Open Access Venue: Berners Hall Fishery

THE VENUE
Berners Hall Fishery near Ongar in Essex has got to be one of the best day-ticket venues for big fish in the county, if not the country! The Reservoir was originally dug in the early 1990s, and it is obvious from its shape and make-up that it was excavated to facilitate irrigation of the surrounding farmland. Its stock comprises primarily Mark Simmonds fish. These have been introduced via a number of separate stockings over the last 30 years, the water currently holding around 700 carp. The stamp of fish is staggering. An estimated 150 carp over 30lb swim in the 24-acres of azure-blue water, along with an eye-watering 20 over 40lb. As an active irrigation reservoir, the water level fluctuates throughout the year, and when it is low, you can see that the lakebed is predominantly clay. When it rises, however, depths reach as much as 14–16ft, and most years there is a lot of weed present. There are 24 swims dotted around the lake, and it features a single, large island.

STU LENNOX: This is the one we had been waiting all year for! We had been discussing this trip for a while, and we knew that coming to a lake with such a ridiculous stock, and timing our visit for October, would probably give us the best chance of the entire series of banking a massive fish. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, though. Berners Hall is a busy day-ticket venue and it’s full nearly all the time. By using the CATCH app, however, we ensured that we had a couple of pegs booked for the dates we were available. Having collected the gate code, we arrived at the venue to find that a group of anglers who’d booked the venue exclusively for the weekend, were then packing up, but of the 20 anglers on, only a couple had caught. 

Within minutes of walking onto the tyre bank, I saw a few fish show much further down the lake, so I immediately headed that way. Out in front, between Pegs 13 and 15, I saw a few more fish show. With new anglers arriving all the time, I had to move fast. I placed my bucket in Peg 14, behind the guy who was packing up. It turned out that I knew him, and we had a good chat about how things had gone whilst he sorted his kit. Whilst he’d not managed to catch, the swim to his left, Peg 13, had produced a couple of fish. The angler there, who’d had two doubles and a mid-twenty, was top rod over the weekend. Someone had already moved in behind him, though, so I couldn’t get in there. I felt I was close enough, however, and hopefully I could nick one. There were actually more fish showing in front of the peg to the right, Peg 15, and whilst I was chatting, Chris managed to snaffle it.

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: I followed Stu round the right-hand bank to the pegs opposite, just past the island. Whilst he was chatting to a friend of his, I saw about four shows out in front of Peg 13. These were the only fish we’d seen on the entire lake, so we were happy enough with our swims. Stu came back, and we sat on one of the picnic benches and had a bit of a catch-up while the lads in the two swims we’d chosen packed up. After helping them get their gear down the hill and back to their cars, we bid them farewell and got stuck into setting up. 

No real surprises, it was going to be Hinged Stiff Rigs again for me. We were fishing for some seriously large carp, and this rig is perfect when targeting big fish. I was going to start on yellow pop-ups, as I imagined that they saw a lot of corn. We had been told they reacted well to naturals, and so I planned to top my hookbaits with a number of red maggots. Even if they were pulled off by small fish, I would be left with the pop-up when a carp came along. My offering was to be fished out to about 110yds, where I had seen the majority of fish show. I wasn’t going to lead around straight away as I didn’t want to spook any fish already present. I would just fish to where the carp were for the first couple of hours, and as long as I got a drop, I would be happy.

STU LENNOX: I too decided to ease myself into the session. A lot of bait had gone in over the weekend, and with so little caught, there was no point putting more out on top of it. I chose to fish in line with where the fish were showing in front of Chris’s peg. I could see from an elevated position behind the peg that there was a bank of weed in front of me. Then there was a clear, clay strip, and another bank of weed. The clear strip was roughly in line with the showing fish, so that would be a good enough starting point for me. 

I was also going with a naturals-based approach. I started off by chopping a couple of large handfuls of worm in a bucket. To these I added a mix of Sticky Baits The Krill and Manilla Active boilies that I had put through a crusher and turned into a crumb. Initially, I had reservations about crushing the Active baits, but what it did was grind down the outer layer of paste and spread it through the entire crumb to create a very attractive mix, more so than if I had used the standard boilies. The crumb soaked up all the juices from the chopped worm and so would fall to the lakebed rather than drift on any tow or get held up in the water column. 

I also added a couple of big handfuls of soil from the worm, as this would be full of attractants. I was using a bait boat for accuracy of placement. I have a Cult Ranger, so I layered the bottom with the worm, crumb and soil mix, before then adding a big scoop of red maggots over the top. On top of those, I laid a simple, low-lying, Slip-D Ronnie Rig. I tie mine using a Gemini Tidy Boom for speed, strength and neatness. Then I added an ESP Cryogen Curve in size 4, barbless in accordance with the rules. After receiving a tip-off from a good friend, I was on pink, homemade pop-ups topped with a dozen red maggots. The set-up looked absolutely spot on, and I hoped we could sneak a fish during our session. 

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: It was about midday and Stu and I were steadily sorting, preparing our rigs and wrapping our rods, ready for what we expected to be prime bite time the following morning. As we were doing so, the guy in the peg to the left, who had moved in that morning, had a bite. He played and landed the fish, and as were then discussing what an odd time it was for the fish to feed, one of his other rods also tore off.

Suddenly, there was a sense of urgency. We rushed back to our swims to get ourselves sorted, and to get the rods out much quicker than we’d planned. I borrowed Stu’s boat and put two rods out on the deck. On the third I had a Zig, knowing that these can be a prolific tactic on Berners. Confident that I had done all I could, I then spent a bit of time tidying up and tying some spare chod sections for the session ahead.

STU LENNOX: After our little burst of activity, I had two rods out on the deck. I was just wrapping up the third, when unbelievably, my first was away only 20 minutes after putting it out. The fish fought well at range, but I soon had our very first Berners Hall fish in the net. The lack of weed was noticeable and the fight was very straightforward. I left the fish in the net and as the third rod was ready to go, I got that straight out to the same spot.

I was about to lift the fish for photos, when amazingly, the second rod began to buckle in the rests. The bobbin had pulled up tight, the fish responsible having taken up the stretch before pulling on a tight clutch. It was spooning as I lifting into my second fish of the trip, within just 30 minutes of getting the rods out. I honestly couldn’t believe my luck, especially as I hadn’t seen any fish in front of me. The fight was very similar to the first, and soon I had two mid-twenty mirrors in my nets… a great start, and a great stamp of fish.

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: I couldn’t believe Stu had caught two fish so quickly. Keen to emulate him, I crumbed up some Tails Up Sea Monsta boilies and layered a couple of handfuls into the boat. On top of the crumb, I placed two big handfuls of red maggots before getting it straight out to the spot. The rigs had come in relatively clean, so I was happy with where I was fishing.

STU LENNOX: I was grinning from ear to ear as we cracked on with the photos of my two fish. One was a big, chunky, new-looking carp; the other appeared much older, had a darker back and an abbreviated lateral line of scales. They were two very different, but very welcome fish. I slipped them back and focused on getting the rods out again.

I had not expected the action to be as hectic and was not prepared. I boated one out, followed by the other, and then went back to wrapping up the third. Berners Hall has a ‘wrap map’ showing the boundaries of each swim. My swim’s limit was 30 wraps, but as the water level was down a little, I decided to stick to 26–27 wraps per rod. I was up on the bank wrapping the third, when to my utter disbelief, one of the other rods was away yet again.

After jogging down the steps, I leant into the fish. It was slow and ponderous, but the others had been, too, given the range at which I was fishing, and the stretch in my mono main line. When, 10 minutes later, I had gained very little line, I began to wonder if I was, perhaps, attached to something a little better. Keeping my rod tip low to the water, I slowly pumped it towards me, and continued to do so for another 15 minutes. It remained slow and still felt heavy, and there wasn’t much I could do with it. Chris was already in his waders and in the water, when finally, the fish rolled briefly in front of us. There, I caught a glimpse of its amazing, dark-chestnut flank…

“What did you see?” Chris asked, turning around. I thought the fish was another twenty as it looked short and quite slim. Chris thought otherwise, but at the time he kept his opinions to himself.

Eventually, after a few last, heart-in-the-mouth lunges in the edge, a huge-framed common rolled over the net cord. Chris was already uttering all sorts of expletives as I splashed through the water to get to the net and peer in. There lay an incredibly coloured, dark-chestnut common. It was no twenty-pounder, however, it looked twice that size.

A crowd had gathered by this time and a number of different fish names were shouted out by those present. Eventually, we settled on Maliki, a fish that had previously topped out at 41lb. It was going to be touch and go on this occasion, whether it would go high thirties or low forties.

Up on the scales the fish went. The needle sailed past 40lb and settled somewhere around 42lb. It was a new personal best common. I didn’t care about the ounces; I was absolutely made up. The fish felt absolutely weightless as I hoisted it up for a few photos. It was such an incredible beast and I did not want to let it go, but eventually, the time came. I released the magnificent carp and it sawn back down to the watery depths of the lake. 

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: Stu had just landed his immaculate common and we were both absolutely buzzing. As there were obviously a few fish about, I redid both rods. The Zig rod had been very quiet and as Stu had caught his three off the deck, I brought that one in. Stu had been unable to get three rods in the water since we’d arrived, and I couldn’t help but chuckle when his one remaining rod pulled up tight again before he was immediately on it. The fish stayed long and deep, just like the previous one had done, but it was hard at the range he was fishing to tell whether it was another good one. Stu played it very carefully and took his time, nonetheless. I was still in my waders, so I edged out as far as I could with the net.

The fish was still plodding around nicely at range and I began to think that it could indeed be another good fish. As it rolled about 20yds out, it shifted a lot of water, and I couldn’t quite believe it when a huge-framed mirror rolled on the surface before powering down into the depths again. Stu was struggling to gain any line on it, but I urged him to stay patient as too many fish are lost at the net due to anglers trying to rush them. Stu probably played it for another 10 minutes or so before I finally managed to scoop it up at the first time of asking. 

STU LENNOX: I didn’t need to rush to the net this time to confirm that it was another absolute chunk. We took our time sorting everything before I lifted an enormous mirror onto the mat and then up on the scales. The needle spun round past the 40lb once again and settled beyond 42lb. I had never experienced angling like it. I estimated that the rods had been in the water for a maximum of an hour, and in that time we had landed four fish, including a brace of forties in consecutive casts! We identified the fish as 0.50 Cal. It was usually a bit heavier, but was down in weight having spawned numerous times in the hot weather we had endured.

Once again we had a crowd, and our new pal, ‘Coxy’, who was in the peg next door, jumped in for a photo, along with all his mates. It was the loveliest of times. There were big smiles all round and we’d had a couple of huge fish. 

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: By late afternoon things had slowed slightly, not surprising given that Stu had battered them in such a short period of time. This gave us a chance to get ourselves sorted and redo the rods for the night ahead. When I brought my rods back in, my rigs were covered in weed, despite the fact that they had gone back out to what I thought was exactly the same spot. Along with more Sea Monsta crumb and maggots, I boated them back out, hopeful of a night-time bite or two.

STU LENNOX: For the time being, I’d opted to fish with just two rods. I felt that having one wrapped up and ready to go, and getting it out straight after a bite would increase my chances of quicker takes during a feeding spell. It also made playing fish easier—they were kiting hard and three rods would only increase the chances of me tangling.

With both rods out and sorted for the night, I had literally just got into my sleeping bag when the right-hander let out a few beeps and pulled up tight. This fish felt much smaller and I wasn’t entirely sure that it was a carp. I pretty much just cranked it all the way into the net before scooping it up first time. I flicked the head torch on and was greeted by a long, skinny carp of about 5lb, a fish drastically different to the previous couple. I flopped it back quickly before having to go through the process of getting the rod back out in the dark. Fortunately, I had made a note of two markers on the island and was able to get it back out without too much hassle.

We awoke after a cool, crisp and fishless night. I was surprised that nothing had happened, given how quickly we had caught the day before. As I was enjoying a bit of a lay-in and sipping at my first brew of the day, the right-hander tore off. It was no five-pounder this time, and after a good battle, I had another mid-twenty in the net, a beautiful, heavily scaled fish.

The process that followed had become quite repetitive: a couple of handfuls of crumb, chopped worm and soil with a scoop of maggots over the top, and out to the spots. Over the next hour I banked another three fish, all twenties, before the action died down a little. I was trying to prep as much as I could between bites, but I just couldn’t keep up, given how quickly they came after I’d got the rigs back out.

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: I too had had a very quiet night, and was a little confused as to why I couldn’t get any bites. I had seen plenty of fish showing over the top of the rods, but had not had any indications. When I brought the rods back in, the rigs were once again covered in weed, I had noticed that apart from the rod that did the bite, Stu’s rig’s were also covered in weed, despite him also fishing the same spots. I changed both rods over to pink pop-ups, and after a discussion with Stu, came much further left, to fish the spot his right-hand rod had been on. 

Mid-morning was quiet, but as the previous day’s bite time of midday came, my left-hand rod rattled off. The fight was very similar to that of Stu’s big fish. The fish felt heavy and went on long, deep runs. It took me a long time to gain any line, and when I did, the fish would power off and strip the reel again. Sometime later, we both held our breath as the fish neared the surface. I was desperate to land it as it felt like such a good one. I was absolutely devastated, though, when a huge catfish flopped over the cord. It was over 50lb, but I was furious, given that I’d thought it was a good carp. I couldn’t even look at it, and Stu unhooked it and let it go.

I got the rod back out and didn’t have to wait long for another bite. Again, it came to the left-hand rod. This time there was no mistaking the fight of a big carp. This fish stayed deep throughout the battle and when it finally rolled in the margins we could see another long, heavy-set carp. In the net it went, and at 35lb on the scales, it was an incredible way to get off the mark.

STU LENNOX: Midday to 3 p.m. was definitely bite time, and things really kicked off in my swim. The next three fish were all thirties. A beautiful big common was followed by a pair of mirrors, the largest of the trio going over 36lb. I had spent all morning prepping my replacement rigs, but I was burning through them quickly. As soon as I could get the rigs back out, the rods would were churn off again. I was starting to put a big hit of fish together. They were loving the bait and passed crumb and red maggots all over the mat. I felt no need to increase what I was putting in and kept it to just a few handfuls per fish.

Come mid-afternoon I’d added another half a dozen carp to my tally as it started to calm down again. This gave me an opportunity to take a breather and restock with hooklength sections. I was also running out of bait, having got through a gallon and a half of maggots, a couple of kilos of worm and over five kilos of crumb. 

I fancied my chances for more fish just before dark, and that is exactly what happened, another three fish coming to the bank before sundown. I’d had 17 fish during the trip, and so allowed Chris to push even further left and fish the spots directly opposite the island. I had been trying to get him to move for most of the day, but he was reluctant to cash in on my red-letter session. In the end, I had to force him onto the spots.

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: Moving left definitely paid off, and in the early hours I added a further two fish, both upper-doubles. This showed just how tightly stacked they were out in front of the island. Nevertheless, it had been an incredible trip. I was happy with my mid-thirty, and Stu had banked a brace of forties, along with a raft of back-up fish. It had been amazing to watch him. We had waited all series for this one, and Berners Hall had certainly made that wait worthwhile.

What would you do differently next time?

STU LENNOX: Bring more bait and prep more! Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I wish I had taken another two gallons of maggot and tied up forty-odd Slip-D Ronnie sections back at home. I feel that if I could have turned the rods around quicker, I could have had even more fish.

CHRIS EAGLESTONE: There’s not much I feel I could have done differently. Coming further left earlier in the session, when Stu offered me the chance, would have probably put me on more fish.