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

NEWS I DVD SALES I VIDEO PRODUCTION I CONTACT US I HOME