Woldale, water of dreams

[Gary Bills]

Well, let's get the Woldale topic going! Who wouldn't want to fish there? I've never seen it and there's no chance of fishing it, I fear ...is the syndicate still going? - but it is probably the water that haunts my imagination. Why is this so? It could be that "Drop me a Line", which features Woldale quite heavily is my second favourite angling book, (after Confessions..); and it might also be that image in Still Water Angling and the Carp Catchers' Club letters, showing Maurice Ingham playing his 17lb mirror - that photo just sums up carp fishing. No, unlike Redmire, the water had no chance of ever breaking the carp record. But the idea of Woldale's beech-tree swathed banks and the badgers snuffling down to the water's edge is so inspiring. The real name, of course, is Benniworth Haven, near Louth in Lincolnshire...still very much the private estate of Lord Heneage.. I've read the Ingham book, "Woldale", and it is perhaps one of the most spiritual angling books ever penned. I'd always admired Ingham - but it changed my conception of him considerably, and for the better. You can see why he and Fred J. were such close friends. Anther book which mentions Woldale in some depth is George Sharman's "Carp and the Carp Fisher". There's a gripping account of Sharman extracting a double at night from the haunted chestnut tree swim....yes, like Redmire, Woldale appears to have its ghosts - and there's even a spooky photo in the Ingham book - but I will say no more, in case I spoil things for the guys who want to read the book but haven't yet...

[The Sweetcorn Kid]

Well I have the offer to fish there, so yes, it is still in existance.

Chris (DKM) fishes it and, hopefully, if he is permitted, can tell us a bit about it.

[DontKnowMuch]

Ooh, SK you'll get me shot at dawn :o :lol:

There's a strict publicity ban for members and guests fishing at the pool. I've put some capture photos up on a couple of sites but they were heavily cropped to avoid giving the venue away.

I think a write up of a session at 'Hillharry Retreat' at some stage in the future might be possible though.

[The Sweetcorn Kid]

Sorry Chris, Mums the word then.

[Shaun Harrison]

I have some lovely pictures from my visits to Woldale. Both the upper lake and the lower Tench Lake, but as it has been said - there is a publicity ban in place. I have used pictures elsewhere but never put the words 'Woldale' at the side of them so not strictly given things away too much.

Bit too much of a give away if I added some here.

All I can say though is that Woldale is one of the most magnificent venues I have fished. Totally left to nature and looking how I would imagine you would want it to look.

A long way off of the beaten track it gets real dark there at night and the wild life rummaging around really needs to be experienced by any lover of the natural world.

I have been lucky and caught 2 carp from the top pool on my first visit then a Tench from the bottom Tench Pool on my second visit. It was lovely catching that tench and holding it for the camera I couldn't help but wonder if my childhood hero Fred J had ever held that fish or its parents.

Special places in history and in Woldale's case still a very special place with most swims
too small to erect a bivvy :-)

[Ross]

Good evening everybody

I very much enjoyed reading ‘Drop me a Line’ by Maurice Ingham and am about to start ‘Still Water Angling’ by Richard Walker but I would like to get hold of a copy of Woldale by Maurice Ingham but the limited edition publication and the reprint seem unobtainable at the price a pensioner can afford. There is so little information available on google for Mr Ingham but does anyone know if he is still around? Regards, Ross

[Mark]

Good evening everybody

I very much enjoyed reading ‘Drop me a Line’ by Maurice Ingham and am about to start ‘Still Water Angling’ by Richard Walker but I would like to get hold of a copy of Woldale by Maurice Ingham but the limited edition publication and the reprint seem unobtainable at the price a pensioner can afford. There is so little information available on google for Mr Ingham but does anyone know if he is still around? Regards, Ross

Maurice sadly passed away in 2002 aged 82.