Luke Vallory - Sandhurst Tips

Having spent a little bit of time at the Yateley day ticket through the years and having already caught the lake's biggen (known as Nige's) we asked Luke on a recent trip (where he bagged a brace of Sandhurst 30s) if he could give his top tips for the prolific winter day ticket:-

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 – Being a shallow lake averaging 5 feet, Sandhurst really responds to mild weather changes, so if you see these warmer temperatures coming, it’s well worth booking in a session. I tend to use the BBC Weather app, focussing on temperature, air pressure, moon phases and actual conditions (sunshine, cloud etc)

𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 – Through the winter, the carp tend to live in the central body of open water. The Island swims, Pipes, Car Park and 9,10,11 all allow you to target this area, where you can hit the deeper depressions down to around 8ft. Fishing to these firm areas around the weed is a great approach. There is a depth map of Sandhurst both online and in the onsite carp park, so I would advise studying the map prior to your visit and then when you are in your chosen swim, check the depth map again to get an idea of the area you need to cast to. This will help save valuable time when leading, creating less disturbance and allowing you to get rigs out easily.

 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 – With 400 carp present, there’s plenty to go at and they’re not shy of showing themselves. Keeping an open mind, a watchful eye and being prepared to move is essential. As with any day ticket, competition for swims and getting on fish can be intense, so I always travel light, not hesitating to up sticks and move if I feel there is a chance. On may last session, I was fishing the car park swim, and having already caught a 30, I was fairly confident, but through the day, I began noticing carp show at the other end of the lake. With no anglers down that way, I quickly packed down my kit and barrowed into a swim called 'Baliffs' - A dark mirror shuffled out as I pulled my barrow up, fuelling my confidence. I got the rods out with minimal disturbance and that night, I was greeted with another 30lb'er, whilst the anglers who had stayed put at the top end remained tackless. This just proves how quickly they can move and you need to react if you see them show.

 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐛𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬 – I’ve done really well fishing dull coloured hookbaits, usually a white of yellow coloured bait. White hookbaitsof around 10 or 12mm, soaked in pineapple goo has been a real banker for me at Sandhurst. The Goo gives the white baits a lovely washed out yellow appearance that I've found to be a real winner for pressured carp.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 – There’s no need to pile it in. Baiting as tight as possible with crumb and corn is a real winner, often fishing two rods on a spot and maybe one just off it. Through the winter and into early spring, two spombs per rod, so 6 on a spot with 3 rods is often all that is needed, topping up with a couple per bite.