Hampshire

A list of venues in the Hampshire area including information on venues and contact numbers

Broadlands Lake, nr Southampton
If you’ve never caught a grass carp, Broadlands is worth a try. Dave Allen from Waterlooville, Hants, banked 6 grassies in one session – the biggest was a cracking 21lb fish, which fell to a halibut boilie. There are plenty of big carp coming out of the Main Lake – with Jonno Barton once again leading the way. Peg 33 seems to keep producing for the man from Millbrook. His best was a 20lb 3oz common. The River Blackwater is also producing good mixed bags of silver fish to maggot – with reports of roach and perch to 2lb. A bream of 11lb was also tempted from the river by Southampton angler Rob Carpenter, using a XXX Odessy boilie. Contact: Peter Beale on 02380 869881.

Gold Valley, Aldershot
As usual, all lakes fishing remarkably well. Long stay carpers are taking multiple bags overnight. Steve Riley banked 21 fish to 16lb on Dynamite boilies from peg 42 on Gold Lake. As winter approaches silvers will be over-running the lake, so put the carp stuff away and enjoy some real sport with skimmers, roach, crucians and perch all through the winter months. On Syndicate Lake’ road bank anglers are taking weights well over 100lb with banded pellet fished on a waggler or small bomb. Kevin Wells had 105lb on paste down the edge! Even the silvers are biting with weights to 50lb of roach and skimmers, fishing pole and red maggot over pellet being a popular method for these. Night rods are netting multiple bags and although they are not massive fish, what they lack in size they make up for in quantity, so don’t expect any sleep! Middle lake recently saw Kevin Wells take an impressive 137lb from peg 76 again doing the same as before, paste down the edge was the successful method. Bungalow and Bat lake’s are on-song with plenty of silvers available in between carp. Bungalow has now been completely re-platformed, including around a dozen purpose-built disabled ones, six of which are capable of parking behind. More are planned for other lakes. Contact the onsite tackle shop on 01252 350963.

Greenridge Farm, nr Romsey
Weights around 100lb are common here and particle tactics seem to be the most successful on this canal-style venue. Maggots, corn and pellets will all score on their day. Most matches are won with weights of 80-90lb. The winter doesn’t normally slow the pace too much here!! Contact: Mark Brown on 07941 332102.

Hampshire Avon , Ringwood
Day tickets for this stunning stretch of the Hampshire Avon are £9 and for that you have access to a huge stretch of water crammed with silver fish, chub and barbel. Fishing a feeder packed with hemp and caster may be an old fashioned way to attract chub and barbel in these days when pellet is king – but it still works. Other traditional methods are also scoring. One lucky holidaymaker tempted a superb barbel weighing 14lb 2oz by ledgering a large cube of luncheon meat under a weed rack. Fishing stick or waggler tactics in a clear run is another successful method. Also try the Kings Stream if sport is slow. Contact: Andy Browne at Avon Angling for details on 01425 461038 or visit www.avonangling.co.uk

Heath Pond, Petersfield
Lake fishing brilliant for bream with catches registering over 30 fish. They average 4lb each with the odd one going to 6lb+. Corn with groundbait feeder or method feeder cast to 35-40 metres best. Preferable to have a southerly or south westerly and fish around the high peg 20′s directly into it for best results. Some good roach also showing with the odd rudd/bream hybrids to 3lb+ on float or feeder tactics. Carpers taking fish to 30lb+ with single baits or stringers working well. Fish do not seem to like heavy baiting but prefer a rather random approach. Tel: Andy Reed 07795 485067.

MBK Barons Ponds, St Patricks Lane, Liss
See www.mbkleisures.co.uk or call Kenny on 07885 754365.

MBK Pump Station, Greatham
All those who fish for bits here seem to produce better weights, with quality roach and skimmers being landed to maggot or caster over loose fed micro pellet. The odd big carp is also showing. One junior visitor was reported to have landed a mirror of around 18lb. Spectacle Lake is producing plenty of mixed bags with bream to 4lb, carp averaging 2lb and loads of roach to sweetcorn and expander pellet close in or around 12 metres. A small feeder laced with soft pellet, cast tight to the far bank, always guarantees a pull round. A few anglers are reporting excellent nets of small carp and silvers from the Donut by alternating maggot or soft hookers in the margin and island reeds. Tel: Kenny on 07885 754365.

MBK Wood Henge, Smithfield Lane, Wishanger
Tench fishing has slowed right down on the top lake now that the colder weather has arrived but carp and silver fish are still coming out to caster and corn. Plenty of small carp and silver fish on the bottom lake if you fish maggot or caster. Grayshott Tackle boss, Chris Fox, found caster over loose fed caster produced over 20lb of quality roach from the deeper swims near the car park. Tel: Kenny on 07885 754365.

Willow Park, Ash
Comprising 10 acres with 82 platformed swims and a depth of 4-8ft, the big lake is home to a good head of specimen carp, crucians, bream and silver fish. It is the lake for our night anglers and carpers, but also sees regular action as a match venue and pleasure lake.

The middle lake is around two acres in size and comprises 30 platformed swims including some doubles for families, this lake is packed with carp, tench, roach, perch and bream. It is well used as a club venue and for open matches, producing good weights, and is also ideal for the pleasure angler. Tel: Tosh White on 01252 325867.

K Harvey

Just back from a 48hour session at Willow Park Fishery, Ash, Surrey. What a dissappointing weekend from a fishing perspective. We have fished it before and enjoyed some reasonable fishing (always on the big lake). This time we set up on the bungalow side of the lake and by 10am on the 1st day lines had been cast and the watching and waiting began and the watching and waiting for all 6 of us fishing continued. It wasn’t until the 2nd morning at 7.30 that one of our group finally hooked into a 20lb carp. The fish itself was in a right state – absolutely riddled with parasites and looking extremely unhealthy. On the first day a bream had been spotted – again covered in parasites and barely alive. On returning the carp to the water the landing mat was covered in parasites. On speaking to other people that had been fishing the lake 48hours prior to our arrival out of everyone spoken to only a total of 3 fish had been caught. So over the course of 5 days only 4 fish had been caught! The weather was ideal but any chance of catching on the friday evening was scuppered by a very long, loud and protracted fire work display which although enjoyable did nothing to help the fishing situation. On arrival we were told that problems had been experienced with fish deaths and water quality. We all know that carp fishing can be hard work and at times non productive but we all came to the conclusion that not enough was being done for the welfare of the fish and upkeep of the waters. The state of the fish and attitude of one particular staff member left us feeling angered and as a result we have decided to remove this fishery from our annual calendar. We feel that this water should be closed to resolve its problems, improve the health and wellbeing of its fish only then will it return to being the good quality and enjoyable venue it has been in the past.