About HAPS
Jack's Lake
Jack's Lake is the bottom of three lakes that were originally created some time in the 1880s as estate lakes for Squire Charles Jack, who owned Beech Hill House, although it is thought there has been some form of lake since the late seventeenth century. Today, the top two lakes are inaccessible and along with the house, are part of Hadley Wood Golf Club. From Victorian times until the sixties (photos), Jack's Lake had been used as a boating lake, then as a day ticket water, but was left to decline and became very overgrown until Hadley APS was formed in 1982. The lake was drained and de-silted, the vegetation cut back, the banks made safe and it was then stocked with fish (photos).
The lake now provides 44 pegs, 27 of which are fishable on a day ticket, the remainder being available only to club members. The main species are carp (to 26lb), bream (to 7lb), and roach. There are also tench (6lb), chub (4lb), pike (14lb), rudd, gudgeon and very occasional eels and barbel. Matches are generally won with over 10lbs, but pleasure sessions usually produce much higher weights of mixed fish and those targeting carp generally have multiple catches (photos).
The price of a day ticket is £6 per rod, or £3 for concessionary tickets.
It is also possible to book the lake for organised matches, there are no dates available for weekends this year, but enquiries about mid-week bookings this year or weekend bookings for next year can be made to the club secretary.
How to get here
From the M25:
Exit at junction 24 and follow signs for A111 Cockfosters. After passing Cockfosters underground station on your left, take the next right into Mount Pleasant. Continue straight on over the roundabout into Grove Road, then right at the end into Castlewood Road. Park either at the end of Castlewood or follow round into Northfield Road to park. Follow the footpath at the side of the telegraph pole into Hadley Woods, turn left, walk over a bridge and bear right. Over another bridge and up the steps to the lake. It's not as far as it sounds!
Please keep noise to a minimum when parking and unloading, especially early in the morning. Both Castlewood Road and Northfield Road are on a bus route, don't double park - make sure you leave space for buses to pass, as cars blocking the road are quickly towed away without notice.
