Cherry Springs
Cherry Springs is a fabulous lake to fish. It is around 1.25 acres in size and contains some fantastic fish of a number of species. It is heavily stocked with 300+ Carp with a good range in their sizes from 10lb to 39lb+. The majority are Mirror and Common Carp including a good sprinkling of Ghost Carp which are easily seen on the surface of the lake on bright days as they swim near the surface. In 2024 as well as a large number of twenties, 7 different Carp over 30lb's were caught from Cherry Springs. The biggest of these was this Carp when caught at 39lb. It is pictured below at 37lb when caught in 2023 by Perry Walton pictured here.
Cherry Springs is exclusive to Kingfisher Lodge. You can only fish this lake if you have booked the Lodge.
The CherrySprings Carp are normally catchable throughout the year and respond well to well positioned rigs and regular baiting levels. They are very catchable throughout the yesar. All of the exclusive lakes are good winter Carp fishing waters.
Due to the large number of Carp in Cherry Springs, it has no weed. Its biggest feature is the marginal shelf which runs around the lake, frequently under trees. Most of these Carp are doubles with plenty over 20lbs. Our normal rule of thumb is to expect at least one over 20lb in every 4-5 Carp caught.
Why not watch 'photogenic' Mike's introductory video about Cherry Springs
Cherry Springs is the biggest of our exclusive lakes. It is one of the most popular of our Lakes/Lodges. Some of our guests have said to me how much they enjoy having such a lovely lake to themselves. Indeed they have said it is like ‘millionaire’s fishing’!
When you book Kingfisher Lodge, this beautiful tree lined lake of around 1.5 acres is all yours for the duration of your stay. Over recent years we have restricted the number of anglers to a maximum of 2. However with the development of a new bivvy swim attached to Kingfisher Lodge, we can now take bookings from groups of 3 male/female anglers.
Cherry Springs is being developed to ensure the average angler should catch several Carp or more a day. The fish will responds to most methods most of the time, and do like ‘a lot of bait’. Like all waters though it can switch off for a while! It is not normally difficult, but equally I would not describe it as a runs water.
It is a particularly good winter water due to the stocking levels. The Carp can never be too far away even if they are not biting. Like all lakes though it can have it’s off days!
Over the years angling guests typically report catches between 8-15 Carp during their stay. There have been plenty of examples of where guests have caught 30-40 Carp during their stay. Normally big catches come from heavily baiting the middle areas of the lake. The Alam family set a new catch record of 78 Carp for a week on Cherry Springs in August 2020. The previous record holder was Richard Mascall who from memory caught 76 in a week. However to be fair to Richard he was the only angler where this week there were three!
Cherry Springs also contains around 50 Tench, plus a good stock of Crucian Carp to 4lb+and Perch up to 2lb+. These can be targeted, especially on float rods, whilst waiting for the Carp to bite. Indeed we always encourage our angling guests to bring a float rod which they can use on any of our lakes whilst waiting for a run. There are some real cracking Crucian Carp, Perch and Tench to 7lb to be caught
A recent netting to check the stock in Cherry Springs resulted in a few surprise, not least a very healthy stock of big Perch. Typical of big predator fish they thrive on neglect, especially when there a lot of small Roach to eat. These Perch are very rarely targeted so we rarely see them on the bank. It was great to see so many with the biggest around 3lb. Why not give them a go?
The stock of Crucian Carp is even more impressive. During our winter stock check, we accurately weighed two Crucian Carp of 4-09. These are very big specimens on a national level and are definitely worth catching. Whilst not easy to catch, those who do give it a go and persevere, are always delighted to see these specimens in their net.
The Crucian's have done particularly well and whilst not easy to catch, those who try and persevere are always delighted to see these lovely specimens in their net. These fish can be caught, by using float and match tactics from the deck of Kingfisher Lodge. Laying on with a delicate presentation frequently works. Sometimes they even pick up boilies!
Kingfisher Lodge is ideally placed allowing all of the lake to be accessed from the large fishing platform. The fishing platform was recently extended following the addition of the new Kingfisher bivvy swim, the Lodge can now accommodate three anglers comfortably.
The main fishing platform is also very comfortable to fish from. The astro-turf ensures it is clean and it is not slippery in the frost and dry's quickly after any rain. This can also be said for wood-chippings covered bivvy extension area. Almost all of our guests have commented about how comfortable the ‘grass’ is and how much they have enjoyed fishing on it. Its great advantage over real grass and other surfaces is that it is always clean, easy to walk on and good on the eye.
Kingfisher Lodge got it’s name because of the regular sightings of this beautiful bird as it fishes in the lake as well as hunts along the River Churn, which runs behind the northern bank opposite the Lodge. Plenty of other species of birds are seen including Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, and Long Tailed Tits.
Similar to all the other lakes across Cherry Lakes we regularly feed a mixture of the boilies, and pellets to the Vherry Springs fish throughout most of the year. As a result our fish recognise all of our bait as quality food. So you can be confident that whichever the boilie you choose, it is a good one. No more wasting days on a bait the Carp do not recognise as food!
As a result of this top quality food our fish are normally happy, healthy and growing.
All of the details about our range of bait and the extra value ‘Session Deal’ and ‘Haulin deal’ packs can be found in the Bait and Bait deals page in the Fishing section of this website. Bait and Bait Deals
Cherry Springs average depth is around 6 feet. Most of the lake bottom is covered in a layer of silt. This is not normally too deep or smelly to be a problem. The Carp do like to feed in it and can often be seen 'bubbling' in it. A great sight when you are waiting for a run!
Around most of the lake there are two ledges. The first is around the actual margins where the banks drop down to a depth of 3 feet. About a rod length or so, in most places, a second ledge around 4 feet deep can be found. These ledges are often firmer and/or made of gravel. These areas can be productive at times. Accurate casting and/or using a baitboat can be an advantage, particularly where there are over-hanging trees. Bait Boats
Fish care and safety is paramount across Cherry Lakes. An approach welcomed by all good anglers who want to catch high quality good conditioned Carp. All anglers are expected to follow any advice or requests from the fishery management concerning fish safety. The rules are strictly applied (see link)
All Lodges and Cherry Lake Cottage are provided with Carp Cradles, a 42″ Landing Net and a Weigh Sling, so there is no need to fill up the car with these, and avoid the wet fishy smells on the way back from your holiday! All Carp caught must be photographed over the Carp Cradle and returned to the water in the weigh sling.
