The author has been managing two fishing syndicates at Houchins Reservoir for 20 years, focusing on catfish and carp.
They offer two separate lakes for each species, with significant fish sizes, including a 127lb catfish.
The lakes are now open to the public as day ticket venues, aiming to cater to various anglers’ preferences.
Houchins Reservoir
Get Directions
About Houchins Reservoir
For the past 20 years, I have been running two fishing syndicates at Houchins Reservoir in Essex, where I have experience fishing for all types of fish, but mainly catfish and carp.
I have two syndicates at Houchins Reservoir – one called Carp Reserve for carp fishing only, and the other called Cat Reserve for catfish fishing only. I wanted to give something back to the public by opening up the lakes as a day ticket venue, instead of keeping them private. I know what anglers want from a fishing experience, so I decided to keep the catfish in one lake and give carp anglers the choice to fish for carp only. However, there are still carp in the Cat lake for anglers who enjoy catching both species.
I have stocked over 200 carp, with the largest being 26lb, in the Carp lake, and over 60 catfish and 50 carp, including a 97lb and a massive 127lb catfish named after a friend who passed away, in the Cat lake. The 127lb catfish, named Adam Jones, is one of the biggest cats in Britain according to the Angling Trust’s big cat list.
I aim to please as many anglers as possible, so visitors are welcome and you can even bring your dog along for the day. I hope you enjoy fishing at Houchins Reservoir.