Main Lake

About the Main Lake

This picturesque 4 acre Carp and Catfish specimen lake is well known for being one of the best and most prolific day ticket big fish waters in Kent and Sussex. With both Common and Mirror carp nudging the 40lb mark and Catfish to over 80lb this lake is definitely not for the faint hearted!

Current Lake records: 39lb 2oz Mirror caught by Paul Brown, 41lb 10oz Common caught by Simon Mehegan in May 2021, and an 84lb Catfish landed by Dave Leftley in August 2019!

NEW STOCKING: A whopping 110lb Catfish was added to Main Lake February 2024. Will you be the first to catch it?! For any anglers targetting catfish, we strongly recommend a minimum 50″ landing net, 3.25 test curve and an XXL padded Catfish mat. Please contact the bailiff on 07926 988 668 if you require assistance with any of the bigger residents. 

The lake is well established with attractive features such as reed lined edges, several islands, two bridges and lots of underwater features, giving anglers plenty of options to fish towards. The bottom of the lake is clay with silty areas and average depth of 5ft. The deepest depth is around 10ft in the corner where the outlet is and Catfish corner near swims 5 and 6 has deeper water which often holds some of our larger catfish. Round the islands are shallow at around 1.5 feet so it’s worth finding the bottom of the island shelf where is goes down to around 4-5 feet. The fish use these margins as patrol routes so they are well worth placing a bait near to. The banks are gravel lined so access is easy even in the worst of conditions there is parking nearby so you never need to transport your gear too far.

Strong tackle is a must and minimum tackle requirements do apply. A 42 inch specimen landing net and large unhooking mat are essential and a minimum of 15lb breaking strain mainline is also compulsory to help handle such large fish. For more information about tackle requirements please see rules section. There are 14 swims on this lake although we only allow 11 anglers on at any one time and it’s two rods max to reduce angling pressure.

Tips!

Main lake has many bottom and surface features which can unlock the secrets to having a successful session. If you go to our Facebook Page you will see in our photo albums an album of pictures entitled “Main Lake 2018 Drain Down!”. In this album there a several shots of the lake when it was drained in January 2018. This is invaluable information for finding out the contours of the bottom and can help you to work out the patrol routes of the carp.

As a rule, carp will follow a new wind in search of food that will be carried to the windward bank. If you keep an eye on the weather forecasts in the days leading up to your session you may be able to predict where the fish are most likely to be feeding. As a general rule when there’s high pressure the fish will come up in the water and also head to the shallower margins in order to feed more comfortably. When the pressure drops below 1000mb you can try to fish the deeper areas as the fish will move down in the water column to balance the pressure in their swim bladders. These are just general rules and like all things in fishing, nothing is a certainty but if you bear these things in mind at least you are doing all you can to be fishing the right areas.

For any anglers targetting catfish, we strongly recommend a minimum 50″ landing net, 3.25 test curve and an XXL padded Catfish mat. Catfish now reach 110lb in Main Lake so it is best to be prepared. Please contact the bailiff on 07926 988 668 if you require assistance with any of the bigger residents. 

As far as bait goes, all good quality boilies will work and pellets and particles are also popular. Light baiting is the way to go until you discover how the fish are feeding and depending on the length of your session you can use more bait in the hope to get more fish feeding. Remember you can’t take it out once it’s gone in so fish for one fish at a time until you’re sure they are in the mood for a feed. Also remember that the lakes are fished regularly and the angler before you may have put bait in an area so look for signs of feeding fish in your swim before you start baiting up an area that you’ve chosen as you could be competing with existing bait.

In the colder months, maggots are worth a try as the smaller fish will be less active but boilies are the best way to go if you’re after big carp. The catfish respond well to Halibut pellets and luncheon meat but will take most baits.

Please be aware that all of our lakes are annually treated with blue dye to prevent algae blooms throughout the Summer. This is usually carried out April/May depending on the weather. This treatment has absolutely no affect on fishing or catch rates.

 

How to Book!

Sessions must be booked in advance and paid for in full upon booking. Bookings can be made over the phone during office hours, or online via Swimbooker.

Refunds

All bookings are final; no refunds or moving of dates are allowed.

If you are unable to make your session or if you have to leave during your session for any reason, unfortunately we are unable to issue a refund. However, if adverse weather conditions occur that cause the lakes to become un-fishable please contact the office on the number below to reschedule your session.