Throughout the venue good sized perch and bream are also being caught, although the secret for general pleasure fishing seems to be to fish fairly fine. Single red maggot or caster again proved to be the best baits in 2007 and so far this year.

Much of the pool is between four and five feet deep, although a former brook runs across the middle of the water from the inlet pipe to the jetty on the opposite bank. Here the pool bed slopes to eight feet in the central channel.

Apart from the pegs by the jetty which runs out into the pool from the bank nearest the farm, the pool is fairly snag free, although the carp can be quick off the mark when hooked. As a result it is adviseable to set the drag on your reel before settling down to wait for a run.

Both modern and traditional carping techniques work well on Carp Pool, as does fishing the pole or waggler. However, if going for the carp it pays to fish slightly heavier than when targeting the silver fish and tench using, say, 6lbs to 8lbs line strength and size 10 or 12 hooks if fishing luncheon meat, boilies or larger pellets.

Having said that, when it comes to baits Carp Pool is a water where virtually anything goes, although casters, maggots, sweetcorn and pastes are a regular favourite, both float-fished on the waggler and pole or when fished hard on the bottom on the leger.

In warmer weather Carp Pool can also be a decent floater water with dog biscuits or floating bread yielding good results when there are fewer anglers about.

When the fish can be seen cruising near the surface get them in the mood by firing out a few biscuits or pieces of bread and gently lob you own bait in amongst the free samples.

Fishing the margins can also be productive with either float tackle or floating baits.

With Mirror Carp to over 30lbs, a good number of bream to 6lbs-plus, perch which top the 4lb mark and a good head of crucians, roach and the occasional tench and rudd, Reed Pool fishes well on both caster and paste baits.

Also, the two side pools which run off the main lake are well worth a try, particularly for those looking to stalk carp with floating crust or dog biscuits dropped quietly over the reeds. Walk up the high bank between Reed Pool and Meadow Pool and the fish can often be seen cruising the margins, giving anglers a good vantage point for spotting their quarry.

With Wood Pool (see below), Reed Pool is full of character being virtually surrounded by trees and shrubs.

With beds of reed from which the water takes its name, plus inlets and backwaters, it offers plenty of scope and variety whilst recent bank clearance work has opened some of the swims which were previously unfishable and has greatly improved the water.

The layout of the water with its variety is not only intriguing but also offers great scope for stalking the fish. Newcomers to the water who are looking to settle down for a session are advised to walk around the pool to see all its facets as there are some delighful pegs which are not immediately obvious when you first come onto the water.

The layout of Reed Pool also means there are also loads of features to fish to.

Once again both pole and waggler work well for the silver fish with sweetcorn, bread, luncheon meat, pellets and maggots all being worth a try in addition to casters and paste baits.

When going for the carp, scale up the tackle a bit as the reed beds and lily pads all make great bolt holes for the fish once hooked.

In particular, the trees and shrubs on the centre island which runs along the spine of the lake have taken hold and are growing rapidly, making the island an obvious feature to fish to. Indeed, many anglers say that the best pegs to fish are those which give access to the rear of the island where the fish frequently shelter in the shade provided by the trees.

The pool is throwing up mirrors to over 27lbs and common carp to nearly 30lbs and anglers are reporting that other good spots include fishing on the sand bars which run into the pool from either end of the island.

Best baits for the carp are luncheon meat and dog and cat food together with pastes - the stinkier the better! It is also worth trying both boilies and pellets as well as more traditional baits such as bread, fished both on the bottom and on the surface, and sweetcorn.

As with the other Kingston Pools, single red maggot is also effective.

In addition to the carp, Meadow Pool holds a decent number of bream which now run to 6lbs.

Whether on the pole or waggler it generally pays to use lighter rather than heavier tackle and recently more fish seem to be being caught on short shank hooks. Another tip is, whatever species you are going for, it pays to have your last weight at least a foot from the hook.

Seven to eight feet deep at the farm end, Meadow Pool runs to only three feet at the end nearest Wood Pool.

Wood Pool also holds some good quality perch, although at times these can prove to be elusive and difficult to catch, as well as some nice quality roach and rudd.

About a third of an acre in size, the water's 4-5lb carp provide regular sport whilst the perch make Wood Pool an ideal place for younger anglers - float-fished single maggot normally guarantees a bagful and seems to work equally well for the bigger fish as it does for the smaller silvers.

Most of Wood Pool is three-to-four feet deep and only five feet at its deepest. Although float fishing is an obvious choice, legered swimfeeder is also effective with sweetcorn and pastes also being popular baits.

In warmer weather the carp can often be seen cruising near the surface which makes fishing a floating bait a delightful method of taking carp - although be warned, these fish are timid and once they spot movement on the bank will usually disappear from view.

Please note that the Multimap reference takes you to the main road at Lighthorne Heath. The fishery is actually located at Kingston Grange which is clearly shown.

Go back to Fisheries homepage