Horseshoe Lake
Wychwood carp catcher, Andrew Endean gives you the low down on one of his favourite open access venues...
I’ve been lucky enough to fish several really good venues across the country, but one that I’ve spent many enjoyable nights on is The Carp Society’s, Horseshoe Lake in Lechlade. Horseshoe’s 62-acres consists of two bays – Summer Bay and Winter Bay. The lake can be very weedy in places, but the stunning Horseshoe carp are well accustomed to having a good feed on the many clear areas scattered around the lake. The lake record in this historic venue is over 46lb, which is backed-up by a huge head of twenties and thirty-pound fish. Where I’d estimate the average weight to be around 18-20lb.
The Horseshoe fish are not shy; they regularly ‘bosh’ and when you find them they’ll often get a right munch on - so be prepared. My preferred rigs are either a Snowman style KD Rig with my preferred bait choice being a Nutrabaits Trigga; Pineapple and Nbutyric bottom bait topped off with a Plum and Caproic pop-up, or a Hinged 360 Rig using the same combination. During the winter months, as the temperature drops I have had success using solid bags with Trigga Ice pellets in conjunction with a 12mm white spice pop-up too.
If the fish aren’t giving themselves away, a good starting point in winter would be ‘Disabled’ (Peg 15) casting towards the white post swim opposite at about 80 paces. When the weather cools, you’ll often find the fish holding-up in front of swims 10-12 along the silty channel that runs down the lake - I think they can hold-up there so when the winter sun gets up they can drift-up onto the bar in front of ‘Boat Point (Peg 9).
If they are out in front of Boat Point I like to be able to hit a spot at around 100 yards – so a good casting rod (I use Solace MLT 12’ rods) can be of great benefit at Horseshoe. Even though Summer Bay is shallow, don’t overlook swim 69. The tree to the left hand side of the swim has a deep area where the odd fish can hold-up - especially if the sun has been up and bright.
What’s more, the fishery has fantastic facilities; clean toilets, refreshing shower blocks, a well-stocked tackle shop and most importantly the site is extremely secure. Also, you can drive around almost a third of it with ample parking in the designated car parks.
The vital information you need...
Biggest resident: ‘Patch’ 46lb
Average fish size: Mid to upper-double
Rough fish stock: Several hundred
Going bait: Boilies, pellets and particles
Local tackle shop: On-site
Takeaways: Not available
Rod limit: Three rods
Location: Burford Road, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, GL7 3QQ.
Contact: Call 01367 253959
Website: horseshoelakelechlade.com
Facilities: Toilets, showers, tackle shop and secure car park.
Prices: Ticket options start from £1 per hour to £400 for the Annual Permit. Check website for details.
Known winter areas/swims: My preferred winter ‘hotspot’ is the silt gulley in front of swims 10-12.
Andrew's top tip: Location, Location, Location! Find a shoal, feed them-up and the action will follow.