Winter Reflections at Serenity W// Mat Holland

Although I travel to fish the bigger pits of Berkshire, for the majority of my fishing, the winter is a time that I look for places a little closer to home so I can try and get in a rhythm with them.

I stumbled across a place that ticked the boxes in terms of my winter fishing by accident, really. I took my daughter there for a day trip before she headed off to Bristol University to become a "megastar." I instantly saw the potential in the three old pools at Serenity.
I got speaking with Martin, the owner, and realised he's very much on the same page as me with his vision for the pools and fishery management style.

I spoke with him in-depth about his plans and how he was to achieve them. He liked my ethos on bait and supplying only the very best quality carp foods I can, so an alliance was formed, and I now supply his lakes with my products, which was not my intention but a big bonus all the same. Now the only real way to showcase those products is to put your money where your mouth is. So I asked Martin if he would give me a winter ticket on the pools, which he was more than happy to do.

Now let me, at this point, just say, as much as I love my fishing, I absolutely detest the cold. With my health issues, it literally annihilates me. I spent months in the winters in Norway in freezing conditions. I hated it then, and I hate it now. But that said, I'm a stubborn bugger, and so I pushed on with the plan to fish the winter at the pools.

I booked for my first session on the 23rd of November for 48 hours. The weather was wet and warm, perfect winter conditions really. I walked and walked that little place trying to find them and didn't see a thing - not a show, not a bubbler, not a fizz, not a roll, nothing, until the last morning. The rain had stopped, the sun came out, and the first bite happened from a spot off the far marginal shelf.

After a very spirited battle, the fish was in the folds of the net. I lifted her up for photos and realised she was actually a bit heavier than I first thought - a good mid-20 at 26lbs 8oz. I wasn't wrong, and it was a lovely way to open the account.

With the fish safely returned and the rod repositioned, I sat and had a cuppa to warm up. No sooner had I finished than the same rod was away again, with an absolute one-toner. The rod pulled round to the left, and I lifted into it. It was not happy, but I eventually coaxed it into the net - a longer, leaner mirror. After a few quick shots, I put it up on the scales, and it weighed in at 16lbs exactly - not massive, but great winter sport.

The lake was due to be drained and netted at the beginning of December to remove the silvers and reduce the biomass of the lake. With it being a small pool and only 32 resident carp, getting the balance right is imperative - something Martin is very much on top of. With Christmas out of the way, it was December 28th before I returned to the lakes. It was now colder, with the ground crisp underfoot from the frosts. The lake looked a lot greyer and moodier than when I last saw it.

Again, I walked it several times, looking for any signs of life, but could find nothing. With only the last session to reflect on, I set up in the same way as before and spread my rods along the far marginal shelf. It was mid-afternoon when I saw some fizzing on an area that I had not fished previously. I watched it for a while, and it was evident that there was more than one fish feeding. So, I reeled in a rod and cast it way past the fizzing, gently pulling it back until it was in the zone!

The fizzing stopped, and that was the last I saw of any activity for the remainder of the day. I decided to reel that rod in and have a little lead about to see what the bottom was like. There it was firm but definitely silty. I decided to put a PVA bag on with loads of the new Slab liquid and put a couple of pouches of Bancho nut glugged in the Slab over the top.

It was a cold, clear night with the owls calling across the fields, the sky full of stars, and a sharp frost established by 6 PM. All quiet on the fish front. Early in the morning, I was up and watching the water with a cuppa when I saw a small patch of bubbles just off the baited spot, then another, then a single bleep. Then all hell broke loose, the rod jumped forward onto the alarm, the clutch frozen. I got to the rod and threw my cuppa over the spool to free it, and the fish started taking line. A long and very cold battle ensued before she finally succumbed, and I netted another good mirror at 25.6 on the scales. Photos done, and dispatched back to the grey waters of the pool.

25.6lb (Excuse my wind burnt face)

I really wasn't expecting that!! Less than an hour later, I'm in again on the middle rod, this time the culprit a 15lb mirror.

Two fish in freezing conditions, I was very happy with that. I packed up and, just like my previous session, I baited several areas with the banchonut soaked in the matching slab liquid, putting in about 2kg each time I left the pools.

On the 9th of January, I trundled down to the lake on the mower and trailer once more, and the same procedure took place. I decided to fish the far end of the pool this time to get better line angles and hopefully better direct contact should I get a take. It was even colder this time, and the area I'd pitched up in was the last to thaw. I fished the same as previously, using large PVA bags filled with crushed boilie stick mix and slab liquid.

Late afternoon, I actually saw a fish come out of the water, and then another by tea time. I was convinced it was going to happen, but it wasn't until around mid-morning before it did. With the clutch working correctly this time, all went smoothly, and another good winter 20lb mirror was in the net. Up on the scales, it was 25.2lbs, a fish called Pearly. A few clicks on the camera, she was returned.

The day passed quietly, and I saw nothing else until around the same time the next morning when I was in again. This was a much more protracted fight, an angry-looking common finally graced me with its presence for a wet cuddle. An old original fish known as Shoulders, at 19lbs 8oz, I was more than happy with that. I packed up at lunchtime and fed another couple of kgs of the good stuff.

At the beginning of February, I was again at the pool. I like February as a fishing month; it's normally when winter is in full swing, and everything's used to the cold, and the fish look for a little food.

I moved areas again for this trip. Not far from where I was last time, but just far enough so I could be in the sun and not the cold shade. Rods dispatched on the same tactics, only now I had started putting in a spoonful of the mix as well as the bags. As I was more than happy my spots were getting cleared and the fish tuned into the baits, I switched from the Bancho nut slab to the Mulberry Fizz. I felt the extra citrus pull could help get bites quicker. Fishing a combination of the Mulberry Fizz wafters or the fruit zingers over the top. A very small handful of corn complemented the mix.

I've got to be honest, I wasn't expecting to catch this trip. It just didn't feel right. The pool was completely void of any signs of life. However, I need not worry as the slab has worked its magic once more and I'd managed to land a mid-double mirror. Nothing else happened that trip, but I did see them in a new area fizzing and took a mental note for next time.

I managed to sweet-talk the Mrs into letting me go on Feb 13th as conditions were really good, and I felt a bite was on the cards. I set up in the same place as last time, only this time I fished 2 rods close together in the zone I'd seen them in last time. Again, the baiting spoon called into action and again, the same baiting approach. The first bite took less than 2 hours, and it was a banger too. I thought it would go 30, such is the frame on this fish. Alas, it was 27lbs 2oz, a fish known as Dotty.

Valentine's day, and I've only got just over half a day as I'd promised Mrs H a restaurant-quality meal that night. At 9 in the morning, the same rod was away, and a little scrapper landed at 12lbs 9oz. It's one for the future of the pools, for sure, with a big C scale on one side. An hour later, the other rod fished close to the spot was off to a flier.

Again, she put up a good account for herself before being landed. Again, a fish that looked very close to 30lbs. Big framed mirror with a footprint-like scale pattern on its shoulder, one I recognised and wanted in my album, a fish called Inchos. A very respectable 28lbs 4oz on the dials.

A quick pack up again I fed them only. This time, I put 5kg in, with 3kg going to the new area and the rest on my other spots. 24th Feb was to be my last trip at the pools, sadly. I set up in the same area and fished in the same way as before. It was a cold, starry night, and an early-to-bed call. At first light, the lake was noticeably different. Birds were singing, daffodils were poking their yellow heads out, and it felt almost spring-like. I really expected a take, but it never came! Had I fed too much last time and pushed them out of the safe area they were in? I was sure they were still there, and I was proved right when, at midday, I was in.

Another of the pools' known residents, a stunning linear known as Myrtle, was the visitor, and she went exactly 24 lbs.

That night, it lashed it down; the wind picked up and swung in my face, so I had to put the door on and zip up. I put the stove on to warm up a little and make a cuppa when I had a take on the right-hand rod, fished well away from the other rods. I don't think I could have been any wetter or colder if I'd jumped in the bloody lake.

I fired off a few mat shots and weighed her for Martin's records and let her go. I dried off a little and climbed on the bed, reflecting on how the winter had gone. Now, this was a brand new water to me; I'd never fished it before. The pools are small, and the fish are cute. They know they are being fished for, but by watching the water intensively and finding them, keeping the bait going in, not masses but regularly feeding them, and the addition of the slab liquid pulling them to the feed zone, I was able to be fairly consistent throughout the winter. I landed a total of 14 fish from 17 bites. The pools will grow again this year, as will the fish, for sure, and I reckon there could possibly be 5 over 30lbs by the time we get to November. I will be running a small winter syndicate on there this coming winter for all 3 pools. There are some very good fish in them all, with carp to mid-20s in the middle pool and the top pool a great spot to get a bend in the rods and a few surprises too. If you're an experienced angler who gets the ethos of the pools and would like to be considered for the final few places to complete the 15-man syndicate, drop me a PM to discuss.