Burham Reservoir (Kent)

[resman]

Burham Reservoir opening soon...!!!

[Dick Dastardly]

And?

[resman]

And?

Burham Reservoir, Burham... Opening as New Day Ticket Fishery 16th June..

Specimen Size fish: Bream(Bronze&Silver), Chub,Roach, Carp,Perch,Pike....

[Leon Roskilly]

Burham Reservoir, Burham... Opening as New Day Ticket Fishery 16th June..

Specimen Size fish: Bream(Bronze&Silver), Chub,Roach, Carp,Perch,Pike....

 

 

I used to fish Burham when it was an MVAS water.

 

You needed to be a good caster to reach the bream.

 

Not always so, but there was a theory that they had followed the groundbait from the feeders further and further out.

 

The chub too were mainly around the stantions of the walkway leading to the water tower, I believe that you needed to get out to at least the third stantion, again quite a cast.

 

Though some big chub did come right into just inches of water beneath bankside vegetation when the water levels were high. (It was always worth putting a feeder beneath the overhanging branches for a good chub, even though it seemed unlikely that any shy fish would be tempted into water so exceedingly shallow).

 

(Burham is used to store pumped water from the Medway, and in good weather when the Medway runs clear, the volume of water being pumped in would sometimes have you retreating back up the banks as though sea-fishing on a rising tide. The rapidly changing water, changing water level, and currents caused by the pumping upset the fishing considerably. When there was heavy rainfall, no water would be pumped in, leading to dropping of the water level, especially so on hot summer high water usage days. Much better for fishing, but you needed to make sure that your keepnet was not left high and dry, and waders and mud were a feature of fishing on such days).

 

A very few female pike were stocked, but largely died off, so unless there has been a re-stocking not worth specifically targeting.

 

On a still evening, targeting roach on the drop, trying to reach the bigger fish at depth, could be consuming and pleasurable hard work. They were ulta-shy, mopping up free offerings readily, but shying away from hook bait, even with very small hook sizes and bs measured in ozs. Presentation had to be perfect, with much adjusting of shotting to get past the small fish, yet present as naturally as possible to the larger fish beneath.

 

But the real interest were the giant gudgeon, otherwise known as 'Burham Barbel'!

 

Sadly MVAS gave up the water because of the constant vandalism and theft from unattended cars left in the car park.

 

I wonder what measures might have been taken to eliminate that intractable problem?