If commercials never existed

[markcw]

Partridge Lakes near Warrington charge £8 a day, I think, but they have a members only lake which costs £300 pa. it’s not big, or attractive and I’ve no idea what it fishes like. I suppose that’s less than £1 a day but I’d be bored within a week.

I’m glad commies exist as I can stick, usually, to club waters where there are only a handful of other anglers.

You have fished 2 commies with me and gordon,
Lloyd's Meadow and Dunham Fishery, where once your free club ticket entitlement ran out you said you would pay day tickets, ?
As for Gold Lake on Partridge, it holds some big fish, Holbar is good on there but I think that is £10 a day.compared to coveys, piper,willow etc at £8.
Gold membership is fine for shift workers , self employed or retired who can go when they want to. The window cleaner we had was a member of Gold, He said ideal for likes of him can go when finished work or trained off, whereas someone working 9 - 5 is limited to when they go.

 

[john step]

I have had a lightbulb moment about this or at least in a similar vein to this.

After another barbel blank yesterday my thoughts ran along these lines.
Night fishing is not allowed and whereas I used to catch many good barbel on this river in daylight I fail with many other anglers nowadays.
There are places I could join that are popular but fish very similar to commercials due to high concentrations of fish in short lengths.( Probably due to the car parking adjacent and lots of bait going in)

I started thinking what was it that I enjoyed mostly about the barbel of the past.
It was the thumping bites and powerful runs.
This year I have been doing more carp catching in local lakes. I realised it was almost the same but without the running water. My waters are mostly sparsely fished and solitude is the norm.

I have choices. Although not commercials the easiest lake is probably similar. Then there are 3 more grading through moderate to very hard to catch.

I can as age makes joints ache more appreciate the desire for commies more. I am not there yet but one day when I get to my 80s I hope they are still there.

So I have the commie type choices harder type choices, with winter river pike and roach for a diversion which seems a fair deal.

 

[mikench]

Mark i have yet to use up my quota at Dunham in any year not just this one. It's ok though and has recently been restocked which must tell a story.

 

[Mark Wintle]

I fish Whitemoor, which is a small local commercial, in winter for roach when it's quiet. Todber is much more like a very high weight commercial and even in winter it's possible to get 50lbs.

Much closer to home this old claypit is on a club card and in a very urban environment but the fish, though not around in any great numbers, are worth the effort. It's more like hard river fishing than typical commercial.
Here's some video on it: Creekmoor Pond fishing

 

[Reemul]

I fish Whitemoor, which is a small local commercial, in winter for roach when it's quiet. Todber is much more like a very high weight commercial and even in winter it's possible to get 50lbs.

Much closer to home this old claypit is on a club card and in a very urban environment but the fish, though not around in any great numbers, are worth the effort. It's more like hard river fishing than typical commercial.
Here's some video on it: Creekmoor Pond fishing

Yeah I fish Whitemoor lakes, personally i fish the small lake with the kids, never many people on it, fish to 10lb, last time I went son and I had 18 each over 10 hours so not massive amounts. I have found the main lake over fished intensively this summer and catching 3 or 4 carp in a day session teh norm.

The clay pit at Kingsbridge on the club water has been hit and miss, had 2 Saturday blanks this summer also had 6 in 2.5 hours of an evening. Fished it yesterday, son and I, he had 4 to 14lb and I had 2 to 14lb. We fished 8 - 7 so 6 fish in 22 hours of joint fishing is not great.

 

[steve2]

I know I am living in the past but when someone say 18 carp in a day isn't very good fishing I start to think we need a reality check of what fishing is all about.
More and more posts on the HDYO are starting to resemble commercial carp water reports.

 

[mikench]

I agree Steve. I've had 2 occasions in 5 years when I have caught more then a dozen carp in a session. I have caught lots of small fish on many a day but blanks feature prominently.

 

[Reemul]

I know I am living in the past but when someone say 18 carp in a day isn't very good fishing I start to think we need a reality check of what fishing is all about.
More and more posts on the HDYO are starting to resemble commercial carp water reports.

Sorry what I meant was 18 fish in 10 hours is not a fish every cast more like every 45 mins which is more than enough for me. We fished Saturday for 13 hours I had 2 and son had 4.

However the Whitemoor small lake where we caught 18 each the bloke in the corner swim had at least 50 so did we have a bad day, him a good day or was it based on him having the best swim.

Personally I hope for a fish every hour or 2 over a full day so if I can get 5 or 6 fish I am more than happy. I have had 3 total blanks this summer and plenty of days with 1 or 2.

 

[rayner]

God forbid we should go fishing to catch fish I don't get this just being there mentality. The only reason I fish is to catch I have no time to watch flora and fauna. That's the reality. If I'm struggling to catch I go home there's no way I'll sit on the bank waiting for some creature to rustle in the grass.
So what if Reemul wants to catch 18 carp or any other species come to that. I sooner catch a bucket full that sit there bored to tears hoping for some action.
Get off his case.

 

[Pikerwoods]

Now that both my time allowed and being less agile, modern day fisheries both day ticket and club provide me and many others with a good days fishing. Have seen past few years more female and youngsters on the bank especially since lockdown eased. Have been a descent angler in my time and just happy to be on the bank with chance of a bite or two chilling out...lol

 

[markcw]

On ITV4 now, charity fishing match with various sports stars involved,
Iits at tunnel barn farm. A good commercial in the midlands .

 

[rob48]

On google maps it looks like the piscatorial equivalent of Milton Keynes.

 

[steve2]

I watched a bit and remembered just why I gave up match fishing on carp filled commies.

 

[no-one in particular]

I had a look at Wylands yesterday near Battle which is very nice, several lakes and a match lake. I looked at two lakes which were both set in lovely surroundings but way too busy for me. On a weekend it must be worse. I guessed it would be a bit like that but this a very well known advertised venue. I have found lesser known commies in lovely countryside and sometimes very quiet especially on week days, those are the ones to look for.

 

[rayner]

I wonder how many of the anglers fishing commercial in my area would make the journey down to the Trent of the fenland drains if not for commercials.
Locally fisheries aren't getting any time to recover in recent months.
The fish are sort of going into hiding with the pressure from the numbers of anglers. All throwing bait like they are aiming at targets on a firing range.
Even with open matches fish get a little rest by way of every second peg left out, but when it's a free for all with no matches booked every peg is being taken up by anglers which ruins the water fish catching wise.
I was considering fishing the opens at the weekend to get a little room to fish. That thought didn't last too long I think I'd rather wait a few weeks until the pressure of anglers eases.
Have I ever said I hate anglers.

 

[john step]

Rayner, those hateful other anglers travel from all over to fish the Trent unfortunately. I met a bloke from Norfolk who came to stay each month for a few days seeking barbel. When I commented that the Wensum had barbel he replied "its been caught already"

Another couple of bods travelled up from Luton on the last day of the season a few years ago to fish MY favourite swim. The s*ds.
I mentioned the barbel in the Lea and Ouse and they said they didn't like the crowding and fighting for the best spots. Thanks.

Luckily my local spots are by and large crowd free. One favourite my syndi res has enough members running at 10 max. It costs mind. £100 for 365 days good angling.

 

[rayner]

John, it seems you also have angling pressure to a degree, I suppose it's down to this horrible virus. far too many folk off work because of safety reasons, to a degree I can understand why.
That doesn't alter the fact that to much pressure from anglers affect the fishing.
When I retired I expected a little peace with more than a little quiet, I have no idea how long these changes to our life style will go on that is if they will ever return to normallity.
I'm thinking of searching for a club locally, being prompted by Mikench's suggestion.
The hate of other anglers being close is growing by the second.

 

[no-one in particular]

I think I saw a sign saying you have to pre-book at Wylands but it seems they are quite happy to take as many bookings as they can so filling up the fishery. Should they limit the number that can book. Would they accept any sort of limitation to their earnings would be more the question and I doubt they would. Anyway I wouldn't go there, we stopped the car for 5 mins and just watched, it was as Rayner described, the fish where surrounded with blokes casting all over the lake, some had some sort of cage feeder stuffed with a big balls of ground-bait sploshing away. I did not see any being caught, no surprise there, the fish must be well shy with all that going on but if you want a challenge, there it is!!
I fully expect my local bits of river empty except in one spot for canoes etc but I can easily avoid that. I wonder why these anglers never think to explore all that's available locally and choose to fish places like that time after time. It must be something they like about it but I cannot see what it is, it is not like they were catching lots of fish, a lot of them looked like young fit anglers so its not the no choice thing; must be the herding instinct or the lure of a big fish- all I can think of.

 

[markcw]

There are 3 decent commercials in Warrington area, One holds Fish O'Mania heats,
Go 20 minutes north up the M6 to J27 and there are around 8 in a 5 mile radius, some good some not so good, one has a list of bait bans that even the owner doesn't bother about, I think he put them on the notice board to fill a bit of space.
I have fished them all, some in matches , others matches and pleasure fished.
Since moving to Oxford ,there is one commercial nearby, I fished it many years ago, it was good then, but now it's like hook a duck, take your pick on the fish you are catching next.
I have changed my style of fishing, to doing more feeder fishing, pellet waggler and bagging waggler fishing, with the odd foray onto the canal.
I am going to give Alders Farm a try and also TBF, I still like commercial fisheries, but at the moment I am happy with what I am doing

 

[no-one in particular]

I am going to give Alders Farm a try and also TBF, I still like commercial fisheries, but at the moment I am happy with what I am doing

I know a nice farm fisherie, not a true commercial really but 3 nice lakes and fairly quiet in the week. One lake is the carp lake, another decent mixed fishing and another no carp, just tench and rudd. Pleasant to fish there but bit of a trek for me now.
Another one I know is just one big carp free lake on it, very nice place with a farm shop and pick your own fruit as well. It is still what I call contrived fishing (it has barbel in it which I am not a fan of) but these are the sort of places worth looking for, they are not well known and only lightly advertised, better than the big well known proper commercials a lot of the time but not always.