Specimen Lake, Woodside Lakes, Patney, Wiltshire

Solid bags are a must on the specimen lake at Woodside and they account for the majority of fish I’ve caught there.

With 10mm wafters and bags full of small pellets they work a treat whether picking out showing fish using a mobile approach on this 3-4 acre lake.

Work your way through the colours to figure out which is their favourite on the day as this does change.

Regular recasts don’t spook them at all and inject your bags with oil before casting out to draw them down works a treat too.

Rig wise I always have the option of a Slip D rig handy just in case the bag isn’t effective on the day. Kryston hook-lengths, wide gape hooks and knotless knots, simple but effective. Don’t overcomplicate things and just fish confidently.

Always make sure you have varying sizes of solid bags, inline leads, solid bag stems and short flexible bag rigs.

Swim Choice

Swim 1 – Lovely reed lined bay, can walk round to be baited up by hand
Swim 2 – Sunken island that reduces the depth by 50% which then leaves a gully behind it that runs around the opposite margin, the fish definitely get on both.
Swim 3/4 – double swim that again can get on the sunken island
Swim 5/6 – Both these allow close quarter fishing with a small island to also fish to. Reed lined and pretty much like stalking swims where you can fish under your tips. When the winds hacking through then they definitely get in and around this area.

Thanks to https://www.woodsidelakes.co.uk/ for images.