Star Carr Lakes

The Clay Pool

This man-made, reed fringed 1.2 acre water has a clay lined base and is situated on the south west of the complex. It can be seen on the far right as you enter the site, directly behind The Gravel Pit.

At first glance it could be mistaken for a commercial carp bagging water but it offers so much more. The pool level is about 400mm higher than the surrounding water table and separated from the gravel pits by a clay embankment.

Originally it had just seven pegs and was considered little more than a muddy puddle with a small derelict trout farm separating it from The Gravel Pit. But removal of all but one earth walkway effectively doubled the size of the original pond while leaving a wildlife island in the middle. The old timber fishing platforms were replaced with clay pegs with timber frontage so every angler can enjoy solid ground close to the water. It now offers 15 pegs and is set out so no angler is facing another and everyone can fish to the far bank.

At two rod lengths out it averages about 4ft and drops to 7ft in the middle. Excavated areas also drop down to 6ft, leaving enough depth and volume to cope with a harsh winter. In the past decade, many fish have been moved and the lake has undergone extensive netting to develop it into a true mixed coarse fishery.

Each dip of the float may produce common, mirror and ghost carp to 5lb, tench or bream to 4lb, crucians to 1.5lb, ide to 2.5lb, perch to 2.5lb, roach and rudd over 1lb, the occasional golden tench, stunning golden rudd and even the occasional barbel.

In the warmer months, mixed species bags of 100lb+ are achievable and don’t be surprised to take 40+ tench in a single session while November to March can yield decent catches of silvers.

Baits and tactics

Stay quiet and drop a pole float or waggler in the near side margin for carp and tench literally feeding at the base of the toe boards but use bigger baits like meat or larger pellets to deter the smaller fish.

A short pole with 14 grey Hydro, 0.17mm line and a size 14 should do the trick. Quality summer roach and rudd can be taken on the short pole fishing straight to hand on light rigs using pellets, maggots, casters or punched bread. Or drop a small method feeder tight to the far margin or feeder or waggler in the middle for plenty of sport from carp, tench and bream. Try a hair-rigged prawn to tempt some of the large perch that patrol the margins in summer.

The Pit

The smaller of two gravel pits to the west is found on the right-hand side as you drive in. A traditional gravel pit of around 2.5 acres, it has a shallow bay at the eastern end, reed fringed margins and shelves that tumble down into the depths so plumbing around is time well spent to find these features.

For many years only 20 per cent of the bank side could be accessed with just six pegs on the whole lake but extra land has opened everything up, generating a further 17 pegs. In addition, the old timber platforms were re-built in clay with timber frontage. The north bank has been left as a dense woodland and wildlife habitat and is inaccessible to anglers.

The average depth of water at one rod length out is around 8-12ft while the middle averages 22-23ft. There are some carp into double figures with plenty of 3-5lb fish, a very good head of tench including fish over the 7lb mark plus loads of bream weighing in at around 3-5lb, not to mention roach, rudd, a few golden tench and some large perch. Bags of 100lb+ bream are common, with the previous owner claiming 105 fish for over 350lb.

Baits and tactics

Depending on the season (and temperature) the bream are often in the deepest water and far side margins and taken on the method feeder or on the near side marginal shelves on feeder and pole. There are several pegs where you can fish tight to the margins in 8-10ft of water for the tench but generally they are mixed in with the bream shoals.

The most productive method is a 3og pellet feeder loaded with 2mm pellets and a 150mm tail. Hard hook baits in summer to deter the roach are 8-10mm pellets while the winter bream prefer smaller or natural baits like maggots and worms. This is an ideal venue for a 15ft waggler or standard 13ft float rod presenting a slider, Polaris or even float ledgering with a cage feeder to get the groundbait onto the deck.

Mirror Pool

On the left-hand side as you drive down the approach road, this water is around 4.5 acres and has been left as traditional deep water gravel pit, with reed-fringed margins on all sides, gravel bars and steep shelves that tumble down to depths exceeding 30ft.

For many years it was a fly fishing venue but now this water boasts 10 carp fishing pegs with gentle ramps although a large portion is off limits to anglers, giving the carp a sanctuary away from angling pressure.

The average depth of water at one rod length out is around 10-16ft, the middle of the pit averages around 22-25ft and in remote areas the depths plummet beyond 30 ft. It has a reputation as a wild and relatively unexplored water and due to it’s depths fishes well all year round. There is a good head of carp, which have been transferred from the other pools into Mirror pool, making it a dedicated carp lake.

Accommodation

There are two self-catering timber lodges available for guests to stay in, set beside Clay Pool. Fishing at the venue’s lakes is free for staying guests. Since Star Carr Lakes is only open for day tickets on three days – Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday – guests effectively enjoy private fishing for the remainder of the week.

The main lodge, a spacious timber cabin offering around 2,100 sq ft of living space, boasts three bedrooms (twin beds or doubles in each) and includes heating, a well-equipped open-plan kitchen with a comfortable lounge, dining room and sun room. Additionally, there is now a self-contained annex, which has been recently modernised and contains a bedroom (sleeps two), bathroom, open-plan kitchen lounge with a sofa bed.

The lodges can be booked out separately or together. If choosing the latter, then the accommodation is suitable for up to eight people. There is a minimum of three-nights’ stay and the lodges are priced at £150 a night for the larger one or £100 a night for the annex.