This Fishery Guide is a very personal
view of the fisheries we have fished whilst both pleasure fishing and filming.
As all anglers know, two days are rarely the same and as such this guide should
NOT be viewed as a defining article on the standards of the regions fisheries.
To put them into context: Each review represents just a couple of days fishing
A YEAR! So if you've fished any of the fisheries below on one of the other
363 days your views may vary. But the fishery reviews are right and
justified for the days we fished them.
FISHERY GUIDE
Some good, some great
and some downright disappointing...
Newbigin Reservoir A
beautiful little lake of about 12 or 13 pegs. Excellent fishing on all methods.
A truly mixed fishery with good Ide and Roach, some large carp and tench to
have a go at too. Featured on Bankside Madness Volume 2 fishing pole and a
dropper rig, it really was a fish a chuck. Bankside Venue Score: 9/10
West End Fishery Featured on
Bankside Madness Volume 1, this fishery looked like it was going to be a real
quality venue. A serious fish kill and subsequent cautious re-stocking has done
little to return it to the venue we saw. Not been back since, and not heard
anything which would make me think things had got any better. Bankside
Venue Score: 3/10 FISH
KILL VERDICT:ALUMINIUM BRIDGES AND FISH DON'T MIX....
Drayton Reservoir Carp
mecca. Featured on Bankside Madness Volume 2. We filmed it right in the middle
of the spawning season and only managed three fish, which apparently is good
going. The fish are powerful beasts and if you stray from your rod you may well
loose it. 80 rods are lost to these beasts, on average every year. Bankside
Venue Score: 8/10
Ecclesfield Dam Roach mecca.
Featured on Bankside Madness Volume 2. The Angling Star's Jim Baxter takes us
through the puller float on pole and rod 'n' line. The method works really well
on this water. Beautiful venue and large bags of roach easily achievable.
Excellent fishing. Bankside Venue Score: 9/10
Lodge Farm Fishery Pole
venue, so we are told. Featured on Bankside Madness Volume 2. This is a
selection of 'match' lakes. Oblong puddles stuffed with fish. Featureless and
for some, troublesome. There is a theory that the match anglers have pushed the
fish out so far that a slight side wind and the place is un-fishable. As a
result they say the pleasure anglers have deserted the venue. The original Old
Lake looks great though. Bankside Venue Score: 3/10 Pleasure 7/10
Match
Woodhouse Grange Fishery
The business. Featured on Bankside Madness Volume 2. Mixed fishery with
plenty of lakes to choose from. We've never fished the new lakes as we always
fish either the match lake or the strip pond. When that float goes under you
could have absolutely anything on the hook. There are Carp to 30lb swimming
around in all these lakes. Read the rules board and you won't have any
bother from the bailiff Bankside Venue Score: 9/10
KJS Fishery Featured on
Bankside Madness Volume 2 this is a strange one. We filmed the carp lake and
only had one fish. Granted, it was about 17lb, but one fish all
day
..Fished two other lakes since and had two good days but there's
nothing special enough to make us stray from our local lakes. Petrol or Pint?
Bankside Venue Score: 7/10
Chesterfield Canal Featured
on Bankside Madness Volume 2. We fished for Perch using lures on a stretch at
Kiveton and had a cracking day. It's a nice walk casting the lures, although
the stretch is now owned by an angling club I'm sure they won't mind you giving
those perch a hard time. Bankside Venue Score: 8/10
Clattercote Reservoir
Featured on Bankside Madness Volume 1 we hit it on a day when it was
absolutely on fire. Waggler, Pole and Feeder caught fish after fish after fish.
Beautiful big Tench as well as some huge Roach. Featured angler Andrew Horner
went back to fish a match there and had all his pole sections smashed in the
first twenty minutes. Brilliant but sometimes damaging venue. Bankside
Venue Score: 9/10
Loxley Fishery Featured on
Bankside Madness Volume 1 this venue has come under new management and some say
they have ruined it whilst some say they have made it infinitely better. We
haven't been back since so we'll reserve judgment. At the time we filmed it was
a cracking little venue. Bankside Venue Score: 8/10
Lewdon Spring Fishery We
have had three goes at filming this lake and always come away disappointed.
Maybe the fish are camera shy. We have heard better things about it this year
so we may well go back and have another go
.but we said that last
time! Bankside Venue Score: 3/10 UPDATE: PRE FLOOD My mate had a cracking day on here.
Some large Carp. Bankside Venue Score: 6/10
Pinch Mill Fishery We went
to fish a new fishery near Thurcroft which was closed (not the best way to get
your fishery of the ground) so instead had a go at pinch mill on the advice of
a local angler. The place is very impressive. It was our best find of the year.
Mixed fish in beautiful surroundings, we'll be back for more of
that
Superb. Bankside Venue Score: 10/10
Woodlands (Barlbrough) We
were mugged here. Speaking to the bailiff the day before we were told the place
is on fire with nets of 70lb+. Game on we thought. We had to resort to pinky on
the drop to winkle out micro fish. The place wasn't busy and now we know why.
The bailiff may have had our money but he certainly won't be getting any more
of it. Lying bailiff, Shit venue and noisy with it. (just yards from M1, take
your ear plugs) Bankside Venue Score: -70lb+/10
Triangs Fishery Another
brilliant find for us. Just what you need to regain any lost confidence. Great
Tench fishing and some large Carp to have a go at. Superb place to take kids to
teach them how to fish. Take care across the train lines and don't forget to
close the gate. A Bankside Madness favourite when we've had a poor run. Easy
Fishing! Bankside Venue Score: 9/10
Westwood Reservoir This is a
superb venue. We are always after the Bream here and it regularly delivers. The
last three times we fished it we bagged up. It can be a challenging venue if
you want to test yourself. Fishes good all year round we are told. Give it a
try today
.you won't be disappointed. Bankside Venue Score: 9/10
UPDATE: This place is
the business. Possibly the best fishery in Yorkshire? Bankside Venue
Score: 10/10
River Don at Sprotbrough (PRE FLOOD) Fished it twice this year and always
enjoy it. Still haven't had any Barbel out though. We have no problem getting
them on the hook. We can't seem to get 'em out! Some massive fish in there.
Some massive snags too. The sewage companies are doing their best to wipe out
all the fish but it's still fishing, so 'they' tell us. Bankside Venue
Score: 8/10
The Upper Don Valley (PRE FLOOD) Featured on Bankside Madness Volume 3
'Three Flies & the River Don'. Ledger for Chub and Barbel. Fly for the
masses of Trout and Grayling. Stick float for Roach, Dace and Skimmer
..oh
yes we've got the lot up here. The fishing is excellent and the surroundings
beautiful. Free fishing. Bankside Venue Score: 10/10
Boddington Reservoir Some
massive weights come out of this venue and we normally do quite well. The first
time we fished it we came away elated but subsequent trips have been tainted by
a sense that something is missing. Cast out to the same spot and pull in, what
could be the same fish. All day. I can't believe I'm going to say it but here
it is
Boring once you've fished it a couple of times. Bankside Venue
Score: 5/10
A1 Pits - South Muskham Fishery
Not sure about this place. It's bivvy country. We fished it for the first
time last week and we would struggle to think of another venue where we have
fished all day and never had a bite or even a liner. Judgement reserved as we
have heard lots of good things of the venue. The Trent pegs look very fishy
though! Bankside Venue Score: Pending UPDATE:
Trent pegs are fishy. Had another shocker on
pit4. Bankside Venue Score: 0/10
Mill Dam Not sure if it's
still open. Heard it was restocked and the fish just seem to disappear. Mark
caught a beautiful Carp from here by dapping a dog biscuit, which is on the
intro titles for Bankside Volume 1. We've been back since and done absolutely
nothing on the venue. VERDICT: Keep going along the road to Loxley instead.
Bankside Venue Score: 1/10
Damflask Reservoir Once upon
a time this was a venue of some note. Now we don't hear too much about it, but
those that fish it, like it. We tried to film on here for Bankside Madness and
caught small Perch, a 14lb Pike on single red maggot and a Mallard. It's good
fun for a spinning session but feeder is king and the Bream are BIG. Fish
this place enough and you'll probably break your Bream PB. And you'll
definately break your Pike PB Bankside Venue Score: 6/10
Howbrook Reservoir Another
venue of note although is has been plagued by water quality problems as well as
Kosovon problems. It is very deep but there's lots of fish to go at. We always
say we'll go and have another go
.and then drive straight past and go to
Westwood instead. Good fishing but we prefer Westwood. Bankside Venue
Score: 6/10
River Torne Pike venue.
There are signs all over the banks of pike angler activity. By activity we mean
their rubbish. Had plenty of pike out on dead bait and even some on Fly. It
does hold a large head of silver fish (hence the pike) and we have had good
nets of Roach and Skimmer. Free fishing. Good access. Bankside Venue Score:
7/10
Lakeside (Duncote) We fished
here for a feature on Bankside Volume 4 and had a great day. There are
limitations on the number of anglers who can fish the venue each day and as a
result those fish are ON, in good condition and spread all across the lakes.
Definitely worth a visit if you are down that neck of the woods. The
café near by is rubbish so take some snap. Bankside Venue Score:
8/10 UPDATE: Fished a match on
here and struggled. Was it the weather? the bait? the noise of the anglers
rushing to their pegs? Had the fish gone on holiday? Had they been eaten by
some Eastern European immigrant workforce? Or did we just hit it on an off
day??
Moor Hall (Garden Centre)
Everytime we drove past this place (on the way to the Don) we didn't really
like the look of it. But what a little cracker right on our doorstep. We fished
the lake at the car park end and had a superb day fishing for Ide up in the
water. Good shoals of them were showing and the fishing was fast and furious
and relentless. A day ticket also allows access to the river so we had a wander
down the bank with the fly rods and bagged a few Trout and Grayling. Good day.
If you're not catching you can always eat! Fishery 9/10 Onsite Full English
Breakfast 10/10 Bankside Venue Score: 9/10 |