carp and what weights they have been in the past giving you a sense of being part of the history here. With swims like Hutchys’ and the Beach, you have all manner of opportunities to catch them. With it being deep out in the middle you would think zigs and the conventional methods would work, but crayfish are a real issue. These little blighters will crawl down the line of your zigs, demolish a kilo of boiles and feast over a bed of particle.
Keep your eyes open especially the margins – this is a real challenge but definitely worth a season. About 60 carp reside here with the best at 42lb earlier this year – Suttons and Fishers Pond strain make up the stock, but this is not as easy as you would think, in fact a real head spinner.
Siddy’s Lake (Upper Halliford, Sunbury)
Siddy’s Lake is a 10 acre gravel pit behind the pub in Upper Halliford and over the years has had a number of syndicates on but really tests your stalking skills. I called this one my summer pond as it is close to home giving me the opportunity of an evening floater fishing or margin stalking with maples and corn.
As a very shallow, weedy lake, a good pair of polarising sunglasses is a must along with a short rod. The little poke holes you can get in is immense and you can really brush up on your watercraft watching stunning, plated Leney mirrors and ancient commons hoovering up offerings. Tina the big mirror can often be seen sunbathing under many of the snag trees keeping the same patrol routes for years giving you a real insight into how big carp feed at different times of the day.
Now a syndicate owned by Starman Baits Starry will give you a good insight into the syndicate and what the stock is but definitely worth a look if you’re in the area. This is a wonderful, tranquil place to pass away the time of those long summer days with the opportunity of a real ancient whacker inches from the bank.
St Georges Lake (Sunbury, Middlesex)
St Georges Lake is a 60 year old gravel pit which was virtually unfished until taken over by Still Water Leisure in 2001. Nine acres in size, it contains troughs, gulleys, bars and plateaux. In fact, local angling legend and Anglers Mail contributer Bill Rushmer, who “guest” fished there for pike in the 1980’s, described the lake bed as being “like the seven hills of Rome”. Depths go down to 17 feet with an average depth of 8ft.
Autumn 2001 was spent clearing undergrowth and building swims, also planting trees and reeds. It was during these work parties that carp were spotted in the lake; 3 grass carp, some nice commons and a big mirror – immediately named “George”. It is estimated that there are at least a dozen of these original fish.
Stocking took place in March 2002 with Mark Simmonds supplying 350 mirror carp of the Fishers Pond strain, weighing between 5 and 9 pounds. Fishing started in October of that year. Close to both the M3 and M25 motorways St Georges has a secure car park overlooking the water – this gives anglers easy access to the swims.
The lake really fishes well in the winter which is why I had a winter ticket. Big areas of boilie really keep them moving throughout the quiet months which is always a bonus. Rolling baits with egg shell really proved a winner here, washed out white baits with the added crunch!
Blue Pool (Burghfield, Reading)
The Blue Pool at Burghfield can be booked on an exclusive basis at a cost of £180 per day, which entitles you to have a maximum of 10 anglers fishing the venue for 24 hours. The lake has always had a very large head of carp and the decision was made to remove 150 of these fish to allow further development of the remaining stock and allow them to flourish and to reach their full potential. As a result of the de-stocking, the weed has returned to the gin-clear water and the stock is putting weight on at a rapid rate.
The fish, which includes specimens to over 40lb, regularly feed within feet of the bank, highlighting this water as a fantastic one at which to try your hand at stalking carp. If a more static approach is your preferred attack, then setting out your stall and baiting a favoured area can be a very productive method, producing big hits to those putting quantities of bait onto well-chosen spots. With this fishery having a well-deserved reputation as a winter water and the fish feeding well all year round, this is the place to be when other fisheries are feeling the cold.
Other species are present including perch, bream, tench and roach but your bait presentation will dictate your success with these species. The Match Lake on the same complex will result in better catches for these fish species. This a real water for a social as well as some great sport. The water lends itself to very cheeky rigs down the edge during the day but out in the pond at night as they get away from the deoxygenated weed. If you get a few of you together this works out a very cheap lake and a great way to watch carp and how they patrol during different times of the day.
The Thames (Middlesex)
Now this has to be the largest carp fishery in the country with all the floods recently lending itself to a huge pipeline from the Cotswolds through Oxfordshire out across London all the away to the North sea. The stretches that I fish are the fill tidal around Richmond and Kew, through to the no tidal as far as Staines. The magical area here is the semi tidal, incorporating Teddington and Twickenham (where I work) and can be seen most nights baiting up under bridges or the slack on the back of islands.
To fish here I use my little fish hunter 250 inflatable with a hard bottom in to get me amongst the many house boats under which the carp reside. Spawning time around the middle of June gathers a huge army of carp around Taggs island where there is no fishing from the bank now so the boat is invaluable. These areas are key as you can follow the carp for many miles of river. Being at Teddington the semi tidal starts so acts as a bit of a wall for all the fish from Oxfordshire down.
A real challenge is a Thames 30 which there are quite a few but location is the key. Heavy baiting really brings in the bream and will be a nuisance all night long. This is where location is key. Large baits, usually snowman rigs, in areas where you have seen the carp; boat moorings, mariners and slacks of islands are all holding areas where bait introduced will go quickly, but stay off the pellet! Huge barbel reside around here as well and having one of those go off on carp gear will really get the heart racing let alone one of the catfish that live around Shepperton nearing 100lb!
The real trick for the Thames is heavy gear, big leads and the ability to move onto fish when they move off. Turning up and casting out might work once, but you won’t get amongst the real warriors. Keep your catches quiet or else you will never get on the spots again, trust me secret squirrels are around here.
I hope this list has helped as a mixture of day ticket lakes, syndicates and open access waters that I fish on a regular basis and have been as honest as possible. If you need anymore advice on any of these waters then please message me on Facebook or email me at [email protected] and I will be more than will in to help.
Slack lines for now
Dan leney
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