Lake Guide

About Ashmead and the syndicate

One thing Ashmead is renowned for (other than its beauty, and its wonderful inhabitants), is the weed. If left uncontrolled, the weed can become quite daunting, so a bit of experience fishing in weed will serve you well. Since the Carp Society purchased Ashmead in 2022, we have strived to find the right balance and to this extent we have closed the lake a few days each year to bring a weed boat in and remove the excess weed. We will continue to do this so please do expect one or two short closures to allow for weed control. We will keep closures to a minimum but it's only fair to warn you in advance. One other thing to watch out for is following heavy rain Ashmead can be rather muddy. The subsurface is clay so in the warmer months it's rock hard. But a bit of rain makes it quite slippery, a lot of rain and it can get quite boggy, it's not called wild Carp fishing in the wetlands by accident

The overriding description of Ashmead though is a little piece of heaven on earth. The flora and fauna, combined with the tranquillity and beauty, make Ashmead more of an experience than a fishing session. You'll lose yourself both literally and metaphorically.

Onsite there is a kitchen and BBQ area attached to the car park, but once out on the lake, silence and stealth are the order of the day, it really isn't a lake for announcing your arrival. Ashmead is a relatively low stocked water with an estimated 200 Carp touching 50lb. It has previously done fish to 58lb, but the biggest since the Society have owned it is 49lb and ounces. The fish can be quite spooky, but if you walk round quietly enough, they do show themselves. You won't see shoals of them but you will see single fish and maybe a small group of 3 or 4 together. You can 'get amongst them' but in reality, you are fishing for a bite.

The lake itself has no designated swims, your main references are named areas e.g. Maxwells, the Throne, Wilson, Toms etc. (see map below) rather than swim 1, or swim 6 etc. When choosing an area to fish we expect all our anglers to respect etiquette and common sense. If there's an area you fancy and someone is already there, then don't encroach. At the very least speak to the angler and come to a civil agreement. As a rule of thumb, the angler already there will have precedence. This will only work as long as you, the angler, respect the lake and your fellow angler. So please think about this before committing to a permit. Failure to do so will cost you your permit.

The intention in running Ashmead is to give all Carp Society members a fair and more affordable opportunity to fish this unique venue. All we ask in return is that you respect the venue, respect the fish, respect the Carp Society employees and volunteers, and last but by no means least, respect each other.

Lake Map