The reservoir is perhaps best known amongst match anglers with whom its popularity can be judged by the fact that the venue is regularly fully booked at weekends. Its reputation as a pleasure venue means it is also becoming more popular during the week, although with 65 acres to go at it is still an ideal water for the solitary pleasure angler who wants to be sure of a good day's fishing away from the crowds.

And the fishing is so good that, although two rods are allowed, very few anglers dare use more than one rod in case they end up with a fish on each line at the same time.

Served by car parks at either end of the road dam wall, all the pegs at Boddington can be reached by a footpath.

Angling is not allowed on the left bank of the reservoir by the Sailing Club - members of which stay well away from anglers when on the water - or on the part of the left bank which forms the Byfield Reservoir Nature Reserve - Byfield Reservoir being a smaller water which adjoins the main Boddington Reservoir.

Fishing is also not permitted along the very far right hand bank, but has now been opened on the top left hand bank between the sailing club and the dam wall. This means that about half the water is now available for fishing - some 120 pegs - with an average water depth of six to eight feet about a pole length out.

Despite its size, most match anglers fish Boddington on a seven or eight metre pole because whether you are in a competition or fishing purely for pleasure, you do not need to cast any distance to get into the fish.

Having said that, two new alternatives emerged in 2007 with both the infamous bagging waggler - so productive at British Waterways other reservoirs at Earlswood, Clattercote and Drayton - and the new floating candle for presenting surface baits, both being increasingly used by Boddington regulars to great effect.

Most popular baits tend to be sweetcorn, pellet, paste or bread although you will probably catch on anything as long as you remember to feed. Having selected your swim, put in a small amount of groundbait laced with loose offerings before tackling up. It usually takes the fish less than half an hour to find a baited swim so you shouldn't have long to wait once you start fishing. To stop the fish from wandering off it also pays to feed regularly with a small amound of groundbait and offerings virtually every cast.

The same applies when waggler fishing. However, because there is a large expanse of open water the surface wind often creates a tow in the water and it therefore pays to set some shot well down the line to hold the bait and float in the swim.

Because of the large head of carp in Boddington, other popular techniques with pleasure anglers are the groundbait and method feeder, but whichever way you fish it pays to remember that you don't have to go a long way out to find the fish... bait up and they will come to you.

The only drawback with being a solitary angler on Boddington is the healthy head of ducks, a few swans who know that wherever there is an angler there is food - and the host of geese who tend to leave anglers well alone but who can provide somewhat noisy entertainment as they squabble amongst themselves.

Although the carp in particular can be seen rolling and taking food off the surface in warmer weather, the presence of the birdlife really rules out the possibility of fishing floating baits.

Keepnets are not allowed except during matches and Boddington is a barbless hooks only water. Anglers are not allowed to use nuts, chickpeas or braid as the hooklength.

From the M1, exit at Junction 18 and follow the signs for the A361. Pass Drayton Reservoir and go through Daventry keeping on the A361 to Byfield. At Byfield, take the first right and the reservoir is on the left hand side.

From the M40, leave at Junction 11 and take the A361 north to Byfield, turning left in Byfield following the signs for Boddington village and the reservoir is on the left hand side.

Click on the map for a better image.