Navigation Pond – Pre and Post Lockdown (3 Trips)

This was a lockdown-post lockdown lake within a short distance of my home. I found it through Google maps. Honestly it’s quite a pleasant lake. Not heavily stocked, but it has a small head of Silverfish and Carp. On one of the walk-arounds, I did note that a carp carcass was up on the bank. The pond (it’s a large pond) sits in the grounds of the Navigation Pub along the Ilchester road. I can’t say I ever ventured into the pub, but a “bite and a pint” is always a nice idea. 

There was 1 peg on the lake (pond) and a few open bank areas where you go access the water. I fished this venue a total of 3 times, and managed to catch fish every time, but nothing of any size. Including in bitterly cold conditions, where I had to improvise and smash the lake ice.

Through to a warm spring day. As I had a small person with me tactics were primarily float fishing, although on one trip I fished a feeder, and didn’t manage a bite. 

On my final visit, I was made aware that the pond had historically been stocked, but that it had been stocked many years ago, and the fish had been left to “fend for themselves”. The pond is often used by the local RC Boat club. It is a silty lake with a lot of weed, and it is raked once a year. I was also told there were several “big ones” in there, but mainly it’s loads of little ones, including many, many fish fry. It did make me think a few perch in here wouldn’t be a bad thing. 

It’s not somewhere I would venture back to actively fish now, but it did “scratch that itch” during lockdown. But if you had a rod in the car and fancied trying for a roach or an elusive carp then why not give it a try?

As a rating a would say

Fishability ***

Value for Money- I can’t honestly say I ever paid to fish this lake, even when I went up to the pub entrance when it opened

Disabled Access – *** – There is 1 peg which will allow a wheelchair and the gentle slope down to the lake should be manageable with help in a wheelchair.