Enjoy FREE fishing at Hillview Lakes Visitors to Fisheries.co.uk can receive one free fishing permit per cabin on Hillview Lakes holiday bookings taken between June 6 and the end of August 2009. It is essential to quote this Fisheries.co.uk offer when booking. In addition, anyone who books a 2010 stay at Hillview Lakes can enjoy their holiday break at 2009 prices. To take advantage of either of these special offers, just contact Hillview Lakes and mention the Fisheries.co.uk promotion. Enjoy your stay!

As a general rule there are no particular snags when fishing the lakes at Hillview. However, anglers fishing near the aerators should remeber that the fish know where the electric cables run to the bottom and that, once hooked, they will invartiably try to swim round them to snag anglers' lines and get free.

About 80 per cent of the fish in Moorhen are common, mirror, ghost or crucian carp, the commons and mirrors being the biggest running to 20lbs, although the average is probably between 3lbs and 4lbs. The ghosties run to 18lbs and average about 4lbs 8oz whilst the crucians, which were amongst the first fish to be stocked in Moorhen, run between 1lb 8oz and 3lbs.

The remaining 20 per cent of the fish are made up fairly equally of silver orfe between 2lbs and 4lbs 8oz, bream from skimmers to 4lbs, roach and rudd to 1lb 8oz and some handsome perch which have been caught at just over 4lbs and which average between 2lbs and 4lbs - good fighting fish by any standards.

Immediately out from the bank Moorhen shelves down to about four feet deep about nine feet out with the remainder of the pool being about six feet deep.

Suitable for pole, waggler or swimfeeder, Moorhen is a good option for winter fishing as it is a little deeper than Heron Lake. With no particular hot spots anglers stand an equal chance of catching wherever they fish.

In summer it usually pays to fish the margins or within six feet of the bank on the bottom or up in the water when the sun is out and the fish are cruising just under the surface. Although floating baits are not allowed, regular feeding with small amounts of hookbait and fishing a foot to two feet deep in warm weather should keep the fish around you.

For the remainder of the time, put down a bed of Hillview's feeder pellets or hook samples and fish over them using meat baits, sweetcorn or soft hooker pellets for the carp and casters and maggots for the silver fish.

Maggots and casters are also good for all species in winter, as is sweetcorn which seems to be a popular year-round bait at Hillview although meat rarely does the trick in cold weather. In winter it can also pay to fish towards the islands with the waggler or swimfeeder packed with hook samples, although fish can usually always be found in deeper water in winter.

Stocked to a similar ratio, Heron can be fished using the same baits and techniques.

Again Heron can be classed as an easy water because the large number of fish means that anglers don't have to go in search of their quarry, start feeding with pellets or hook samples and they should soon come to you.

However, because there are no particular features to hold the fish in any one area for long, you should again keep feeding little and often to hold the fish in your swim once you start catching - if you don't they will probably quickly move on to the angler next to you who is doing a better job of feeding them!

Once again, soft hooker pellets, luncheon meat, maggots, casters and corn are all good baits fished in close to the side or out to the islands.

Pole, waggler and swimfeeder are again favourites, but because anglers are not permitted to use groundbait at Hillview Lakes swimfeeders should be packed with hook samples. Anglers wanting to get far out into open water are probably best advised to use a loaded waggler and to try to be as accurate as possible when catapulting feeder pellets or hook samples into their swim.

Soft hooker pellets, maggots, casters, worm and corn are all good baits and in warmer weather it is well worth fishing close in on the shallower parts of the lake as the fish have been seen milling around in the mud looking for food.

The trees and bankside vegetation which line the near bank provide plenty of cover whilst the far bank is more open. And with the chance of catching some of the bigger fish which make their way into Pleasure Lake from Specimen Lake, this is very much a water to keep your eyes on.

All four have been built to the same design having a shallow ledge along the pegside banks before dropping off quickly to a maximum depth of about five to six feet. The bottom then rises in two steps to the far bank, the first being about three feet six inches deep and the second about a foot deep immediately off the far bank.

In summer it pays to fish eiter close in to the near bank or right up to the reeds on the far side, the pole enabling anglers to get right onto the one-foot deep ledge where the fish can often be found feeding.

Whether fishing for pleasure or in a match, it is recommended that anglers start fishing on the far side and then gradually bring the fish over to their feet as the day goes on.

In winter start fishing on the three-foot-six shelf slightly out from the far bank and then drop into the deeper water in the centre.

When fishing matches at Hillview Lakes it pays to remember that the rules are slightly different than for pleasure anglers. All baits must sink and no liquidised or riddled baits should be used. All soil or peat must be emoved from worms and no bloodworm or jokers can be used.

For match anglers, Hillview Lakes holds regular Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday Open Matches. The draw for all three is taken at 9.30am in the club room with fishing from 10.30am until 3.30pm. The cost is £15.50 all-in, including entry to the Bonus Peg which for Pegs 11 to 20 is £150.00 and for Pegs 20 upwards £300.

Best baits for summner tend to be luncheon meat, sweetcorn and chopped worm whilst in winter maggots, casters and worm all come into their own.

Visit Hillview Lakes on the Net Hillview Lakes have their own website which can be found at www.hillviewlakes.biz. Although the site currently focuses on the accommodation at the fishery, and includes an up-to-date price list and booking form, further information on the angling will be added later this summer.

How to get there...

Twyning is just off Junction 1 of the M50 motorway. Travelling north or south on the M5, join the M50 motorway and leave at the first junction signed Tewkesbury (A38). At the roundabout take the second exit onto the A38 heading for Twyning and you will see the entrance to Hillview Lakes and Nursery signed on the left hand side as you come round a bend.

Turn left and immediately right into the drive to the nursery. There is car parking all along by the greehnhouses and beyond. The lakes are up to the left.

Click on the map to the above for more detail.

Go back to Fisheries homepage