Reservoirs

[joso]

I've spent the past few sessions fishing on Llandegfedd Reservoir as it's open for course fishing until the end of the month and I have to say it's been some of the best fishing I've had in a long time with some big bags of bream. I can't comment on fishing it for other species but we have been using A LOT of bait as you say there are very few features and you really need to draw the fish to you. It all depends on what you are fishing them for really but for the bream once you get them in feeding its a bite a chuck with a decent size fish every time. On the larger one's such as Llandegfedd (some 430 acres) there's always a chance of catching something a bit special as I found when I caught an eel of just over 6lb a few years ago which is something I've tried to beat time and time again but struggled to come close.

 

Jeff

[maxaldo]

Do you see others fishing it more sucsessfully than your self or do they struggle to? What specvies do you know are definately in there? What type of reservoir is it ie small irrigation one on a farmers land,a cannal "top up" res,a trout water etc etc? Are the banks natural other than the damn or is it a "concrete bowl"? More info you can give the better people can try and help.

 

I know there are definatley pike, i have seen people fishing for them and have also seen a small jack pike near a bridge at the opposite end from the damn, the banks are concrete bowl and the res is used for a water works of some kind, it has 3 huge pumps in the centre that you can see the currents coming from, it looks bloody powerful, you can get day tickets for it though, Presumably if there are pike in there, then there must be roach e.t.c, possibly up to a good standard for the size of the water. I'm not sure if it ever gets stocked

[Newt]

Some reservoirs can be excellent places to fish. If you don't mind a little travel, the ones near me do quite well.

 

The one in the photograph does not have pike but the largemouth bass, carp, blue catfish, and a variety of other species are plentiful. The water goes to 180 ft deep but the better fishing is usually not in those areas.

 

Blue cats like cool water so this time of year will stay down to 80-90 feet unless the thermocline is shallower and then will stay right above it.

 

The carp like medium temps and can be anywhere from shallow to 50-60 feet depending on their mood.

 

(note to Budgie & Andy - I'm still sorry we couldn't fish Badin when you were here.)

[Dick Dastardly]

I thought we fished both Baden and Tucker Town Newt? Wasnt "Burgess Island" on Baden?

[Bonzo]

I fished Marsworth rezzy over Tring way on sunday, 4 hours fishing and probaly nearly eighty pounds of bream, a few years back you would have had to go to ireland for magic ton.

I did have to drag a marker around to find the right patch to fish, and fished into the wind, as bream are known to follow the wind, just a little home work will catch you fish.

The baliffs and other anglers are helpful and quite free with information that will help you put fish on the bank.

[Alan Stubbs]

In the overall cheme of angling things, I prefer rivers, gravel pits and reservoirs to man-made modern fisheries.

It's probably due to the challenge they represent, quite part from the fact that some mature reservoirs are actually very scenic, like Rainford, for example.

[Newt]

Budgie - thinking back on it, you are right and we did fish Badin.

 

Re: featureless (from an earlier post on here) - US anglers with the benefit of hundreds of thousands of hours on the water with good sonar units have figured out that in relatively flat (so, featureless to human thinking) areas, fish will use any tiny variation as a feature where they might ignore these same things if there were more variation.

 

For example, may fish that go to shallow water to spawn will follow some sort of underwater depression / ditch to go into the shallow water and will follow the same path when the have finished. Ideal for a certain species might be 3-4 feet deep and 5-6 feet wide but at need, they will treat a 2" deep 6" wide depression as a way to get shallow to spawn.

 

For example, largemouth bass love to hide and ambush. If there is a nice log or big rock or dense treetop that has fallen into the water, the larger bass will use those prime spots. If there are none (or not enough) they will settle for a twig the size of your little finger.

 

It might be nearly impossible with anything other than good electronics to locate these mini-features but if you fish an area with the mindset that fish do have features they relate to, you can probably improve your catch rate.

[phil hackett]

If your weyo is the one I'm thinking of in the Bolton area, then fish it in the evening until dark, 3 rod lengths out in 8-12 ft of water, bait little and often with maggot and/or caster and the quality roach will come along.

The same tactics will account for the fish in the Gorton resers in the picture. Had meself plenty down the years from most of the NW resers.

[Neil G]

I'm more into fishing rivers these days but will have a few stints on reservoirs this winter (Chew & Cheddar) for the pike as they obviously throw up good fish.

 

I do find them quite barren, exposed places to fish, especially cheddar which is a big concrete bowl with little or no features to fish to except a couple of pumping towers. Also the added ballache of having to use a rod pod....god I hate those things!

[Anderoo]

I have no real experience of reservoirs, but wouldn't mind having a proper crack at one. I fished Farmoor II for trout a couple of years ago and hated it, it was soulless and bleak, but I was bank fishing. If I'd been out in a boat I bet I would have had a great day. I like venues to be as natural as possible though, and Farmoor is just a big concrete bowl.

 

However, I wouldn't mind a season on there bream fishing