Venue Profile: Bolesworth Castle, Tattenhall
Mar 09,2006 00:00
by
Phil
Bolesworth Castle is run by Stoke on Trent angling Society, a 12 acre water running to about a mile in length and varying from 30 - 50 yards wide. It is split in two via a stunning arched bridge. One side, until recently, was nigh on impossible to fish due to the lilies nearly filling the section. But recent work has opened it up for more angling access. The water contains a massive head of carp averaging around 9-11lb, with numerous good upper doubles to be targeted. There are a handful of carp over 20lb with the lake record a common of 26lb. The lake also contains some fantastic shoals of bream and roach for the pleasure anglers and match anglers to target. 
The main length of the lake, as you approach on the right, is heavily wooded, for about 500 yards, with native trees and stunning ornamental Rhodedendrons giving wonderful protection from any rough weather, and some wonderful features to fish to. This area seems to be favoured with match anglers, pleasure anglers and the specimen hunters alike. During the summer months most swims are decked out with multiple sets of lily pads, giving the angler excellent marginal fishing, with more open water, out in front of you. The depth varies slightly in this area but is an average of 4ft, the bottom is built up of soft silt but there are some cleaner, harder areas that are favoured by the carp. The lake is lined with young alder on the opposite meadow bank, giving some wonderful snaggy root system features to fish to. Many pegs on this bank are also lined with sets of lilies.
Half way up the lake, at the end of the wooded section, is a very snaggy area on the castle side. This is split into two pegs via a stile. Either of these swims will produce fish under any conditions, but they are not for the faint hearted. When the carp get hold of you here they give a great example of themselves. These swims even produce fish during the coldest of winters. As long as a hook-bait can be got into position near the snags you are likely to get fish. Beyond the snag swims there is open meadow. Here the lake starts to shallow up, a little, to around 3ft, it is less silty on this stretch and many fish frequent the area, with good bait application during the summer months this length can produce some massive hauls of carp.
Half way along the meadow, right in front of the stunning castle is a large willow tree, here some of the larger residents are often to be found, and beyond that there is another meadow stretch and then a very shallow wooded section. This is very silty but again during the summer months and occasionally during the winter there are massive heads of carp to be found here, often this end of the lake is used for spawning by the carp and bream.
The silver fish and big bream respond well to the introduction of bait during the warmer months, with regular feeding being the key to success. Waggler and pole tactics both produce well and it is not unknown for anglers to catch well in excess of 100lb of mixed fish in a days angling. The carp angling can be frantic at times with good multiple catches possible from any peg on the lake, most of the carp in here tend to travel a lot following either of the banks marginal drop off. Any tactics and baits will continuously produce carp with surface fishing in the summer being second to none. With a little watercraft an angler will soon find fish and a swim to their satisfaction.
Notes
Location: Situated on a Private Estate off the A41(T) near Tattenhall.
Allowances: Maximum of two rods, night fishing allowed, no baitboats, no sacks.
Club/Ticket: Fishing Controlled by
Senior Price: £80/year.
Contact: www.sotangling.com
Gallery
Miffer with a nice Winter double
Julian with a surface caught common
Mart with a cracking early morning common of the pads
Miffer with a winter 15lb common
Julian Grattidge with a large mirror taken from the mid-field willow