Widnes Angling Centre

04/09/2026

Mark’s Blog: Back on the Stalking

My next session was back on the estate lake for a short session, trying to stalk them off the top again.

Would they be up for it?

Not really, as normal! It wasn’t hard to find some fish, especially the grassies, but getting them to take was another matter.

What I’ve found with these fish is that you really want to nail the first cast, dropping the bait into a channel or hole in the w**d where they are hanging around. The closer they are, the more likely you are to get that first cast right.

Sadly, on this occasion they were quite a way out. That meant using a larger controller — a louder splash — and more chance of needing a couple of chucks to get it right.

I didn’t nail it first cast. In fact, it took a few, to be honest. So they were on edge straight away and started to drift off.

After chasing them around for a while, I decided to leave the bread in a channel between the w**d and wait.

Then, from about 30 yards away, I spotted a grassie heading my way, its dorsal sticking out of the water.

I was praying it kept coming and chose the channel where I had the bait.

It did!!

As it approached the bread, I picked up the rod. He stopped, then gulped it down.

So exciting! 🙂

Although it was w**dy, the fish stayed on top, which meant I could land it without having to get the boat out. At over 29lb, I was absolutely delighted to log my third grassie off the top this summer.

They properly did the off after that, so I moved a few swims down where I’d seen a couple cruising along the far bank.

With the largest Korda Developments interceptor — 80g, I think — I could just about reach them. But again, it took a couple of casts, so the fish were on their guard straight away.

At that range I had to use a smaller piece of crust, which made it tricky to see from the bank. Just as I was about to move again, I thought I saw something.

I wasn’t 100% sure.

Then the float started to tow across the surface!

This one buried immediately into the w**d.

It was a boat job.

At 22lb, it rounded off a really nice day.

It was hard work, but that’s what makes stalking them off the top so exciting. When you finally get one to commit, it’s an incredible way to catch them.

Mark

03/09/2026

30/08/2026

Congratulations Dan Golding, the Bass Pro Shops hat is yours. Pop in to pick it up.

28/08/2026

Mark’s Blog: Chasing them around

My next session was on Acton. I spent all day chasing the carp around. I forget how many times I moved, but with the sun out they had absolutely sod all interest.

I could find fish, but getting them to pick up a bait was a different matter. Depending on the w**d, I tried putting chods and bags in front of them, but they just weren’t interested.

As the day went on, I decided to settle into the central Conkers swim for the night. Nice view! I found a clear-ish area in the w**d, getting a smooth pull back with a small lead.

I don’t like putting three rods on a spot, as I find a hooked fish will often pick up another line, which then makes it tricky to get everything back out in the dark. So, two rods went on the spot in the w**d, with the third to the left where the w**d ended.

All three rods had stiff hinges on heli set-ups, with the bead 12–18 inches up the leadcore. Two yellow pop ups, one brown. Both spots got a few Spombs of boilie and corn.

At 3am, I had a take from the spot in the w**d and was soon playing a carp in the darkness. A bit later, a lovely 27lb mirror was resting in the net with a yellow pop up hanging out of its mouth.

There was no further action before I had to get off in the morning.

There was plenty of wildlife around to keep me company too. There seem to be loads of mice and voles about at the moment, and the owls were out in force.

Mark

28/08/2026

** BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND OPEN TIMES **

Fri 28th Aug 9-5.30
Sat 29th Aug 9-4
Sun 30th Aug Closed
Mon 31st Aug Closed
Tue 1st Sept Closed
Wed 2nd Sept Closed
Reopen Thur 3rd Sept 9-5.30

Tight lines everyone 🎣😉👍

27/08/2026

🎣🎣 SPARE CASTERS AVAILABLE 🎣🎣

Call us 0151 420 0940 to reserve yours.

23/08/2026

WIN A BASS PRO SHOPS HAT!

Bass Pro Shops hats seem to be having a bit of a moment right now, so we thought we would give one away!

This one is a little bit special — Mark has brought it all the way back from North America! And let’s just say, that blog is going to be quite special too! 🐳

To enter:

👉 Follow the Widnes Angling page, if not already.
👉 Comment below with your favourite type of fishing.

That’s it!

Whether you’re into carp, match, coarse, sea, lakes, canals, rivers, or anything in between, tell us what gets you out fishing.

Winner picked at random next Sunday evening, 30th August.

Good luck! 🤞

21/08/2026

Mark’s Blog: Taking an Opportunity

My next session was on Acton. I arrived late morning with the sun well out and parked behind the well-known Conkers peg, which looks towards the woods. It’s very central, so a good spot for looking for fish.

There were a couple of carp cruising around close in. Having just come off the back of a few off the top on the estate lake, I was still in a surface-fishing mood. I pinged a few floaters out, thinking I’d go for a walk and see if they’d touched them by the time I came back.

However, as soon as I walked out of the peg, I heard a slurp!

There were only a couple of carp there, but they were slowly slurping down the floaters already. Game on!

I rushed back to the van to grab a floater rod that was still set up, although it needed a smaller controller and a new hook length. I kept pinging a few floaters out and they kept taking while I hurriedly tied up a new hook length with a whittled-down brown pop-up. Feeling optimistic, I even put the waders on.

They were close in, so I only needed a small controller. I flicked it beyond them, but they immediately backed off and stayed further out.

After a while, I was just about to give up when one grabbed the pop-up and zoomed off.

It was only 20lb, but with someone in the next swim it gave me the opportunity to get a photo with the famous Acton Top Lake background.

I doubt many people would have taken that opportunity for a quick bite!

I did the night in the shallower Oak swim, which was quite choked with w**d, as there were loads of carp cruising over it. Three heli-hinges went out to what felt like a clearer area, with a few spods of boilie and corn.

I’ve stopped putting pellet out as it seems to attract the silvers, which in turn attract the pike, and they then smash it all up.

A proper old chunk showed too — black on the back and with a red belly. Exciting!

But I had sod all. They don’t seem to spend the night in there.

At first light, with no signs, I moved to the dam end where I’d seen a couple of fish show from a distance. I only had an hour and knowing there was no w**d here, I flicked three pre-prepared PVA bags out.

Fifty-five minutes later, one took off and another low twenty hit the net.

There was no one close by, so I slipped it back and headed home happy with two opportunistic fish.

A chunk with that background would be mega!

Mark

14/08/2026

Mark’s Blog: Either They Were Up for It or Not?

The next couple of sessions were short visits to the estate lake, with the intention of only stalking on the surface.

Although it’s frustrating at times, one of the good things about stalking or surface fishing is getting very fast feedback on whether they are up for it or not.

I had a couple of visits where I could find some fish up in the water, but they had absolutely sod all interest in taking any bait off the top.

So, for the next trip, I caved in and packed some prepared PVA bags, just in case.

However, on the next visit, they were definitely up for it. I had three off the top from different swims within the first or second cast. As long as I used the smallest Korda Developments Interceptor necessary to cast just beyond them and cause minimal disturbance, they had it.

Three in a few hours was a good result, but as I had the bags prepared, I dropped into the swim by the van and put a bag up against a w**d bed while I slowly packed up.

It was only five minutes before the rod took off, and the largest fish of the session, a 27lb two-tone, was in the net.

Four fish in a few hours, all from different pegs. Result!

Both the surface and PVA rigs have been described in previous blogs.

Mark

07/08/2026

Mark’s Blog: Acton Chunk!

I arrived early afternoon and found plenty of carp in the shallows. They all looked fairly small, but in the blazing sunshine I thought any carp would be a result. However, just like on my previous trip, as soon as the rods went out they slowly but surely did the off.

After sitting there cooking in the sun for a couple of hours, I decided it was time for a move. Unsure where to head next, I went for a lap of the lake. With the sun blazing and the wind pushing into the shallow end, I really didn’t expect to find anything down at the opposite dam end. But as I stood on the dam wall, a group of five proper chunks swam right in front of me, hugging the margin in just a couple of feet of water. Every one of them was a proper wide boy – exactly the stamp of fish I’d joined the lake for.

I legged it back to the van and moved to the nearest peg.

What’s the plan?

Casting into the shallow margin beneath the overhanging trees behind me in the photo would have been a nightmare. Luckily, I’d learned from my last trip and remembered to pack the Nash Tackle Bushwhacker. A pre-prepared PVA bag, just like I described in previous blogs, was placed in the Bushwhacker and quietly poled into position.

At the same time, a couple of carp were cruising out in front of me, so I catapulted a few floaters over to see how they reacted. They started taking them immediately! So now I’m frantically tying up a floater hooklink when the bag rod tears off. It had only been out five minutes.

A few minutes later I was slipping an original 35lb Acton chunk into the net, with a great lad from Southport nearby to help with the photos.

The fish did the off again after that, so it was a quiet night. Then, at first light, one showed along the dam margin. Another PVA bag was poled under the trees and, just ten minutes later, a lovely 19lb mirror was on the bank before I packed up and headed home a very happy angler.

Mark