Ash Grounds - The Fennes Fisheries

Location
Fennes Road, Bocking, Braintree, Essex CM7 5LB

Description
With more than 1,000 yards of bank, Ash Grounds has several islands within casting distance and the lake offers many features to which anglers can fish. The margins are also home to a good mix of vegetation including Reed Mace, Bullrushes and water lilies which provide cover for both fish and anglers. General information about the Fennes Fisheries - The Fennes - pronounced 'Fens' - is one of the largest coarse fisheries in Essex and offers a total of 14.5 acres of water the three spring-fed lakes within easy walking distance of each other. The fishery is a superb example of how, with careful planning, development and management, a tailor-made complex can mature in less than a decade into a well-established and productive site with a truly 'natural' feel. The fishery is built on former watermeadows and the lakes each take their name from the names of the original fields on which they now stand. Probably best described as a general mixed fishery, The Fennes has been developed with a strong emphasis placed on the environment and has plenty of decent sized specimens for anglers looking to catch bigger fish. These include carp to nearly 20lbs as well as good sized tench, bream, roach, rudd and perch. With decent all-weather car parks, tended banksides, platform pegs and well-maintained ladies and gents toilets, it is also well equipped to cater for disabled anglers. In addition to the angling, The Fennes sports a superbly stocked on-site tackle shop which sells a wide range of fresh baits, rods, reels, poles and whips plus accessories including line, floats, hooks, shot, etc. Indeed, anglers often visit the tackle shop for equipment even when they are not fishing The Fennes and the maggots on site are said to be some of the best available in the whole county. In addition, the tackle shop sells freshly frozen sea bait for those heading further afield! The shop also sells cold drinks and confectionery whilst a refreshment van serving breakfasts, hot and cold snacks and drinks is open on the site almost every Spring and Summer weekend. The refreshment van can also be made available at other times for visiting club matches. The Fennes prides itself on the quality of the fish in its waters. All carp are now bred and reared in the fishery's own off-site fish farm which regularly has some 7,500 fish at various stages of development, enabling the stock levels and quality of fish to be maintained at optimum levels for anglers thanks to what the owners describe as "an aggressive stocking policy". Although night fishing is not allowed and children under 12 years old must be accompanied, there is no Close Season and very few rules except the most obvious. In addition to Day and Evening Tickets, The Fennes offers an annual membership for regular visitors which costs £25 for adults and £12.50 for OAPs, juniors and the disabled. Members receive half-priced admission every time they visit the fishery and the ticket starts paying for itself after an angler's sixth visit. How to get there... The Fennes is in Bocking Village which is about three miles north of Braintree just off the A131 at High Garrett. Heading towards Sudbury, turn off the A131 into Bocking Church Street as directed by the brown Tourist Board signs. The fishery is signposted half a mile down Fennes Road, which is a right turn by the Village Hall (Bocking United Services Club). Again, follow the brown Tourist Board signs. The car park, shop and Ash Grounds Lake are on the left, Hobbs Croft Lake is on the right and Hill and Black 400 yards down a concrete road.

Fish Details
Ash Grounds was the first of The Fennes waters to be developed and is an attractive 60-peg, six acre lake which is predominantly stocked with Mirror, Common, Ghost and Crucian Carp for match fishing purposes. In addition, there are decent stocks of hybrid carp plus some tench, bream, roach and a small number of rudd. Because the water is used for match as well as general pleasure angling, the larger double-figure fish are regularly removed to the other two waters for pleasure and specimen anglers. As a result, the majority of the Commons average between two to 5lbs, although there are a few over the 6lb mark. The largest Common to come out in the 1999 season is one which weighed in at 11lb 10oz. The Mirror carp average the same size, although the best for '99 stands at a heaftier 15lbs 3oz. Ash Grounds also holds some decent bream and perch with the bream averaging between three and 4lbs but running up to 9lbs and the 1999 best perch being a fine specimen of 3lbs 10oz. Although the best match catch in '99 is 51lbs 8oz, the best pleasure catch is more than 140lbs - a decent day's sport by any standards.

Tactics
Despite its size, the lake is a favoured pole water with the majority of anglers fishing between nine and 14 metres in matches and between five and six metres when pleasure fishing. Unlike many lakes, fishing close to the bank does not tend to work. In the warmer months sweetcorn and small pieces of luncheon meat about a quarter of an inch square tend to sort out the better stamp of carp, bream and skimmers, whilst those going for the bigger carp tend to fish an open-ended feeder towards the islands with a quiver tip rather than swing tip. Using maggots in the summer tends to attract the smaller fish. Popular floating baits include bread and Chum mixer. Winter baits which work well include casters, worm and maggots. The deeper water, at around 10 feet, is to be found at the car park end whilst four to five feet can be found from half way up the lake to the point furthest from the car park. Although the waggler works well, most pleasure anglers fish the pole at between four to five feet deep up to the half-way mark and about four feet deep in the shallower top end. Popular pegs include anywhere from Peg 11 to 20 on the right hand bank and 50-53. Also, at the top end, Pegs 30 and 31 are usually productive, particularly in late spring when the fish are spawning in the warmer shallower water. As one would expect, the deeper water near the car park is favoured in late autumn and the colder winter months. As a general rule of thumb, however, Ash Grounds is yet another of those waters where the best advice its to fish with the wind in your face - it may not be comfortable, but it's usually very effective!

Tickets
Day Ticket costs: Adults £7.00 (1 rod) £10.00 (2 rods); Juniors/OAP/Disabled £6.00 (1 rod) £7.00 (2 rods). Evening Ticket costs (from 4.30pm summer only) £4.00. The Fennes is open from 7.30am until sunset all year round with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Contact
Tel: 01376 323285. Fax: 01376 322591.

Rules
Hobbs Croft

Day Tickets
Available for this water

---

 

Accuracy of information
Please email nkw@go-fish.co.uk if you notice any mistakes. We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of our information, but cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.