Linear Fisheries

[Des Tobin]

Hi guys,
I am off to Linear next week,and need some info on the lake,(Manor Farm).Have any of you fished it,or do you fish it regularly.Am there from Thursday till Sunday,so not much time to suss out the whole lake.Any info would be appreciated,swims,depths,baits etc etc etc.Also,any-one know the potential for Tench in it.It is these that I'm especially interested in,but if a Carp comes along I would'nt be too disapointed.cheers for any info...Des (The Piker)

 

[Ron Clay]

I spent 3 seasons fishing in the summer at Linear Oxford, much at the time at Manor Lake. Peter Stone and John Everard introduced me to this lake. The tench were truly enormous. In fact it would be true to says that for a period, Manor was arguably the best tench water in England.

I sat chatting to a carp angler one afternoon after a successful morning with the tench. I had taken 3 x 7s and an 8.

We both spotted a large fish cruising at midwater only about 4 or 5 yards out from the bank. "It's a carp of about 16 lbs" - said the carp angler. I had polaroids on and watched the fish carefully.

"No way" I said "Look again"

The fish was in fact a tench. It was the biggest tench I have ever seen in my life. It was massive!!

About 1997, something awful happened to this water. As you know, gravel pits can become very weedy indeed. This never bothered the few keen tench anglers who fished the pit as we used to fish close in with strong float gear between the weed beds. The fish were confirmed margin patrollers and the water was crystal clear.

Most of the carp anglers however used to throw to the horizon. As a result the masses wed beds caused them a great deal of trouble when they hooked a carp. The carp went to 40 pounds.

So what happened is that the management put weed killer in the pit. In a few weeks the water turned green and great rafts of weed ruined the tench fishing in the margins. Not only that, the tench seemed to disappear.

I met Stoney there one morning and he was devasted.

In one stroke one of the best tench fisheries it has been my pleasure to fish, was ruined.

I never returned there again.

Maybe the tench have come back. I hope so; and I hope that Linear management will never chuck weedkiller into any of their waters again.

Has anyone fished Manor for tench recently?

 

[Dave Rothery]

theres a linear report on fm

i've fished it twice, and caught both times(carp).

move on a new wind
cast to jumping fish
all methods work if applied properly
fish the margins
try to fish when its not busy (luck of the draw!)

 

[Des Tobin]

Thanx Ron and Dave,info was much appreciated.Fingers crossed I'll bag one or two...