Orchard Lake

Carp to over 43lb

Orchard Lake

Carp to over 43lb

Orchard Lake

Carp to over 43lb

Orchard Lake

Carp to over 43lb

Orchard Lake

Carp to over 43lb

  • Lake
  • Stock
  • Facilities
  • Bait
  • Rules
  • Gallery
  • Map

About This Lake

Orchard Lake is an exclusive, private mixed carp and catfish water spanning approximately 1.85 acres. Tucked away in a peaceful setting, the lake features a charming central island with mature beds of water lilies just beyond — creating a truly picturesque and productive fishing environment.

Built on a natural clay base with areas of silt and clean exposed gravel, Orchard Lake offers superb fishing conditions. The water is free from weed and has a strong track record of excellent water quality, with no known algal blooms. While the lake is largely snag-free, well-defined undercut banks and natural troughs provide ideal holding and nesting areas, particularly for the catfish.

Big things are coming to Orchard Lake — and 2026 could be the year to make your mark.
Ongoing Stock Management
To maintain Orchard Lake’s impressive average weights, additional carp will be transferred from Peter’s Lake throughout 2026 as fish there exceed 21lb. This careful, phased approach ensures the stock profile continues to strengthen year on year.

Next new stock introduction: December 2026
Next scheduled netting: Early winter 2026
Our proactive management programme keeps Orchard performing as a true specimen water for serious anglers.

Fish Species
Carp to over 43lb
Catfish to over 86lb
Facilities
Accommodation
Food Package
Bait
Toilets
Max 4 Anglers
From £975 per week

Fish Stock & Species

Stock & Fishing Potential
Orchard Lake boasts a carefully managed, high-quality stock including:
Common and mirror carp
Grass carp
Wels catfish
Zander
Roach and rudd
Select bream

Carp fishing is a standout feature. Fish are known to reach over 43lb, with an impressive average around 28lb and a strong head of 30lb+ specimens. Ongoing stock management — including the 2024 netting programme — ensures very few carp remain below 20lb, maintaining Orchard’s reputation as a big-fish water. The predominantly Czech/Hungarian strain carp are fast-growing and continue to thrive.

The lake is also home to:
3 grass carp to approximately 32lb (including the largest grass carp on the complex)
‘Sally’ the sturgeon, a regular and exciting visitor to anglers’ rods
3 koi carp, including ‘Cracker’ at around 14lb

Catfish & Predator Fishing
Orchard Lake holds an excellent head of large wels catfish, with most specimens now exceeding 40lb thanks to ongoing management. Recent captures have reached an impressive 86lb. Clearly defined nesting areas — mainly to the left-hand side of the lake — make this a proven venue for serious catfish anglers, although the very largest fish can be elusive.
The zander population is still relatively young (around 4–5 years old) but showing strong growth and exciting future potential.

Orchard Lake offers a rare combination of privacy, quality stock, and big-fish potential — making it a must-fish venue for anglers targeting specimen carp and catfish in a tranquil, well-managed setting.

New Fish Stock — 2025
In December 2025, Orchard Lake welcomed two exciting new additions designed to enhance the big-fish appeal even further.
A stunning 45lb 3oz solid-tone Mandarin catfish
A powerful 30lb 13oz common carp
To maintain the lake’s strong average weights, additional carp will be transferred from Peter’s Lake throughout the season as they reach the 20lb mark — ensuring Orchard continues to develop as a true specimen water.

One to Watch in 2026
The new Mandarin catfish is already a standout fish and is expected to be highly visible during its predator runs throughout 2026. Currently unnamed, the honour of naming this impressive fish will go to the first angler who successfully lands it in 2026 — adding an extra layer of excitement for visiting anglers.
With some of the larger resident wels catfish proving elusive on the bank during 2025, the introduction of this active Mandarin is expected to inject fresh energy into the lake’s predator fishing and help stimulate activity among the existing catfish stock.

Facilities

Lakeside Accommodation at Orchard Lake
Orchard Lake offers exclusive private access directly from the local country road, leading you into a peaceful, secluded setting — your home for the week.
Perfectly positioned just 10 metres from the water’s edge and the main double swim, the accommodation allows you to stay close to the action while enjoying home comforts.

Accommodation includes:
Two comfortable bedrooms
Spacious living room with reclining sofa
Freesat British TV & WiFi
Fully equipped kitchen (gas cooker, microwave, fridge)
Shower room and WC
WiFi throughout
All bed linen and towels provided
Relax, fish, and unwind in complete privacy at Orchard Lake.

Superb Food Package available across all Famous Five lakes
Enjoy high-quality meals throughout your stay, available to all guests.
 More Value –

Bring the family — non-fishing guests stay free, and pets are welcome

Bait

We have an extensive bait package that is available upon your arrival at The Famous Five

About the boilies … 
The 18mm frozen boilies are freshly prepared locally, air dried and then frozen.  There are no preservatives and no fillers.  The baits are manufactured by an English bait specialist and are used across many lakes across this region of France. The Cranberry and caviar boilies are used as part of the feeding regime across the year.  

WHAT’S IN OUR BAIT 
Of-course there are too many ingredients to list here but here’s a brief insight into a few of the ingredients we use, their proprieties and functions within our baits. 

Fishmeals 
Generally produced from the by-products of the commercial fishing industry – often, left over flesh, bone and offal. This then undergoes a drying process before reaching its powdered form, fishmeals are widely used to produce aquatic feeds. 
There are various types of fishmeal available with varying qualities, one of our preferred choices of insoluble fishmeal is a low temperature fishmeal produced from white fish, due to the low temperatures in the production process this ensures higher levels of key nutrients are preserved providing a comprehensive range of amino acids, high levels of digestible protein, and offering a relatively low oil content when compared to some others that are available. 

Pre-digested Fishmeal 
Unlike standard fishmeal this product as the name suggests has undergone treatment to render it pre-digested, the science behind this process relies on enzymatic hydrolysis. 
The result is a fishmeal which is extremely attractive to fish, loaded with free amino acids, extremely high in digestible proteins and is highly soluble in water. 

Lambs Milk Replacer 
Lower in protein than some refined milk powders, lambs milk replacer is a functional bait ingredient that provides a range of benefits to a finished bait. It is rich in globular proteins, lipids  and key vitamins (A & D) being water soluble it acts as an effective fish attractor, it aids binding and provides a very mild sweet undertone in a bait which helps to remove the bitterness of some other ingredients. 

Acid Casein 
A refined spray dried milk protein. It’s extremely high quality, offering protein levels in excess of 90% it also supplies a range of key amino acids. Whilst providing functional qualities to a bait, it aids rolling through it’s binding qualities and is semi water soluble. 

Rennet Casein 
Like Acid Casein, Rennet Casein a very high quality refined product offering in excess of 90% protein, rich in amino acids, providing an excellent rounded profile when used in conjunction with other milk proteins. 

Sluis CLO 
Widely used in many different bait formats, CLO is a multi-functional ingredient that brings many benefits to any bait. High in starch CLO aids the digestion of protein it’s rich in carbohydrates providing a valuable energy source, aids texture and “crunch” along with the benefits derived from the inclusion of cod liver oil – omega 3 fatty acids. 

Haiths Robin Red 
An all-time classic that has been used in boilies almost from their inception, arguably the most successful fish attractor of all time, this nutritionally beneficial ingredient adds serious pulling power to a bait, it has a spicy taste and aroma which fish find irresistible and as you’d expect adds a deep red colour to a bait when used at optimum levels. 

Yeast 
Brocacel Yeast is a spray dried pure yeast culture and brings a whole range of benefits to a bait. It is widely used in animal feeds to increase palatability, being water soluble it is naturally very attractive to carp. It improves digestion, absorption, gut function promoting beneficial bacteria growth. 
Brocacel improves the immunity of carp and enhances the capability to with stand stress. Brocacel is rich in vitamin B, contains a complete range of amino acids as well as being high in protein and carbohydrates. 

Vitamins 
To further enhance all of our baits, we use a specialist vitamin supplement premix which ensures all the key vitamins required by carp are available 

Krillz 
This superb fishmeal bait that is sure to be a firm favourite with carp and anglers alike. 
This krill based bait is similar in make up to the Envy, rich in amino acids and digestible proteins. 
Containing low temperature fishmeal’s, pre-digested fishmeals, soluble milk proteins, vegetable proteins, high quality bird foods, brocacel yeast along with our vitamin premix. 
The Krillz also benefits from a generous helping of premium quality Atlantic krillmeal, the infamous Haiths Robin Red along with liquid feeds such as Krill Hydrolsate and Scottish salmon oil.
 
KS-1 BOILIES 
KS1 is a creamy blend of easily digestible including bird foods, brewer’s yeast, vanilla, Brocacel yeast culture, milk proteins, Clo and Kelp. Developed to ensure fish get an extensive mix of amino acids and vitamins. It is made using the finest ingredients with no fillers to ensure the best nutritional value and growth for the fish.
 
Twisted Tuna BOILIES 
Twisted tuna is a blend of tuna, krill, predigested & cray fishmeals along with a milk protein give the bait a good balanced protein base. With the inclusion of bird foods including Robin Red along with CLO this bait has been developed to ensure the fishes best health and weights 
Available in Cranberry and Black Caviar or Squid and octopus 

About the particle … 
Is freshly prepared on site containing a mixture of locally sourced maize and wheat.  It is pre-soaked with additives for at least 24 hours before being cooked and allowed to rest. This mix is used throughout the year as part of the feeding regime. 

About This Lake

We don’t want to be too draconian or prescriptive in our approach to angling at Famous Five Fishing. But we love our fish and we adore the environments in which they are located. And we know our guests feel the same way and will love and respect all that we have created.

Mainline and Terminal Tackle 
● Mainline: 18lb minimum (20lb+ recommended on Eagles) 
● No braided main line, except on spod or marker rods. 
● Hooklink: 35lb minimum 
● No lead core or leaders. 
● Minimum 18inches of rig tubing. 
● Barbless hooks only. 
● No curved, bent or long shanked hooks. 
● No fixed/bolt or tethered rigs (ronnie, 360, spinner) 

Bait 
● Tinned or frozen sweetcorn is allowed. No plastic hookbaits and no nuts (except as hookbaits). 
● Bait boats are allowed. A rowing boat is available at the risk of the angler 
● Only particle and pellet purchased on-site can be used
● No dumping of unused baits at the end of the week. 

Fishing 
● 3 rods per angler maximum which must not be left unattended. 
● All rods must be a minimum of 3lb test curve. 
● Stalking with one rod is allowed wherever it is safe to do so. 
● All carp over 40lbs, cats over 100lbs and all grass carp are to be photographed in the water

Environment
Keep the swims clean and tidy. Please use the rubbish bins provided at each swim. Please ensure all glass and bottles goes in to the appropriately labelled dustbin.

Location

Distance from Ports

Select Port for Google Maps Route

Caen – 125 miles
Calais – 332 miles
Cherbourge – 148 miles
Dieppe – 229 miles
Dunkirk – 347 miles
Roscoff – 166 miles
St. Malo – 77 miles

Interested In Orchard Lake?

Click the Book Now button to book your trip to Orchard Lake. We’ll be happy to assist you with your fishing trip plans.

From £975 per week

Need Help?

Contact us for any requests or questions you may have.

Looking to book the entire Famous Five complex for exclusive use by up to 15 anglers?

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