The famous Open-Water Swim originally got its name when the lake was 90% solid weed but there was always a clear area of open-water out from this swim. (These days we regularly introduce small amounts of weedkiller so that it is never too bad).

This swim has produced some huge fish over the years, including the very last capture of The Quiet One, by Gary Kimble at over 45 pounds, before it went A.W.O.L. in the big floods of April '98!

Since those record floods, when the Nene rose about 8' above normal level, we have moved thousands of tons of soil and put up over two miles of fish-fencing to stop this ever happening again.

If you're set-up in the Open-Water you can chose the distance and depth at which you wish to set your 'trap' plus you have the marginal reeds each side and if no-one is set up The Aviary, you can fool the fish by having lines entering the swim from an angle the fish are not accustomed to.