In reply to Post #1
There's loads of hard waters out there. They're never in the public eye, mainly because the sponsored angler crew these days feel pressured catch fish, so they fish waters where they'll get bites, and that's what we see in the mags, or on YouTube. Nobody wants to read about or watch somebody blanking week after week, month after month. The industry wants instant results, so that's what you see. In the nene valley there's dozens of waters I would define as ‘hard' - 1 fish per acre sort of stocking density. They're just not written about for the reasons I mention above.
Personally I love that sort of fishing, if you look hard enough and talk to there right people you'll find them.
There's loads of hard waters out there. They're never in the public eye, mainly because the sponsored angler crew these days feel pressured catch fish, so they fish waters where they'll get bites, and that's what we see in the mags, or on YouTube. Nobody wants to read about or watch somebody blanking week after week, month after month. The industry wants instant results, so that's what you see. In the nene valley there's dozens of waters I would define as ‘hard' - 1 fish per acre sort of stocking density. They're just not written about for the reasons I mention above.
Personally I love that sort of fishing, if you look hard enough and talk to there right people you'll find them.
In reply to Post #16
Spot on.
Another thing is the occassional understocked big pit/ressie where the fish rarely show, that makes a hard water even harder.
Spot on.
Another thing is the occassional understocked big pit/ressie where the fish rarely show, that makes a hard water even harder.
Like others have said some waters are harder than others. Saying that there's a lake round here (Swithland res) and everyone struggles on there I think only a couple of people have caught more than 1 fish a year out of. Being 160 acres and having 25 fish in you can see why
"Hard water" is a matter of perspective really. However as has already been mentioned, there are enough low stock venues out there but they hardly get mention and for good reason too.
All comes down to how much the individual angler is willing to test their skill and patience before they bored of blanking!!
All comes down to how much the individual angler is willing to test their skill and patience before they bored of blanking!!
In reply to Post #10
The best chapters of his book I thought
The best chapters of his book I thought
In reply to Post #1
How about this one then......
100+ acres of unfished (by anyone else!) and for the most part unfishable windswept, open pit, on very, very private and guarded/patrolled land.
In the hundreds and hundreds of hours that I've spent there in all conditions over the last 7 years, I've only ever seen one single earth-shatteringly big common that I wouldn't even like to try and guess the size of!
It's my own little piece of heaven/hell.
How about this one then......
100+ acres of unfished (by anyone else!) and for the most part unfishable windswept, open pit, on very, very private and guarded/patrolled land.
In the hundreds and hundreds of hours that I've spent there in all conditions over the last 7 years, I've only ever seen one single earth-shatteringly big common that I wouldn't even like to try and guess the size of!
It's my own little piece of heaven/hell.
In reply to Post #21
Unfished by anyone except you, 100+ acres mostly unfishable but open windswept can only mean full of snags? Guarded and patrolled but you've spent hundreds and hundreds of hours there so you either have permission or the security is in need of a review. Best of luck with that common, sounds like you'll need it.
Unfished by anyone except you, 100+ acres mostly unfishable but open windswept can only mean full of snags? Guarded and patrolled but you've spent hundreds and hundreds of hours there so you either have permission or the security is in need of a review. Best of luck with that common, sounds like you'll need it.
Tactics and bait is one of the biggest factors to consider too 
I once fished a hard water 4 times. I blanked on the first and caught on the other 3. Third session I caught the biggest fish so decided to move on. Funny though everybody used to complain that it was hard and I found it easy. I was talking to a bloke on one of these sessions and he had, had seven fish out in 3 days. We were discussing baits and it was when the source had just become available to Joe public. Terry Hearns bait they reckon, yeah cause it is I said. He had all the fish on the source lol
I have fished a few hard ones though too
I once fished a hard water 4 times. I blanked on the first and caught on the other 3. Third session I caught the biggest fish so decided to move on. Funny though everybody used to complain that it was hard and I found it easy. I was talking to a bloke on one of these sessions and he had, had seven fish out in 3 days. We were discussing baits and it was when the source had just become available to Joe public. Terry Hearns bait they reckon, yeah cause it is I said. He had all the fish on the source lol
I have fished a few hard ones though too
Such a hard question to answer. Most of the traditionally rock hard lakes have now had large stockings of fish and can no longer be seen as rockhard. In terms of our personal fishing, we will all know waters which are not well-known which could be deemed as rockhard. I am currently looking at some lakes which used to hold carp but now there is a strong chance that there is not a single carp left in them due to otters. I have not seen a fish in them for months, years in fact. They are not in common knowledge however therefore there is no point in mentioning them in the list such as this.
I think that it is more valid to mention some of the waters from days gone by that were hard. The following lakes were always regarded as such, along with several others:
Yateley car park, north and pad - super pressured, wily fish, quality anglers.
Colemere - mega, mega low stock. Deep, rich, areas out of bounds.
Fjords, meadows - mega low stock, full of naturals, very broken up lakes.
Broadwater - massive, very low stock, big bream!
Even the above lakes are not what they were, but anybody with any knowledge of the above, back in the day, would accept that they were exceptionally difficult.
I think that it is more valid to mention some of the waters from days gone by that were hard. The following lakes were always regarded as such, along with several others:
Yateley car park, north and pad - super pressured, wily fish, quality anglers.
Colemere - mega, mega low stock. Deep, rich, areas out of bounds.
Fjords, meadows - mega low stock, full of naturals, very broken up lakes.
Broadwater - massive, very low stock, big bream!
Even the above lakes are not what they were, but anybody with any knowledge of the above, back in the day, would accept that they were exceptionally difficult.
In reply to Post #21
this is a runs water up north
this is a runs water up north
In reply to Post #21
That sounds like my perfect water, good luck to you! I'm jealous!
That sounds like my perfect water, good luck to you! I'm jealous!
In reply to Post #24
Very good post, colemere was a great water, remember reading the articles clossick done on that and thought what an epic place!
Very good post, colemere was a great water, remember reading the articles clossick done on that and thought what an epic place!
This is not aimed at anybody, but it always amazes me that commercial fisheries have any customers
I've never met a carp angler that doesn't ‘only fish hard waters' that require 12lb tc rods due to ‘big fish and weed' and the only clear spots being at 150+
There must be countless hidden lakes in the uk or eyesight isn't what it was, because there isn't enough freshwater to support the number of anglers who are apparently the only ones to have trodden the banks since Victorian times.
I've never met a carp angler that doesn't ‘only fish hard waters' that require 12lb tc rods due to ‘big fish and weed' and the only clear spots being at 150+
There must be countless hidden lakes in the uk or eyesight isn't what it was, because there isn't enough freshwater to support the number of anglers who are apparently the only ones to have trodden the banks since Victorian times.
In reply to Post #27
Hardest water is very subjective. Reading the Savay Days thread on here, the distances and terms that Neil explains make that too me very hard. Colemere may have been the hardest of all time. Puts Clossick's, and a few others efforts in perspective
Hardest water is very subjective. Reading the Savay Days thread on here, the distances and terms that Neil explains make that too me very hard. Colemere may have been the hardest of all time. Puts Clossick's, and a few others efforts in perspective
Ormsgill Reservoir in Barrow...
Not necessarily the difficulty in catching the fish, but the local residents are as hard as they come!
Not necessarily the difficulty in catching the fish, but the local residents are as hard as they come!