 Laugherne Island
Laugherne Island was dug in late 2007 to provide a quality match fishing and pleasure water and offers a total of 39 pegs.
With three central islands and near and far ledges which run two metres out and a metre deep from both the banks and the islands, Laugherne has a two-metre deep uniform bottom to provide a canal-style lake with stone pegs set eight metres apart.
Instant sport has been provided by stocking with Cob House's own fish which include common and mirror carp for the most part weighing between 5lbs and 8lbs but which run to 20lbs. Laugherne is a year-round water which fishes well even in mid-winter.
 A good pole and waggler water, Laugherne Island regularly throws up weights of well over 100lb.
Most anglers fish it with soft hooker pellets, although sweetcorn and luncheon meat were becoming more popular shortly after the pool opened. Most anglers fish close into the side which proved particularly effective early on although good catches have also been taken by anglers fishing to the islands.
From January 2013 clubs can book the whole of Laugherne Island for matches at a cost of £227.00. Please refer to the Cob House website for futher details about booking.
 Oak Pool
Oak Pool is Cob House Fisheries' carp-only water, although with a similar stocking as Laugherne Island is aimed at pleasure carp anglers who are interested in an enjoyable day's fishing rather than at serious specimen hunters. Seventy-five per cent of the fish are mirrors with 25 per cent being common carp.
Developed about 10 years ago as a growing-on stock pond for the fish farm, Oak Pool holds common and mirror carp between 4lbs to 6lbs with some running into low double figures.
 Unlike Laugherne Island, Oak Pool does not have ledges around the edges but banks which slope at 45 degrees down to a six feet deep uniform bottom.
With a total of 18 pegs, Oak Pool is available for small club matches with winning weights to date having come out as much as 150lbs and because it is such a prolific water is also used for Cob House's open matches.
 The main techniques used so far on Oak Pool have been pole and waggler with soft hooker pellets, sweetcorn, luncheon meat, maggots and casters having been found to be the most effective baits.
Because Oak Pool is an open water without any obvious islands, bays or features, fishing in the margins is a good way to start, using samples of hook bait and the fishery's own feeder pellets to build up a swim. At the same time, a swim can be built up in open water giving anglers the opportunity to switch between swims.
From January 2013 clubs can book the whole of Oak Pool for matches at a cost of £110.00. Please refer to the Cob House website for futher details about booking.
 Laurel Pool
Laurel Pool has 22 pegs, although only 18 are used for matches, and is aimed at younger and more inexperienced anglers as well as those looking to try out new techniques and baits. Because it has been developed as a teaching pool it has been stocked with a variety of coarse fish to about 8lb in weight. These include common, mirror, crucian and crucian-cross carp; perch to about 1lb, green and golden tench to about 8oz; bream to a similar size; and roach and rudd to 12oz.
Laurel is another former fish farm growing-on pool and has sides which slope at 45 degrees to a uniform depth of about six feet. It is classed as an easy water to fish.
 Because of this it is an ideal pool for parents who want to teach their children how to fish and for anglers who want to catch a lot of fish but aren't particularly bothered about size.
Once again pole and waggler are the most popular techniques used with fishing close into the margins or out in open water both producing good bags when maggots, caster, sweetcorn, pellets or luncheon meat are fished on light tackle.
If you've has a few blanks and want to remember what a fish looks like - head for this pool!
Clubs can book the whole of Laurel Pool for matches at a cost of £110.00. Please refer to the Cob House website for futher details about booking.
 Listers Pool
About an acre in size with space for about 10 anglers, Listers is one of the four old Victorian pools at Cob House Fisheries and is known to hold carp to about 20lbs together with good heads of roach to 2lbs which are fairly frequently caught by those anglers who fish for them. Indeed, one angler reported that he had caught an weighed a roach of 2lbs 15oz.
In addition there are golden rudd to over 1lb; bream to over 2lbs with about 4lbs being the largest caught so far; perch to over 3lbs, tench averaging about 2lbs, eels to 4lbs and some crucians.
 Although the water is currently not formally pegged, it is planned pegs will be installed along the causeway and car park sides, leaving anglers free to fish where they like along the grass bank on the opposite side to the car park.
The car park side of the pool, the original part of the water, has sides which are cut vertically before sloping off to about seven feet deep some two rod lengths out. The far side of the pool from the car park is the newer section of Listers and has a more bowl shaped bottom.
 Because the car park side of the pool is fairly narrow it is usually fished on the pole with nothing stronger than a 14 elastic, Size 12 or 14 hook and maximum 6lbs line.
The newer, wider part of the water responds well to small feeder tactics with anglers fishing to the far side from the bank when after the carp with 5lbs to 6lbs line. Float fishing also works well both up against the far bank, out in open water and especially close in to the margins.
The usual baits all work well on Listers with sweetcorn and meat being particularly popular with those after the carp as well as soft hooker pellets and maggots. Hemp on the hook and tares also pick out the bigger fish.
 Ryans Pool
Offering 14 pegs not including the wide part of the pool where there are no formal pegs, Ryans is slightly smaller than Listers Pool at about three-quarters of an acre in size.
Although it holds similar stocks to Listers, the carp in Ryans grow slightly bigger with mirrors of 23lbs and 21lbs having recently been caught. Again there are good sized roach and rudd, perch to over 2lbs, tench to 4lbs and bream to about 2lbs plus some attractive crucian carp.
 Although Listers and Ryans were both dug at the same time, Ryans is not as deep as Listers having an average depth of only three to four feet and being only about five feet at its deepest.
Again it is a popular water with pole anglers and at the height of summer can be fairly snaggy along the original side nearest the car park because of the trees. However, this and the pegs by the overflow is where the larger fish tend to hang out so it pays to sacrifice easier fishing for the chance to catch bigger fish.
 The water is also popular with waggler anglers with fishing close in to the margins being very good, particularly along the new side of the causeway where the stands of reeds and rushes provide cover and a haunt for fish.
Sweetcorn and meat are again both popular baits, although worm work particularly well on this water for all species. Maggots and caster are both good for the silver fish whilst soft hooker pellets do well for all species.
 Jade's Island Pool
One of the most attractive of all the Cob House Fisheries waters with plenty of bankside cover, pads of lilies, trees which hang over the water and even an island at the top end, Jade's Island Pool is about an acre in size and is a typical old Victorian pool with bags of charm, loads of features and good heads of quality fish to match.
 Most of the water is only three to four feet deep, making it an easy pool to float fish, and with banks which drop straight down to the bottom results can be equally good fishing the margins as they are from fishing out into open water
Again there are good heads of common and mirror carp which average about 7lbs but which run to around 20lbs, as well as bream to 2lbs 8oz, crucians to about 2lbs, roach and rudd to a similar size and green tench to 4lbs. Ryans is also a good water for some big perch which are known to run to 3lbs 8oz.
The stocks of common and mirror carp were also supplemented early in 2008 with about 400lbs of carp around the 5lb 8oz mark.
 Because it is such an attractive water, Jade's tends to be popular with pleasure anglers who are happy to catch anything they can. The pole works well on the pegs by the overflow where a lot of the carp hang out and where fish well into double figures are regularly taken.
The large number of double figure fish in Jade's means it pays to step up your tackle to about 8lb line or even heavier when fishing near snags. When going for the carp a Size 8 or 10 hook is also recommended, depending on the size of your bait, but as with most fisheries the bigger the bait you use the bigger the fish you are more likely to catch.
 Luncheon meat is again a popular whilst two or three pieces of red sweetcorn is also a popular bait. Flavoured baits also work well here whilst free lining a decent piece of meat in the edges can produce some beautiful fish.
Whether fishing the pole or waggler, Jade's is a delightful water well worth a visit if you are after a peaceful day's pleasure fishing. The pegs by the overhanging trees not only provide an attractive and interesting outlook on the water but are also home to good heads of fish which shelter in the shadow of their branches.
Jade's Island can be booked for matches, although bag weights will not be as big as the main match pools. Clubs matches are charged at £7.00 per peg. Please refer to the Cob House website for futher details about booking.
 Pips Willow Pool
Probably the prettiest and most charming of the Cob House waters, Pips Willow also has the attraction of being home to the biggest head of double figure fish at the venue. Pips Willow is also slightly larger than the three other Victorian pools at about an acre and a quarter in size.
Again this is a long thin water with plenty of bankside cover but rivals Jade's in visual appeal because of its beautiful weeping willow trees which overhang the water. Indeed, this pool even has its own Victorian boathouse to add to its charm.
 Again it has a similar mix of fish as the other old pools with pretty roach to 2lbs, rudd to 1lb, true crucian carp to about 2lbs, common and mirror carp to over 20lbs with a large head of fish over 10lbs and even its own resident creamy-yellow ghost carp which is about 13lbs in weight, is often seen cruising about, but is rarely caught!
Although the tench do not run as large as in the other three pools at about 1lb 8oz, the bream tend to be slightly larger at up to 4lbs 8oz.
Whilst there are features all around the edges of Pips Willow, the pegs along the car park side of the water are popular with anglers. However, because of the overhanging willows whose trailing branches droop into the water, these pegs have become known as 'Suicide Alley' thanks to the number of fish which have been lost.
 Depths in Pips are again fairly even at about three to four feet making it an easy water to float fish whilst sweetcorn and meat are once more the predominant baits with soft hooker pellets becoming increasingly popular.
Having said that, it is the type of water where virtually anything goes, so it is worth taking a selection of baits to find out which the fish are taking most readily.
Margin fishing is popular all the way round Pips Willow whilst the most productive pegs tend to be those by the boathouse which acts as a magnet for the fish and which also provides a most attractive outlook on the water from the bank.
Pips Willow can be booked for matches, although bag weights will not be as big as the main match pools. Clubs matches are charged at £7.00 per peg. Please refer to the Cob House website for futher details about booking.
 Wyatts Pool
Offering a total of 30 pegs, all of which are suitable for disabled anglers, Wyatts Pool opened at the end of March 2009 and shortly afterwards exploded onto the Cob House match scene when Scott Jones claimed a new venue record of 394lb 4oz whilst fishing an open competition on the new water. This was broken in summer 2012 when Bob Baker netted a bag which weighed in 468lbs 0oz fishing maggots down the edges and paste out from Peg 30. Bob also holds the record for Laugherne Island at 313lbs which was taken from Peg 6.
One of the main features of Wyatts Pool is that it provides extensive wheelchair access all around the water thanks to a new track which also connects to more pegs and a teaching platform on Laurel Pool, another teaching platform and one peg on the Chestnut trout pool and 10 pegs on Jade's Island.
 Wyatts is stocked with plenty of fish, mainly Cob House's own strain of home-bred common and mirror carp which range in size from just 1lb to over 5lbs. In addition, there are several much bigger fish to add to the excitement plus a small number of roach to 2lbs and similar sized bream.
Wyatts is already proving popular with small club matches and throws up regular winning match weights of 200lbs. Clubs can book the whole of Wyatts Pool for matches at a cost of £195.00. Please refer to the Cob House website for futher details about booking.
 Cob House Fisheries on the Net
Cob House Fisheries has a comprehensive website where details of the Junior Angling Club, latest match results, information on the waters and details of a variety of family events being organised at the venue can be found. The site also links to information about the fish farm. Click here to go to their website. |
How to get there...
 Cob House Fisheries can be found on the B4204 to the west of Worcester. Travelling north or south on the M5, leave the motorway at Junction 7 and follow the A440 and signs for Bromyard until you come to the A44, again signed Bromyard.
Continue following the A44 and take the first right, signposted for Lower Broadheath and Elgar's Birthplace. When you come to a set of crossroads turn right and continue on to the T-junction where you need to turn left.
This takes you onto the B4204. Follow this road through Lower Broadheath until you reach Cob House Fisheries on the left.
If travelling from Bromyard, turn left to Knightwick after crossing the River Teme and when you reach Martley turn right onto the B4201 towards Worcester. Cob House Fisheries can be found about three miles from this junction on the right.
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Cob House Fisheries
Keith Arthur, presenter of 'Tight Lines' and host of 'Fishermans Blues', helped to introduce Worcester youngsters to the thrills of fishing when he hosted a 'Get Hooked on Fishing' day at Cob House Fisheries.
Although Cob House Fisheries has been around for many years, it's recent expansion as a fishery and as a place to go for a family day out in Worcestershire has transformed it into one of the leading and most interesting day-ticket venues in the Midlands.
Three of the lakes are old, well established Victorian pools with lush bankside vegetation, overhanging willows and heaps of features to fish to. The newer pools are obviously less developed but are already throwing up cracking weights and good catches for pleasure and match anglers alike.
The venue became a nationally acclaimed centre for disabled anglers when it opened its new visitor centre in 2010.
In addition to the fishing and visitor centre (right), Cob House also has an angling academy; large cafe; play areas; teaching centre; petting corner with reindeer, alpacas, pigs, goats, chickens, ducks and turkeys; and a wildflower meadow. The new facilities lay the foundations for a wide selection of activities ranging from archery - run by Paralympian archer Mel Clarke - and pond dipping to nature trails, fishing, corporate and team building days and educational visits.
It will also give the business the prestigious title of being the first fishery to offer a match pool with every one of the 30 pegs suitable for wheelchair access.
Only one rod is allowed whilst fixed rigs, semi-fixed rigs or floating poles should not be used. For baits, boilies, nuts, beans, pulses, cat food and surface baits are not allowed and halibut pellets and tinned meat should be used only on the hook.
In addition to offering pegs for club matches, Cob House also holds regular Saturday Open Matches at a cost of £16.00. The draw is held at 9.00am in The Tackle Box and anglers interested in taking part should telephone 01886 888517 to book or call in at the shop. There is also an affordable Wednesday Open Match which has a £12.00 'all-in' fee.