South & South West Goodiford news for carpers


with Brian Gay. Tel: 07768612872. e-mail: Brian62@mac.com


BRIAN’S WEEK


AN ACE venue is the Main Lake at Goodiford Mill where carp dominate, backed up by silvers aplenty. The carp usually feed well on warmer days on


pellet or paste with winter nets in the 60-100 lb range, at this venue near Cullompton, Devon. Feeder or waggler both score but pole can be


good with corn working. For the silvers poling caster or chopped worm is


always worth trying with roach, skimmers, bream, and tench all possible. Call 01884 266233. In Hampshire the Greenridge Farm’s ‘chevrons’


or canals are so well stocked that you can still enjoy action packed days even in winter. The canals respond well to long pole tactics


towards the far banks, however, in the colder weather you may find best results slightly further down the shelf into the deeper water. Maggots and worm work well now but corn is always essential. Carp of all sizes can be encountered from small


pound sized samples to good quality doubles with the bigger specimens tending to patrol the deeper water at the bottom of the near and far shelves. There’s also a one-acre specimen lake housing


carp to 30 lb with day sessions capable of big multiple carp hauls. Baits like pellet, corn, meat and paste all score as boilies are not allowed. Swims around the bridge and island are favoured as hotspots. For more info call 07742555951. The Royalty Fishery of the Hampshire Avon is good for pike right now with fish to 28 lb matted, while the Railway slack produced a fish in the mid to upper 20s bracket that bottomed out 25 lb scales, on


ASK Peter Clarke, via e-mail.


This bass took Brian’s float fished shiner (like a roach); the redfish fell for a freelined chunk of ‘pigfish’ at the Florida Flats of Tampa Bay, USA


float fished smelt. Other fish in doubles to 20s have been matted as well as a lot of jack pike. In addition to the Railway good pike spots include


Little Weir, Top Compound, Piles and the House Pool. Deadbaiting is always likely to produce the bigger fish, but lure action has been good and not just for jacks but upper doubles too. Call 01202 485169. On the River Exe in Devon, roach, dace and chub


have been feeding in the Weirfield area at Exeter. The fish are a good stamp with dace to 8 oz, roach and chub to 1 lb featuring. Proven tactics include trotting waggler gear with


casters or maggots. A good tip is to feed casters and use a red maggot or two on the hook. The river has looked good recently and there are


Brian Gay


Exeter Canal crocs Q


Where is the best place to fi sh for specimen pike on the Exeter Canal?


some reports of bream rolling so a crumb feeder approach could sort them out. In the City reaches there have been big bream of 8-10 lb landed in past winters. That said, when these fish show it is in ones and twos and little else does so it’s a real specimen hunters mentality that scores. Call 01392 435591 for details of the river. Up at Bullock Farm, Kingston


Brian says… The Exeter Canal has been producing some pike into low double- figures from the section above double locks. However, the potential on this canal is for bigger fish. Swingbridge is also showing pike activity. I’d suggest giving Exeter Angling (01392 435591) a call before your planned trip to get the very latest news.


TOP ROD Angler’s Mail


www.daiwasports.co.uk


Seymour, North Somerset, Rushcombe Lake continues to be the easiest of the five lakes. A 35 lb net of carp and goldfish caught from peg 2 is typical of the bags this lake is currently producing. Tactics for success seem


to be small hooks and light line feeding sparingly with


on the Florida Flats of Tampa Bay catching redfish to 8 lb in just 18 inches of water, then my latest freshwater trip resulted in a PB largemouth bass of 8 lb. Next week I will be back home swapping shorts and T-shirts for thermals and


“ waterproofs. ”


maggot, caster, bread punch or soft pellet hook baits. Match Lake offers


pleasure bags to 50 lb featuring crucians and crosses from open water with a few larger carp from the margins. On North Pool


Pete Sivell won the South West Teams of Four with 40 lb 15 oz of carp from peg 4 poling maggot over groundbait. Carp Lake is fishing hard, so you need to scale


down to attract bites. On South Pool expect pleasure bags of around 50 lb. Details from 01934 835020. At Westerleigh in South Gloucestershire is the


Bitterwell Lake, which is a favoured winter haunt for some of Bristol’s match fishing elite with the likes of Des Shipp, Steve Mayo and Callum Dicks visiting to experience the excellent roach and skimmer sport. Big roach and skimmers fall to casters or maggots


poled with a degree of finesse, with nets 20-30 lb often achievable. Some bigger bream and carp fall to a longer range presentation with maggot feeder or waggler and maggot also very effective. The fishery number is 01454 778960. Walden’s Farm at West Grimstead near Salisbury


in Wiltshire comes good for day ticket pike action during the winter with both Bishops and Abbots Lakes well stocked with snappers. Pike into mid doubles fall to trout, smelt, joeys and


sprats. You can also hook into some good perch too. In milder weather the quality carp are likely to


come on the feed and there are some nice ghosties in these lakes. If you fancy targeting perch to 3 lb-plus try Monks Lake where the big stripys show in pegs 4-8 with worm or maggot good catchers. Tench can also show in ones or twos during milder


winter weather especially along the Forest bank. Field bank is proven for carp, bream and roach. The fishery number is 01722 710480.


I had a great day saltwater fishing


Pictured readers net a bulk spool of Daiwa Sensor line, worth £6.99,


plus a cap.


Watersmeet, Hartpury, Gloucestershire. Sisters Rebecca and Danielle Grundy are now both totally hooked on fi shing after a session at Watersmeet. Rebecca (in the white top) had this 9 lb 8 oz common carp, taken on single sweetcorn fi shed in the margins, while Danielle took this 10 lb 8 oz common carp on the same tactics. Well done, girls! Venue latest: 01452 700358.


58 anglersmail. com ON SALE TUESDAY


Willow Park Fishery, Ash Vale, Hampshire. Harry Farnan caught this 12 lb mirror carp at Willow Park Fishery. The 14-year-old was using a sweetcorn hook bait. Venue latest: 01252 325867.


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