Dave Coster and James Robbins head to the famous Decoy Lakes for our first Fishery Focus, a new series of features which aims to give you the lowdown on some of the best fisheries in the business.
Fishery information correct as of 16th May 2024
On the road
I spotted a sign for Decoy Lakes while driving through Whittlesey, which is close to where I live in the fens. I fished this well-known venue many years ago. It’s very different now, featuring eleven interestingly shaped waters, along with a tackle shop, café, and bar. When James Robbins messaged me to say Cadence were doing one of their road trip style shows there, along with Octbox and Edge Tackle, we arranged to meet to check the fishing out before the event. Trying to find out what the score was on the internet, the place was obviously a match mecca, hosting many big events and capable of producing staggering three-figure weights. It appeared to be carp, carp and more carp, topped up with tons of F1s. This type of commercial is not my normal choice, as I don’t do multi keep net carp hauling events, but I was in for a big surprise.
Basic attack
I settled down on Horseshoe, which is closest to the fishery entrance, next to the main and oldest lake Beastie. I immediately liked the look of this U-shaped water. All 20 well-spaced platforms are situated on the inside, with a copse of trees behind them. The latter provides a nice shield from the wind and other anglers, making it feel like you are fishing a wide canal. A rush lined far bank in the area where I set up added to the pleasant surroundings. I like to keep things simple on fish packed venues, so my plan was to use top kits with just one or two sections added from my Cadence CP800 Margin Pole. This meant I could neatly group small amounts of 4mm pellets around my float by hand, saving time on messing around with a cad pot to dribble bait in. I prefer keeping things simple when anticipating fish-packed sessions.
Topping up
Feeding needed to be positive as well, so the plan was to occasionally top up with good helpings of micro and 4mm pellets with a decent sized pole cup. The rules say ground bait is only allowed in feeders, making micros the best alternative to help pull interest and keep fish in the swim. I put in plain 2mm ones, along with larger 4mm Robin Reds, to add some contrast. Hook bait choices were 6mm banded hard pellets, red maggots and sweetcorn. I had discovered a good choice of quality bait in the on-site tackle shop, allowing me to get well stocked up. A where-to-fish type of site on the internet said fishery only pellets, but that’s not correct. Well-known brands like Dynamite were being sold here. I was grateful for that because I feel more confident using baits I’m familiar with, especially when tackling new venues.
Instant response
I kicked off with two red maggots on a size 16 hook and was into something decent straight away. I often find maggots produce fastest, but wasn’t expecting what happened next. I had already spotted fish topping, and they looked suspiciously like silvers. Surely, it couldn’t be, with all that research I had done, remembering all those websites telling me this complex was planet carp? The first species I encountered was indeed a hefty carp, but after that and a bit more feeding, I couldn’t get maggots to the bottom. My swim came alive with rudd and roach, which wouldn’t allow my pole float to sit up properly. They were all over my feed, ranging from tiddlers to a good size. I was forced to change to a banded 6mm pellet to get through them, although even that was attacked on the way down. I stashed the maggots away in my cool bag.
Versatile rig
I was using an Edge C2 Pole Float, which is ideal for pellet applications, having a decent diameter 1.75mm hollow tip. The streamlined shape covers presenting hook baits at all depths and smaller sizes like this 0.3g are perfect for shallow venues, allowing versatile micro shot formats. I had by now grouped the strung bulk I started with together, to try to get the rig through the silver fish, which were swirling on top every time I fed anything. I was using Edge Premium Mono. The main line was 0.165mm, combined with a 0.15mm hook length, which equates to 5lb+ tied to 4lb+. This combination is strong enough to deal with the carp, but doesn’t put fickle F1s or other species off. The rig line is also supple and clear, while being robust enough to cope with strenuous demands. C2 floats are durable and tough enough for big fish as well.
Mad action
I might not follow the out-and-out carp route, but still enjoy catching this species, fully appreciating why so many match anglers opt for big weight events. It’s busy and demanding fishing. However, I was brought up on canals, urban rivers and park lakes, getting just as much satisfaction targeting other species, ranging from humble roach to crafty chub. In my experience, a double figure haul of silver fish from a natural venue, is just as rewarding as a ton-up net of carp from a commercial. But commercials have become more important, always guaranteeing plenty of action. I don’t mind taking this route occasionally, allowing my gear to be tested to its limits with mad shenanigans like this going on. This hefty carp was trying all the tricks in the book, especially after seeing my landing net, finding renewed energy to charge off again.
Edge elastic
Since switching over to Edge Pole Elastic I haven’t experienced any problems, quickly growing to love this gear. I use the solid range for much of my silver fish and light to medium pole rigs, switching over to the hollow version for big fish situations like this. Both types offer enough diameters to cover just about all situations, so it comes down to personal choice. I just like the way hollow gear performs with powerful fish like carp, but also isn’t too severe if anything else comes along. In this instance, I was using Edge Hybrid Hollow 10-12 grade, which coped superbly. I like it that you get 6 metres at a reasonable price, which goes a long way, enough to kit out three top kits. My top kits neatly interchange between the Cadence CP2000 long pole and the CP800 9m Margin Pole. Match and power options fit both, which is extremely useful.
Uncovering secrets
Having moved around the country a lot due to work commitments, I’ve learnt not to always believe the information you might come across regarding new venues. I’ve almost been put off going to some places, which armchair experts advised were not worth bothering with, only to discover they were far from that. You also need to consider time and nature changes things, so something written or filmed years ago, might not be accurate now. I certainly wasn’t expecting fish like this bream to turn up, along with the roach, rudd, and skimmers I had been encountering in-between the carp action. Now I know the score, I reckon with a different approach, there’s potential to catch a mega haul of silvers from this lake. It might not be a match winning tactic, but from a pleasure fishing perspective, it opens up an entirely different world to enjoy.
Shifting borders
There used to be a strong dividing line between carp and silver fish, but now we have F1s, which sit in the middle. These carp/crucian hybrids are active year-round and can be trickier to fool than normal carp. They provide top sport on many fisheries like this, making good weight builders in matches. This species certainly imitates crucians, which fiddle about with hook baits, often resulting in difficult to hit indications. By this stage, I had landed so many lumpy carp, along with F1s like this and heaps of silver fish, completely losing track of where I was tally wise. This type of quality day ticket fishing boosts your confidence, especially during long periods of rough weather. Normally productive favourite places might not be performing, so it makes a refreshing change to experience what it’s like to be regularly using a landing net again.
Margin marvel
My 9metre Cadence CP800 Margin Pole has seen a lot more use than I originally expected. Apart from dealing with bigger fish like I was catching here, I typically bring this superb kit into play for other applications, including bagging up with small stuff. It accepts the lighter action match top kits from my Cadence CP2000 Pole, but its lower sections can handle much rougher treatment. Many of the venues I fish have awkward terrain, so when catching fast, unshipping often requires pole sections to be whizzed up and over high banks behind. A pole roller doesn’t always work in that type of situation, relying on a patch of grass or smooth area to push everything back on. I don’t need to risk my more expensive main pole doing that. The CP800 Margin Pole is great for carp like this powerful beauty, also perfect for tench fishing, which I do a lot of.
Reversing roles
I really didn’t expect this session to become an exercise in trying to avoid catching hoards of silver fish. Similar to maggots, I couldn’t get a 4mm pellet or grain of sweetcorn down to the bottom, without ravenous roach, rudd, hybrids, and skimmers getting in the way. It was a case of dumping a banded 6mm hard pellet in, speeding it through to the bigger carp underneath. It was too chilly for them to feed shallow. Earlier, I had optimistically set up a pellet waggler to try the far bank, but that only attracted attention from rudd. I was now catching plenty of hefty carp and enjoying all the elastic stretching action. It was a big change from silver fish only matches I had been entering during the winter, trying to avoid attracting carp. Now I was seeing a wholly different side to things, aiming to bypass all the species I would normally be targeting.
Another story
As I gradually got into the swing of this type of lake, the carp got bigger and pushed the smaller fish out. I enjoyed an action-packed day, well worth the tenner day ticket, which can be purchased between 8am and 11am in the on-site tackle shop. It took me a while to get around to trying this place, being a bit apprehensive about its carp heritage. What I discovered was a new gem that’s full of surprises. There are an amazing 274 pegs to sample over all the lakes, so it will take some time to work around them. I’m looking forward to coming back and doing more exploring. As the newspaper and magazine racks in supermarkets dwindle in size, a gaping void has developed regarding up-to-date fishery information. Hopefully, features like this will answer many questions, proving a tempter for trying new venues and enjoying bumper sport.
