What do I need to know?

Naseby reservoir is great for roach over 2lb, pike that tip 30lb, catfish which reach over 100lb and the carp which average well into double figures with 20’s caught regularly and the odd 30 showing up.

Carp have been caught nearer 40lb but these are hard to target and you’ll have to be extremely lucky to get in front of one – though we’re sure there are several fish of this calibre present.

Great for a bend in the rod in winter and prolific in all other months, catches over 10 carp in a 24-hour period are common.

In the Winter months the damn wall and the old boat house are your best bet.

Fishing at range is a winner

For the rest of the year get your casting gear out and fish the left arm (on approach) or as far down the right hand side as you can get as both points of the lake are where they carp will shoal up.

When the water is really low at Naseby Reservoir you may be allowed round the far point, if you can get there take one rod and hold on tight as you’ll see shoals of hundreds of carp in a foot or two of water.

For years the best tactic I have seen and used there is a simple one, helicopter or chod rig set up with a white small pop up fished as close to the far bank as possible.

Don’t be shy about ‘plugging’ the lead in a foot of water on the far bank, pointing your rod to the sky, tight lines with the butt in the sand and watching for the explosion before your rod tip bends round – these have been my best days and have accounted for over 30 fish on a day session.

Don’t go to Naseby Reservoir without these:

What bait should I take?

Bait wise I would never go there without a pot or two of white Northern Specials from CC Moore.

If you prefer to set up closer in or can’t cast to the far bank then I would suggest you fish the first few pegs to the left or right of the damn wall and use a bed of pellets and boilies in the near third, just off the weed beds on the near bank, don’t go heavy though and they are not particularly fond of the spod in my experience.

Though some use them,  bait boats are a no go for me, it will take you ages to get to the far bank and the winds can whip up a storm.

The pole works well for the roach from the damn wall, typical tactics with maggots and pellet up in the water are always effective.

Though he catfish are present, they are typically very hard to catch and very seasonal, you can spend months blanking and then get 2 or 3 in a night. Big pellets are a must to avoid the carp, the damn wall is the hot spot although I’ve personally hooked a couple down the left arm in the summer months on boilie.

The pike are always a problem for roach anglers and can be caught all over with live and dead baits, the damn wall is the best option for the bigger specimens.

Be sure to check in on the water levels if we’ve had a wet period as if this really impacts the fish feeding habits as well as making it difficult to find a peg.  Here’s my peg on one of those days where I forgot to check first.