Fishery Rules


     ****New rule for 2023 season**** The ‘Magic Twig’ or any similar contraption is banned at both Lac Serreire and Badgers Holt, please see news for more details.

   ****New rule for 2023 season****  We no longer allow anglers to bring their own particle or pellet (this includes tinned sweetcorn and maize).

****New rule for 2022 season***** We do not allow the Gardner Curved Rig Hooks (CVR) or the Gardner Longshank Muggas.  Unfortunately we have seen first hand the mouth damage these styles of hook can cause.

        Freshly prepared particle and pellet is available to purchase provided we have at least 24 hours notice.  

We run the lakes as carp anglers for carp anglers and only have simple, common sense rules which are aimed at the welfare of the fish and ensuring that all our customers have a successful and safe visit.

Please note that the lead angler who makes the booking is responsible for all members of their group for the entire time that they are on site. It is essential that every angler is made fully aware of the fishery rules and what is expected of them.

We operate a zero-tolerance policy and the owners will ask anyone found breaking these rules to leave the fishery immediately without refund.

Arrival & Departure Information:

  • Arrival time on site 1pm. Departure time off site 10am. Do not arrive before 1pm.
  • No arrival or departure during the hours of darkness except in an emergency.
  • No visitors allowed on site except those included in your booking and bookings are not transferable to other people.

General Site Rules and Information: 

  • No swimming.
  • No smoking in the buildings or in front of the house.
  • Parking only in the designated areas. No driving across the Badgers Holt dam. No caravans or camper vans allowed.
  • No dogs allowed.
  • No litter and no fouling, use the toilets provided.
  • No children under 16 years of age allowed on site.
  • Excessive use of alcohol is not permitted. Spirits are not permitted. Drugs are not permitted. 
  •         Rowdy or nuisance behaviour will not tolerated.
  • Keep noise to a minimum and respect others.
  • The use of any electric heaters or fans is not permitted.
  • Please note that all carp are microchipped with RF tracker chips.

Fishing Rules and Information:

Fish Care:

IMPORTANT – Please make sure that all members of your group have watched this video prior to your visit.

  • All carp of any size from both lakes are only to be photographed in the water – You will be asked to leave if this rule is broken.
  • Please bring your own chest waders and scales that weight to at least 90lb.
  • Landing nets, weigh slings, tripods and unhooking cradles are provided on site for all anglers. Do not bring your own on site.
  • The use of boats for landing fish is only allowed in the case of a snagged fish. Fish must never be placed inside the boat.
  • No retaining carp for any period of time, all fish to be returned back to the lake asap. We supply slings for weighing fish not for retaining them.  The cords are removed from the slings.
  • If you notice any fish in distress or have a problem with any fish caught, please let us know immediately (24/7).
  • If you have a fish snagged, NEVER pull for a break, either use a boat to release it or ask for help.
  • Procedure after netting a carp:
    • Leave the carp in the landing net in the water. Get help if the fish looks to be over 50lb – In this case two people are required for handing.
    • Unless the hook falls out in the net, cut the line or remove the hook link if it’s attached via a ‘quick link’.
    • Remove your wrist watch, get your scales ready and zeroed on the tripod, put your chest waders on and get your camera set up and ready.
    • Pour a bucket of fresh cool lake water in the cradle and keep pouring fresh lake water over the fish throughout the time that it is out of the water.
    • Remove pole from landing net arms (leaving fish and net in water).
    • In the water, slide the weigh sling under the fish and landing net and check that all fins are flat against the body.
    • Lift the sling out of water with the fish and landing net both inside and place directly on the hook of your scales (do not remove the landing net, just deduct the weight of the net plus sling later).
    • After weighing, if the hook is already out, return the sling immediately to the water without putting it down. If the fish needs unhooking then lower into the cradle, remove the hook and immediately place back in water.
    • Do not roll a carp over or stand it on its belly.
    • Remove the foam base from the cradle and float the cradle in the water (removing the base allows water in the bottom of the cradle).
    • Place the sling into the floating cradle and only then remove the landing net by slightly lifting the carp and pulling the net out from the tail end of the fish.
    • Pick water that is waist deep for the photos. This is easier for lifting the fish and also safer.
    • Lift the fish keeping it close to your body for the photos. Stay low to the water and only ever lift the carp a few inches above the cradle.
    • The whole process from removal of the fish from the water, weighing, photographing to release should not exceed 5 minutes.

Bait:

  • Shelf-live preservative boilies are prohibited. We only allow the use of preservative-free frozen boilies or air-dried fresh boilies.
  • Particle baits – The use of any type of nuts is not permitted.   We no longer allow anglers to bring their own particle or pellet, this includes tinned sweetcorn and maize.  Freshly prepared particle is available to purchase provided we have at least 24 hours notice.  
  • We only allow the use of our own pellet which changes depending on the time of year and the water temperature.
  • No plastic, cork or foam hook baits are allowed.  The only exceptions are cork ball pop-ups or cork dust wafters.
  • No maggots, casters, snails or worms.
  •         At the end of your week please do not discard your unused bait into the margins, please use our ‘excess bait bin’ which is located next to the Serreire lodge.
  • Please call or email us before your trip for more details about bait. Your bait will be checked during your visit.

Rigs:

  • Barbless hooks only (no crushed down barbs and no micro-barbs).
  • No leaders of any type allowed.
  • Minimum 18lb and 0.40mm diameter line to be used.
  • No braided mainline except on marker or spod rods.
  • Rig tubing must be used on the mainline above the lead setup. Minimum length approximately 50cm.
  • All rigs must eject the lead in the case of a lost or snagged fish. MCF ‘dumper’ lead-clips are strongly recommended and available on-site. If a normal lead-clip is used then they must be the type with the swivel moulded or locked into them. Lead-clips must be wetted prior to the tail rubber being pushed on and the tail rubber must be pushed on very lightly.
  • In-line leads are allowed but only when fished ‘drop-off’ style.
  • No zig rigs – The risk of foul hooking carp is too high.
  •         No bent hooks, curved longshank hooks or 360 rigs.  We do not allow the Gardner Curved Rig Hooks (CVR) or the Gardner longshank Mugga style hooks.
  • Rig checks will be carried out during your stay. These checks will be across the board so please don’t take offence. We apologise to the anglers who are fishing sensibly for the inconvenience, but based on the number of unsafe rigs found, we find this essential.
  • The only type of permanent markers allowed are the pole type, hinged at the base, to allow them to tilt and line to pass over them.
  •         Stalking is permitted with the following exceptions;
    • Badgers Holt – Stalking only permitted along the lodge bank, strictly no stalking on the opposite or Dam       wall bank.
    • Serreire – No stalking between Outflow and Birches swim, no stalking in ‘out of bounds’ (areas beyond          Woods and Shallows swim).

Boats:

  • Bait boats are allowed on both lakes but please respect other anglers.
  • Badgers Holt – No rowing boats are allowed except for rescuing a tethered fish.
  • Lac Serreire – Rowing boats are allowed. Only use the boats provided, do not bring your own. The use of life jackets is mandatory with no exception. Life jackets are available on site. Use of boats is entirely at the anglers own risk with no liability or responsibility on the fishery. Strictly no use of boats after the consumption of any alcohol.
  • Rigs must be placed a safe distance away from lily pads or snags. This must take into consideration line stretch and the angle between the angler and the pads. As a general rule, no rig should be placed less than one rod length away from the pads. In the Woods swim, no rig should be placed further than the two marker poles that will be pointed out on arrival. More fish have been lost on Lac Serreire due to fishing too close to the pads than any other reason and we will not accept the damage that this can cause. If in doubt then please ask.

Rods:

  • No fishing with your line over or around (touching) the Badgers Holt monk or to the left of the aerators.
  • Maximum 4 rods per angler on Lac Serreire and 3 rods per angler on Badgers Holt.
  • On Lac Serreire, all your rods must be in the same swim as your bivvy.
  • When fishing Serreire’s Middle swim, no fishing into the Shallows swim area (eg no rigs to be placed left of Heron Point).
  • No unattended rods. If you need to leave your swim then wind them in with no exception.

The owners reserve the right to amend these rules at any time. The owners also reserve the right to cancel or amend bookings at their discretion at any time.

The fishery accepts no responsibility or liability in the event of accidents or losses whilst on the complex.