Open Access Season Round Up

As we start a new year and look forward to a third season of our Open Access series, we thought it would be a good to look back at what has come before. As we take a slow meander through past articles, we’ll share previously unseen photos, take a peek behind the scenes, and consider some of the realities of writing the features. We’ll also look at the top tips we’ve picked up along the way.

The series has always been about us being as open and honest as possible, and delivering a no-holds-barred insight into the difficulties of being a modern-day, open-access angler. Every feature was shot in one go, on the day. A lot of modern-day features allow the luxury of a return later, if the weather is poor or the fish don’t play ball. You, the reader, only really get to see the end product, and you might assume that everyone else out there is hauling fish, constantly. Through our own articles we wanted to show just how tough the carp-angling rat race can be, and hopefully, therefore, our articles are relatable.

The venues we chose were either day-ticket lakes, or those venues that can be exclusively booked by any group of mates. We received no preferential treatment, swims were not roped off for us and no pre-baiting was done ahead of our sessions. We turned up on the day and we talked you through our struggles as we attempted to catch a fish or two. We endured baking heat and fished rammed lakes. We coped with ravenous gulls and much more. Sit back, then, and enjoy a wander down our own memory lane…

BLASFORD HILL FISHERIES (MARCH 2020)

Key takeaway: The fish are really tightly shoaled in winter. One peg to the left or right and you’ll blank. Keep moving until you find them in the winter months.

The very first venue we visited was Blasford Hill, in Essex, and it proved to be close to a failure for me. Chris chalked up a couple of lovely, mid-twenty commons, but I had to work really hard all through session to avoid the blank. The lake was very busy and we experienced freezing, late-winter conditions. Chris banked his brace in quick succession, fishing small wafters over maggot to some snags. Unfortunately, no sooner had they turned up than they were gone again. We had to move into the only two free swims on the lake, and after re-casting my single pop-ups every hour, I managed to snaffle a last-minute mid-double linear to save my session.

As quickly as the series had started, however, it was seemingly over. The world was plunged into the chaos of Covid-19, and lockdowns forced us to pause shooting.

WESTFIELD FISHERY (JULY 2020)

Key takeaway: Keeping your tight nut hookbaits hydrated in the juice from a can of corn stops them from drying out in the sun and gives them an extra kick!

As the country emerged bleary-eyed from the first lockdown and we began to come to terms with the so-called new normal, we headed for a fishery no more than 750 metres from my front door, Westfield Fishery in Marlow. We were able to book opening week, and the lake had just had dye introduced, ready for its full reopening to the public. The dye really put the fish off, though, and once again it was hard going. I did, however, manage to sneak a handful of fish out, fishing small tiger nuts to the edge of some lily pads and using the bait boat to place little piles of chopped tigers and corn over the top. What I liked most about this trip was that the fish were all completely different. There were dark, gnarly ones, and fat, plump ones, and I really didn’t know what was going to come along next.

HORSESHOE LAKE (AUGUST 2020)

Key takeaway: Bite times can be short. Bringing the rods in to do each other’s photos probably cost us fish, so bear that in mind.

In August 2020, we were to have the absolute privilege of being featured in the 200th edition of this great magazine. We knew, therefore, that we had to visit somewhere special. I was probably fishing Horseshoe Lake when the first edition came out, and with its fantastic stock and heritage, it seemed the perfect place to head for. We hadn’t planned for the record high temperatures, though. Whilst the majority of fish had spawned by the time we arrived, we knew that it wouldn’t be easy.

By some stroke of luck, Winter Point had just become available. It had been doing a few fish and is one of the most consistent swims on the lake. This is where a bit of a trend would develop as Chris won the coin toss. He, of course, chose to fish the flyer. I had seen some fish in Summer Bay at the opposite end of the lake, but as we often shoot our own photos, we had to stick together to make the task easier. I, then, dropped into the swim next door.

Chris kicked off with a nice, plump, VS Fisheries stockie that would probably have been a thirty any other time of the year. I then struck gold with an ancient and immaculate Leney, a fish probably over 40 years old. A real gem, this fish, for me, was one of the highlights of the series. A single white pop-up blasted out to some light weed did the damage.

STANWICK LAKES FISHERIES (SEPTEMBER 2020)

Key takeaway: Sometimes the fish just don’t want it and there’s nothing you can do to scratch out a bite. Consider a move of lake on the complex or even another venue.

Late summer, we were headed to the Stanwick Lakes complex in Northamptonshire. From the number of waters we had to choose from, we fancied Mallard. This had the second-best stock after the flagship Elsons Lake, which unfortunately was fully booked.

Mallard turned out to be really moody. Apparently, anglers who’d visited before us had piled in a lot of bait. This had slowed the sport right down as it all sat rotting on the lakebed. Thankfully, during our walk to the lake we had seen loads of fish in Swan Lake next door. After moving over, we filled our boots for the remainder of the session. We had a great time, catching our fish either off the top or on really simple boilie tactics.

DAWFORD POOL (OCTOBER 2020)

Key takeaway: Alternative hookbaits such as corn can score when the fish are not up for a boilie.

Covid continued to play havoc with our planned features, and unfortunately, Chris couldn’t make this one, having caught the virus himself. Instead, I was joined by ’Ology’s Luke on the incredibly intimate Dawford Pool in Shropshire. The water is full of weed and has just a handful of pegs. I had a fantastic time. I snared an absolute cracker off the top early in the session. It gave me all sorts of problems in the weed and had to be landed from the boat. After that, I had my first experience of using a baiting pole. Little traps and corn hookbaits brought me a couple more fish, including an amazing linear—I was hoping for a cover shot, but was beaten by a rather large common from the Reading area.

COMBE BANK FISHERIES (NOVEMBER 2020)

Key takeaway: Location was once again key. That early morning move changed the session from a blank into a hit of fish.

Dating back to the 18th century, this venue was the first proper estate lake I’d visited. Surrounded by ancient brickworks and rusty railings, and partially hidden in undergrowth, Combe Bank features a mandatory boathouse. We arrived much later in the day than usual and had to race against fading light as we got our gear sorted. Eventually, we put out the rigs by torchlight, and apart from a lost fish on dawn the next morning, we had nothing to report.

An early morning sprint to a peg that had just become available changed the session for me. I went on to have a run of carp, fishing little Snowman Rigs in solid bags. My tally included two of the four fully scaled fish that reside in this lovely, lily pad-lined lake.

BOATHOUSE FISHERIES (DECEMBER 2020)

Key takeaway: Preparation for short morning bite times was important. By quickly getting the rod back out after each fish I was able to string a run of fish together.

We were impacted by Covid once again as we prepared for this trip, and again Chris couldn’t make it. Fortunately, my good friend Tommy Crompton was able to step in. He offered his services and did the photos on the newly opened water. A lovely, silty Shropshire mere, the venue would go on to become really popular and is now almost always fully booked. After getting on really early, I was able to enjoy some fantastic fishing. I used simple boilie tactics, spreading bait around with either a throwing stick or a catapult. This was also one of the first times I’d used what was then the new Sticky Baits The Krill Active, and I was impressed by how well the fish responded. Each morning, I would enjoy a double or even triple take as bite time came around, and I put together a big hit of fish.

After this trip we decided to take the feature into the digital format. We returned to Boathouse Fisheries to shoot a video, and also visited Twynersh Fishing Complex.

As commitments with work and family ramped up, we decided to pause the feature for a while. However, in July 2022, we returned for a second series, and we got off to an absolute flyer!

TAR FARM LAKES (JULY 2022) 

Key takeaway: Hinged Stiff Rigs and feeding whole boilies led to a much better stamp of fish than low-level Ronnies over a spod mix of bits and pieces.

We booked a visit to the brand-new complex at Linear Fisheries really early, and were among the first to fish it. By using the new CATCH app, we had guaranteed pegs, and this took the usual worry out of being able to find a peg at Linear.

The fishing itself was spectacular. The weather was spot on and the fish were hungry. The more we fed, the more we caught. Chris caught a much better stamp fishing Hinged Stiff Rigs over boilie, but I had the numbers whilst using small, homemade pop-ups on Ronnie Rigs. My session was topped off by an incredible, heavily plated linear that was very different from the remainder of the stock. The fish will, without a doubt, go on to be one of the A-team of the complex.

LAVENDER HALL FISHERY (AUGUST 2020)

Key takeaways: Stealth is important on small, busy venues. Keeping away from the bank and leaving lines out of the water while everyone else set up pushed the fish into our area of the lake.

This visit coincided with the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend, and the banks were busy! We saw about 15 anglers come and go during our stay at the site’s intimate, one-acre pool. By using the CATCH App once again, though, we had guaranteed pegs, so there was absolutely no rush to get going. We allowed the other anglers on to get set up while we sat and enjoyed a breakfast in the cafe. The disturbance created pushed a lot of fish into our vacant and quiet pegs.

Once fishing, I had a couple of opportunities on the surface, but I couldn’t connect with the fish. The session was probably one of the hardest we have experienced and I worked tirelessly to try and magic up a bite. In the end, after seeing a single show near the corner of an island and dropping a corn rig in the vicinity with the baiting pole, a single take produced an immaculate common, a fish dating back to one of the water’s original stockings.

ARROW MEADOW FISHERIES (SEPTEMBER 2022)

Key takeaway: At times, one bite tactics and single rod traps can be more effective than three on a spot over a bucket of bait.

This was our first introduction to the incredible Arrow Meadow portfolio of lakes. The two small lakes that make up Arrow Meadow Pools was probably the premier booking on the complex at the time. The larger lake of the pair is an intimate pool of a an acre or so. It features a number of islands, the largest of which is accessible via a bridge, and this was right up my street. Moving around, searching for fish and stalking them with a single rod was really good fun. It was sight-fishing and stealth was key. The fish were lovely, big-framed, heavily plated chunks from a number of suppliers. The edge was taken off slightly, given that I was recovering from Covid. I was still feeling quite rough, but I had a handful of fish and I’m really looking forward to returning to the venue at some point in the future.

THE COVE, FIRTON FISHING LAKES (OCTOBER 2022)

Key takeaway: We were reminded just how much fun fishing can be. Simple fishing and loads of bites can be good for the soul!

I had done a couple of articles on my own, but Chris was back for this one and it was time to go somewhere for a bit of fun. We knew the stock was good at The Cove on the Girton complex, but neither of us expected things to go quite the way they did. The water is over 35ft deep in the middle, but we had over 70 bites and enjoyed a proper carve-up. The fish were all relatively small, but as they grow—which they surely will, given the water quality at Girton—the venue could become one of the top exclusive-hire fisheries in the country. 

I enjoyed most of my success fishing solid bags across to the far margin, over a spot mix of bits. Late in the session, however, I switched to Ronnie Rigs over straight boilie. I then had three twenties in a row. What was most enjoyable was being able to rove around the lake and catch fish on a range of tactics. Floater-fishing, PVA bags and fishing at extreme-range all produced fish.

EAST BILNEY LAKES (NOVEMBER 2022)

Key takeaway: Just how aware fish are of your presence on small, gin-clear waters. As soon as we walked the banks the fish immediately started acting differently.

Birch Pool on the East Bilney complex in Norfolk is a relatively new water, but it’s one that has already become very popular, and when you see its gin-clear water and big, dark carp, it’s not hard to see why. As a former trout water, it has a proper estate-lake feel to it. Standing on the ancient, red-brick bridge, you can look down the length of the lake, which is surrounded by overhanging trees and features thick weedbeds.

Again, the fishing should have been mainly by sight, with us targeting little holes in the weed. Unfortunately, after a dry summer, torrential rain storms had, just before our arrival and for the first time since it had been dug, rendered the lake chocolate brown. This made spotting fish very difficult. Nevertheless, we had a thoroughly enjoyable trip. We caught some lovely carp, and our visit was topped off by amazing food from the on-site cafe. Birch Pool could well be one of the few venues we plan a return to, so we can fish it in its more usual state.

BERNERS HALL FISHERY (DECEMBER 2022)

Key takeaway: Naturals in winter are king! Maggot and worms with a decent boilie crumb will often out-fish standard boilie, corn and pellet mixes.

Our most recent visit, that to Berners Hall in Essex, brings us bang up to date. We knew, right at the very beginning of the series, that this venue, at the right time of year, would be our best chance of a big fish—a proper big fish. We had purposefully put off our visit until the latter part of the year, and it was time to give it a go. Those who’ve have read the relevant article will know that we enjoyed the most ridiculous big-fish fishing I have ever experienced. Whilst it had fished hard prior to our arrival, I landed four fish in the first hour. These included a brace of forties banked within a quarter of an hour of each other!

Berners is a large farm reservoir and it has an incredible stock. As fast as I could get the rod out, it would tear off again. I couldn’t keep a rod in the water and thirty-pounder followed thirty-pounder. We’d timed our visit to perfection and conditions were spot on. After feeding large quantities of natural baits like chopped worm and maggot, we had the fish queuing up. We finished with 20 fish, which was quite remarkable, the highlight being a 42lb common that came during the first hour.