Your Perfect Angling Oasis..?

[Hovis]

OMR I can see your points but it wouldn't be for me. I've never been one for rules, not because I want to break them, far from it. I simple find that venues with rules are frequented by individuals that require them, which isn't for me.
I'd never be able to settle on one particular venue but if I had to fish one stillwater it would be a old estate lake, full of lillies and containing tench and crucians.

[Santiago]

Such a long list of rules gives me the image that a bailiff would be spying on me with binoculars. And I certainly wouldn't want such a bailiff handling my tackle!

[Beresford]

A river, a highland river, wild and beautiful where you can see eagles on rare but special days. Sometimes there is a sparking of light across the pools and shallows, it's not the sun causing this display but the refraction of bars of silver. Solid silver, returning home.

On other nights I dream of a property, modernist for the 1920's. Graceful cursive walls, a flat roof perhaps, white with a long lawn stretching out behind it and decorated with fantastical sculptures leading the way to the boathouse at which point nature is the creator, not the architect. An intimate pool of about three or perhaps four acres stretches out. Hung with willow and ancient oaks and elms. There are lilies and reeds, kingfishers and the occasional heron visits but man rarely treads. It is my own private water with tench and a certain historical strain of carp. Most are commons and being rarely fished for they can be tempted to take bread crusts even if I fish from the decking close to the boat house. Sometimes in the evening I can sit on a deck chair with a drink and hope to tempt one as the last embers of the day fade over a distant horizon.

[Peter Wilde]

A lot of great visions in this thread! And I can see the merits of most of these approaches.

In the real world, there are still some modest approximations to the "perfect" oasis to be found. I have become a regular visitor to a small shallow lake on a slightly run-down farm. It's quite pretty and rural in viewed in the right direction (- but not as good if seen from the other side!). Fish-wise it has common carp and some small fish of a few other species. The carp sometimes respond well to various traditional methods, but are not too easy to be interesting.

It is a club water (no day tickets) but is not heavily fished. The reason - and the principal flaw in this water's attractions - is that the carp are very small. If one can forget that, it can provide a good approximation of carping as it was some 50 years ago. Works for me - but evidently not for many others!

[Shropshire Lad]

The Wilder and more secluded the better, usually with a long walk!!

[GregF]

I’d have to have three lakes, possibly four. I’d like to start with a blank canvas. Say forty acres of parkland with plenty of trees. I’d dig the lakes to make the most of the layout and the existing flora.

The first lake would be around 2 acres, tree-lined, with reeds and lily pads. This would be stocked with tench, crucians and rudd.

The second would be my mixed fishery. It would be around 6 acres, similar landscape to the first, but perhaps with an island. It would be stocked with gudgeon, rudd, perch, tench, bream and around a hundred mirror and common carp into double figures.

The third would be around ten acres, irregularly shaped with channels, islands, bays and a boathouse. The banks would be surrounded with native English trees. Again It would be lined with reeds and dotted with lily beds. I’d introduce weed, encourage invertebrate life, then once it had brewed nicely for a few years, stock with gudgeon and about thirty carp, common, mirror and leather, up to a maximum weight of ten pounds.

The first two, once stocked, I’d leave for three years or so to mature before fishing. The third one I’d leave for around twelve years, to let it grow wild and the carp grow large before even casting a line in it. For the first two years of fishing on the big lake I’d not allow boilies, pellets, hair rigs or anything modern, just simple rigs and baits. In the third year I might start introducing more advanced pastes and pellets, still no hair rigs. Only when some of the carp had experience of capture and became more wary would I possibly begin to use more modern methods. I wouldn’t want to make it too easy to start with.

The lakes would be surrounded by woods and wildflower meadows. An otter fence would be an unfortunate necessity and would surround the whole site, although away from the lakes at some distance.

There would be a stretch of river too with quality barbel, chub, roach, dace, perch, pike and, if possible, grayling. Obviously this couldn’t be fenced and the fish would have to run the gauntlet of predation.

Apart from the initial restrictions on the carp lake, there would be no rules. Only friends would be allowed to fish – people I know I could trust to respect the lakes and the fish.

The possible fourth lake would be an experiment. I would import a number of sazan fingerlings from eastern Europe and leave them alone for a few years to start a new gene pool of future naturalised wildies.

Think I’d better buy a euromillions ticket this weekend…

[Newtocane]

Something that has vexed me recently, I was looking at joining a local syndicate, nice looking lake, but one of the comments posted by someone else who was interested 'are there any proper swims, or is it all just grass'! Anyway, I digress.

A lake I think, not too many rules, no keepnets, definitely no age restriction, other than under 16's to be accompanied by an adult at all times, the younger they learn the joys of proper fishing the better.

Species wise, Crucian Carp, Roach, Rudd, Tench, Perch, Gudgeon and a few wild Carp.

Night fishing would be allowed, but no bivvies.

Boilies and pellets would be frowned upon, but not banned outright, though I might think again on that point!

It might look something like this

2016-07-03 20.13.15-min.jpg

[Nigel Rainton]

I am fortunate to have access to fishing in unspoilt, traditional surroundings. I feel privileged to be there, I treat each visit as if it were my last.

https://leconfieldflyfishingclub.com/river-rother/

The most perfect stretch of river......

[Reedling]

A lake where Reed Warblers flourish, Nightingales sing from the undergrowth and water Voles swim passed regularly. No Carp just Crucians Tench and Rudd to be fished for from reed lined swims. No rules just common sense. Only my guests by invitation. Wives to be encouraged to sit and share the joy.

[Mitch300]

Mine is similar to Northern Nomad's. An abandoned and forgotten gravel pit, a fair walk from the nearest road, through shoulder-high nettles.
It would probably have no more than a handful of natural swims, though you could clear out others with a scythe. I would plan on visiting the evening before with a weed rake and some groundbait, and fishing it the next morning. By fishing, I do mean watching the float with one eye while observing wildlife through binoculars with the other---or legering while reading a good book. I would share information about it with a couple of like-minded friends, but otherwise deny its existence.

G. B.