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BRASENOSE NUMBER ONE LAKE

At approximately 32 acres this long, open, reed fringed water is expected to become more popular than Oxlease Lake.

Linear has introduced more than 2,500 fast growing carp into the water and some of these were placed there nearly two years ago. In that time they have been fed constantly and this feeding along with all the natural food that the water holds has produced some stunning results. In trial fish-ins during the summer of 2005 mirrors that were recognised as stock fish were caught weighing over 25lb. Linear would stick their necks out to say that the water will start producing thirties by the back end of the summer this year.

It was well known that the water contained carp from well before the days that Linear took control of their main site. How many and of what size is anyone’s guess, but the fact that it did contain these fish was well known. During one of the trial fish-ins Frank Warwick did hook one of these originals which he lost at the net. Frank estimated the lost fish to be an upper twenty and from its heavy scaling he knew it was not a stockie. We believe that these originals are the same strain as the Hardwick Lake originals which are some of the nicest looking fish on the complex.

The far bank of the lake is just a short distance from the River Windrush. This is not under the control of Linear and is out of bounds to our visiting anglers

Within metres of Brasenose One is the second lake on this new site. At 34 acres it is larger than its neighbour and is also long, open and reed fringed. The stocking of this water started in 2005 with approximately 700 very pretty carp. A high percentage of these fish are commons, fully scaled and linear scaled and our aim is to introduce a total of 2,000 by the autumn of this year.

A majority of the fish stocked have ranged from four to nine pounds, as will those that will be placed in the water this year. Although this water is behind its neighbour for fish size we do expect it, with so many pretty carp, to become very popular.

The far bank of the lake is just a short distance from the River Windrush. This is not under the control of Linear and is out of bounds to our visiting anglers.

Hardwick Lake and Smiths Pool

These two waters, which are joined together by a narrow channel, have provided some excellent fishing for some of the prettiest carp in the country. We believe there are between twenty and twenty five different thirties in the water and there are five of these, caught in 2005, that have been positively identified from photographs at over 37lb in weight and this included a mirror of 41lb.14oz - a lake record. With the exception of three commons all these thirties are mirrors and include some fully scaled fish. There are at least another 150 twenties in the water and the lake record for a common carp is 38lb 12oz.
The growth rate, like all the other waters on the site, is high with the weights in 2005 of known individual fish going up well beyond our expectations. Linear plan to make these two waters even better by introducing a number of selected fast growing carp from the exclusive Elstow strain.

In addition to the carp, the waters also hold some tremendous fish of other species. In past years there have been pike caught to over 31lb, bream over 13lb, tench to 9lb plus, and roach to 3.15.

Manor Farm Lake is very similar to the adjacent St. Johns Lake and probably holds a similar head of carp per acre as that of its neighbour. It was recently extended in size by two acres and is now around 14 acres in size. With three extra swims in the new bay that was created we are able to offer extra angling areas and previously inaccessible spots can now be reached.
It was generally believed to be a lot harder water to fish than St. Johns but now regularly produces just as good results as its neighbour.

There were at least fifteen different thirties caught from the lake in 2005 along with a forty and plenty of good back-up fish of over twenty pounds. Five of the carp caught there at over 30lbs were identified as fish from a batch that were introduced from the neighbouring stock pond - they averaged 1lb in weight when introduced to the Float Lake seven years ago. The lake record stands at 42lb 10oz.

Linear’s plan is to stock a low number of selected, fast growing carp to the water over the next year which we are sure will boost Manor Farm Lake’s reputation even more.

Other fish should not be neglected - the water contains a big head of tench, pike and rudd which can provide top class sport for those who choose to fish for them. In the past Manor Farm Lake has produced tench over 10lbs, bream over 13lbs and pike over 27lb.

St. Johns and Manor Farm Lakes are close together and are separated by an area of land which used to contain the old gravel washing plant. This area has now been landscaped and contains two parking areas for those fishing the two lakes. There are toilets placed at strategic points around both of the lakes and another two in the main Hardwick car park across the road

Oxlease Lake

The lake is situated off the B4449 as you approach the main day ticket complex from Oxford just beyond the West Oxfordshire Sailing Club Lake; it is well sign-posted.

This 26 acre water which was only opened for day ticket angling in March of 2003 has now become very popular with carp anglers. With over 2,000 carp now in the water it is not hard to locate these fish which in the warmer months love to follow the wind. Linear’s aim is to make this an easier water and so far we are well on our target for achieving this, which is proved by the multiple catches of carp that are reported regularly to us. Because of this the water has become a very popular venue and visitors of all ages enjoy the sport there which for some can be hectic.

To date it has produced many personal bests for anglers and the lake record for common carp stands at 35.12 and for mirror carp at 36lb. There are believed to be more than twenty five carp in the water that top 30lbs and hundreds over twenty pounds. Apart from a low number of original carp some of which have attained weights in excess of 30lbs most of the carp are young fish which just keep growing.

The carp react well to heavy baiting and some of the anglers that have fished this method have caught dozens of fish in a session. All the high quality boilies have worked well and fishing them over beds of pellets or a heavily ground-baited area has produced excellent results. The use of PVA bags filled with pellets, crushed boilies, particles, casters and maggots, along with the stick rig fished with small particle type baits have proved to be deadly combinations. In the winter months the carp continued to feed well and reacted well to single hook baits and baits fished with PVA bags and the stick rig.

As well as the carp, perch are there in good numbers and in the past specimen fish to 4.08 have been recorded. Pike have been caught to over 22lb and tench to over 9lb but generally fishing for species other than the carp is neglected.

St Johns Lake

This popular water of over 18 acres is one of the top day ticket lakes in the country. In terms of fishing for carp of over twenty and thirty pounds it would be difficult to find a more prolific venue. Many anglers visiting this beautiful water have gone home happy in the knowledge that they had caught a personal best carp and in many cases it has been on their first visit.

The carp still continue to grow at an amazing rate and in the Spring of last year Lee Collings, who gives carp fishing tuition at Linear, estimated that at that time he had identified more than thirty five carp over thirty pounds- although some of the thirties identified by Lee were just scraper thirties many more were thirty five plus. Five of the thirties identified were common carp and one of these was caught at over forty pounds later in the year. In the past Linear has claimed that St. Johns is probably the most prolific twenties day ticket water in the country and with the phenomenal growth rate that has been recorded there has been good reason to say this. But now, with all the big carp that are turning up, it is fast becoming one of the most prolific big carp day ticket waters in the UK.

Linear’s stocking policy on the water is ongoing and selected carp from our stock ponds will be introduced regularly. We estimate that the current carp stock levels are somewhere between 800 to 900 fish. The lake records for carp stand at 41.04 for a common and 42.06 for a mirror.

Catfish regularly feature in catches [they love some of the fish based boilies and pellets used by carp anglers]. These have been caught at weights of well over 66lb and are now being targeted by catfish anglers. One purposely caught last year took a set of 66lb scales down with a clonk! Pike to over 20lbs are known to be present and in the past the water has produced fish to over 28lbs. The tench fishing can also be brilliant and fish to 11lb 14oz were reported last year along with bream of over 15lb.

St. Johns and Manor Farm Lakes are close together and are separated by an area of land which used to contain the old gravel washing plant. This area has now been landscaped and contains two parking areas for those fishing the two lakes. There are toilets placed at strategic points around both of the lakes and another two in the main Hardwick car park across the road.