Surprisingly, Willow is probably the least fished of all the Kingfisher waters, although this is put down to the fact that the predominant species in it are tench which can sometimes be even more secretive and difficult to catch than the carp.

However, because there are plenty of tench to 9lbs anglers can expect some spectacular catches of up to 100lbs of fish when they are feeding.

Because of its depth, Willow Lake responds well to fishing the feeder with sweetcorn or small 10mm boilies both popular baits. Fishing a float close to the overhanging willows can also account for plenty of fish with sweetcorn, small boilies, worm, maggots, casters, soft hooker pellets and bread all being baits which take fish on their day.

Fishing on Willow is said to be best either early in the morning or late afternoon through to nightfall, although because it is a tench water this is probably not surprising.

In addition to the tench, Willow also holds plenty of small roach, but nothing particularly large, plus a few large carp to about 30lbs - although these are rarely fished for. Surprisingly, there are very few small or mid-sized carp in the water, so if you hook one it is more than likely to be a big one.

Because of the variation in depths it is well worth plumbing the depth before fishing to find the deeper parts of the water in winter and the warmer, shallower parts in summer.

When float fishing for the tench it pays to leave about eight inches between the hook and the bottom shot and to feed little and often, gradually laying down a small carpet of groundbait and hook samples to attract the fish and keep them in our swim.

It is also worth spending a little time walking round the water quietly before starting to fish to see if there are any tell-tale signs of the tench bubbling or of carp feeding on the surface either close in to the margins or out by the island.

If you come across surface feeding fish a few dog biscuits or pieces of floating crust should keep them occupied whilst you tackle up and prepare to get stuck in. However, because the banks are fairly open, it pays to tackle up away from the water and approach the bankside with stealth to avoid scaring any fish which may be in by the side.

With a central island to fish to and beds of lily pads, it is much shallower than Kingfisher Lake with much of it being between three and five feet deep, making it an ideal water for float fishing with either pole or waggler.

Lily Lake holds a large stock of small common and mirror carp averaging 4lbs to 5lbs with a good head of fish between 10lbs and the mid-20s which give anglers something substantial to go for and make the water ideal for pleasure carp anglers going after fish over 20lbs.

Once again there is also a nice stock of tench which average about 4lbs but which run to 7lbs together with lots of silver fish including roach to about 1lb but averaging 8oz, skimmers and bream to about 4lbs. Lily also holds a few perch and pike.

Having said that, it is usually the carp and tench which attract anglers to this lake because there are large numbers of both species which are relatively easy to catch.

Once again it pays not to over feed your chosen swim, throwing or cupping in a few handfuls of groundbait mixed with hook samples before you start and then topping up with a few samples of hookbait during the session to keep the fish interested in staying in your chosen area.

Because Lily Lake has a lot of fish to double figures it is suitable for pole, waggler or fishing the swimfeeder, although pole anglers after the bigger fish should use a carp pole set up with a suitably heavy rig to prevent being broken when they hook into a fish.

Once again fishing on the surface or on the bottom work well with dog biscuits and bread being good floating baits and sweetcorn, soft hooker pellets, luncheon meat, boilies and maggots good all round baits for both the tench and the carp.

Despite this, and the fact that in summer it can become quite heavily weeded, it is one of the most popular, again being close to the apartments.

Shallowest at the entrance end where about two feet of water can be found, the bottom shelves off to about eight feet deep at the far end by the carp clubhouse.

Lobster Pot has very large head of small common and mirror carp up to 10lbs as well as a good head of tench which occasionally go to 8lbs and a small number of decent sized perch to about 2lbs. In addition, there are also some roach between 8oz and 12oz, the occasional bream and some small pike.

A perfect float fishing water for either pole or waggler, Lobster Pot responds well to sweetcorn, maggots, luncheon meat, 10mm boilies and soft hooker pellets and it is recommended that anglers use 4lb to 5lb line fished straight through to a Size 14 or 16 hook.

Unlike most of the other Kingfisher lakes, Lobster Pot also responds well to quite heavy groundbaiting because of the large number of fish in the water.

When fishing Lobster Pot it is always worth checking out the water to see if you can spot fish near the surface. These usually quite readily take floating crust and dog biscuits whilst feeding tench quite often give their presence away by bubbling furiously.

Because Lobster Pot is so heavily stocked, with Lily Lake it makes a perfect water for children and novice anglers who want to catch a lot of fish quite quickly. It is also an ideal water for families because they don't need to travel far to put in a brief two hour session before breakfast or after dinner.

A stunningly beautiful river, the Kingfisher stretch of the Wensum varies between shallow fast-flowing reaches, four to five feet deep glides and deep holes on the bends where depths can reach as much as eight or nine feet.

Not only is the river very attractive, it also holds some lovely fish including roach to a good 2lbs; chub to an impressive 7lbs with plenty of fish between 5lbs and 6lbs; a few big river bream to about 12lbs in the slower stretches; a few pike; good stocks of dace; some nice perch to 2lbs and one or two barbel.

In summer when the weather is drier, the river can become very clear, making it essential to take advantage of any available bankside cover and tread lightly. At these times fish can be spotted and stalked.

At other times of the year the water is much cloudier which makes for easier fishing, as the weed also dies down.

Whichever time of year you are fishing, trotting a stick float and red or white maggot downstream through the glides is usually very successful for the chub, dace and roach, especially when fished on a 3lb line and Size 16 hook.

When fishing the deeper holes the quiver tip is a suitable alternative with a bait of bread flake, maggots, luncheon meat or sweetcorn.

Visit Kingfisher Apartments' own website Kingfisher Lakes and Apartments' own websites enables visitors to check availability of accommodation at the venue and make a booking over the Internet as well as find out more information on prices, the facilities on offer, and read John Bailey's frequently updated reports on the fishing. In addition, it details extras which can be included in your angling break as well as giving details about fractional ownership of the accommodation and an inside view on the wildlife to be found on the 65-acre estate. The site can be found at www.kingfisherapartments.co.uk.

How to get there... Lyng is a short drive off the main A47 between King's Lynn and Norwich. After leaving King's Lynn on the A47 signed Norwich continue for about 30 miles driving through Swaffham and East Dereham. After passing through Etting Green take the left turn off the A47 onto the B1110 and follow the signs for Elsing and then Lyng. As you arrive at the T-junction on entering Lyng you will see the entrance to Kingfisher Lakes and Apartments directly in front of you. Click here for information and photographs of the accommodation at Kingfisher Apartments Click here to see some more Kingfisher Lakes fish Go back to Fisheries homepage