Getting to Grips with Big Waters

No one for miles around – but where are the fish?

What is a big water? To some, five acres would be big, to others, five acres would be a swim! To me, I’m not too fussed what I fish, though contrary to some belief (eh Stu!) I much prefer bigger waters as you can get away from people, you’re not worrying about other people messing up your fishing, and you’re able to pull loads more strokes!

But how do you approach them?
A lot of people say they prefer small waters because they like seeing fish in the margins or don’t like fishing at range, but then why shouldn’t fish get in the edge on big waters just as much as small ones? In fact, you might find they come close more often as they are normally less pressured, acting more like ‘proper’ carp and following the wind, etc. Another reason given is that if you fish short sessions, you don’t want to spend time lugging your gear around and looking for fish, and you don’t want to be hundreds of yards from the fish. But do you have to be?

A quick story….
On Easter Sunday we were meant to take the little ‘un to a ‘hunt the Easter egg’ thing at Upper Tamar in Cornwall which, coincidentally, is a lake that I’ve got on my ‘must do’ list!

Anyway, when we got there he just went running off so we ended up walking around the lake (80+acres). As we walked around, the sun broke through, and it got a bit warmer. Nothing seemed to be happening much; the people who were down were all at the car park end of the lake, just a few little ones out (or so they said!).

As we walked around, I was clocking the swims, looking for fish, doing all those things we do when we’re meant to be listening to the missus! Right at the far end of the lake, there aren’t any proper swims for a couple of hundred yards, the lake just fizzles out into a reedy swamp with an inlet stream. As we stood there looking at the bay at the end, a carp launched itself out…. and another…. and another! On closer inspection, there were quite a few swirls, patches of bubbles and clouding up going on, some literally right in the margin. Lovely I thought, I’ll have some of that!

It would have to be a quick session
We were expecting visitors that evening, and we had people coming for a BBQ the next day, so it would have to be a quick session in the morning. My only concern was that the water was only 2ft or so deep, and the fish were obviously in there because of the sun, being one of the first days the sun had a real bite to it. Looking at the weather forecast (guess), it said it wouldn’t brighten up till later in the day the next day, but then I guessed that a few fish would remain.

The swim!

Back home, it was a case of strip the kit of anything I wouldn’t need, no brolly as it wasn’t going to rain – just the Gore-Tex, take only a handful of leads as I shouldn’t lose any (I’d wade out and get them!) and I had to take the chest waders to fish the ‘swim’ and be able to land them (always worth checking things like that on new waters!). A 30 mile dash to the lake at 5 the next morning. Get there just as it started getting light. On with the walking boots, everything in the rucksack and rod holdall, and a 25 minute yomp around to the swim.

It looked dead the next morning, and not even a fart broke the silence
On getting there a breeze had got up, blowing down the far end of the lake (a mile or so away!), it was overcast, and it looked dead. No bubbling, fizzing, but then I knew I would have to wait for the sun to break through.

A couple of handfuls of pellet over the rod with a 10mm popup, popped up fake maize with a ‘stick’ on the middle, and a snowman on the other, all cast just over the newly growing reeds, about 10 yards or so out. I spent the next hour or so listening to…..nature! No buzzers, frying pans or farting, just larks, cows and reed warblers.

Only a small one but a very satisfying capture from a big water

It wasn’t till about 8.30 when the odd bit of blue sky started appearing that I started seeing a few signs of fish, the odd swirl over the pellets, and knocking reed stems, then at 9.00, the pop-up screamed off, and after a short scrap, a small common was landed, not big, but scale perfect, and an immaculate mouth. Over the next hour, I had three more fish, the biggest maybe 12lb before I had to leave. Still, four fish in five hours from a big water I’d never fished before, I was happy.

Location is always the key
Ok, I had a bit of luck in that I had already found the fish, but to be honest, it’s the sort of area I always look for, shallow spots are always good when it starts warming up, new weed/reed growth and neglected areas that are too far from the car park for most, or not comfortable to fish from. In short I try and break down big waters into small ones, looking for natural features like big bays, narrow points etc to make them smaller.

Once I have decided on an area of the lake, I fish it exactly as I would a smaller water…LOOK FOR FISH and then fish to them. All my fishing is within casting range, I’m not going to lug around a boat (paddle or remote) as I don’t want to get into the ‘bugger that, I’m not shifting all this again’ frame of mind if a fish shows 300yds away, and I’ve rarely found I haven’t been able to get on the fish without (not the same as catching them though!).

Give big lakes a go if you haven’t yet. Once you’ve got your head around the size of the water (don’t forget that many continental waters are hundreds or thousands of acres, making our ‘big’ lakes look like puddles), the fishing can be so relaxing with no one, literally, for miles. It’s rewarding, giving you a real sense of achievement when you get it right. And who knows what you might find!