Newland hall fisheries

Situated about 10miles from Chelmsford, Newlands Hall provides Essex anglers with a chance to get amongst some carp and get a quick bite.
It is not such a challenge as some complexes, but makes a good winter water when a fish of any sort is welcome.
It is heavily stocked with commons and mirrors to the mid doubles with 15lbs being an average fish.

On the complex, there are four lakes, Park lake, a small water good for beginners with carp averaging 6lb, Moat lake, large than park lake and excellent for surface fishing for carp to 16lb (well 16's the biggest I've caught from moat lake), brook lake, the largest non-syndicate water on the complex with carp to the mid doubles, and finally osiers lake which is a specimen carp syndicate for members only



On moat and park lakes, the margins produce the better fish but on brook lake, using open water with pva bags over gravel seems to sort out the larger carp.

Fennes Fisheries reviewed: Ash Grounds

Ash Grounds is on the Fennes complex in Braintree, Essex.
Ash Grounds holds a wide range of species including perch, roach, Rudd, tench, large bream and of course, some nice common and mirror carp to the mid twenty's.
it is not a huge lake but offers a variety of features to suit different approaches. The deeper water can be found closer to the car park but the larger carp usually stick to the areas further away until early evening due to pressure.

In summer, the carp tend to stay next to the islands or in the reed beds. If you use a maggot or particle approach in open water, you will get large shoals of bream eating the bait, which is fine if you just want a bite, but not when trying to catch big carp.

I don't advise using strawberry or scopex boilies if you don't want bream or tench because sweeter baits tend to bring other species.

One way to get around the bream is use pink pop ups which for some reason, the bream don't touch although they take yellow, red, brown and orange pop ups without hesitation.

It is a good water just for a bite but some of the larger ones won't give themselves up so easily.

Fish close to features with a smelly bait and you will catch.