Pretty Lake, Stanstead Abbotts

[Corneybury]

First fishing outing this year. As I have been a member of Ware AS for three years, I have only fished their Fishers Green waters on the Old River Lea. This year I thought I’d try something different and so Pretty Lake, Stanstead Abbotts was chosen, this is particularly attractive to me as it is closer to where I live and contains (so I am told by Ted, (Lea Dweller)), a good head of tench, a fish I’d dearly like to catch.

Fished it from 1pm to 6pm today, in the hot May sunshine, and it is indeed a very pretty lake with lots of lily pad patches and several large carp swimming around like mini submarines.

The swim I picked (peg 4) abutted a nice lily patch and so with some sweetcorn and red maggots, I enjoyed an afternoon in the sun. Slow going in the heat, with one roach and one small bream, but things were made interesting by the presence of a large pike right underneath my feet, which had a go at everything I bought in. I spent much of the afternoon trying to frighten off Mummy mallard and her 3 baby ducklings from the proximity of the bank, as I thought they might make a nice snack for Mr. Pike.

Fishing picked up as the sun dipped and I caught two more nice bream and a good roach, also got snapped up by something much larger- probably one of the carp, but alas, no tench. It certainly whetted my appetite though and I am looking forward to my evening session with Ted in a week or so!

[Woodytia]

Sounds lovely, I usually find that Tench tend to be caught early morning or late evening on smaller waters, hopefully your forthcoming evening session will get you your Tench, I find bread to be a particularly good bait for them but at this time of year a nice lob worm fished in the margins over a bed of free offerings will often score.

[Corneybury]

Yes I thought a worm or bread might do the trick, but alas, I had neither with me. Next session in a couple of weeks will be an evening event, and I will be sure to at least have some breadflake in my bag.

[Harry H]

Yes I thought a worm or bread might do the trick, but alas, I had neither with me. Next session in a couple of weeks will be an evening event, and I will be sure to at least have some breadflake in my bag.

I discovered quite by accident while fishing for perch that the tench are very partial to prawns, might be worth a go

[Corneybury]

Good thinking - easy to buy a pack down the supermarket!

[Lea Dweller]

First fishing outing this year. As I have been a member of Ware AS for three years, I have only fished their Fishers Green waters on the Old River Lea. This year I thought I’d try something different and so Pretty Lake, Stanstead Abbotts was chosen, this is particularly attractive to me as it is closer to where I live and contains (so I am told by Ted, (Lea Dweller)), a good head of tench, a fish I’d dearly like to catch.

Fished it from 1pm to 6pm today, in the hot May sunshine, and it is indeed a very pretty lake with lots of lily pad patches and several large carp swimming around like mini submarines.

The swim I picked (peg 4) abutted a nice lily patch and so with some sweetcorn and red maggots, I enjoyed an afternoon in the sun. Slow going in the heat, with one roach and one small bream, but things were made interesting by the presence of a large pike right underneath my feet, which had a go at everything I bought in. I spent much of the afternoon trying to frighten off Mummy mallard and her 3 baby ducklings from the proximity of the bank, as I thought they might make a nice snack for Mr. Pike.

Fishing picked up as the sun dipped and I caught two more nice bream and a good roach, also got snapped up by something much larger- probably one of the carp, but alas, no tench. It certainly whetted my appetite though and I am looking forward to my evening session with Ted in a week or so!

I am pleased that you found the lake David, it is indeed a lovely place. I am hoping that our evening session on the 30th will get us some fish, but you can never tell with Pretty Lake! I have had many a lovely blank session, but still enjoyed it!

[Corneybury]

Looking forward to it Ted!

[Corneybury]

So another visit to this ‘pretty lake’, this time in the evening. Tried bread and sweetcorn (alternating), float fished on bottom over lilypads. Lots of knocks, twitches and float raising, surrounded by bubbles. Net result, one six inch roach . Bloke next to me had bream to 3lb, tench and one nice carp. Oh well...

On the plus side (for me), he had about two tons of tackle which he had stored on a giant luggage trolley type affair at his swim. This is not my idea of fishing - I have a rod bag and a small tackle box cum seat. I asked him what he was using and got the monosyllabic reply ‘meat’. He did not seem to want to elucidate on this sage advice, so I left him and his giant tackle mountain to go home and lick my wounds.

Memo to self, must bring ‘meat’ next time - steak?, leg of lamb?, burger?

[Corneybury]

On another note, I have been promoted to ‘Dace’, would have quite liked to have been a gudgeon, of which species, I am inordinately fond

[Duckett]

So another visit to this ‘pretty lake’, this time in the evening. Tried bread and sweetcorn (alternating), float fished on bottom over lilypads. Lots of knocks, twitches and float raising, surrounded by bubbles. Net result, one six inch roach . Bloke next to me had bream to 3lb, tench and one nice carp. Oh well...

On the plus side (for me), he had about two tons of tackle which he had stored on a giant luggage trolley type affair at his swim. This is not my idea of fishing - I have a rod bag and a small tackle box cum seat. I asked him what he was using and got the monosyllabic reply ‘meat’. He did not seem to want to elucidate on this sage advice, so I left him and his giant tackle mountain to go home and lick my wounds.

Memo to self, must bring ‘meat’ next time - steak?, leg of lamb?, burger?

Thanks David, reading that made my lunch! it was a salami sandwich and I have caught carp on salami!

I've discovered a neat one-liner with the golf trolley carp macho brigade, "I only fish for carp when the intelligent fish aren't feeding."