The Approach Fisheries

Been a while since I’ve seen a forty out on Father’s Day.

It’s been a while since I’ve put any pictures up too, now that I think about it, so here’s a few more while I’m here.

I’ll post some more once I’ve finished brewing.

Think this is the latest date I’ve posited on the lake page since Facebook existed lol.
Forget the January posts, they’re a new thing, no winter form to see here.
I was going to tell you I’ve been a busy boy but I think that excuse has worn a bit thin.
Took this picture last Saturday, two different forty’s out of both lakes recently, ‘One Eye’ out of the Troutie at 53. Other than that nothing major to report, not this month anyway.
Might be worth checking in on the 16th of next month though, something’s brewing. X

Well, I might be tempting fate here. This is the first January in years that we haven’t flooded so I’m going to be running a series of work parties on Willows this Winter.
We will no longer be taking any new members on there unless they have completed a minimum of 5 work parties.
On the plus side you will not have to pay a membership fee anymore and the work parties will only involve four hours of actual work each day.
You can use the other 20 hours each day to get to know the place ready for next years campaign and maybe even catch a fish or two while you’re at.
Obviously it’s 25 acres with 20 pegs so numbers will be limited, if you’re interested feel free to email me at [email protected] with your name, contact details and the dates that you’re available to do work parties through January and February.

I know it was only a few days ago that I said I didn’t like spamming you with fish pictures. Truth is, the complex gets way too busy when I do. There were loads out last year that I didn’t put on social media for exactly that reason.
Here’s a few fish, caught during the same session in October that I probably should have shown you at the time.
The picture of the common is Connor Hatton, getting one over on his dad with the biggest fish of the trip, ‘One eye’ at 54lb.
There certainly weren’t many that managed to do that last year, his dad’s a machine.
Big up ‘Scott Hatton’ think I’ve got more pictures of you on my phone than I have my kids at this stage.

Don’t like spamming you with fish pictures but I couldn’t let this one go without wishing you all a happy new year.
Jack Barrow’s been having it right off on Willows again, I’ll let him tell you about in his own words.

‘With my annual trip between Christmas and the new year coming up, i decided to jump on ‘Willows’. I arrived on the 27th around 14.30 with 48 hours ahead of me.

Once I got to the lake, the light was fading fast, so I opted to fish the central body of water to begin with where I previously had a 20 fish hit at the start of november.

Within an hour off getting the rods out, I was away. Rod back out on the spot, and 5 mins later, the same rod rattles off again. I then moved another rod on the spot and had 2 more bites within the next hour, 1 on each rod.

2 mid-20s, a double and the biggest of the session at 38lb 12oz landed within 3ish hours of having the rods out. Buzzing.

I managed a further 11 takes within the first 24 hours.

At this point, I opted to just use 2 rods and have the 3rd wrapped and ready to go as soon as I landed a fish.

Once the bites started to dry up, I started to move around the lake and make the most of the empty banks. I caught fish in 5 different pegs and areas of the lake.

The 48-hour session turned to 96 ha, and I managed to keep plucking them off till I left on New years Eve.

Even after temperatures dropped down to minus 4 and sheets off patchy ice coverd the surface of the lake.

In the end, I managed 21 takes, landing 17 to 38lb 12oz.

The majority of the captures are 20lb +, with 3 over 25lb and 2 being over 30lb.

What a pit willow is, I have had some great sessions on there over the last 2 seasons and topped it off with my best winter session to date.

It was a great session to leave 2025’