Youldon Waters Coarse Fishery

15/06/2026

While I've been concentrating my efforts on the Carp lake, this last couple of weeks, my visitors have had mixed fortunes on the top lake. Catches have been inconsistent, and hard to fathom. Species spawning, a glut of natural food, yes, but this should still be the start of the most productive season of the year. An easy mistake is to mimic the methods used on typical fisheries, micros and pellets, or groundbait and maggots, but these fish see very few anglers or these baits. Their regular supplementary feed is made up of fast breakdown cereal pellet and cooked wheat & maize. I'd expected heavy feeding of similar to induce the bigger stamp fish to feed, but the method would be the key. So, this afternoon, I made a much earlier start than my usual last light sessions, and tried to put that into practice.
An 0.4gm pencil float, shotted with a low staggered bulk and two droppers, to get the bait down quickly, passed the smaller silvers. A grain of corn over a walnut sized ball of wheat/maize, with just enough wet groundbait to hold it together, got me an immediate response from an 8oz roach. Next drop in was the same, then a small crucian. The pattern that kept them coming was feeding every other cast, anything less and the bites faded. After a couple of hours and dinner calling, I'd had about 20 crucians, a similar number of roach and
2 tench. Hopefully, point proven, they are hungry for the right feed, but the bottom heavy rig is just as important.
No retained fish for photos, all species showing signs of having spawned. Maybe in a couple more weeks.

14/06/2026

They're loving those chickpeas.

12/06/2026

Chickpeas again this evening, a different swim and adjustment to feeding.
As before, a big ball of heavy groundbait, loaded with wheat/maize/hemp to start it off. First two fish were carp 😜, then a hookpull on the biggun, trying to get to the trees 😡. Another big feed, then back to missed bites and bream. Changing to half chickpeas caught me a couple of nice hybrids, but still more missed bites and liners. So, after a last carp, I've left it intending to try cutting out the groundbait and just feeding the grains with wetted 4mms next time, to keep the fish on the bottom.

12/06/2026

A quiet last week on the mixed lake, so I've snatched a couple of evening sessions, on my own. Another go with 6mms over groundbait loaded with my wheat and maize, produced a few crucians, roach and tench, but, as usual with banded baits, lots of missed bites. Next time it was a switch back to corn, over the same feed. This resulted in fewer missed bites, but similar catch, plus some 8 - 10oz skimmers.
First anglers back on the carp lake had some action from clearly spawned out fish, carrying some grazes from their efforts. Oddly, most were smaller fish, just a couple of bigger doubles. I'd, unintentionally, had a couple of better fish, while float fishing for the tench and bream, on double corn over heavy groundbait. My last evening was a change of bait, motivated by a YouTube film, reminding me of how good chickpeas were 60yrs ago 😪. Anyway, it resulted in a lot of interest from all the species. First on the take were a couple of bigger carp, one foul hooked resulting in a quick hook pull, and then a proper one that took the hook while sropping it snagging me. Then, several really positive bites that I failed to connect with 🤔
Eventually, I did hook one that turned out to be a rarely caught home grown, but stunner. After that it was nice stamp bream and a 3lb tench.
Alan and Jason's carp

12/06/2026

09/06/2026

Carp Lake re-open from tomorrow. They've had a couple of weeks to recover, although doubtful that all have spawned, so please take care of any you catch. Thanks

24/05/2026

Alan and Dave yesterday, and Richard today, the last pre-spawning visitors to the carp lake. A few bream between them, but no signs of carp, even though they were quite active. That confirmed for me that they were about to get to it.
A snatched ¾hr was all I managed between jobs, but still productive. Picking a spot about 5m along the margin, I went straight in with a marble sized piece of my paste mix. It probably took about 15mins for my first proper bite, which turned out to be a nice 8oz roach. After throwing a couple of pieces, while netting and unhooking the fish, my next bite came much quicker, another roach. Fed again and another very quick bite, but had a couple of bumped fish and missed bites. Forced myself to wait for the sailaway, then count three before lifting into the next. Problem solved, and ended with six proper roach, no crucians. Probably explained by the fish spawning down the.other reedy.margin.

24/05/2026

Hi all, it's looking like the carp are about to get jiggy, so going to shut the lake for the foreseeable.
I'll post again when ready to open.

22/05/2026

First visit by Jeff, this year, and cracking day had on the top lake, fishing the pole. Plenty of silvers and about 15 crucians, mostly on casters. A great result, when the rest of us have struggled at times.
Well fished mate.
Following on from that, Richard was back for another feeder session on the bottom lake. Oddly, the carp were not interested in wafters or fake corn. I've had a couple of evenings on a groundbait feeder and waggler, using corn, and the bream have really been on it. I'm sure some of the reason for their enthusiasm has been heavy loose feeding my wheat/maize mix.
Today, we welcomed John, for his first go at the carp with surface baits. The scorching hot conditions certainly didn't help, but his patience was rewarded with a couple. See pics.
I decided to get back on the top lake and try to persuade those roach to feed, after a very temperamental couple of weeks. This time I went back to the usually reliable summer bait, wheat.
It took me a little while to figure out the ideal depth and shotting pattern, but then it was pretty much a bite a chuck. Not all hookups, lots of missed bites and a few hook pulls to start with, but eventually, I was into the roach. Various sizes, plus a couple of very welcome big skimmers, so another go tomorrow.

19/05/2026

Right, waggler out (oooo!! vicar), first time for a very long while, 8lb line checked, 2g insert crystal insert, set at about 6ft above a 14 kaizen hook to 6lb, and just 6 no.8s down the bottom end..
Starting with a big scoop of my wheat/maize mix at about 3 rod lengths, then a dozen grains of corn over the single hookbait, and nothing. Lots of fizzing and a few swirls, but no bites. Feeling sure there were fish midwater, I spread the 8s up through the whole of the rig. This made casting a little precarious, but with care I had it landing in a straight line, and withing a few seconds, was away. Bream number one, quickly followed by a couple more, then again nothing. With lots still happening on the bottom, I added another 4" to the depth, and started getting sailaways, after a short wait. This was the ongoing pattern, until the carp moved in. A handful on a waggler, but found it managed the lunges for snags better that the pole would have, and soon had a nice mid double common in. It clearly looks to be carrying spawn, and may see the carp spawning if the forecast warm spell happens. Only one other carp, a smaller mirror.