ANGLING HEAVEN

I’m guessing that I’m no different to many anglers by having my favourite places to fish and one of these is certainly the Wimborne and District Angling Clubs' Pinnock Lakes at Edmondsham … but why?

If peace and tranquility in beautiful countryside is what floats your boat, then this is the ideal place to while away a few hours … and when the fish are those most desirable tench and crucians, heaven is close by.

Arrive at dawn and the only sound is bird song and the clucking of moorhens, along with the muffled curses of our Hon Sec. Stuart Hitchman whose tackle has just been trashed by a fiesty tench ... but he still loves the place too.

The crystal clear water is weedy, so the ideal home for this summer bounty and I find a little rake on the end of a landing net pole is sufficient to clear a narrow channel close to the edge into which to drop a tiny float.

A smattering of fine groundbait, a few small pellets and a trickle of maggots and it’s a bite a chuck because the tench and crucians have bred profusely in the rich water and there’s lots of them. 

Most of these bars of gold are like small jewels but if you hook a proper one you are in trouble as they have taken lessons from Popeye and fight like stink.

If you like bigger fish then the club recently stocked over thirty good ‘uns which will test your tackle to the max. The crucians are growing on well too, one lucky member catching two of a pound and a half last year. I’ve found bits of worm or small banded pellets sort out the bigger ones but when fishing in such idyllic surroundings, size hardly matters.

Since it’s creation a couple of years back, the top lake called Medleys is developing very nicely and the club also have plans to carry out a complete refurbishment of the bottom lake, called Julia’s in honour of the owner. If it ends up mimicking the top lake plus more species for variety such as roach and perch, then we’re in for a real treat.

Many of my friends have enjoyed splendid fishing up there and I think their smiles suggest that they too think they’ve discovered a little bit of heaven.

The club will always be grateful to the Angling Trust through the Angling Development Fund and the Environment Agency for making the creation of this lake possible .