Morning all,

My renewal is looming but I'm in the gutting predicament of struggling to find the funds. Potentially moving away early Autumn too which is making it harder to fork out.

I've asked similar before but thought I'd ask again just incase something new popped up.

Any recommendations in the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire area?? Pm if preferred.

Paxton has been mentioned a couple of times if anyone has a bit of info on it?

The renewal is for The woolpack 1,2,3 so something along those lines if poss.

In reply to Post #1
Bainton?

In reply to Post #2
If he ain't got the funds for the woolpack he won't have for bainton

In reply to Post #1
Dovecote Willington? Carp to 50 lb for 100 quid

In reply to Post #4
Not any more there aren't....

In reply to Post #5
Oh dear if that doesn't get them fencing it nothing will

In reply to Post #6
They half arsed fenced one small side. Problem is they don't own the complex, and I'm not sure how long the lease they have left. They won't do a good job anyway, they fenced the l shape when the otters got there a couple of years ago but the from what I've heard it's a five bar electric fence rather than a solid fence, and they are still losing fish. Think it was the biggest one in there was found 2/3 weeks ago

In reply to Post #7
Think it was the biggest one in there was found 2/3 weeks ago

Sorry to hear that, sad loss.
I hope that someone took some photos of it to pass onto Joss and the PAG.

In reply to Post #8
No idea mate, It was all over Facebook apparently so I'd guess he's seen it, or at least been sent it. Seen the pic myself, it's savage.

In reply to Post #9
Such a shame for club and it's members.
No water, big or small is safe from otters, unless it is fenced.

In reply to Post #10
That's the thing, the l shape is fenced, been done a couple of years ago and they have got back in again

In reply to Post #11
Have the otters got wire cutters now ?
That shouldn't happen, or was it a fence design flaw/storm damaged bit that they found.

In reply to Post #11
Are you talking about bainton L shape?

In reply to Post #12
I believe its a 5 bar electric fence, so I'm guessing hey have just gone under the bottom wire. Haven't actually been up there and seen the fence myself, but I've heard that's what it is

In reply to Post #13
Never heard of Bainton chap

How much is the woolpack 123 ticket nowadays? I suspect it's not £90 anymore.

In reply to Post #16
Little under £400 which is still very reasonable for what's on offer. Trying every trick in the book to sort the cash out.

Thanks for the suggestions so far lads. May well end up getting a cfpas ticket and flitting about a bit.

In reply to Post #17
I'll be down the lakes Saturday morning Tom, let me know if you want to swing by and have a look

Sorry to jump in on thread but looking for a slightly lesser known water in the ,area dont mind about stock any suggestions welcome

In reply to Post #19
I've sent you a pm

In reply to Post #18
Nice one Scott, appreciate that. I'll let you know if I can make it.

In reply to Post #21

In reply to Post #20
Could you also send me a pm Scott, I'm looking for a new water as well.

In reply to Post #23
I've sent you one Mark

In reply to Post #24
Thanks Scott
Email sent

Paxton has some good fish in it but only 1 of the lakes there worth joining now, the other is full of soldier weed and otters have had a lot of the bigger fish unfortunately and believe e the biggest was found on the bank weeks ago, however the other lake has some very good fish in it but a lot harder to get on and dearer then woolpack.
Gingerbread is run by Biggleswade and hitchin AC, the club book is £70 and the night ticket is £200 on top, has 4x40s and over 28x30s plus several 100 back up fish, total fish stock is between 250-350 with new fish comin through all the time. The lakes are also now otter fenced

In reply to Post #26
4x 40s in gingerbread? I thought there were only 2 left, possibly a third at the right time of year?

In reply to Post #25
Not had anything Mark, can you try again?

In reply to Post #28
Sent u a pm scott

In reply to Post #29
Replied mate

In reply to Post #27
It's done 4 different 40lb fish this season and there another that's gone 39-8 and sevel at 37lb and all goin in the right direction

In reply to Post #31
Really? It's on the up again over there then since cluster disappeared. Might have to get my name down on the list

In reply to Post #32
The year we lost cluster we lost 2 x 40s, 38, 36 and a 35 common we now have 11 commons over 30lb 3 over 35lb and 17 over 30s. The big lin was 31lb when cluster died it's now 39lb and still growing year by year

In reply to Post #33

In reply to Post #34
Spoilt for choice round there? I joined ferry lagoon last year, amount of water that way is mad, if you want low stock wild big pits where it's all about watercraft and observation it's up your street. I love it over there 170ish acres estimated 40-60 fish to 50, its a gem.

In reply to Post #26
Bloke i talked to over at manor farm mentioned about this place. Not bad for 70 a season. I believe there is a waiting list for nights though...

In reply to Post #36
There is a waiting list and I believe it's about 30 people at the moment for the night ticket. There's plenty of fish come to day anglers and there's some great fish in there

Cambridgeshire season tickets?

Try this


https://earithcarplakes.co.uk/

Rather nice looking place with some nice fish.
Fished it years ago for a few years, rarely blanked and numbers of fish over 20lb

In reply to Post #38

The woolpack pit three 👌 love that place is bertie & berties mate still going strong

In reply to Post #39
They sure are mate. Dear old Betty died a week or so ago but all the others are still going I think.

Interesting that this has popped back up. I couldnt justify renewing in the end but did end up catching a 40+ scaley pb not long into a new ticket... Every cloud has a silver lining and all that.

The beconing move that prevented me spending out on tickets became reality last night. What a place Cambridgeshire is for fishing, I'll miss that I'm sure. Having Yateley, Reading and the likes now on my doorstep ain't too shabby though.

In reply to Post #40
I've fished alot of waters and woolpack pit three is special and the carp are brilliant hey 👍 🎣

Like u say silver lining indeed, well in 👌

Only thing I didn't like was the barrow journey lol

Poor old Betty, she lasted a long time tho she looked done when I was on there, these old carp don't last forever


Yeah what a shame u only have waters in Reading and yaterley hahaha great place of the country for the carp fishing 🎣

Well in on the pb, was that Cambridge area as well



Sorry for bringing the old thread back up but couldn't help my self, when I seen it was woolpack 123 I just couldn't help my self but day dream about being on the point catching bertie and Co

In reply to Post #40
Having Yateley, Reading and the likes now on my doorstep ain't too shabby though.

It certainly isn't lol.

In reply to Post #41
The entire complex is special. Took it for granted while I was on there but finding anywhere with a similar stock and atmosphere will be bloody difficult. A proper water, run brilliantly and teeming with the respect and etiquette that a place like that deserves. The barrow up there was a killer, I did it with a 2 wheeled stalker thing that weighed a tonne no matter how little gear you took.
You had most of them didn't you make?

It was from Cambridge area mate yeah, made my year for sure. Didn't do a lot after that as I was a bit lost.

Cant complain Yonny

In reply to Post #43
Yeah really enjoyed it on there everything is bang on 👌
Good people, good angling etiquette and great socials with amazing unique carp to go at, No silly rules.. certainly not easy but well worth having a go for them special carp.. I only had a ticket for pit 123 I joined for bertiesmate after seeing a pic of David buck holding it and I was just blown away, like wow to me best pic I had ever seen of a scaley carp it was pure love at first sight lol

Yeah I caught it mate absolutely buzzing not my biggest carp but **** me certainly my best, when I joined I only seen one pic of bertiesmate then to find out the others was mind blowing

I was on monks pit at the time when I learned about pit 3 and there was huge carp in monks but all I could think about was bertiesmate, I left monks after one season as I wasn't invited back on lol but it was a blessing as I found my self one minute thinking of a second season on monks to the next walking round pit three for a tour with Rob farrent, totally different ends of the spectrum one full of fish to 50lb the other we counted 27 carp atleast 12 or more did 30+, that we could put pics to in pit three of old amazing looking carp to upper thirtys... Never joined for a pb joined for pure looks.... Cambridgeshire scaleys 👌


Did 18 months in total on pit 3 and a couple sessions on pit 2

Had bertiesmate, bertie twice, ians fish, apple slice, and a few of the commons and couple others out pit two like Eds common and scaley and the leather


I was buzzing to catch what I did but would of loved to catch the river fish and the biggest common in pit three,

Best place I've ever fished and my dog loved it too & and met some great people who I still keep in contact with

In reply to Post #41
Only thing I didn't like was the barrow journey lol

Wuss Used to push mine fully laden around Lake 7 several times each trip before setting up! Soon learnt to leave stuff in car & take a bottle instead before deciding lol It is only a quarter of a mile from the car park to lake 3

In reply to Post #45
😂 😂 😂 Lake 7 was right near the car park and it feels a long quarter of a mile to get to the silver gate for lake 123 then u got to walk round 3 lol... All worth it tho lovely place to be fishing 🎣

Bet you got a power porter as well 😂

Great venue awesome carp

In reply to Post #46
Lake 7 was right near the car park and it feels a long quarter of a mile to get to the silver gate for lake 123 then u got to walk round 3 lol... All worth it tho lovely place to be fishing 🎣

Bet you got a power porter as well

Far end of Lake 7 certainly isn't by the car park

Wish I did have a Power Porter as would open up venues to me nowadays with the mobility problems I have now. Done it with a Mk4S Porter (biggest piece of crap on the market & not balanced at all!) & with a Fox Explorer (much much much easier to push around!).

I was more interested in the "bird watching" lake over the back of Lake 2 across the bailey bridge......

In reply to Post #48
I had a look and seen pics from a lad who has fished it... I did a couple nights with a mate for a social on the river behind the woolpack opposite the marina 🎣 nice place loved it down there 👍

In reply to Post #49
Some good memory's with both you mugs (bowlez and hyperloop)

In reply to Post #50
Yeah boiii 👍 great times indeed james top man 🎣
Got some lovely memories with you and the lads down the woolpack

In reply to Post #44
Pit 2 was my favourite, always walked past 1 even though it had the bigger fish in. First got a ticket mid 90's when Stanjay had it. My mate had the Italian at 27 (I think) and that was me addicted. Moved away but it was the first place I joined when I moved back. Not had a ticket for a few years now but I hope to go back one day. Places like that are few and far between these days. Only met one pillock on there who'll remain nameless but his nickname summed him up.

I remember the walk around I had with Rob before rejoining and he assured me I'd not catch anything under 20lb. About 3 hours later I had a scaly 17 from pit 3 😂.

As for the walk, was a piece of piss compared to trudging up & down river banks.

In reply to Post #50
Didn't know you were on here Bevan! My two fondest memories of that place were photographing fish for other anglers.
River for little Jack and Bertie's mate for you. Never forget that absurd morning out in the boat! Still look at those pics weekly and kick myself for hardly fishing pit 3.

I spent the majority of my time on pit1 due to only having a night or two a month. It was lovely and quiet, had it to myself more often than not. It's only tiny but it offered everything. They got in the edges a lot in the Spring and loved a bit of bait out amongst the weed post spawn... I've got some cracking videos of them smashing my spot to pieces for hours before one finally made a mistake.

Would love to post a few pics but I guess the publicity ban is still in place?

In reply to Post #53
There's no ban that I knew of, seen bertie all over the rg baits social media before and others 👍

I never wet a line in pit one but photod a fair few for kc and the lads 👍 again some amazing looking carp 👌

In reply to Post #54
There always used to be a ban. Rob was quite insistent on it. Before the Facebook group there was a website and a couple of members got a telling off for publicly sharing photos, if I remember correctly.

In reply to Post #55
Think it only came into effect half way through my first year, so 2016. There's loads of pics on insta all the time but nothing really goes on fb these days.

In reply to Post #56
Think I re-joined in 2012 and it was in place then. It was ok to post photos of fish but you couldn't say where they were from.

In reply to Post #55
Maybe it still does then not sure 👍 maybe Neil needs a ban then or a bollocking of Rob 😂

Mark johnson has got a few of them on u tube as well some quality footage of bertiesmate and Co

That leather still in lake 3?

In reply to Post #58
If you was on in 2012 I bet Paul the bailiff was down alot in them times... He used to be on pit 1 with his rigs hooked onto his butt eye of his rods already to go but didn't fish for days!?

Certainly a character that bloke

The leather died out pit three



I joined in 2014 I think

In reply to Post #60
Is he not still down there? I seem to remember he started working for Ian and was camping in the car park at one point. Had time for everyone though.

In reply to Post #61
Yeah I sat with Paul for many hours making brews and so on nice chap 👍 last I got told he was living in the car park... He used to fish the odd time the first year I was on then just didn't bother, just loved being down there I guess bless him,

Always used to tell me he fished it for five years with his mate Al who moved onto to ecton at the time I think he said..

In reply to Post #62
He & Al used to fish Gingerbread together. When I joined they were doing at least 4 nights a week, almost solely on the point. Al wouldn't say a word about what he'd caught but I bumped in to him on what must have been his last session before moving on and he had nothing to hide any longer. Well I got treated to a photo album of everything he'd managed to sneak out without being noticed. He almost exclusively used particle I remember. Think maples were his going bait at the time when everyone else was on highbank spombing out 5kg of boilies at 11.5 wraps.

In reply to Post #63
Yeah Paul told me some stories about how Al used to catch them all but couldn't catch berties mate 👍 then Paul who struggled had it one night after he couldn't be arsed to fish all set up again and Al said go on just flick that rod out... Then that rod went that night with berties mate on for Paul out lennys Bay he said 😂

Really enjoyed it on there 👍

In reply to Post #61
He was still about when I was on there. As you say, living in the car park in his van and working with Ian during the days. We thought it was going to be a temporary thing but he was still there when I left 2 years later, having trudged out two winters. Lovely chap is Paul, I'd always pack up half an hour earlier than required so I could sit and have a tea and a chat with him before chipping off.
He was constantly baiting with a bit of this and that, normally off the tips where the coots smashed it all within seconds of him walking off . I think he got the rods out twice all year... did have a couple though, the koi and the armo.

In reply to Post #65
Brilliant bloke 👍 had many a chats with him about his st ives days on the lagoon and so on... I wonder how he is doing now days!?

Think he caught the koi when I was on there as well lol

Wish I caught the armo lovely common 👌

In reply to Post #66
I have a good lurk Tommy.
Mate that morning, glad you were there, mental, think I was hand lining more than anything “give it the shout”.
I thought my river fish pics were the best I'd seen until jack showed me your ones for him, made mine look like Paul had taken them. Did us both proud.
Pete I still need a days work out of you, you owe me.

In reply to Post #66
That Armo did us both Pete. Really wanted that, still feel I've not completed it

In reply to Post #67
made mine look like Paul had taken them

I remember catching the 'round' from Pit 1, my first 30lb common. November I think it was, certainly well into Autumn. Some chap was walking round & stopped to watch me land it. He offered to take the photos & I agreed as it seemed easier than doing self takes. Well, I wish I hadn't. I got more pictures of his dog than I did the fish. Gutted doesn't cover it.

In reply to Post #69
😂😂 Paul took some for me once, it was very scenic, I was a distant dot in the background holding a pound coin. Bless him

In reply to Post #70
Mad the way it happened hey James on the way down to you for work, then found my self on the point watching them fizz and roll with no one down hahaha

Had some proper laughes down there, great bunch of people 👍

Yeah the armo would of been nice and the river fish for me there the main two I wish I caught but after berties mate it was time to go in my eyes... Just the way it falls sometimes 🎣

Is ians fish the biggest in the lake now 🤔

In reply to Post #71
Mate I'd have done the same without a doubt, good dam angling.
I was the same only wanted the one but that river I'd not given much thought until it was in the net.
Haha I remember catching Betty and saying f*** me she actually a banger you said “geez knowone wants Betty till she's in there net”

In reply to Post #72
😂 😂 😂 I say alot of things mate 👍
I wouldn't mind catching that one, all worthy carp hey mate 🎣

In reply to Post #69
I'd heard the rumours about Paul's photo skills so avoided that as much as possible.. Remember having big head from pit1 at just under 34lb and doing a round of self takes while Paul and Crowy stood next to the tripod watching 😂.

Betty was a true warrior and one of only two I had from pit 3. It had been fishing hard at the time, nothing had been seen all weekend and everyone had left by 11 on the Sunday. I'd blanked on pit1 but waited about for a big, fresh s/e that was forecast to start pumping up into the top bay any minute. Sure enough it did and not long after I saw one flank in close. Then I saw Ian's, which was well due, out a bit further into the bay. I crumbed a few baits in, lowered a rig on top and had the orange within 10 minutes. Sorted that out, lowered another rig in and it went again within 15 minutes. Pretty early on I'd seen this plain looking mirror and figured I'd hooked Ian's which would have been 40+ at the time. A few nervous minutes later that ridiculous face popped up at the net and shattered my dreams .

In reply to Post #74
Is the koi still about?

I remember walking back having packed up on the back of pit 2 and stopped in field's mate for a look as something had caught my eye. There must have been 8 fish about a foot from the bank just milling around. I cobbled together a free lined half boilie & slowly lowered it between them. Berties mate snaffled it before it had even got to bottom. That thing new instantly that something was wrong and shot off in to the middle of the lake, completely flat rodding me. I've never had a fish move so quickly. Nothing I could do as the bow waves neared the high bank then the hook just pulled and that was that. It's the only lost fish that I still play over in my head.

In reply to Post #75
Not one you want to be losing mate, yea the koi's still there.

Ian's was the hardest fighting carp I've caught, spooled me from shallows past fields powering across the surface. Weird out the water, it pisses water out it's vent.

Any of you Woolpack veterans fish over on 5/6, 7 & 8?

In reply to Post #77
Never fished Andy Stafford side of the woolpack as I went to St ives after pit three 👍


Veterans 😂 I am 35 years young Andy


Ians fish was the hardest fight I had from there as well James
Powerhouse of a carp that one 🎣 has it stayed over forty No ians fish do u know!?

In reply to Post #77
I could never get my tips high enough to fish Andy's side.

In reply to Post #78
Don't think it did hold that weight mate, I had it at 37or38 the summer after it did 40. Not sure what it was last year.

In reply to Post #78
Haha-my ‘veteran' comment was in reference to experience rather than age!

Pete for is age is a very good angler this man really has it all in his locker real good angler give him a bag of gold seal and the rest is history

In reply to Post #82
😂 😂 Hargreaves

I can give u a bag of goldseal, might help you get that linear you have been chasing for 10+ years

You have aged while chasing that mate 👍 proper took it out of you

Sorry for giving you a compliment peter I'm happy with the bait I use fella

How do you get on woolpack 1,2 and 3 can't find much online about it?

In reply to Post #85
You need to contact Robert Farrant and wait for a ticket to become available. Best if you can be recommended by a current member.

In reply to Post #86
The trout lake is now starting to Chuck up some chunks . Have a look at Earith lakes mate. Woodpecker has 6 50a in it . I know maybe not your thing but has some cracking originals with 8 original commons in the 30s

I'm on the waiting list for the trout lake. Could be await no one seems to be dropping tickets

In reply to Post #88
Think it's because people that are done with woodpecker are just moving over to the trout. I was a greedy sod and had a ticket on both . Unfortunately I have moved to Slovakia so a bit far for me to travel .

In reply to Post #88
Nope hardly anyone. Won't be dropping mine that's for sure 👍