In the second of these posts, I've provided some ideas and advice on fishing Swim 2.
Swim 2
Swim 2 is a small and intimate spot to fish which is packed full of features. Depending upon how many of you are fishing the lake, it is possible to reach some of the spots from the adjacent Swims 1 and 3. However, I prefer to make the distance as short as possible and fish this area from Swim 2 itself.
The depths in this part of the lake are beginning to increase with an average depth of about 4-5 feet on the left-hand side and 5-6 to the right. The lake bed in this part of the lake is a mixture of shallow silt with some harder sandier patches.
The obvious feature is the far bank trees. When we first bought the lake, we did some bank repairs which included planting some willows. These are now established and provide cover for the fish. They supplement pre-existing more mature trees and now provide a largely continuous band of cover which means that there are usually some fish present.
To the left of the swim is the overhanging alder that I referred to in the post on Swim 1. Again, there are always fish under this tree.
Overhanging Alder
This is also the closest point to fish the feeding area that is off the alder tree along the line of the old stream bed. It is worth spending a little time finding this spot as it is one of the most consistent feeding areas on the lake but is also rarely fished. For most people the temptation of fishing under the overhanging alder is often too much. It’s not really possible to fish both araes well at the same time as the line from the rod under the alder will be close to and at risk of spooking fish on the closer spot. Finding the spot can be a little tricky but not too difficult with the boat, bait boat with depth/feature finder. It usually doesn’t take too long before bubbling fish also give you a good indication of where it is. The area that has been hollowed out by the feeding carp is a fairly small depression covering perhaps 5m2. The picture below was taken from the balcony of the house when draining the lake which gives a good idea of where it is.
Shallow Depression Viewed from the Balcony of the House
A good approach to fishing this area is to pick a spot off the far bank trees and fish consistently to this. This can be either using a bait boat or, if casting, by clipping up at a set number of wraps. These spots can then easily be baited with a bait boat, catapult or by walking round to the far bank. I would then fish one rod here and a second on the depression off the alder tree. I would also continue to scatter loose feed elsewhere along the far bank tree line as well as under the alder to give the fish somewhere close by where they can feed with confidence. It is possible to fish three rods from here with a second rod out to the far tree line and this is a personal decision. I think that generally you will catch more fish with just a single rod on a baited spot combined with a scattering of bait elsewhere along the trees.
If using a bait boat don’t be tempted to go too close to the far bank. This bank is highly variable and stony with some very steeply sloping sections and others quite gentle. Presentation here can be difficult and it is far better to try to find the base of the slope and fish just off this. The bank is also stony and favoured by crayfish. As such, if you fish too close to the bank, particularly at night, there is a risk that your bait will be taken. Whilst the fish will sit right under the bankside willows very close to the bank, I think that when fish are moving through the lake, they are more likely to be following the deeper water at the base of the slope. It is also much easier to establish a bed of bait accurately on the flatter lake bed away from slope.
As with other parts of the lake, keep everything well-hidden with back leads if using bait boat and also a flying back lead if casting. As you will be fishing to quite small baited areas, I would also recommend baiting the spots but not fishing them for periods each day. This is something which is true of all lakes and the majority of the most successful carp anglers all seem to rest their spots for periods each day.
So all in all, Swim 2 is a great spot to fish. The features means that there are always fish close by. The overhanging trees and tight nature of the feeding spots also make for fun and challenging fishing for those who like finding and fishing accurately to feeding spots.
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