The lake is relatively shallow all over meaning that location is generally easy. Look for telltale swirls, bubblers or showers and you are onto a winner. In summer, the lake also boasts several sets of dense lillies and once again, these are great areas to target. 

There are several gravel bars on the bottom and a bait placed where the silt meets the gravel is always a good area to try first. 

The corner nearest the car park is a great area at the beginning of the year, fishing hook baits tight to the overhanging bushes on the right. As the year goes on, the carp like to move down to the far end where lake one meets lake two.

There are huge set of reeds here lining the margins which ALWAYS hold a carp or two. Make time to fix your eyes on the reeds and you will often see them twitching and swaying as carp give away their whereabouts. 

Pre-baiting is a great method on Abbey and you can generally get away with it because the lake receives very little angling pressure, meaning that you will be able to get back onto your pre-bait without worrying someone else is catching off it, most of the time.

Use 18mm boilies or tiger nuts as bait. There are nuisance species present; bream, tench and the like so use something that deters them.

One little tip that has worked for me on the Abbeys is to fish tiger nuts that have been soaking in Red Bull drink. This is a very sugary drink and if you leave them steeping in it, the tigers will taste delicious. 

Abbey fishes in both summer and winter time so if you love your winter angling, you do have the chance of catching something special. The carp in here are very wild, so should you hook one, you’ll have a battle on your hands.