FISHERY OF THE WEEK
A 30lb net of redfins is easy at this Staffs venue
Pipehill Fisheries
BIG ROACH are something of a rarity in commercials, but there’s certainly no shortage of these wonderful fish at Pipehill Fisheries.
There are five pools are on offer at the attractive Staffordshire complex, with a range of other species to have a crack at too.
Carp, tench and bream are the primary focus for visitors, but its incredible roach potential has sprung to life in recent seasons, with hauls to 30lb bagged before the venue closed for the greater part of lockdown.
Now it’s back open, and the silverfish action is showing no signs of drying up, with Alders Pool arguably the pick of the bunch for this style of sport.
A bonus is that there are never any matches at the venue, so you can be fully confident that your favourite lake will be available for pleasure fishing whenever you visit.
An accidental find
Alders Pool is roughly horseshoe-shaped, with pegs dotted along the outer banks and around the peninsula. There’s an island to fish towards, with clumps of lily pads and small bays to target that look ideal to bring a bite or two.
Improve Your Coarse Fishing
magazine’s Tony Grigorjevs enjoyed his first taste of the venue late last year, and said: “I was looking for somewhere to take my young twins, and there were a few vague suggestions online that Pipehill’s Alders would be good for a few silvers.
“I took a gamble and went with the advice, expecting to catch small roach and rudd to hopefully give my kids the fishing bug.
“I ended up getting a lot more than I bargained for, with roach averaging 8oz and lots around the 1lb mark in just a few hours on the bank fishing a short pole.
“Another trip back a few days later on my own, and with a bit more tackle, produced 30lb of redfins in no time at all.”
Cheap day out
With groundbait not permitted, your attack is effectively limited to loosefeeding maggots and
casters if you want to get among the silverfish. Keep a regular trickle of bait going through the water column – flicking in a dozen maggots every minute will soon get the shoals competing just 6m out.
Use a light pole rig with 0.15mm mainline to a 0.11mm hooklength and a size 18 hook. A slimline, 4x12 carbonstemmed float provides sensitivity, with a strung-out shotting pattern helping you catch on the drop. The best elastic is a grade 7 Preston Innovations Dura Slip Hybrid.
This rig is geared towards finesse, but still has enough grunt to beat bonus carp and barbel. Why not pay Pipehill a visit this week, and your search for a big haul of roach will end in no time at all.