35 acres
21 swims
17 anglers
70 lb+
Heron is an English carp fisherman's dream, comprising large open areas, smaller channels, an island and several secluded bays where you can tuck yourself away.
Heron Lake
Heron was the second carp lake to open on the complex and at 35 acres, it is currently the largest too.
Compared to Fox, Heron is the weedier of the two lakes and in summer has large beds of canadian pondweed in most areas of the lake. Although like Fox, Heron is incredibly deep as opposed to most other commercial fisheries and this still leaves vast areas of the lake clear and allows you to fish over a firm gravel or silt bottom.
Heron does not have any issues with signal crayfish, although as is per our other waters, there are numbers of the much smaller European crayfish present, for the most part though, these are so small their pincers can't do much damage to a boilie, although they can whittle one down through the hours of darkness. In terms of stock, , with an average weight somewhere in the region of the upper 30lb mark.
View Heron Photos7 days per angler
Heron Swims
There are 21 swims present with a 17 angler limit, again giving everyone the opportunity to move if they want to? The bottom of the lake is also a lot more undulating than in Fox and it is vital to use a marker rod or echo sounder to discover the best features in any given swim!
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Heron Carp
What set Heron apart until recently, was the chance to angle for an absolute monster, Shoulders, the queen of the Lake, which still holds the overall complex record at a staggering 98lb 4oz! Unfortunately, the great fish passed away early in 2016. Where Fox has emerged as a venue with an excellent average weight of fish, Heron's stocking levels have allowed a different pattern to emerge. Booking a trip here should see regular action from a bigger stock of slightly smaller carp but as already mentioned, with the chance to bag the fish of a lifetime!
View Heron CarpThe majority of the stock are between 30-40lb, there are also huge numbers of carp in the 50lb bracket. The difference lies in the fact that Heron possesses a staggering amount of 60lb+ fish !! with fish to well over 70lb so if it’s a PB your after then look no further than HERON , Once more there is a head of abnormally large grassies as well as 2 Carp Argente, one of which has become a bit of a local celebrity as he / she regularly gets 'papped' sunning itself over the bar in Peg 14. Why you might ask? Well, it could have something to do with the fact the fish weighs between 120lb-130lb and is quite a sight in the gin clear water!
Heron Availability
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Food Package
With new, delicious, home-cooked options on our seasonal menus, there should be something for everyone.
View Food PackageBait Service
We have a massive range of Boilies, Pellet, Prepared Particles, matching hook baits, dips and more all on-site.
View BaitsHeron Tactics & Tips
I have often remarked that Heron is the most 'English' water on the Complex and as a result you can approach it exactly as you would at home, with the exception of bigger hooks and stronger line of course! I have yet to find the complete Rig for Heron but have found the most success with the help of a Combi Rig! I also know of a number of high profile Anglers that used the 360 Rig with great success too. My preferred method is to tie the Combi in the conventional manner with a softer Braid section at the end of a stiffer boom.
Two things I would suggest not to use are the Chod Rig and FluoroCarbon mainline! Once again, there is often a blanket covering of low lying blanket weed (both Canadian pond and Silk weed) and this can hamper your presentation if using the Chod and secondly, it is not advisable to fish with slack lines either, due to the possibility of the fish running into a weedbed before you have had time to react, potentially allowing it to become tethered! My concerns over FluoroCarbon revolve purely around it's abrasion resistance, or lack of and again, the fact it may become entangled in the marginal weed if fished slack, thereby allowing a Carp vital time to gain sanctuary and in turn, cause itself harm in the process! Having said that, I amongst others have also had a degree of success by using the!
Chod-anoster / Weed-anoster rig, this is almost identical to a Choddy but comprises a 2-6" super-stiff and straightened Hooklink and is fished 6-8' up from the lead on a much tighter line, this style allows for much better bite indication and will ensure that a) your bait is presented perfectly and b) your line cannot entangle itself around any obstacles in the swim! On Heron, your baiting strategy is governed entirely by the Fish and will vary greatly, not only from season to season and month to month but sometimes from week to week! Don't forget, you are not the only Angler there, even if your chosen swim is free upon arrival, it may well have been occupied for the previous 7 days and quite possibly for some weeks or even months beforehand too! They are big Carp and will respond to large quantities of bait at the right time of year but my preferred approach would be just to fish small PVA bags and scatter between 50-100 Boilies around each Rod with a Throwing stick until you have gauged just how many Fish are in your swim and more importantly, how many of those are actually interested in feeding?!
If they are, the Heron stock respond to a variety of methods, beds of Particle and/or Groundbait have worked well in the past, as has a simple Boilie approach so make sure you are prepared for all eventualities if this is your chosen water. As far as choice of Boilies goes, I think a good quality Fishmeal bait works better on Heron than on the other waters. Mainline's Activ-8 has always scored highly as have a number of others, such as Baitcraft's Super K and Halo.
What Our Customers Say...
"The best thing about Abbey Lakes is that it contains literally hundreds and hundreds of some of the most stunning-looking, big carp in Europe." Leon BartroppRead More Testimonials