With 400 pegs available to anglers (and more to come soon), this prolific Midlands water can be found in Hallcroft Lane, Retford, Nottinghamshire, and fishery owners, Terry, Luke and Nick Sears, can be contacted on 01777 710448 for match and club bookings along with general information. Go ‘small’ with both feed and hookbaits, go much lighter in line diameter, go small with pole floats, wagglers, feeders and bombs … in fact go small! Bridge Pool (90 pegs) is the place to aim for if you persist in your carp fix, as the stockies are sure to gobble-up a grain or two of sweetcorn, as they will a maggot, but I think I might have got the message across in that anglers need to scale down a tad. Reed (47) and Croft (28) are alive with small carp, and I have an inkling that caster will be the main attractor, as once these fish get clued into the bait, they then start hoovering it up to the exclusion of anything else. Don’t start with caster on the hook though, as these ‘drug addicts’ need time to kick-in on the ‘shell’, and I would try maggot, corn or preferably bloodworm on the hook. Every Wednesday sees a silver fish only match on Moat Pool (180 pegs) which is limited to just 50 anglers to ensure space and bites for all. I’d take my half-a-kilo limit of the ‘little red men’ with me ’cos those carp could be lying dormant and I want to catch … and win! Day tickets are fantastic value at just £5, with OAPs/disabled £4.50 and kids only £4, and the spacious cafeteria serves up hot grub and stuff all day long to keep the ‘winter willies’ at bay, plus a hot toddy at the end of the day.
Midland Angler