Any self-respecting fishing challenge has to involve a trip to Angler's Paradise - or in this case, it's day-ticket cousin, Angler's El Dorado.
If you didn't know, these two fishing complexes are both owned by the legendary fishing eccentric, Zyg Gregorek. The many lakes are stocked with a huge variety of fish species and colour variations, it truly lives up to its name as a Mecca for Coarse Fishermen.
Angler's El Dorado is for people who aren't looking for a full week's accommodation but still want the chance to catch Koi and Golden varieties of Carp, Tench, Orfe & Rudd plus the predatory Catfish. For a fishing species challenge it's perfect as there are many that won't find anywhere else. £10 for access to all four lakes for a day is a bargain too considering that ranges from fishing for Tench & Orfe to the much heavier Carp & Cats. We decided to focus on the bigger variety of fish in the Orfe & Tench Lakes whilst also pitting our wits against the Carp in the Koi Lake. I had decided to try out my vintage Ambidex Casting Reel too, a quick google search had informed me it could be over 50 years old yet it still worked fine, so with new modern line I was eager to test it out against its modern equivalent.
We arrived just after 9am to beautiful sunshine and fish topping everywhere in the Orfe & Tench Lake in front of us. With anticipation we set up... well we would have had I not left my tackle box at home! I couldn't believe it. The first time ever it had happened to me and home was over an hour away. I truly felt like an idiot! Robbie was late too so we didn't have the back up from him either. Luckily Will, Ellie and Olly are a forgiving bunch, so me and Will made the short trip to the Angler's Paradise tackle shop. Too much money later we were back and set up with shiny new tackle. In front of us were literally thousands of golden fish, most of them only an inch or two long but with the occasional larger Golden Rudd lurking amongst them. Ellie had the first fish, the first of what we end up being countless Rudd. She quickly followed it up with a lovely little Golden Tench, a fish that I have been very keen to catch ever since I knew they existed. Tench are such an endearing fish and the gold variant just adds to their charm. We all got to fishing properly (except Robbie who was typically late) and all started catching lots of Rudd. When Robbie finally turned up, we found the maggots he brought to be even better at catching them. They inevitably became a bit of a nuisance, especially as when you would think you had a Golden Orfe on, it would just turn out to be a fantastically coloured Rudd. I'm not sure if they interbreed but some of the Rudd have all the characteristics and colours of an Orfe, but with the obvious deep body and strong upturned mouth of a Rudd. Stunning fish but with the Challenge in mind it was no good catching the same species over and over. Float fishing sweetcorn with the split shot bulked nearer the hook put off all but the biggest Rudd, though it was slower going. Will caught a Golden Tench and lost a Blue Orfe just after, Robbie was fishing a feeder next to him and it was slow going. Myself and Ellie walked around the lake looking for different fish. I had spoke to the guy who ran El Dorado before, he had told me they also had Chub & Barbel in the lake, something nobody else could confirm so I don't know the truth in it, either way we definitely didn't catch one! I did however find a huge shoal of Orfe and cast to them with maggot, they reacted greedily and my first ever Golden Orfe was soon in my hand, it was tiny to be honest but I was happy with another species. Ellie and Will had some too, still small like my one, we couldn't see any larger specimens which was a shame.
With the fishing getting a tad monotonous we moved down to the Koi Lake. There were some lovely fish up to 4-5lbs cruising about at the surface, all of them in unique shades of red, gold, white and black. These fish might have been dressed in clown's colours but they were no fools. We tried many different tactics but couldn't tempt one, though Robbie managed a Blue Orfe and lost a good fish in the thick weeds. Will caught a couple of Golden Tench but the Koi eluded us. I can only compare it to Mullet fishing, they just ghost past your bait or take every free offering except yours, frustrating stuff I'm sure you'll agree.
Will and Rob went off to try for Carp & Catfish and Myself, Ellie and Olly went back up to the first lake to catch the species we needed. I needed a Blue Orfe and a Golden Tench, Ellie needed a Blue Orfe and Olly needed both Orfe types and the Tench. We baited up an area near a tree and set to fishing, the Rudd were still proving a slight annoyance but Olly caught two nice Blue Orfe in quick succession. One off the list. It took me a while to catch anything other than Rudd but my first ever Golden Tench was soon on the bank, I quickly took a picture alongside my vintage reel and placed it back. The reel was a delight to use and I'm looking forward to testing it on more sizable fish. I then had a Blue Orfe and I had completed the four. Olly was still after Golden Orfe and Tench, I decided we would try and find some of the smaller ones and cast to them. So began about 15 minutes of frustration for Olly and hilarity for me as he just couldn't catch one. They either came off or turned out to be Rudd. I did feel for him but ultimately the fish beat him, he gave up and returned for the Tench. Whilst we were Orfe chasing Ellie was catching Tench after Tench, all she wanted was a Blue Orfe but it wasn't to be. Olly though sensed his opportunity and after a short while was finally into something other than a Rudd! A better sized Golden Tench that turned out to have no dorsal fin, a bizarre deformity but probably something quite common in ornamental fish that are specifically bred for colour. With no luck on the Carp and Catfish, Will and Robbie fancied heading home and we agreed, not the massive success we had hoped but still some rare species caught and a beautiful day in the sunshine. Those Cats would have to wait for another time.
After that the totals are:
Ben - 22 Species - Perch, Roach, Bream/Roach hybrid, Mirror Carp, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Common Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Tompot Blenny, Ballan Wrasse, Rock Goby, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Pollock, Goldsinny Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Golden Orfe, Blue Orfe & Golden Tench
Ellie - 17 Species - Golden Rudd, Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Perch, Pike, Corkwring Wrasse, Pollock, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Tompot Blenny, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Ballan Wrasse, Common Blenny, Golden Tench & Golden Orfe
Olly - 15 Species - Perch, Rainbow Trout, Pike, Rudd, Roach, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Pollock, Goldsinny Wrasse, Common Blenny, Shore Rockling, Corkwring Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Blue Orfe & Golden Tench
Will - 14 Species - Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Pike, Tompot Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Common Goby, Ballan Wrasse, Dogfish, Golden Rudd, Golden Tench & Golden Orfe
Robbie - 11 Species - Perch, Mirror Carp, Roach, Rudd, Eel, Ballan Wrasse, Topknot, Crucian Carp, Common Carp, Golden Rudd & Blue Orfe
Zoe - 5 Species - Pike, Goldsinny Wrasse, Rock Goby, Ballan Wrasse & Long Spined Sea Scorpion
Shane - 5 Species - Rudd, Roach/Bream Hybrid, Crucian Carp, Pollock & Shore Rockling
Grant - 2 Species - Ballan Wrasse & Tompot Blenny
If you didn't know, these two fishing complexes are both owned by the legendary fishing eccentric, Zyg Gregorek. The many lakes are stocked with a huge variety of fish species and colour variations, it truly lives up to its name as a Mecca for Coarse Fishermen.
Angler's El Dorado is for people who aren't looking for a full week's accommodation but still want the chance to catch Koi and Golden varieties of Carp, Tench, Orfe & Rudd plus the predatory Catfish. For a fishing species challenge it's perfect as there are many that won't find anywhere else. £10 for access to all four lakes for a day is a bargain too considering that ranges from fishing for Tench & Orfe to the much heavier Carp & Cats. We decided to focus on the bigger variety of fish in the Orfe & Tench Lakes whilst also pitting our wits against the Carp in the Koi Lake. I had decided to try out my vintage Ambidex Casting Reel too, a quick google search had informed me it could be over 50 years old yet it still worked fine, so with new modern line I was eager to test it out against its modern equivalent.
We arrived just after 9am to beautiful sunshine and fish topping everywhere in the Orfe & Tench Lake in front of us. With anticipation we set up... well we would have had I not left my tackle box at home! I couldn't believe it. The first time ever it had happened to me and home was over an hour away. I truly felt like an idiot! Robbie was late too so we didn't have the back up from him either. Luckily Will, Ellie and Olly are a forgiving bunch, so me and Will made the short trip to the Angler's Paradise tackle shop. Too much money later we were back and set up with shiny new tackle. In front of us were literally thousands of golden fish, most of them only an inch or two long but with the occasional larger Golden Rudd lurking amongst them. Ellie had the first fish, the first of what we end up being countless Rudd. She quickly followed it up with a lovely little Golden Tench, a fish that I have been very keen to catch ever since I knew they existed. Tench are such an endearing fish and the gold variant just adds to their charm. We all got to fishing properly (except Robbie who was typically late) and all started catching lots of Rudd. When Robbie finally turned up, we found the maggots he brought to be even better at catching them. They inevitably became a bit of a nuisance, especially as when you would think you had a Golden Orfe on, it would just turn out to be a fantastically coloured Rudd. I'm not sure if they interbreed but some of the Rudd have all the characteristics and colours of an Orfe, but with the obvious deep body and strong upturned mouth of a Rudd. Stunning fish but with the Challenge in mind it was no good catching the same species over and over. Float fishing sweetcorn with the split shot bulked nearer the hook put off all but the biggest Rudd, though it was slower going. Will caught a Golden Tench and lost a Blue Orfe just after, Robbie was fishing a feeder next to him and it was slow going. Myself and Ellie walked around the lake looking for different fish. I had spoke to the guy who ran El Dorado before, he had told me they also had Chub & Barbel in the lake, something nobody else could confirm so I don't know the truth in it, either way we definitely didn't catch one! I did however find a huge shoal of Orfe and cast to them with maggot, they reacted greedily and my first ever Golden Orfe was soon in my hand, it was tiny to be honest but I was happy with another species. Ellie and Will had some too, still small like my one, we couldn't see any larger specimens which was a shame.
With the fishing getting a tad monotonous we moved down to the Koi Lake. There were some lovely fish up to 4-5lbs cruising about at the surface, all of them in unique shades of red, gold, white and black. These fish might have been dressed in clown's colours but they were no fools. We tried many different tactics but couldn't tempt one, though Robbie managed a Blue Orfe and lost a good fish in the thick weeds. Will caught a couple of Golden Tench but the Koi eluded us. I can only compare it to Mullet fishing, they just ghost past your bait or take every free offering except yours, frustrating stuff I'm sure you'll agree.
Will and Rob went off to try for Carp & Catfish and Myself, Ellie and Olly went back up to the first lake to catch the species we needed. I needed a Blue Orfe and a Golden Tench, Ellie needed a Blue Orfe and Olly needed both Orfe types and the Tench. We baited up an area near a tree and set to fishing, the Rudd were still proving a slight annoyance but Olly caught two nice Blue Orfe in quick succession. One off the list. It took me a while to catch anything other than Rudd but my first ever Golden Tench was soon on the bank, I quickly took a picture alongside my vintage reel and placed it back. The reel was a delight to use and I'm looking forward to testing it on more sizable fish. I then had a Blue Orfe and I had completed the four. Olly was still after Golden Orfe and Tench, I decided we would try and find some of the smaller ones and cast to them. So began about 15 minutes of frustration for Olly and hilarity for me as he just couldn't catch one. They either came off or turned out to be Rudd. I did feel for him but ultimately the fish beat him, he gave up and returned for the Tench. Whilst we were Orfe chasing Ellie was catching Tench after Tench, all she wanted was a Blue Orfe but it wasn't to be. Olly though sensed his opportunity and after a short while was finally into something other than a Rudd! A better sized Golden Tench that turned out to have no dorsal fin, a bizarre deformity but probably something quite common in ornamental fish that are specifically bred for colour. With no luck on the Carp and Catfish, Will and Robbie fancied heading home and we agreed, not the massive success we had hoped but still some rare species caught and a beautiful day in the sunshine. Those Cats would have to wait for another time.
After that the totals are:
Ben - 22 Species - Perch, Roach, Bream/Roach hybrid, Mirror Carp, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Common Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Tompot Blenny, Ballan Wrasse, Rock Goby, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Pollock, Goldsinny Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Golden Orfe, Blue Orfe & Golden Tench
Ellie - 17 Species - Golden Rudd, Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Perch, Pike, Corkwring Wrasse, Pollock, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Tompot Blenny, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Ballan Wrasse, Common Blenny, Golden Tench & Golden Orfe
Olly - 15 Species - Perch, Rainbow Trout, Pike, Rudd, Roach, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Pollock, Goldsinny Wrasse, Common Blenny, Shore Rockling, Corkwring Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Blue Orfe & Golden Tench
Will - 14 Species - Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Pike, Tompot Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Common Goby, Ballan Wrasse, Dogfish, Golden Rudd, Golden Tench & Golden Orfe
Robbie - 11 Species - Perch, Mirror Carp, Roach, Rudd, Eel, Ballan Wrasse, Topknot, Crucian Carp, Common Carp, Golden Rudd & Blue Orfe
Zoe - 5 Species - Pike, Goldsinny Wrasse, Rock Goby, Ballan Wrasse & Long Spined Sea Scorpion
Shane - 5 Species - Rudd, Roach/Bream Hybrid, Crucian Carp, Pollock & Shore Rockling
Grant - 2 Species - Ballan Wrasse & Tompot Blenny
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