Where on Earth do you start when trying to locate bream on big lakes? Graham West reveals his tips and tactics to put you on the money every time
FISH location is everything at this time of year. You must go to the shoals, as they will be in no mood to come to you. That task can be a tricky enough exercise on a small commercial lake, so it’s easy to see why a lot of anglers find it daunting, to say the least, on a gigantic reservoir.
But this isn’t an impossible task to fulfil and, if you analyse every aspect of your approach carefully, there’s a brilliant chance you’ll put fish in your keepnet.
Bream are renowned for shoaling together tightly, and if you can find out where they are and then give them a meal that they simply can’t resist, a red-letter day that you never expected could be on the cards.
This is a style of fishing that I’ve come to love in winter, and my tactics have come up trumps on dozens of waters that fit this profile.
Albans Lakes in Hertfordshire is one of these, and after a night where the temperatures plummeted to well below zero, I packed the van and headed for the 22-acre Willows Lake to put my tactics to the test.
Pick some brains
We all want to get a baited rig in the water as quickly as possible, but stepping back and taking a little time to select a suitable swim will help you unlock the lake’s full potential once you get down to business.
A chat with the bailiffs is the first port of call, as these guys are at the venue daily and they understand the moods of the lake better than anyone.
Knowing where the fish are likely to be at certain times is something the visiting angler can only understand if they are a regular and, if you only visit somewhere periodically, they are the best people to ask.
Another source of information, especially if you’re fishing for bream, is carp anglers. If the venue is quiet and there are only a couple of them on the lake, that’s where any bait will be getting fed.
As we all know, bream love their food! Pitching yourself close to where they are is likely to put you within a comfortable range of your target species.
Depth is key
Willows Lake has a wide array of different swim styles and depths to go at, all of which can be better than others on any given
