Staveley Lakes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Staveley Lakes

Staveley Lakes is a Bradford City Angling Association coarse fishing water but if you fancy a challenge with your fly gear it’s well worth a go as there are plenty of big carp to test your skills and tackle. There are two lakes, large and small. The smaller lake has the bigger carp but there are a lot of them in both. There are no day tickets available but annual club membership costs little more than a day at many trout waters, at £38.00 for adults, £24.00 concessions and £5 for juniors (Correct 2016). The lakes contain carp, tench, bream, chub, roach, rudd, ide, perch and pike. I often take my fly rod when coarse fishing for the other species and as I do all my work from a laptop it makes for a great day at the office![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”295,294,297,300″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Fly fishing for carp is a great option for mid summer when the water is often too warm for the trout but carp love cruising around on the top in hot weather. They aren’t always feeding but they are easy to spot.

I’d recommend a 9ft to 10ft 7 – 10 weight fly rod although you will need to tailor this to the size of fish you expect to catch and how snaggy the area is that you are fishing. Match the rod with a good fly reel with a smooth powerful drag and a floating fly line. I usually use a level leader of 10lb co-polymer or nylon about the length of the rod. Fluorocarbon is invisible but sinks so is not ideal as it can spook the fish when they cruise along just below the surface.

At the hook end you can either use a floating deer hair dog biscuit fly, large bushy fly or beetle type patterns. Another option is to use dog biscuits on a strong size 6 or 8 hook. It’s almost impossible to hook a dog biscuit in the normal fashion so a hair rig is essential and the knotless knot is ideal and easy to tie. You will need a small bait drill to make a hole in the biscuit through which you pass the “hair” and secure it with a bait stop through the loop.

 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”303,292,293″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]You will need to keep them buoyant, either by using floatant on your fly or changing your biscuit every 15 minutes or so. Throw in a few dog biscuits and when you have them feeding confidently, cast amongst them. Carp may refuse the fly if it’s not floating alongside the biscuits you are imitating. I can recommend Pedigree Mixer and Bakers Complete dog food as a good size and for decent “floatability” – a small pack will last you ages.

There aren’t many places you can get a good back cast so a roll cast is ideal – you don’t need to cast far as the fish will often come right in to the bank. You will need an unhooking mat and a decent sized landing net to comply with most carp fishery rules.

I bet you’ve never seen this before! A 3 inch baby pike stalking a moth as it tries to escape from the water.

image[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]