I’m back at the Lake of Dreams—one of my favourite places on earth. About a year ago we teamed up with Dean (the lake owner) and Carp Tech to run a charity raffle. 129,000 tickets later, we raised £1,300 for two causes and brought three lucky winners for a 48-hour session to see what they could do on this magical private venue. In this episode you’ll see the full story: the old-school peg draw (with kebab sticks 😂), first impressions, swim choices, tactics, a scorching hot day that flips to a welcome breeze, a BBQ with the owners, a quick run to Total Fishing Tackle (our stockist with a live carp tank and bait-boat “try before you buy”), and—most importantly—the moment Ian in Peg 1 lands the first fish of the trip at 26lb 2oz.

We also sit down with Dean for a proper deep dive on what it really takes to own and grow a carp lake: clay tests, planning consent, aquatic planting, designing an “egg-box” lake bed with bars/gullies, stocking choices (Front Fish, Mid Kent strain), feeding strategy (tonnes of pellet), biomass nettings with Gary Bayes, and the venue’s star residents like DME (named in memory of a dear friend), Queenie, Measles, and Jesse. If you love UK carp fishing, private venues, stock management, and honest bankside vibes—this one’s for you.

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Charities we supported

Pussycat Lodge – local cat rescue, rehabs & rehomes ~300 cats/kittens a year; fundraising for a new site (“Next Chapter”).

Adam Outreach via Hope House – supporting men facing homelessness & addiction, with safe housing and recovery support.
If you can, please consider donating. Every little helps. 💚

Tactics & bait (what worked)

Approaches used: solid bags; match-the-hatch over pellet/boilie; Magic Dust to “salt & pepper” mixes; Flat Spot (garlic & fruity) on bags/spod; Liquid Calinus; zig considered for the heat.

Key decision: moved a rod onto showing fish in a clean area with 5 spombs only; switched to a flat-pair lead to prevent roll-off the bar; minimal topping-up overnight.

Result: 26lb 2oz mirror from Peg 1 after the wind swung and the pressure eased.

Stock highlights (Dean’s fish)
DME – long framed mirror; current lake big-gun (40+), named in memory; likely first fifty.
Queenie – iconic mirror (high 30s), crowd favourite.
Measles – mirror with seasonal red pigmentation patch; 40lb 8oz this year.
Jesse – beautiful common named after Dean’s cat; 40lb+.
Plus a growing head of 30s and some wicked zip-linears & scattery mirrors coming through.

Lake owner insights (for carp geeks)
Groundwork: soil/trial holes for clay, full planning pack (work drawings, spoil plan, aquatic & foliage schemes, orientation).
Design: bars, bowls, gullies, patrol lines (including the back-margin scoop/gully that does bites).
Feeding: stepped up to ~80kg/week in season (pellet-led), with barley/rolled oats/maize as needed.
Water quality: daily checks—DO rarely under 8mg/L thanks to spring feed & exposure; careful nitrate/ammonia management.
Biomass control: multiple winter nettings, removing stunted/under-performers (including 20s) to push proven growers.

Gear shout (visitor section)
Total Fishing Tackle: huge range + live tank + bait-boat testing in-store
Brands spotted: Tracker, Nash, Fox, Fortis, Korda, ESP, PB Products, Thinking Anglers, Gardner, etc.

Parker Baits used in this video
Flat Spot (Fruity & Monster Crab/Garlic)
Liquid Food (incl. Calinus, Hot Chili)
Magic Dust – 27 food particles & 17 spices (OG Fish); 25 particles for Fruit & Nut
Pellets – Mini Mix & OG Fish
Boilies – OG Fish & OG Fruit & Nut (14s & 18s; 1kg & 5kg)
Parker Particles – Buckwheat, NOSSA Nuts, Pure Maize, Sexy Spod Mix, Hemp & Maize (shelf-life jars)

Comment: Which fish would you most want to meet—DME, Queenie, Measles, or Jesse?

#CarpFishing #LakeOfDreams #ParkerBaits #BigCarp #UKCarp #CharityRaffle #LinearStyle #CarpTactics #SolidBag #ZigRig #FlatSpot #MagicDust #LiquidFood #CarpVenue #StockManagement #TotalFishingTackle

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