Arden Fisheries is a well established venue which has had a varied past and looks set for an even more exciting future. For many years it was run by The Royal Leamington Spa Angling Association but in 2002 became a syndicate venue. However, following requests from local anglers it opened for day-tickets in 2006. The 24-acre fishery is part of a 206-acre fruit farm which grows apples, pears, plums, cherries and strawberries and is probably better known locally as Snitterfield Fruit Farm. Following the opening of the new Alistair's carp and tench pool in March 2011 and Oak Pool in summer 2008, Arden now offers angling on six waters of widely differing character. Work has also been completed on the construction of a timber-faced clubhouse which will incorporates changing rooms, ladies and gents toilets and a cafe which serves hot and cold food, snacks and drinks and sells a selection of terminal tackle, angling accessories and tinned and dry baits. In addition, Arden offers holiday accommodation in three tastefully converted farm buildings - The Stables, which has two-bedrooms, and The Hayloft (right) which has one bedroom and The Cow Pen which has one bedroom. All three have been fitted out to the highest standard and provide not only accommodation for anglers who want a fishing holiday but also a great base from which to explore the Cotswolds and the historic towns of Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick. The Stables, The Hayloft and The Cow Pen have been rated Five Star. For further details of the accommodation at Arden Fisheries please click here. Arden also has a large area for static and touring caravans and tents. Called 'The Park' (below), this spacious and sheltered grassed area surrounded by trees is about four acres in size and at the top end commands stunning views where you can see for nearly 30 miles over the Avon valley. The fishing varies between open waters surrounded by wide grassy banks to snug pegs tucked in amongst the trees and bushes where anglers fish swims which are full of features. All fish in the Arden waters are home grown stock and many have been there for years, particularly the mature carp in The Orchard which have a reputation for being hard fighting old warriors. Irrespective of their size, with the exception of the new 30-peg Oak Pool and the 27-peg Arches, each lake has only 20 pegs, which means there is plenty of room between angler. All waters are served by a large car park at the end of the access drive. Anglers should start fishing on arrival as the bailiff will collect ticket money on the bank. Unlike many fisheries these days, anglers are allowed to use keepnets but are asked not to keep carp and silver fish in the same net and to return carp over 3lbs in weight. There are also few rules, although junior anglers are not allowed to fish The Bowl and there is a two rod limit per angler. Anglers should not use hooks bigger than a size 10 and bloodworm, jokers, nuts, boilies and floating baits are not allowed. It all combines to make Arden an interesting and varied fishery which should appeal to a wide range of anglers from those looking for a pleasant day's easy fishing where they are virtually assured of a decent catch to carpers after double figure fish in traditional surroundings. 2011 Day Ticket costs Adults Juniors/OAP £6.00 £4.00 A maximum of two rods per angler are allowed. Anglers should start fishing - fees will be collected on the bank. Junior anglers are not allowed to fish 'The Bowl' The Bowl Looking like a giant bomb crater, The Bowl is about one-and-three-quarters of an acre in size and is the least fished of all the Arden Fisheries waters - yet it holds some decent sized fish, not least of which are perch which run to 3lbs 8oz and mirror and common carp to 20lbs. With steep walkways which lead to a fairly even flat bank running all the way round the water, The Bowl is up to 18 feet deep in the centre although it is shallower around the entrance side of the pool near to Fox's where a 10 feet deep shelf runs about 20 feet out into the water. On the opposite side from the entrances the banks shelve steeply down to a bowl shaped bottom from which the water gets its name. In addition to the perch, commons and mirror carp there are a good head of bream which run to between 3lbs and 4lbs, plenty of skimmer bream and roach to well over 1lb. Although there are plenty of small perch which have bred in the water, the average size of the more mature fish is generally between 1lb and 2lbs whilst the average for the carp tends to be between 6lbs and 8lbs. The water also holds some nice crucian carp, although these have tended not to show up very often over the past few years. Whilst some anglers prefer to fish The Bowl with ledger tackle in the deep water, most anglers opt to fish either pole or waggler in the margins taking fish which hold up close to the bank. However, fishing the pole carries its risks as all the fish in The Bowl have been in there many years and are hard fighting. As a result many an angler has had his pole snapped when hooking into one of the bigger carp. Many anglers tend to fish The Bowl with between 4lb and 6lb line and size 14 hooks, but whatever line strength you use you should play the fish patiently as they don't easily give up. You may think you are into an 8lb carp - only to find out that it weighs only 3lbs once on the bank! Most popular baits tend to be maggot, sweetcorn, pellet, paste and luncheon meat whilst those after the perch tend to stick to maggots and worm. Fox's Pool Fox's Pool is more open and slightly smaller than The Bowl at about an acre-and-a-half in size. Being only five feet deep throughout with an even bottom it is easy to fish and with The Orchard is the most popular water at Arden Fisheries. Stocked predominantly with mirror and common carp in the 2lbs to 3lbs range, it holds a good head of fish to about 15lbs and regularly produces doubles. Fox's appeals mainly to anglers who want to catch a lot of fish rather than wait for one big one and is a popular match venue where the current record stands at 120lbs and where weights of 70lbs regularly win matches with back-up weights of between 50lbs and 60lbs needed to get into the money. Although Fox's is right next to the car park and has a wide and even grass bank all the way round, it is about 10 feet below the car park level so disabled anglers may need assistance getting down the access slope or steps which lead to the water. Although many anglers fish Fox's using a pole, most matches are won by anglers fishing a carp rod about three feet out from the bank using a waggler. Once again maggots, sweetcorn, pellets, luncheon meat and paste are the most popular baits, but anglers should not use too much groundbait. The recommended technique is to bait the swim with a little groundbait, pellets or free offerings and hook samples and then feed a few free offerings at intervals throughout your session. Overfeeding tends to put the fish off and could prove counter productive. The Orchard Regarded as Arden Fisheries' big carp water, The Orchard was the original lake at the venue. Dating back to the 1940s when it was used as an irrigation reservoir for the fruit farm, it is now well established with some cracking pegs and swims and some lovely old 'warhorse' fish which have been in the lake for many years and now run to over 30lbs. The Orchard is the biggest of the Arden waters at just over three acres in size and has gently sloping banks which run to about 16 feet deep along the centre of the lake, although it is much shallower around the edges and at both ends where about five feet of water can generally be found. A typical old carp pool, it is virtually surrounded by trees and bushes whilst the 20 platform pegs give anglers a solid base from which to fish. In addition to the bigger fish, The Orchard holds a good head of double figure commons and mirrors as well as plenty in the 5lbs to 10lbs range. Biggest to come out in 2006 was a 26lbs 3oz common carp taken from Peg 20 in the right hand corner by the entrance. There are good stocks of bream which run to about 4lbs, roach and perch to 2lbs 8ozs, plus a few tench to about 4lbs and some crucians, although the latter are rarely caught. Although many anglers who fish for carp normally tend to use two rods or a rod and a pole, this can be dangerous on The Orchard as the fish have a habit of bolting once they take a bait. As a result, they can have a second rod in the water before an angler realises he has a bite. In 2006 alone anglers reported the loss of 12 poles and 13 rods, most of which were never recovered. The most popular pegs tend to be at the corners, particularly Kamakazi Corner at the far end of the lake from the car park where the trees overhang the water giving plenty of cover for both anglers and fish. Unfortunately this means that many inexperienced anglers loose four to five times the number of fish they land. However, for alert and more experienced anglers these pegs can give some cracking results, especially when hooked fish are turned away from the lilies and trees and played in open water before being brought to the net. Whilst many anglers ledger fish the deeper open water on a baitrunner, it often pays to fish much closer in with a waggler or pole, particularly next to features, weeds or under overhanging branches where the fish tend to hold up or patrol near the edges. Again the secret is not to overfeed but to introduce a small amount of groundbait, feeder pellets or hook samples when starting to fish and then top up with a few free offering at intervals during the sesion. Although The Orchard is a popular carp venue, it is also popular with match anglers - and with the match record currently standing at an impressive 212lbs it is easy to see why. This was set in summer 2006 with a mainly carp bag taken from the left hand corner peg as you approach the lake from the car park. Once again the most productive baits tend to be luncheon meat, sweetcorn, pellets and paste but anglers should remember that boilies are not allowed. Archers Named after local angler Ernie Archer, this out-and-out silver fish water was completed in 2003 and fishes well throughout the year. Although it does hold a small number of carp, it is stocked with nothing bigger than 4lbs and is an ideal pole venue, having a central island and a maximum depth of seven feet by the road and just three-and-a-half feet in the channel on the far side of the island. The biggest fish in Archers tend to be the bream, which run anything between 12oz and 3lbs, and the crucian carp which run to about 2lbs in weight. Other fish include roach from 12oz to 1lb 8oz, tench to a similar size and a good head of perch in the 4oz to 8oz range. Whichever technique you choose to fish on Archers, the secret is to keep things light. As a result, most anglers who do well on the water opt to use a size 16 or 18 hook and nothing stronger than 2lb line. Being predominantly a silver fish water the most popular baits are maggots and casters followed by sweetcorn and pellets. If using luncheon meat it pays to cut it finely into eighth-inch cubes. Because there are few features to fish to and no corner pegs, anglers stand an even chance of catching whichever peg they choose, making Archers an ideal match venue. As one would expect, fishing the margins and close up to the island can produce best results. Oak Pool Arden Fisheries opened its new two-acre Oak Pool to anglers on Sunday, June 1. Named after the 1,000-year-old oak tree which stands near the water, the pool has been four-and-a-half years in the making and has been developed as an out-and-out pleasure and club match carp and tench water. Dug at the end of 2004 and filled with water from the venue's own borehole, the lake was allowed to settle and establish its own ecology for three years before being stocked 18 months ago with a good head of common and mirror carp to 12lbs 8oz, a good number of small grass carp and thousands of green and golden tench to about 12oz. These fish have not only grown on nicely but have already spawned and straight away gave anglers good nets of fish. Fishing the pool is from 30 slabbed pegs set about 10 feet apart with a central island being the main feature of the water. Depths range from just three-and-a-half feet along the bank where the bullrushes have taken hold to a maximum depth of seven to eight feet just out from the car park bank. This bank also has the benefit of a four feet deep shelf which runs about three feet out from the side. Anglers who have tried the water so far have had good results from both pole and waggler with fishing either in the margins, in open water or against the island all being equally productive. Most popular baits so far have been plain and flavoured luncheon meat; maggots; hooker pellets; sweetcorn and bread, although anglers should note that in common with the other Arden Fisheries waters fishing floating baits is not allowed and there is a maximum hook size of Size 10. Alistair's Bridge The new Alistair's Bridge carp and tench pool at Arden Fisheries was formaly opened at the end of March 2011 by renowned matchmen Jon Arthur, Editor of 'Pole Fishing' magazine and Rob Wootton, a contributor to 'Match Fishing' magazine. About an acres and a half in size with a central island, the pool is surrounded by a narrow shelf before the sides drop to a depth of about three and a half feet at the end nearest the road and between six and seven feet at the far end. More than four years in the making, Alistairs holds 25 pegs and after being dug was allowed to settle and the bio-diversity build up. It was then stocked with a mix of mirrors and commons which now run to about 2lbs 8oz and tench which are now about 1lb in weight. In addition, several mirrors and commons around the 12lb mark were also stocked for spawning purposes. After the stocking the pool was then allowed to rest for a further two years. Although it is not yet known which are the best techniques for fishing Alistairs, it is expected that both pole and waggler will work well, although it is suggested that 'natural' baits such as maggots and worm will be more effective than pellets or sweetcorn as the fish have not been fed due to the large amount of natural life in the water. Also, because the water is similar to Oak Pool, it is expected that it will shortly fish in a similar manner. Visit Arden Fisheries and accommodation pages on the Net Arden Fisheries are developing their own website which can be found at www.ardenfisheries.com. Incorporating details of the fishery and a photo gallery of recent catches, the scope of the site will be extended over the coming months. Arden also has a separate site which gives full information on The Stables and The Hayloft accommodation. This can be found at www.prestigecottages.com. The site includes an on-line cottage availability and booking system. Arden offers angling holidays in Portugal Arden has finished building four new cottages on the Algarve in Portugal which have been developed as holiday cottages and will cater for fishing, golf and shooting holidays. Further details of the cottages can be found at www.prestigecottages.com. Fishery owner Steve Dawkes said: "I have been out in Portugal several times this year checking out all the available waters and I have to say that it seems as though the fishing is relatively untapped out there". How to get there... Whether travelling from the north or south, Arden Fisheries is easy to reach from Junction 15 of the M40 motorway. After leaving the motorway, follow the A46 and signs for Stratford-upon-Avon. When you reach the roundabout at the top of the hill at the end of the dual carriageway take the second exit staying on the main A46 and after about a mile take the right turn signed Snitterfield. Continue round the bends and after the war memorial on the left take the next left turn which leads back over the A46. Go down the hill and you will see the entrance to Arden Fisheries about 400 yards on the right. Click on the map to the above for more detail. Go back to Fisheries homepage