BAA - Coppice Lake

A trip to the pub for a live band, hog roast and a decent pint or two, Sam was badgering me to take him to a lake to go fishing as with the coarse species on the river off the agenda a canal for him doesn't quite cut the mustard. 

I don't know why either because we have managed to catch some lovely fish fishing on the local canals where many of those past captures would trump any that we have caught from a still water.

I'm sure like me it is the foot and boat traffic on the canals where unless you fish very early or very late it just leads to frustration.

Now Nic from Avon Angling has been fishing Coppice Lake on the BAA book recently and it looked good for a few bites so I decided that could offer Sam his fishing fix and me some good father and son time.

Nic isn't under the influence of the diary makers as much as I am and he was warned about how busy it gets in peak times. And wow those that warned him were right. We arrived at 8.00am to a full car-park after negotiating the track and being stopped half way by a couple of anglers who were off to the canal instead. 

"It's bloody packed mate" (Brummie accent)

We'd driven half an hour to get here so I was determined to get us fishing if it was at all possible.So after managing to park ok we got the tackle out the car and went for a nose.

I appeared like a Korda social when we got bankside it was bivi central with spods going left, right and centre. There must be some carp still in it then because I dipped my toe in to the BAA forum where apparently the otter would have got to the carp if those that poach it hadn't.

We made our way around the lake and those that we spoke to seemed pleasant enough but these sort of venues to be honest are well outside my comfort zone. Carp ? I really don't get the appeal to be honest. The camping maybe ? and the fact 24 / 48 hour sessions are common place but when it's as busy as this ? Errr not for me. 

There is a reason why I go fishing and that is to seek solitude, this was far from it with bite alarms going off all the time, colourful language, unanswered loud phones and more bait been chucked out in an hour than I've used since I started fishing.

The swim I wanted to fish with the lilies close in was occupied so we settled in to a nice secluded swim a spod away. There was plenty of fish topping so a lake with a decent head of fish I'd imagine. 

I plumbed up and boy it was very shallow indeed but Nic assured me there was plenty of bites to be had over this side. And he was right, because after balling in some groundbait and a sprinkling of maggots Sam got fishing and there were plenty of maggot munchers up for a feed. 

We only caught roach but there were plenty of bites and they were all in very good nick indeed. Very plump and healthy fish but then I think pleasure anglers fishing for anything that swims are probably a rare breed up at this carp water. 

We must have had a dozen or so fish but then I was quite glad that after a couple of hours Sam was ready for the off because I wasn't particularly enjoying it. I'm in no rush to return either if I'm honest, if I do it will be in winter when I could try for one of the reputed big perch that reside her. 

"Daddy, can we go and fish for trout on the river next ?"