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Baggin’ Up Advice For Whitmore Fisheries

whitmore fisheries

The Insider’s Guide to Whitmore Fisheries

 

Located in Greenhalgh, near Preston (PR4 3HQ), Whitmore Fisheries is one of the North West’s premier commercial venues. It offers a mix of established canals, open water lakes, and intimate pools. While heavily stocked, it can be a tricky venue if you don’t adhere to their specific (and strict) bait rules.

 

Here is how to get the best out of your session.

 

📍 The Lakes & Tactics

 

Whitmore has roughly 12 waters, but these are the main ones you should focus on and how to fish them.

 

1. The East Lake (The “Barbel” Water)

 

This is arguably the most popular lake for pleasure anglers.

  • Target Species: Hard-fighting Barbel (up to 9lb), Carp (up to 14lb), and Tench.

     

  • Best Tactic: The Barbel here patrol the margins and the bottom of the near shelf. You do not need to cast to the horizon. A pole line at 5–6 metres or a short waggler right down the edge is deadly.

  • Warning: Hold your rod! The Barbel bites are explosive and will drag unattended rods in.

 

2. The Doughnut (The Island Water)

 

A circular canal-style lake with a large central island.

 

  • Target Species: Carp, Ghost Carp, and Ide.

  • Best Tactic: You have two main options:

    1. The Island: A Method feeder or straight lead cast tight to the island is the number one tactic for carp.

    2. The Track: Pole fishing down the middle “track” (the deepest part) works well for silvers and Ide in cooler weather.

 

3. The Basin (The “Big Fish” Water)

 

A deep, open water lake with a sloping bottom.

  • Target Species: Specimen Carp (up to 27lb) and large Barbel.

  • Best Tactic: Accuracy is key here because of the sloping bottom. Use a plummet to find a flat spot or the bottom of the shelf. If you fish on the slope, your bait will roll away, and your presentation will be poor.

 

4. The Coliseum

 

A purpose-built match style lake.

  • Best Tactic: This lake responds well to “Splash Waggler” tactics in summer (fishing shallow with pellets). Alternatively, fish the pole at 13m or 14.5m against features.

 

5. The Canals (Club, East, Hedge)

 

Perfect for beginners or winter fishing.

  • Best Tactic: These are 10-12m wide. You don’t need heavy gear. A light pole rig with a lighter elastic (Size 8-10) is perfect for catching F1s, Roach, and Skimmers all day.

 

🚫 The Golden Rules (Crucial!)

 

Whitmore has stricter rules than many other commercials. Ignorance of these will get you banned.

  • Bait Bans: This is the big one.

    • NO Meat (Luncheon meat, pepperoni, etc.)

       

    • NO Boilies

    • NO Hemp or Nuts

       

    • NO Groundbait

    • NO Paste

       

    • NO Artificial baits (plastic corn, etc.)

    • NO Floating baits (dog biscuits, floating bread).

       

  • Pellet Rule: You must use branded carp pellets or those purchased on-site. Cheap, unbranded pellets are often disallowed to protect water quality.

     

  • Hooks: Barbless hooks only.

     

  • Nets: You must dip your landing net in the tanks provided before going to your peg. Keepnets are usually not allowed for pleasure anglers (matches only).

     
     

  • Rigs: All feeders and leads must be free-running (safe rigs). No fixed bolt rigs.

     

 

🎣 Seasonal Bait & Technique Guide

 

Because you cannot use groundbait or boilies, your approach must be much more refined.

 

Summer Tactics (May – September)

 

  • Best Bait: Pellets (4mm and 6mm) and Sweetcorn.

  • The “Slop” Cloud: Since you can’t use groundbait, many anglers soak their micro pellets until they are mushy and feed them as a cloud to attract fish shallow without overfeeding them.

  • Technique: Fish shallow. The carp at Whitmore will come up in the water. Frequent feeding (3-4 pellets every minute) is better than dumping a handful every 10 minutes.

 

Winter Tactics (October – March)

 

  • Best Bait: Maggots (Red/White) and Casters.

  • Technique: Scale down your tackle.

    • Lines: Drop your hooklength to 0.10mm or 0.12mm.

    • Hooks: Use a size 18 or 20 hook (e.g., Kamasan B911 F1).

    • Location: Fish the deeper water (The Canals or the “track” in the Doughnut) rather than the shallow margins. The fish will shoal up tightly, so if you don’t get a bite in 20 minutes, move pegs or try a different line.

 

🎒 Recommended Tackle Setup

 
 

 

You don’t need heavy carp gear here.

  1. The Rod: A 10ft or 11ft Pellet Waggler Rod is the most versatile tool for Whitmore. It handles the F1s but has the backbone for the double-figure carp in the Basin.

  2. The Pole: If you have a pole, this is the best method for the Canals and East Lake margins. You need only fish 6–11 metres out.

  3. Line Strength:

    • Summer: 6lb–8lb mainline.

    • Winter: 4lb–5lb mainline.

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