Testimonials

Sandra, Daniel & Collin

Hi Ray,
Just wanted to thank you for an amazing and inspiring day on the 2nd Sept! Colin, myself and Daniel (9) had a wonderful day that we didn't want to end! We started out very bright and early on the lake at 8am, The lake is a very beautiful setting in which you can lose yourself in the beautiful surroundings. The tranquility and your enthusiasm made for an all round wonderful day in which we learned lots. From learning about bait mixing and to whip and pole fishing (my 1st ever fish) watching Daniel have the time of his life.... whipping fish out on the pole and practising his casting. I can thoroughly recommend a visit to Ray to anyone...... young, old, girls or boys. Ray's patience and love for fishing is contagious, we cannot wait to have some time to visit again.

Thanks once again,

Sandra, Daniel and Colin.

Paul

This is an exceptional venue and Ray is an exceptional bloke. Other than being a great laugh and really friendly, his advice and tips are invaluable in helping you catch and more importantly enjoy your fishing. He is extremely generous in sharing his vast knowledge of the lake itself, feeding behaviour of the fish and best rigs and techniques. I would recommend him as an angling coach to anyone, whether they are looking to learn the basics or hone advanced specimen hunting skills. What a top bloke!

The lake itself is gorgeous, an outstanding natural beauty spot well stocked with a variety of big fish. Recently, during a 36 hour session as the sun was rising and early morning mist was rolling off the water, I had two bite indicator rods out, one tight to the far bank and the other a few metres to the left of an island. While a visible head of big carp wallowed in the water above my boilies and I waited for my reels to scream off. I fished another rod set up with a waggler tight into some marginal lily pads and caught three tench to 6.15lb (a personal best tench, the smallest was about 4lb) within a 2 hour window as well as a 2lb roach. In between catches on the float rod my bite alarms would scream off and I'd be hauling in stocky carp and a couple of other decent size tench. It was brilliant fun and hopefully I'll be back soon. Cheers Ray!!


Thanks
Paul

Joseph Langston catches personal best

Hi Ray,

What a beautiful fish!!!!!!

First of all id like to thank Ray for such a fantastic day, was a great help throughout the whole session, his coaching, tips and tecniques were very useful and he also puts on a mean BBQ!

Before starting off with our fishing, Ray gave us a walk around one of the most beautiful secluded lakes ive ever seen in my life. With so many features to choose from, giving us a rough idea of the depths and swims that had been fished previously Ray helped me target fish instantly and saw a handful of decent sized carp basking in the 'shallow end' of the lake.

Half way round the lake I had seen enough, I was literally gagging to go back unload the car and get fishing, we completed the guided tour, as we were only there for the day myself and my brother decided to just go stalking instead of setting up and sitting in one swim all day, there was quite a bit of water to be covered so we chose a side each and baited a few swims then went for walk abouts.

I found myself sitting in the shallow end of the lake watching a group of which had to of been 20lb + carp basking and cruising around the weed coming right close in under my feet, so i took a few steps back and baited a swim that Ray had suggested to me earlier. Just a handful of corn and a few pellets about 6inches away from the bank under a small tree, I left and came back about 30mins later around 10.30am. Set up with a small waggler, 6lb line and a size 12 hook with double sweetcorn, I was fishing reletively light considering the amount of weed and pads I seemed to be surrounded by.

It was a matter of minutes before I saw my float slide away, I made contact with which felt like a lump and headed straight for the weed and lily pads with its head down, remembering the 'light' tackle I couldnt really do much about it but she was a very powerful fish. I called out to my brother who was on the other side of the lake, he was beside me almost instantaniously, then Ray appeared from nowhere with my uncle phil and the scales !! unfortunely the fish was well and truely stuck in the weed by the island but as the water in the shallow end was 3 foot max. Ray didnt hesitate for a second before jumping in and rescuing what turned out to be the most magnificent common carp I had ever seen. 22lb 8oz a personal best :) !!!!! An absolutely imaculate beautiful fish.

Thank you very much Ray. Had a great time mate.

Will definetly see you soon for more good times.

Cheers for the pictures.

Joe.

Simon Johnson

“The Best of two” Tuesday

After a search for local lakes on the internet I found carpitright.co.uk. After a brief phone call with lake manager Ray I knew the “Carpitright” Lake was the place to go and boy was I right!
Problems with my eyes meant that certain lakes were not feasible for myself to fish but Ray assured me that I would have no problem at his lake.

The day began at around 9am where on arrival my son and I were greeted and introduced to the lake by Ray. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw the lake and its surroundings. A picturesque setting in the heart of Dorset, near Wimborne Minster and away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The sun was high in a clear blue sky and the wildlife was out in abundance and it was still only the beginning of spring. It really is a small piece of heaven.

After a walk around the Lake I identified a swim close to the car park where there was an edge of an island with an overhanging tree. It looked the perfect distance for me to bait up and fish from my pole at 11 metres and a depth of 6 ft. It wasn’t long before I was getting bites and within the hour I had my first fish on the landing mat. An immaculate looking mirror carp of 6lb 4oz had embraced my landing net after quite a tussle! The fish still had the curtain on its lip suggesting that it was highly likely it had never been caught. This was the case shortly after when ,again after a vigorous tussle, I had what looked like a possible PB common carp on the landing mat. Ray was on hand to help me weigh the fish and I watched in anticipation as the scales went round to 15lb 12oz - a new PB. What a great start!

A great tip if you are ever fishing this lake and like photos of your fish is to ask Ray to take them on his camera. Not only is he knowledgeable when it comes to fishing and wildlife but he is a great photographer too. A look through the many pictures on the website will confirm this. A quick kiss and it was time to put the beautiful unmarked fish back into the water. After a congratulation and shake of the hand from Ray and my line was soon back in the water.I began to wonder to myself - was there anything that could top off the day that I was already having, then suddenly Ray was behind me with a cuppa tea! That’s right he can provide refreshments too!

By mid afternoon my swim had gone quiet and the temperature had dropped quite considerably. The change in light meant that I would only have about an hour left to fish until it got too stressful for my eyes. My son had earlier packed up his tackle and had sat next to me, enjoying the beautiful surroundings and keeping me company when my float went under. A different type of bite suggested this was a different fish, possibly a Tench. As it came into the net I could see it was a rather large Tench, so large that when put on the scales it recorded my second PB of the day at 6lb 12oz. What a fantastic end to the day - two PB’s and every fish I caught was unmarked and completely flawless.

I cannot recall in all the years I have been fishing a Lake so beautiful and peaceful and stocked with such perfect fish. I will certainly be fishing at this lake again and if it’s half as good as the day I had then I’m sure it will be memorable.


View all of Simons catches in the photo Gallery

Kevin & Tori 4hr taster session

My 8 year old daughter Tori had been on my case for months asking me to take her fishing but I didn't have the first idea where to begin. I live in Reading but my family moved to Barton on Sea several years ago. They'd heard about Ray and Carpitright and gave me the details. I booked Tori in for a 4 hour beginners course and on my next family visit, went along to the lake. My first impression was wow, what a place. The lake was idyllic and Ray was very friendly and welcoming. Ray took us round the lake and explained basic things like keeping the noise and vibrations to a minimum. He sat Tori down and went through the equipment with her and before too long Tori was casting out and reeling in her very first fish. The fish kept coming in different sizes and excuse the pun but Tori was hooked. Ray's attention to detail and patience was fantastic, and you can tell that he has such a passion not just for fishing himself, but for wanting to share his experiences with others. We'll no doubt be seeing you again and maybe I'll participate this time although I was happy enough just absorbing the atmosphere and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Thanks Ray.

Tori says:

I really enjoyed going to the lake and I enjoyed learning how to fish. Ray taught me how to put the maggot on the hook, how to make up ground bait into balls and throw it into the water, how to cast the line and when the right time was to pull the rod up. He showed me several types of fish called Rudd, Golden Rudd, Perch and the big Carp although I didn't catch one of those. At the end he helped me to catch a really big fish called a Tench which he took a picture of. I have asked my dad to take me again next year as I really enjoyed myself.

Thank you Ray

Kade

4 year old Kade with his first fish



We took Kade down to see Ray in august last year. Me not knowing much about fishing myself we thought it would be better for him coming from someone with a bit of knowledge. Had a look about and we found carpitright. So we booked Kade in for a taster session with Ray and went down in August. Kade had a fantastic time, and learnt so much at the same time. Ray had set up a fish tank so that when Kade had caught the fish he could watch them swim around. He learnt about the different types of fish, and by the end of the session he could even tell them apart (something I still struggle with). Kade had a great time, and we will defiantly do it again. Great outdoor experience for Kade, and I would recommend Carpitright to any parent wanting to take their child to learn to fish for the 1st time. We have since had to buy Kade a fish tank because he enjoyed fishing so much, obviously Rays passion for fishing is contagious.

See you next year Ray.

Mr. K Parr, Edward, Jonathan & Christopher: 1 day Course

Mr. K Parr, Edward, Jonathan & Christopher: 1 day Course

Hi Ray,

Without a doubt the highlight of the summer for us all was the day we spent with you. Thank you very much for all the help you provided with utmost patience. Your coaching was excellent. Your approach from first considerations of health and safety to keen observation of fish in the swim was methodical. The explanations that you gave and the chance for us to experience at first hand was invaluable - for example how a marker rod is used and how to spod. The graphic demonstrations of how PVA applied baits can be used was superb. How to set up rigs was a day on its own but you managed to show us how to tie them and we have since used them to effect. Proof of the pudding - see the attached photo taken at Longleat on the Friday following our day with you. It was caught using a tutti frutti boilie on a standard hair rig. All the lads are so keen - you have really fired their enthusiasm. Edward's got himself a bite alarm as he lost a big one on the same day Jonathan caught his. I am sure we'll meet up again to go over all the skills we've learnt from you and garner even more info. All the best and thanks for a fantastic day - worth every penny.

Cheers Kevin
P.s evaluation forms completed and will be sent off in tomorrow's post