Sandhurst Lake
One of the UK's most consistent carpers, Leon Bartropp, gives you the low down to a venue he's enjoyed a lot of success on
Sandhurst Lake is one of my favourite day ticket lakes and has been for many years, situated within easy access of the M3 at Yateley, Berks. It’s one of those lakes that you always feel confident of catching whatever time of year it is, I guess because it’s one where if you get things right you normally do. Autumn is a great time to visit this lake, especially as it’ll give you a ‘heads-up’ for the winter fishing that can be exceptionally good. Surprisingly for a day ticket water the fish are in immaculate condition. With the large stock of fish from doubles all the way up to over forty-pounds, they are always on the lookout for a little grub, so no matter what swim you choose the fish are never far away.
The lake is also a really interesting place to fish, with so many features to choose from, you have gravel bars, weed and silt pockets in abundance all over the lake. The fish also show themselves a lot, which not only helps you locate them, but also gives you that added confidence that you could get a bite at any minute.
As for facilities, there are toilets dotted around the venue, two large car parks that you must leave your vehicle in after you’ve unloaded your kit behind your swim. It couldn’t be more comfortable at any time of the year and with a large and firmly locked gate, security isn’t a problem.
As for tactics, I’ve caught fish on many different methods and presentations. Bottom baits, pop-ups and maggots - everything seems to work at Sandhurst. Don’t be afraid to put a bit of bait in either - with the head of fish present it doesn't take long for them to get on it and produce multiple takes.
One of my favourite swims is ‘The Car Park’ for a number of reasons. It has a silt depression at around 70 yards that you can get three rods on with ease. It also has a tree-lined margin to the left. What’s more you can see the whole lake from this vantage point in case you feel the need to move onto fish.
With lots of takeaways, supermarkets and at least one tackle shop literally minutes away - if you’re looking for a good, well run venue to try, where you’ll always have a better than average chance of catching, whatever time of the year - try Sandhurst!
The vital information you need...
Biggest resident: Nigel’s Fish and Single Scale are forty-pounds plus
Average fish size: Over twenty-pounds
Rough fish stock: 400 carp
Going bait: Boilies
Local tackle shop: Crowthorne Angling Centre 01344 777411
Takeaways: Real Indian, 01252 890077; Pizza SamSam, 01252 878721
Rod limit: Three rods maximum.
Location: Swan Lane, Yateley, Hampshire, GU47 9DA.
Contact:
Website: sandhurstlake.co.uk
Prices: £20 for 12hrs - two rods, £25 for 24hrs - two rods, £25 for 12hrs - three rods and £30 for 24hrs - three rods
Facilities: Toilets and secure parking.
Known autumn areas/swims: All the swims on Sandy are capable of producing fish, but ‘The Island’, ‘Car Park’ and ‘Pipes’ swims produce there fair share and are personal favourites of mine.
Leon's top tip: “Don’t be afraid to put a bit of bait in - a scattering of boilies has served me well. Fishing at least two rods in the silt areas has also accounted for some of my biggest catches.”