Winter Carp & Crusians from a very pretty lake - Blackmore Lake

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I took a week out recently to travel up into Somerset for a spot of winter camping. Choosing campsites with fishing lakes got me on to a winner with Blackmore Camping and Caravan park. Situated between Gilliam and Shaftsbury in the rural hills of Dorset, it's a lush spot and the lake is a beauty!

Not to go all mushy, but this is the type of lake I've been looking for forgotten but at one time fruitful. At the back end of a muddy field and on inquiring I receive the response "don't think anyone's fished it for a long time, there are a few bigguns in there though" ... jackpot.

On first inspection it's got a serious weed problem, just from the margins I can see Canadian pond weed, silk weed, water lettuce, water lilies plus almost every bit of bank is covered in bulrush and three foot of reeds. An island again surrounded by thick reeds is the only visible feature. I set up on the one bit of grass bank and got a rod out to get a feel for under the surface. I quickly found a gravel bar coming from the bottom of the island drop off, the trap was set.

After a few very quiet hours (no fish even showing) I changed tack and added a simple float setup and started fishing the margins with bread and then corn (on a size 12) but nothing, not a sign of life. So I started scaling down, the bites began at size 20 hook 2Ib hook length and a hand pressed bread punch around 1mm across.

I started getting bites although so delicate they hardly registered on my heavy float rig so set the float lower and lower until only a tip breached the surface and I was in crucian after crusian with the odd 6oz mirror and common thrown in, I must have caught 20 in an hour glorious sport!

Only topped by a screaming take from a ledgered bread flake off the gravel bar at just under 10lb a very well built and healthy common. It gave me the best fight I've had in ages, kiting across the lake to break the surface only to plunge back in to the deep, heading for a large bank of weed. I'm right chuffed with this result for a first day.

There were no more takes on the ledgering rods but as the sun went down, and I continued with the crucians, I was treated to a real show from mother nature and some very nice clouds. Again no filter needed!