The fishing season so far ...

Posted 17/03/2026 : By: Will & Sarah Draper

The fishing season so far ... 

Our fisherman have made an impressive start to the year at Badwell Ash Holiday Lodges. The weather has not always been the kindest with rain and cold temperatures for much of January and February. But our guests have been undaunted, and carp, bream, roach and rudd have been coming out steadily as the fish emerge from their winter torpor. We had fish caught on Boxing Day and even a "snow carp" in February. 

It has started to warm up in March and at last we are seeing the sun on a fairly regular basis. As a result the water temperature is steadily rising, now at 9.5 degrees C, and to prove the point a lovely 3.5lbs tench was caught last weekend, we think the first red-eye of the season, which is a sure sign the warmer water is bringing hungry fish on to the feed after their long winter. The fish will now be seeking to pack on weight in the two or three months before spawning - when other things aside from food start to take priority. 

So far we have had carp to 17lbs, with some a bigger ones having been lost including one at the net after an epic battle on a pole, bream of 4lbs, and some impressive roach to over 1lbs. We were very pleased to see a 11lb carp caught in Kingfisher Lake on light tackle. Small hook baits and light feeding have been the successful tactics, with brown/black/dull colours working well in the clear water. Smaller boilies, pellets, and old faithfuls such as corn, maggot and bread have all worked. The fish are moving out of the deeper water into the margins and can be seen basking on the surface on the warmer afternoons that we are now getting. So, come and try your hand in our lakes and tight lines to all our guests!