Jump to content

Kingfisher lakes, Norfolk


Anthony78

Recommended Posts

Another one who makes money from fishing who I've lost respect for I'm afraid. So I wouldn't go there on principle.

 

From here, selling stays at his apartments: http://www.kingfisherapartments.co.uk/wildlife.php

 

Deer visit the area to drink in the evening. There’s always a chance of seeing fox and badger and the site is particularly famous for the frequent appearance of wild otters. The Wensum valley is a noted thoroughfare for these charming animals and the plethora of fish at Kingfishers means many of them stop off on their wanderings.

 

From here: http://angling-travel.com/blog/?tag=otters

 

Otters have done well to virtually denude the Wensum of its fish stocks, which is why, of course, they invade neighbouring lakes.

 

From here: http://twitter.com/#!/JohnBaileyKF/sta...163996495052800

 

Otters - heard of FIVE more lakes destroyed. WHAT do we do???

 

I'll tell you what to do - stop taking people's money on the hope they might see an otter if you hate them that much, and stop taking people's money for guiding on 'decimated' waters, if otters have taken all the fish.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Im going here for a week in september and would appreciate any info on the river stretch of the wensum at Kingfisher lakes.

Ive seen good and bad reports on the place especially about drunk bar manager and staff arguing.

No phone signal and no staff half the time.

Anyway ill pay my money and take my chances.

Any other info on the place would be good.

 

Hi Tyke,

I actually liked it at kingfisher so much I went back for a second time. The appartments are well equipped and confortable, the club has a pool table and dart board for when the weather's a bit crappy and the food was ok. They do have entertainment but we went to relax so spent most evening in the hot tub ;)

 

As far as the fishing goes I tried a day on Kingfisher which is a syndicate water but is open to holiday makers for £25 for 24 hours. I was going to fish 2 days on here but after walking the lake and not seeing a fish and then blanking on day 1 I gave this up as a bad idea. It's the kind of lake that you need to put a lot of time into as there were lots of bays and as it's a gravel pit there were lots of bars and gravel humps. It was the tench that drew me and it was a cracking lake but after paying a premium for the appartment I was very reluctant to pay another £25 per day to bivvy up by the lake.

 

You can get a week ticket for the river and the other lakes which is actually very reasonable at around £20 for the week. Willow lake is by far the best lake if you are after tench and I saw some very nice fish swimming over the bars. There's apparently some big carp in there but I didn't see anything and I walked the lake at dusk and dawn every day during my stay as I wanted to find the tench. I fished on the float with the lift method and tried the usual waggler tactics but found the tench to be quite finicky so I swapped to a small bolt rig set up and started to catch regularly.

 

I didn't fish the river on my first stay as I wanted to concentrate on the tench fishing but after a couple of evening walks and seeing a few decent chub I was sure to put the river gear in for our next stay. I fished with simple open ended feeder tactics in conjuction with liquidised bread and had a few chub up to 3lb. I also had a few perch on the lobs but failed to get into anything big. Be careful on the river as there is about 6ft of cabbages/weed in the margins which prevents you from getting close to the waters edge and makes netting of fish a nightmare, especially the chub as they know it's there so dive right under the near margin as soon as they are hooked.

 

There are supposed to be some big barbel in the stretch but I didn't see any. The river was running very clear though with clear blue skies so not the best conditions and your not allowed to night fish the river so didn't waste my time chasing them.

 

All in all I enjoyed my stay and had a few fish to show for it. I did contact John Bailey for some tips on the fishing and was very surprised to get a call from him from his home one evening where he spent over half an hour giving me advice on best tactics and baits, all of which I ignored :D .

 

I don't agree with everything he does but that wouldn't stop me from going back to Kingfisher as I thouroughly enjoyed my stay and the fishing.

 

Hope it helps and if I can help any further don't hesitate to ask.

 

Regards

 

Ant

Effort equals reward!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Tyke,

I actually liked it at kingfisher so much I went back for a second time. The appartments are well equipped and confortable, the club has a pool table and dart board for when the weather's a bit crappy and the food was ok. They do have entertainment but we went to relax so spent most evening in the hot tub ;)

 

As far as the fishing goes I tried a day on Kingfisher which is a syndicate water but is open to holiday makers for £25 for 24 hours. I was going to fish 2 days on here but after walking the lake and not seeing a fish and then blanking on day 1 I gave this up as a bad idea. It's the kind of lake that you need to put a lot of time into as there were lots of bays and as it's a gravel pit there were lots of bars and gravel humps. It was the tench that drew me and it was a cracking lake but after paying a premium for the appartment I was very reluctant to pay another £25 per day to bivvy up by the lake.

 

You can get a week ticket for the river and the other lakes which is actually very reasonable at around £20 for the week. Willow lake is by far the best lake if you are after tench and I saw some very nice fish swimming over the bars. There's apparently some big carp in there but I didn't see anything and I walked the lake at dusk and dawn every day during my stay as I wanted to find the tench. I fished on the float with the lift method and tried the usual waggler tactics but found the tench to be quite finicky so I swapped to a small bolt rig set up and started to catch regularly.

 

I didn't fish the river on my first stay as I wanted to concentrate on the tench fishing but after a couple of evening walks and seeing a few decent chub I was sure to put the river gear in for our next stay. I fished with simple open ended feeder tactics in conjuction with liquidised bread and had a few chub up to 3lb. I also had a few perch on the lobs but failed to get into anything big. Be careful on the river as there is about 6ft of cabbages/weed in the margins which prevents you from getting close to the waters edge and makes netting of fish a nightmare, especially the chub as they know it's there so dive right under the near margin as soon as they are hooked.

 

There are supposed to be some big barbel in the stretch but I didn't see any. The river was running very clear though with clear blue skies so not the best conditions and your not allowed to night fish the river so didn't waste my time chasing them.

 

All in all I enjoyed my stay and had a few fish to show for it. I did contact John Bailey for some tips on the fishing and was very surprised to get a call from him from his home one evening where he spent over half an hour giving me advice on best tactics and baits, all of which I ignored :D .

 

I don't agree with everything he does but that wouldn't stop me from going back to Kingfisher as I thouroughly enjoyed my stay and the fishing.

 

Hope it helps and if I can help any further don't hesitate to ask.

 

Regards

 

Ant

 

 

Cheers for the reply Ant, i was looking forward to fishing the river but it sound like they dont manage the banks if the cabbage plants restrict you getting near the waters edge.

Last year we fished Len Wade at the bridge inn and found the fishing a bit disapointing and the Bailiffs a bit standoffish.

Can you reccomend anywhere with good river and lake/pond fishing that also provide accomodation?

Im going with 2 mates who like lake fishing with a bit of river fishing thrown in, mei can fish lakes anytime but dont have decent river fishing where i live so the river is my top priority.

Ive also tried to book a week at kingfisher but it seems the google checkout no longer support the site, ive sent 2 e-mails asking if i can pay another way but so far ive not had a reply.

So if i can find anywhere alse thats reccomended ill see about changing my plans, it doesent have to be Norfolk or the Wensum.

Cheers,

Mal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers for the reply Ant, i was looking forward to fishing the river but it sound like they dont manage the banks if the cabbage plants restrict you getting near the waters edge.

Last year we fished Len Wade at the bridge inn and found the fishing a bit disapointing and the Bailiffs a bit standoffish.

Can you reccomend anywhere with good river and lake/pond fishing that also provide accomodation?

Im going with 2 mates who like lake fishing with a bit of river fishing thrown in, mei can fish lakes anytime but dont have decent river fishing where i live so the river is my top priority.

Ive also tried to book a week at kingfisher but it seems the google checkout no longer support the site, ive sent 2 e-mails asking if i can pay another way but so far ive not had a reply.

So if i can find anywhere alse thats reccomended ill see about changing my plans, it doesent have to be Norfolk or the Wensum.

Cheers,

Mal

 

No worries fella! To be honest I only went to kingfisher as I was with my girlfiend but generally I bivvy up when on a fishing holiday. Unfortunately I can't reccomend anywhere else which offers accomodation and access to good river fishing. Hopefully someone else on here can help.

 

good luck

 

Ant

Effort equals reward!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you reccomend anywhere with good river and lake/pond fishing that also provide accomodation?

 

 

If you like the Wensum have you tried Taverham Mill ? (http://www.taverham-mill.com/)

 

Accommodation is a bit basic but the fishing pretty good :) and night fishing allowed on the river!

 

Mat

Mat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.