Middle Pool(67 Pegs)
The main pleasure water at Baden Hall, Middle Pool is currently the largest lake at the venue at some 10 acres - a lot of water for 67 pegs - and is reserved exclusively for pleasure anglers.
Early in 2001 the fish stocks were supplemented by transferring the larger mirror and common carp from Dam Pool when Dam became the main match water at Baden Hall. Because it is a pleasure only water, keepnets are not allowed.
There are a number of promontories and bays along this water, some of which are very deep, whilst the deeper water, up to 14 feet and therefore excellent in winter, is along the rugby pitch side in the low numbers.
An aerial photograph in Reception clearly shows this area. Pegs 11 and 12 are noted for good catches of bream, the best of which was 10lbs 8oz.
The original stream bed runs from the high 40s to the centre of the lake, turns right and borders the deep water down to the bottom end of the pool.
There is a definite ledge here which is worth noting for two reasons: firstly as a patrol area for the fish and secondly as a potential hazard - when fighting, the fish neary always head for the deeper water.
The bay at the top end of the pool, by the drive, has a depth of some five feet and slopes gently to eight or nine feet in the middle. This is a popular spot.
Because the bay pegs are near to the car park and are spacious, easy to get to and look over open water, they generally tend to be popular. For many anglers, the fact they are highly productive is a bonus!
To accompany the shoals of bream there are carp of all varieties and with plenty of doubles to go for, Middle Pool is classed as Baden Hall's big-fish water. The average size of the common, mirror, leather and wild carp tends to be between 10lbs and 15lbs, whilst the bream run between 1lb and 6lbs with specimens going as big as 12lbs - decent bream by any standards! In addition there are tench to 8lbs and a good head of quality roach which have been taken to 3lbs.
Because of the keepnet ban, pleasure catches can only be estimated, but the best have certainly been in excess of 250lbs.
When fishing for the carp, these are caught on most modern and traditional methods with floating, ledgered and waggler baits all being successful in summer whilst the bream and tench fish best on feeder, tip or waggler.
Favoured baits for the carp are meat, corn, chickpeas, lupins and all surface baits whilst the bream, roach and tench tend to fall to corn, red maggot, pellet, paste and bread.
Whilst most anglers have seen carp glooping down a chunk of bread but the sight of double figure bream taking crust off the surface has to be seen to be believed!
Duck Pond (20 Pegs)
Deepened and widened in 2001 with improved access and landscaping, this two-and-a-half to three acre pool was dug in 1987 and stocked with five carp around the 20lbs mark. Although those original fish were never removed they have not been seen in recent years. However their offspring have thrived in what has been until the last few years a stock pond.
The Duck Pond is primarily a carp pool with tench from 1lb to 4lbs and carp from 8oz to over 20lbs. There are also quite a lot of crucian carp which average between 8oz and 1lb 8oz.
The Duck Pond is a fully tree-lined oval pool with an island to one side. Although much of the water is about four feet deep there is a a channel of around 8ft at the narrowest point between the bank and island and a shallow area at the far end of the pool. Situated in a dip within a copse, this is a very warm, sheltered pool where water temperatures can be markedly higher than on the main fishery.
Duck Pond can be reached down a road which runs between Dam Pool and Middle Pool but because it is off the beaten track is one of those waters where lone anglers can fish undisturbed.
Best baits tend to be sweetcorn, meat and bread. Although boilies and nuts are not allowed floating baits tend to do well in summer whilstr in colder weather maggots and casters are best. Anglers are requested to take an unhooking mat.
Old and New Dam Match Pools (50 pegs)
Another change at the fishery is that the original Dam Pool, originally a trout fishery which was converted into a mixed coarse fish lake in 2000, has been drained down and divided into two. All the original fish have been moved into the dam end and this part is now The Old Dam Pool.
As part of the work, the margins have been deepened to three feet shelving to a maximum of 14 feet to try and bring the fish closer to the banks. The pool has 28 pegs and has been stocked with fish from the Dam Match Pool. Carp range from 2lbs to 10lbs, bream go to 4lbs and chub, tench and roach range from 8ozs to 4lbs. Best baits on this water are corn, meat, pellet, paste and bread.
The other end of the original Dam Pool is now called The New Dam Pool and has been substantially deepened and shelved. Like the Old Dam Pool it goes down to about 14 feet. This pool holds 22 pegs and is a good match water for the smaller club. It has been restocked from scratch with stocky carp, bream, roach and other silver fish which range from 8ozs to 4lbs.
Best baits on this water are proving to be corn, meat, pellet, paste and bread.
Old Match Pool (48 pegs)
Work was completed on deepening, revamping and restocking Old Match Pool in 2001. The first water to be reached on entering the fishery, this four-and-a-half acre, 45 peg lake has a boomerang-shaped island in the middle and a bay at the far end.
The depth varies from two to three feet in the reed and rush fringed margins to a maximum depth nine feet in front of each peg at 10 metres out. The channel is about nine feet wide and then shelves back up to between four and five feet deep.
An excellent pleasure and match water, it holds carp from 8ozs to 8lbs, tench and barbel to 3lbs, bream to 2lbs 8oz, chub to 2lbs, and bream and roach to 1lbs 8oz.
Old Match Pool is best fished on pole or waggler out to the channel or feeder rod when casting towards the islands. However, in summer it is always worth going for the chub by fishing up in the water as these can provide exciting sport.
Favourite baits are small pieces of luncheon meat, corn, pellets, paste or bread.
Lodge Pool (15 pegs)
Opened in 2001, Lodge Pool was created by removing the tail end of the Old Match Pool. As a result, Lodge has has similar depths and characteristics to its neighbour.
With 15 pegs, this water is ideal for small club matches or groups of friends who would like to stage their own 'informal' competitions. However, it is also a great little water for individual anglers.
Depths on Lodge range from three to nine feet with three feet being found around the margins before the water deepens to about five feet some eight metres out and down to nine feet in the channel which runs between eight and 12 metres out.
Stocked with carp up to 16lbs, tench and barbel to 3lbs, orfe to 8oz and small bream and skimmers, Lodge fishes best on the pole and waggler with the margins being particularly productive in summer with the carp falling to baits fished both on the surface and hard on the bottom.
Best baits tend to be meat, corn and floating bread and dog biscuits in summer and ,aggots, caster, worm and bread in winter. Again, pellets are a good year-round bait.
The Doughnut (26 pegs)
Circular in shape with a central island, the Doughnut holds 26 pegs and was purposely created as a match water with the pole angler in mind, being in effect a circular canal. Because it is a match water, kepnets are allowed - although two should be used.
Built to the same specifications as Drakes and Dykes Canals, Doughnut is nine feet deep in the track, has a three feet deep, six feet wide ledge which shelves down from the far bank and a steeply falling bank from each peg. At six feet out depths are between seven and nine feet.
To ensure consistent catches throughout the year, the Doughnut has been stocked with a variety of fish including carp to 8lbs and chub, tench and barbel to 3lbs. There are also plenty of skimmers and small golden orfe and roach to bulk out weights.
As you would expect of a water of this kind, pole and waggler are the best methods to use when fishing Doughnut with meat, corn, pellets, paste and maggots once again being the best baits to use.
Drakes and Dykes (12 and 17 pegs)
Opened in 2000, Drakes at 17 pegs and Dykes with 12 pegs were constructed next to the Wetlands, which have now been returned to a conversation area.
Similar to the Doughnut, they provide canal-style fishing for pleasure anglers and club matches with many clubs booking both waters at the same time to give four end pegs.
Approximately 14 metres wide and nine feet deep in the track, they have a three foot deep, six foot wide ledge which shelves from the far bank whilst the near bank drops steeply to about nine feet deep just two metres out.
Both waters have a good head of fish, predominantly carp between 2lbs and 8lbs, tench to 3lbs, bream, skimmers, orfe and roach. Best baits tend to be luncheon meat, sweetcorn, pellets, paste and maggots.
These are ideal match waters on which keepnets are allowed, anglers being asked to use two keepnets.
Specimen Carp Lake (12 and 17 pegs)
A former gravel pit where extraction stopped in 2000, each peg on the new Specimen Carp Lake has its own individual fishing hut, complete with staging onto the bank, which is large enough for anglers' beds. An unhooking mat, landing net and weigh sling are supplied with each cabin.
Costing £30.00 for two rods per person for 24 hours, the new water is deepest close to the railway bridge where up to eight feet of water can be found just three rod lengths out before dropping to a maximum of 12 feet along the spine of the lake. Whilst the banks are shallow between Pegs 7 to 11, they shelve steeper along the railway bank feom Pegs 1 to 7.
Although much of the bottom is gravel and sand with some silt, there is a large open bed of gravel out from Pegs 16 to 18. In summer there is also a weed bed out from Pegs 14 and 15 which tends to hold a lot of fish. As yet there are no known 'hot spots'.
Because the water can become quite weedy in summer with Silkweed, most anglers tend to use solid pva bags or pva foam around the bait. Another alternative is to use a zig-rig to beat the weed.
In calm weather when the surface is like glass, floating baits do well, particularly with anglers targeting fish in their swims or luring them to the surface with free offerings of dog biscuits or bread crust.
At other times the faithful old maggot also does the trick, with a maggot clip loaded with 15 to 20 wriggling baits on a medium sized clip on a D-ring taking plenty of fish in the right conditions.
Although no one at the fishery has specified exactly what the new lake holds, believing that most anglers don't want to know what size of fish they are likely to take next, in 2007 the smallest carp to come out weighed 13lbs 2oz whilst the biggest included a 30lb 14oz common and a mirror of 30lbs 0oz. In addition, at least 15 fish over 27lbs were taken and more than 100 fish over 20lbs.
Because of the size of the fish in Specimen Carp Lake, anglers must use at least 15lb line and a minimum Size 10 hook, although most anglers use anything between a Size 4 and a Size 10.
So far most baits have produced well with Tutti Fruitti boilies doing well early in the season followed by maggots, luncheon meat and sweetcorm. Floating bread can also be a good bait when the water is calm and fish can be targeted. It also pays to talk to the staff in Reception to find out which baits are working well.
Access to the new water is between 12.00pm and 2.00pm and anglers must be ready to depart by 12.00 noon the following day as this is a 'lock-in' water.
The new lake has 18 single pegs and no visitors or companions are allowed. All baits to fish this water, with the exception of hemp, maize and maggots, must be purchased from Reception. Bookings must be made and deposits paid in advance to secure pegs.
To ensure fairness, pegs will be drawn from a hat in the morning and adjacent pegs will be issued where possible when two or more anglers want to fishing together.
Full rules for the new lake will be posted in Reception and copies will be put on Baden Hall's website at www.badenhall.com. Further information can be obtained by telephoning the fishery on 01785 850313.
How to get there...
Baden Hall Fishery is situated on the Eccleshall to Swynnerton Road, just South of Cold Meece. From the M6 junction 14 take the A5013 to Eccleshall, turn right at the mini roundabout and go straight across the next mini roundabout. On leaving Eccleshall take the right hand fork towards Swynnerton, the Fishery can be found on the right hand side after approximately 2 miles.
Alternatively from the M6 junction 15 take the A519 towards Eccleshall, follow the signs to Swynnerton (left fork), drive through Swynnerton, through Cold Meece, across the railway line, up the hill and Baden Hall is on the left. Please enter through the Fishery Entrance, not the Private Drive.
Baden Hall on the 'net
 Baden Hall has a great website where postings keep anglers up to date with what's happening on a regular basis - pay them a visit at www.badenhall.com. |
Over the past few years Baden Hall has established itself as one of the largest pleasure fisheries in the Midlands - if not the country - with 275 pegs on eight waters which cover more than 30 acres.
The fishery is open between 7.00am and 9.00pm in summer and 8.00am to dusk in winter with Day Tickets and information on where's fishing well being readily available from Reception.
During 2007 there have been several improvements at the fishery, including the division of Old Dam Pool to create two new waters - Old Dam Match Pool and New Dam Match Pool.
Perhaps the most significant change at Baden Hall is the opening of the new Specimen Carp Lake which is already throwing up fish to over 30lbs.