Tom (Bream Machine)
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Hi all, Lookin to fish the largest of the Belvoir Castle lakes, apparantly full of big slabs. Anyone been there or fished it before? ....any info most appreciated ta
Belvoir Castle lakes
- Thread starter Tom (Bream Machine)
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Thinking of going tomorrow actually mate.A few bream anglers i know have stopped going because of the carp that were stocked and they were saying the bream fishing has got harder( probably due to catching carp as opposed to the bream).I have not been up there for about a couple of years nowso i'm not really sure whats being caught and from where.We use to fish the cattle field side of the lake and casting to where the old river course would have run,on the other bank used to be all trees and fishing from there usually required casting three quarters of the way across,but these have now been felled and the bank has been levelled out.So with all this change going on it may fish totally different now so may be a case of just turning up and speak to who every isfishing andhave a look around yourself.I will take maggots,red worm,hemp,corn and groundbait a few baits the the carp anglers would use as the bream might be on to these.Particle baits spodded out might be the way forwards now.
T
trev matthews (100M bronze)
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Where are Belvoir Castle lakes ? I have a lake near to me that sounds similar and it is packed with Large bream (allegedly) but the only anglers there are the long stay (no job presumably) Carp guys. Certainly makes a change as it seems the Carp anglers always moan about catching Bream and yet on Belvoir its the bream anglers moaning about catching carp lol./forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif
Tom (Bream Machine)
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Thanks for comments guys....appreciated!
Trev, Belvoir castle lakes are in the grounds of Belvoir castle near Grantham in Lincolnshire.....is it the same place?
Trev, Belvoir castle lakes are in the grounds of Belvoir castle near Grantham in Lincolnshire.....is it the same place?
Tom (Bream Machine)
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Monty, if you go there...please lets know how you did !
Steve Handley
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I used to fish Belvoir Lakes many years ago,especially the Top Lake, which was known for its big bream up to double figures. It also contained some quality roach with a good number of fish around the 1lb mark, mainly caught from September onwards.
Set in the vale of Belvoir you could pick up your ticket from the office and then drive through thestunning castlegrounds with thecastle up on the hill looking down upon the lakes.Carp were unheard of in the lakes in those days.
Another good bream water just up the road from Belvoir was Knipton reservoir, probably best known for the 39lb pike caught by Clive Loveland in 1967. This was a really scenic water, set in beautiful countryside and full of good sized bream to those in the know. Nowadays its been stocked with carp and turned into another syndicate water.
If you google Belvoir Lakes you will find a link with details on prices and the fishing. Also have a look on Google Earth for a view of the lakes.
Set in the vale of Belvoir you could pick up your ticket from the office and then drive through thestunning castlegrounds with thecastle up on the hill looking down upon the lakes.Carp were unheard of in the lakes in those days.
Another good bream water just up the road from Belvoir was Knipton reservoir, probably best known for the 39lb pike caught by Clive Loveland in 1967. This was a really scenic water, set in beautiful countryside and full of good sized bream to those in the know. Nowadays its been stocked with carp and turned into another syndicate water.
If you google Belvoir Lakes you will find a link with details on prices and the fishing. Also have a look on Google Earth for a view of the lakes.
Sorry its a bit late Tom, been so busy at work.
We fished there bank holiday monday and fished the top lake on the right hand side as you look up the lake from the bridge.The weather was hot and bright (not great)and we really struggled for a bite,no bream were showing, there was tench moving early on but they stopped as theday got warmer.We scaled down to small feeders,size 20 hook to 2lb hooklenghts and caught roach and good skimmers for the rest of the day.We had to be home for 6.30pm.Only other anglers on the lake were two lads carp fishing on the other side and further down the lake,did not see them catch anything.
Fished again two days later,(early wednesday morning)but on the lower lake about four swims down from the bridge,similar weather as monday.Started with same tactics medium feeders 8lb main line 6lb hooklenghts,finished with 10 bream to 8lb and 4 carp to around 11lb lost 3 carp(snapped hooklenghts)so be aware.Packed up around mid-day.If you live local pre-baiting would be worth considering but this could bring the carp in,no bream were showing at all.After three hours fishing nothing so i ball in around 15 balls of feed and caught my first breamafter 20 mins and topped up with another 4 balls a hour and a half later.
We fished there bank holiday monday and fished the top lake on the right hand side as you look up the lake from the bridge.The weather was hot and bright (not great)and we really struggled for a bite,no bream were showing, there was tench moving early on but they stopped as theday got warmer.We scaled down to small feeders,size 20 hook to 2lb hooklenghts and caught roach and good skimmers for the rest of the day.We had to be home for 6.30pm.Only other anglers on the lake were two lads carp fishing on the other side and further down the lake,did not see them catch anything.
Fished again two days later,(early wednesday morning)but on the lower lake about four swims down from the bridge,similar weather as monday.Started with same tactics medium feeders 8lb main line 6lb hooklenghts,finished with 10 bream to 8lb and 4 carp to around 11lb lost 3 carp(snapped hooklenghts)so be aware.Packed up around mid-day.If you live local pre-baiting would be worth considering but this could bring the carp in,no bream were showing at all.After three hours fishing nothing so i ball in around 15 balls of feed and caught my first breamafter 20 mins and topped up with another 4 balls a hour and a half later.
Tom (Bream Machine)
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hi Monty,
Thankyou for this.
Three of us went, two Saturdays back, it was a warm day, and the place looked fantastic, we were duly impressed when we saw the lakes. We opted to cross the bridge sitting just past the wooden platforms on the lower lake. i had the swim fishing out to the weed bed on the feeder, also set up a waggler.
There were Slabs crashing all over the place....and Carp too. So we were hoping for a good day. Sadly, we couldnt have picked a worse day to go, all the fish were in spawning mode and in no way interested in feeding at all. I had one, which was foulhooked , 6.2 so that dont count. my mate had a Perch about 1.5 pound, and other mate had zilch.
The heat had caused a lot of algae to bloom and float to the surface,,eventually the breeze blew it into where we were fishing which ended up in us packing up and heading down the other end to the dam wall.
Again we sat biteless, it seems all the fish had migrated to feed off the spawn, so our day wasnt very eventful from a fishing perspective, although the scenery is stunning i must say.
Going again in 2 weeks time in the hope all the spawning has ended. Reading your words, it seems it needs quite a bit of feed, that isnt a problem, but would you suggest a fishmeal, or sweet mix for the Bream??
Mate suggests we pole fish as well as feeder.......ideally targetting silvers, would you say this to be a viable option, or too many big fish around?
Were thinking of trying the upperlake this time...i heard it has less Carp andmore Bream...any tips please, red maggot, caster, hemp, worm, pellet...what would you suggest?
Hope you get to read this, look forward to your reply, ta in advance.
Thankyou for this.
Three of us went, two Saturdays back, it was a warm day, and the place looked fantastic, we were duly impressed when we saw the lakes. We opted to cross the bridge sitting just past the wooden platforms on the lower lake. i had the swim fishing out to the weed bed on the feeder, also set up a waggler.
There were Slabs crashing all over the place....and Carp too. So we were hoping for a good day. Sadly, we couldnt have picked a worse day to go, all the fish were in spawning mode and in no way interested in feeding at all. I had one, which was foulhooked , 6.2 so that dont count. my mate had a Perch about 1.5 pound, and other mate had zilch.
The heat had caused a lot of algae to bloom and float to the surface,,eventually the breeze blew it into where we were fishing which ended up in us packing up and heading down the other end to the dam wall.
Again we sat biteless, it seems all the fish had migrated to feed off the spawn, so our day wasnt very eventful from a fishing perspective, although the scenery is stunning i must say.
Going again in 2 weeks time in the hope all the spawning has ended. Reading your words, it seems it needs quite a bit of feed, that isnt a problem, but would you suggest a fishmeal, or sweet mix for the Bream??
Mate suggests we pole fish as well as feeder.......ideally targetting silvers, would you say this to be a viable option, or too many big fish around?
Were thinking of trying the upperlake this time...i heard it has less Carp andmore Bream...any tips please, red maggot, caster, hemp, worm, pellet...what would you suggest?
Hope you get to read this, look forward to your reply, ta in advance.
Hi Tom, if my replies are a little slow it is because i'm working down in Bristol during the week.
If you fish the upper lake from the field side it is guite shallow so a good cast is required,we usually wade out with platforms and fish of these.On the right hand side of the lake there are three or four swims,pole fish these around 6mtrs depending which swim you are in,look for the drop off,Tench and Roach would be my target here,feed these little and often and hopefully you will not attract the carp.Any of the baits you mention will be fine,what ever you are confident in using stick with.
On the feeder i either set up one rod and fish two seperate areas or set up two rods. Fishing the same distance but aiming at a seperate target so the swims could be twenty,thirty metres apart.I use green or black swim stim from Dynamite Baits and cast out without a hook lenght on, just the feeder full,make a dozen cast and watch your tip for a few seconds between casts to see if your tip moves signalling line bites.Once you start fishing if nothing after a few hours i might catapult a dozen balls of prepared flaked maize and start fishing swim number two in a similar way as swim number one but will not put flaked maise into this swim just rely on the feeder.Watch for signs in your first swim or cast over there every 10 mins say to see if anything as turned up.I usually cast every two to three mins to start with then drop down to ever five and then to what time you decide is best after that.I start with red maggots on the hookas it will withstand a couple of quick castswithout any problem once i start leaving the bait out longer (5mins) then i will start trying different hookbait combinations(red worm,caster ect).
I only use flaked maize in the summer when the fish are more active,prepare it the night before by soaking it with water.Fourty to fifthy metres would be around the limit i would expect to catapult it.I do'nt use a binder.
Hope some of this will help,maybe see you down there one day anyway good look mate.
If you fish the upper lake from the field side it is guite shallow so a good cast is required,we usually wade out with platforms and fish of these.On the right hand side of the lake there are three or four swims,pole fish these around 6mtrs depending which swim you are in,look for the drop off,Tench and Roach would be my target here,feed these little and often and hopefully you will not attract the carp.Any of the baits you mention will be fine,what ever you are confident in using stick with.
On the feeder i either set up one rod and fish two seperate areas or set up two rods. Fishing the same distance but aiming at a seperate target so the swims could be twenty,thirty metres apart.I use green or black swim stim from Dynamite Baits and cast out without a hook lenght on, just the feeder full,make a dozen cast and watch your tip for a few seconds between casts to see if your tip moves signalling line bites.Once you start fishing if nothing after a few hours i might catapult a dozen balls of prepared flaked maize and start fishing swim number two in a similar way as swim number one but will not put flaked maise into this swim just rely on the feeder.Watch for signs in your first swim or cast over there every 10 mins say to see if anything as turned up.I usually cast every two to three mins to start with then drop down to ever five and then to what time you decide is best after that.I start with red maggots on the hookas it will withstand a couple of quick castswithout any problem once i start leaving the bait out longer (5mins) then i will start trying different hookbait combinations(red worm,caster ect).
I only use flaked maize in the summer when the fish are more active,prepare it the night before by soaking it with water.Fourty to fifthy metres would be around the limit i would expect to catapult it.I do'nt use a binder.
Hope some of this will help,maybe see you down there one day anyway good look mate.