Hi guys

I'm based in Blackheath, South East London and usually fish in Kent/East Sussex and occasionally Essex.
But I'm getting quite bored with the usual venues so am wanting to do a bit of exploring in Surrey.

Has anyone fished either of these places before and if so, any thoughts?

Frensham Trout Fishery

Halliford Mere Lakes

Google maps is saying a 1hr 30min drive to Frensham and a 1hr 10min to Halliford.
For an average days fishing I'd rather not go over an hour and a half of driving if possible, unless the place was absolutely stunning.

Be happy to hear any other good recommendations too.
I've tried Coltsfoot Mill which is ok but gets very busy and is a bit urban.
Also fished Avington recently, which is great but is more of an occasional treat, due the the price and distance from me.

I'd prefer somewhere where you can do a bit of exploring/wandering about, rather than a small pond!
(Chigborough being a nice example of somewhere I've tried recently and enjoyed)

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dan

__________________
In a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate,
My fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion.

Both are beautiful but I love Frensham.

Havent fished Frensham in years but, when I did, it was magical.


Well worth the drive indeed and lovely area of countryside too with all the woodland around it.

#6 outfits at most - #4 and #5 better


Also consider Hazelcopse - not the prettiest but fishing is great and Wilf, the owner, will crack you up with his political views on the Government and EA


Ben

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You can always give Albury a go, come off the M25 at Wisley and it is about 15/20 minutes, have the choice of 3 venues, plus the brook they call a river.

Some people will tell you it is too easy, put a blue flash damsel on and thats it, but you can make it as hard as you like. Decent tackle shop and a pint of Sheer Drop at lunchtime, you will have had worse days.

All the best

OTT

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'If you didn't waste your youth, you never had one!'. Bloke in the public bar circa 1970

That is exactly what i was hoping to hear, thanks mate.
I think I'll give Frensham a go on Sunday.

Cheers.

Dan

---------- Post added at 05:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:23 AM ----------

Thanks for that, just checked out the website and sounds interesting.
I think you have to be a member to fish Albury Park but Powdermills, Vale End and Weston all sound great.

Have you fished any of these?
Are they all close to each other?
The website doesn't explain very well where they are.

Cheers

Dan

__________________
In a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate,
My fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion.

I've just managed to track down Powdermills, Vale End and Weston on Google Earth.
Seems they're all within about a mile of each other.

Any thoughts on which is the best or are all 3 worth a go?

Cheers

__________________
In a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate,
My fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion.

Just remember, there is no C&R at the Albury fisheries. Bear that in mind when you hand over you £25+ for 2 fish only.


The others are C&R waters.

Personally, I object to paying a large sum of money and having to kill my fish or cease after two fish that I may have been lucky enough to catch in 30mins.



Ben

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For my penneth as follows:

Frensham: Only fished it once, but it's a beautiful spot, albeit that some of the lakes are extremely small. the fishing is fairly easy, but as someone posted above, fun on a 5 weight.

Halliford: At the risk of being lynched, i'd avoid. In my experience the fish are small and generally not the greatest quality. i've seen them shoaled up round the springs and seen weed beds making the fishing pointless. that said, there are rumours of huge browns in lake 1. It's C&R too with all teh benefits and drawbacks that that entails.

Albury: Fun, because you can drift between fisheries but IMO it's over priced for what it offers. most of the weston and Vale fish are small with the odd biggie. the lakes can get 'stuffy' in the summer but there's a lot of water to explore.

I would try the following were i you.

Chalk Springs - if only for the chance at a really big brownie
Lakedown - lovely scenery and lots of bank space. some big fish too.
Holbury - Scenic and good stalking.
Avington - Pricey, but a lovely fishery.

Thanks for that advice.

I think I'll give Frensham a go on Sunday, I always fish with a 5wt, so sounds ideal.

Chalk Springs and Holbury both look great but maybe be a bit too far for a days drive from mine.
Well worth going with my Dad sometime though and using his house as a base, he lives in East Sussex, so that would halve the drive.

Do you mean Lakedown in Burwash?
Is so, I completely agree, it's probably the place I fish most often.
But I've overkilled it a bit there recently, hence searching for some new places!

Cheers
Dan

__________________
In a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate,
My fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion.

Robinswood is my local water and i love it to bits.Sunkistbobs reply is spot on.
There is no electricity there and very few home comforts, it can get very busy for a small water at weekends so midweek is far better.Have you considered Felix Farm. i am hearing good things about it.
Regards Colin.

You mentioned Essex in your OP

Assume you have tried Thornwood (think that's the name - he posts in the fisheries section on here) and Chigboro but have you fished Hanningfield from a boat?

That can be a worthwile day out indeed



Ben

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