Park lakes are some of the most underfished and often underappreciated venues we have in the UK. Granted, some are best avoided, but many are set in incredibly picturesque surroundings and one of the great things about fishing them is that you never quite know what’s lurking beneath the surface.
Over the years, with reduced fishing pressure and the occasional illegal stocking from people’s ponds and tanks, fish have been left alone to grow large. Park lakes always have the potential to throw up surprises as Chris Doyle knows only too well when he banked this cracking 9lb tench on a recent trip.
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"It was my first tench session of the year, so I headed to a local lake situated in a park in Manchester. It’s always good for a few bites, and I rarely see anyone else fishing there," he said.
"I was using my go-to setup, a simple waggler float which has been really successful for me over the years, and I enjoy watching a float go under!"
"My favourite bait for this type of venue is bread, as the local community feeds it to the resident ducks and geese, so the fish are happy to accept it."
"Within minutes of casting in, I had a bite and hooked a really powerful fish. When I got it in the net, I was genuinely surprised. I know there are some good tench in the lake, but this one was massive!"
"I weighed the fish at exactly 9lb, which is my new PB, what a perfect way to kickstart my tench fishing this year."
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