Advice on approach

[Sportsman]

I am going to try a public lake next week, for the first time. It is really a carp venue and that is pretty much the only way it is fished, but I want try for the other species present, roach,bream,tench and perch using a feeder approach. Where would you start with regard to bait etc.
It is a big lake of 40 acres plus, with a deep end and a shallow end.

 

[Lee Richards]

Feeder down the margins.

 

[pies]

Id srart on a maggot feeder. Not a fish alive that wont take a maggot

 

[Dave Spence]

If the perch are worth going for, a little red worm is deadly.

 

[Zerkalo]

Deep end for me, if there's a dam wall I'd be fishing there. Or maybe follow the wind.

 

[Silverfisher]

I'm a bit clueless on big stillwaters water but I'd either go wag and mag not too far out if there's reasonable depth close in or chuck a ground bait and maggot feeder into reasonable depth if its shallow close in.

 

[bettsfan]

Maggot feeder for me, good luck

 

[Freesolo82]

Bait wise maggot and caster would be my obvious choice, hemp. Could work well though not really on the feeder

 

[OldTaff]

I used to approach reservoirs and big lakes like this with maggot feeder close in as my first choice - looks amazing, good luck.

 

[Sportsman]

Thanks for the replies, but it is all academic at the moment. I went down to the lake this afternoon with my wife and the dog, to scout out a decent looking swim and found out that they have drained the lake halfway down, while they do some repair work on the dam. This means no fishing in this lake for the foreseeable future.
So, what was plan B again?

 

[OldTaff]

Thanks for the replies, but it is all academic at the moment. I went down to the lake this afternoon with my wife and the dog, to scout out a decent looking swim and found out that they have drained the lake halfway down, while they do some repair work on the dam. This means no fishing in this lake for the foreseeable future.
So, what was plan B again?

Make a ton of notes about the exposed features, margins, possible snaggy areas, any shelves that might hold fish when full again.

 

[Sportsman]

Make a ton of notes about the exposed features, margins, possible snaggy areas, any shelves that might hold fish when full again.

I thought that, but the bottom is virtually featureless. Smooth clay/mud sloping gently down to the stream at the centre. There was nothing that caught my eye.

 

[OldTaff]

I thought that, but the bottom is virtually featureless. Smooth clay/mud sloping gently down to the stream at the centre. There was nothing that caught my eye.

Always worth a look though