1 Acre(s)
Specimen zander and pike hunters have been targeting Coombe for many years, but have been really reaping the rewards in recent seasons.
Zander, illegally introduced into Coombe around the mid 70's, have grown at a tremendous rate and the biggest to come out so far weighed more than 19lbs! In recent years several other fish in the 16lb range have been caught, although the average size is generally around 8lbs with fish to over 10lbs regularly being taken.
This makes Coombe Pool the place to go for a realistic chance of catching a truly massive zander.
However, to be successful for zander you normally have to fish at night, which requires a Full Season Ticket.
Small freshwater fish baits are commonly used, both live and dead.
With regard to rigs, most zander caught at Coombe are taken on simple running rigs.
The secret is to minimise resistance to the fish as they are a very shy-biting species and often drop the bait if they feel the resistance of a heavy lead and line.
The majority of zander are caught on the Woodland Bank pegs 1 to 44, often at very long range with baits usually being dropped off by bait boat.
The lake can be quite shallow and featureless, so the fish can be anywhere, although bank-side overhanging trees are a common fishing feature.
The fishing is usually better when the water is coloured with the majority of fish coming out during the early winter months.
Pike are also one of the main species, along with zander, that attract anglers to Coombe Pool.
There are several big fish in the lake with a few running to over 25lbs in weight.
However, there are also numerous smaller fish, the average size being around 8lb, which gives the angler a good chance of catching whatever the weather conditions with the added bonus of a chance of a really big pike.
What is the largest pike to come out of Coombe? Well, several 20lb to 26lb fish come out each year and as one well-known pike angler once said, If Coombe can produce zander to nearly 20lbs, think how big the pike could go!Pike angling starts in earnest in October, with many bream and carp anglers turning their attention to the species.
The first few weeks in October tend to be the most productive.
However, pike don't like pressure and often after the initial success of the early winter, the pike migrate up the lake or become a lot harder to catch.
Favourite swims are the first few pegs near the reedbed and the last few pegs on the dam wall.
Small fish are often herded by the pike and zander into this area in the winter, and if the small fish are there, the pike and zander are often there as well.
The pike in Coombe tend to be very nomadic, maybe due to the featureless lake bed, therefore, when fishing, a roving approach is advisable, swim hopping until the fish are found.
Obviously before fishing for pike, anglers should be aware of how to properly hold and unhook the species.
Fishery Officer Jake Davoile is always on hand to help out and give advice when required.
Anglers should also have the correct fishing gear for the species, especially a minimum of a 42inch landing net, a long unhooking mat, a pair of forceps and a pair of wire cutters.
When pike fishing it is vitally important to use a wire trace as this stops the pike's teeth from cutting through the line.
The trace should be a minimum of 18in long and made of 20lb wire.
Most baits will catch pike from Coombe with spinners and plugs working well because the water is relatively shallow.
Dead baits also often work well with large pieces of smelly fish like mackerel or sardines taking a large number of the bigger pike.
As the water is large, it is important to attract the fish to your swim.
Some anglers do this by 'glugging' or injecting their baits with various types of fish oil or amino acid dips before casting out.
Float fishing for the predators is rarely used as most anglers, when using dead baits, use running ledger rigs with light leads on the lead link, allowing it to rest in the silt and not pull the bait in to it.