12 June, 2023 | Match & Coarse | Tips | Articles

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Alex Dockerty – How To Fish Loco Lake at Lindholme

In this brand new series, match star Alex Dockerty takes us through each lake at Lindholme Lakes Country Park and explains the tactics and baits you can use to enjoy a bumper day’s sport. In part 1 of the series, Alex discusses all things Loco…

 

Alex says…

Having just finished the Drennan spring festival at Lindholme, I thought now would be a great time to talk about how I approach the various lakes here on site. The info provided should hopefully be able to give you a hand with any upcoming matches or events you might be fishing over the coming months.

 

First up I’ll start with my favourite lake – Loco! The beauty of this lake is that it lends itself to a number of approaches. At this time of year the most prevalent being shallow fishing on a waggler or the pole.

 

Pellets maggots and casters are all perfect for this. With 8mm pellets being suitable for the waggler/bomb line as there are some large carp in this lake in excess of 20lb meaning the bigger pellets are perfect for these.

Often I’ll add an oil to the pellet to help achieve extra distance and I’ve found the Tiger Nut Evolution Oil is perfect for this as it isn’t too dense and absorbs into the pellet nicely.

 

 

Another nice little trick is to have an alternative hookbait which can often pinch you an extra fish or two. A red-coloured pellet has made a huge difference for me over the last few years and either a Source or Robin Red 8mm on both bomb and waggler set ups can just get you that extra bite when you need it. Even switching to a double red pellet on the band has proved invaluable at times to help select those larger fish. 

 

 

In terms of fishing shallow on the pole, the predominant species you’re likely to catch are F1s… these however are massive! The average stamp is ridiculous so you don’t need many. I’d go as far to say 2 F1’s will amount to the same weight as an average-sized carp on Loco.. Often due to the size of the lake, fishing long pole shallow with jigga rigs and pellets or casters can be the way to go. However, if you have a rush bed don’t neglect fishing shallow next to that. Especially on those bright flat days. Fishing next to the cover can often be the better way to go about it as the fish feel safer there.

 

 

The last key area for this time of year to really boost your weight is the margins. I have two varying approaches for this lake and it all comes to depth. The first being the classic groundbait and dead maggots combination. Using my favourite mix of Swim Stim Betaine Green Swim Stim and Marine Halibut mixed on the damp side so it’s heavy. Potting in large volumes of this full of particles such as dead maggots and corn can often see the fish coming in really well in the closing stages. Couple this with a big bunch of maggots or two worms on a big hook and you’re on to a winner for the lake’s carp.

 

 

 

 In contrast to this, if the edge is over 3.5ft deep I alter my approach slightly to feeding 4mm pellets. Again, a fairly large volume to attract fish into the peg but once they’re present, scaling back and feeding with a pole mounted pot can often be the better way to go. The heavier 4mms sit on the lake bed better and help prevent line bites and foul hooked fish. Again this allows me to present any manner of hookbaits over the top but my favourite being 8mms or double corn. Now the fish in the edge in this lake are huge! It isn’t uncommon to hook 20lb fish so make sure you scale up accordingly to avoid any breakages.

 

 

So there you have my 3 key areas to target on the Loco Lake at this time of year. Picking three locations at three different depths and distances enables me to keep in touch with the fish throughout the day and maximise my catch rate by fishing in the right areas at the right time of the session.

 

Next month I’ll be covering the newly re-shaped Bonsai Lake! It’s one that’s evolving rapidly, so stay tuned to see what I’ve learnt over my last few outings on there…