Acorn Fishery

Acorn fishery is a family run business situated in the peaceful countryside of north Somerset just of junction 20 on the M5. The fishery boasts angling opportunities for all ages and capabilities with access for disabled anglers on all lakes as well. The comprehensive facilities on the complex also make your stay a lot more enjoyable - with clean flushing toilets, hot and cold water, warm showers, as well as an on-site cafe/tackle shop, which is open six days a week (Tuesday to Sunday), serving a traditional full English breakfast from 7am, and a wide range of other hot meals. There are three lakes on the complex made-up of two match/pleasure lakes that regularly produce winning bags of over 200lb and a specimen carp water.

The 15 peg carp lake is 3.5-acres in size and contains three islands – two smaller ones and one large island, which has an access bridge running out to it should you wish to bait-up or place your rigs along the marginal shelf. Plenty of fish action can be expected at Acorn as stock-wise there is currently around 700 carp present in the main lake. Most of these fish now average somewhere around 14-16lb and there is also a very good head of twenties, which I would estimate to be up around the 100 mark. Fifteen of these go over 25lb right up to fish of 30lbs! The lake is solely stocked with carp so you will not be waking-up all night getting plagued by bream and tench and you can be assured that any hookbait you try will only be eaten by a carp.

As for tactics, the fish can be fussy at times and with it only being a small venue sometimes over baiting can put the fish on edge. The best tactics I have found that work here well are small bright 10mm pop-ups fished with a small bag of pellets – cast to showing fish or tight, up to the island. Other favoured methods are fishing a single boilie tipped with corn with a small scattering of boilies around your hookbait and the good old-fashioned maggots work wonders too - fished in solid bags.

This is definitely a venue where fishing for one bite at a time brings you the biggest success. With it being only a small venue the fish can spook off of disturbance quickly. So a light lead set-up with either a fluorocarbon main line or the use of a backlead is paramount to get the most out of your swim. Other than the three islands the bottom of the lake is very uniform with the average depth being six feet all over with a hard clean clay bottom. The margins are also the same depth and with the lake being surrounded by bullrushes the fish often tend to hold-up right under the bank when there are a few anglers on.

So fishing right under your tips can sometimes really pay off. With regards to the rest of the lake I wouldn’t say there are any real hotspots or areas to head for. As the fish just circle the main island on a daily basis meaning that every single swim has a constant flow of fish moving through it.

The venue has 15 pegs available for fishing 365 days of the year, out of the 15 swims there are seven pegs that have twin sized huts situated in them. So even if the weather outside is horrific and you don’t want to be packing away a wet bivvy then you can stay in one of these huts for just £5 extra per night. A nice finishing touch to one of the most enjoyable venues you’re ever likely to fish.

The vital information you need...

Biggest resident: 30lb
Average fish size: Mid-double
Rough fish stock: 700 fish
Going bait: Pellets and fluoro pop-ups
Takeaways: On-site cafe
Local tackle shop: On-site shop
Rod limit: Two rods
Location: Lampley Road, Kingston Seymour, Avon, BS21 6XS
Contact: 01934 834050
Website: acornfishery.com
Prices: £10 per day, £20 for 24hrs, £28 for 36hrs, £40 for 48hrs and huts are £5 per night, per person
Facilities: Toilets, hot and cold water, shower, café and tackle shop
Known winter areas/swims: All areas will produce as the fish travel the lake a lot
Tom's top tip: Don’t bait too heavily and fish for a bite at a time