SPECIES & FISHING TIPS
Species & Fishing Tips
Fish Species at Cross Drove Fishery & Fishing Tips For Catching Them
Carp Fish (Including F1 Carp Fish)
- Widely sought after amongst anglers and a highly prized coarse fish, notorious for being difficult to hook.
- If fishing for carp, it’s advisable to fish later in the day as the water cools – Carp become much more active in the last few hours of daylight.
- Larger fish, such as carp, often collect around the edge of the lake, making this a wise spot to cast your line.
- The out-of-the-way and more secluded spots on the fishing lake, such as a little nook between two bushes will be a probably catching spot for carp. This is because these places are usually quieter, and are rarely fished.
- The above is enough useful information to get you started, but if you’d like to research more, here are a few useful articles to help you along ~ https://www.anglersmail.co.uk/fishing-tips/carp-fishing-tips-42994
~ https://www.anglersmail.co.uk/blogs/anglers-mail-hq-blog-big-carp-from-small-waters-38535
Catfish
- A large and strong fish, these can offer anglers quite the challenge, but an excellent prize if caught.
- Be prepared for catfish fishing, as catfish weigh on average between 40 – 60lb! So ensuring that you have the correct tackle is paramount for your and the fishes safety.
- Being avid night feeders, it’s a given that night fishing is the prime time to catch. However, early evening or morning can also be fruitful.
- Catfish are also known to feed from the floor, so placing your bait low to, or on the ground is advisable.
Eels
- One of the most versatile fish, eels can be found in all sorts of locations, including flooded gravel pits, meres, ponds and even glacial lochs.
- The average weight of an eel is between 1-3lbs, but some have been caught clocking in at 6lb and more!
- The above said, a 3lb eel could be up to 35 inches in length, so be prepared when landing one.
- Given the varied feeding habits of eels, lobworm is advisable bait as it is appealing to all.
- Be prepared for a fight with the eel, as they are known to swim backward and pull with quite the force when hooked. Make sure you have the right kind of rod!
- Some good advise on preparing for eel fishing can be found here.
Zander
- Known to be particularly shy to the angler and quite the challenge to get to bite, but a fearsome predator, and a worthy prize when caught.
- These fish are a known predator fish, so can be frowned upon in fishing lakes, however at Cross Drove Fishery they help to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
- Notoriously difficult to choose the right bait for, so worth experimenting with, as their eating patterns and preferences are known to change regularly.
- Fishing near overhanging bushes, or bridges and heavily shaded areas is a tactic when Zander fishing, as they prefer cool, shaded spots.
- The above also applies to known deep spots in the lake, which also offer cool, secluded and quite spots to the Zander.
- For more information on fishing for this shy, but beautiful fish see.
Perch
- A good fish to catch during the day, especially as spring rolls around, as this breed begin to spawn around March. See our Day Ticket options here.
- Much like the Zander, Perch also prefer cover such as bushes and overhangs, as well as natural drop offs in depth.
- Around two rod lengths into the water is a good spot to cast to, especially if there is deeper water nearby.
- As a predator fish, Perch are more active earlier and later in the day when the water is cooler, meaning that this is prime time fishing.
Roach
- One of the UK’s most common fish, wherever you look, the Roach is a great fish for anglers starting out. However, this isn’t to say that they aren’t a challenge to catch!
- The work put in, and frustration endured trying to catch Roach helps young anglers fashion patience in their technique, given how fast biting and easily distracted this fish is. Essential to building up the necessary skills to catching larger and stronger fish.
- Roach are an extremely versatile fish, able to survive in many environments, and not fussy about their food, so baiting isn’t usually much of a challenge, rather than choosing the right spot.
- These spots tend to be where water flows slightly better than others. A tough challenge on a fishing lake of course, but worth looking for none the less.
Rudd
- Usually present in large numbers in fishing lakes and rivers alike, Rudd can even be considered a nuisance when trying to catch larger fish. We don’t think so; Rudd are a pleasure to catch, and a great morale booster if you’re having a slow day.
- In warmer weather, Rudd tend to convene around shallower waters, and in winter months they tend to retreat to deeper water.
Bream
- A fish that prefer a low and slow flow of water, so are often found in fishing lakes such as Cross Drove Fishery.
- On average, bream weigh in anywhere between 4 – 8lbs, and are somewhere between 12 – 22 inches in length.
- One interesting piece of advice for catching bream is that they follow the wind, usually found where the water ripples.
- Going hand in hand with the above advice, is that bream also tend to keep their distance, so casting out far is a good plan.
- Bream aren’t known to feed within weeded areas, so choose a swim out in the open, and if you have a float that keeps getting caught, it might be an idea to choose a new one.
- Although bream can be caught all day, the bigger the fish the later the hour – night fishing seems to yield the larger specimen. See here for our Night Fishing Tickets.
Tench
- Similarly weighted and sized to the bream, but a fish that offers different challenges to catch is the tench, which are, commonly caught at Cross Drove Fishery.
- Tench seem to be more prominent in warmer months, where their presence can be spotted by the little bubbles that congregate on the top of the water. This is where tench are commonly found as they search the bottom for food.
- Unlike the bream above, tench like to find their food in and amongst weeds, so these spots will be good to start your hunt.
- One similarity that these fish have to bream however, is their ability to follow the wind. Much like the above, it’s not a bad idea to find the ripples in the water if you’re looking for tench.