Top Pool
Popular with both pleasure and match anglers, the three-quarter acre Top Pool is the first water you come to on entering Coppice Lane Pools and although only three years old is heavily stocked, holding a large head of fish in a concentrated area.
Rectangular in shape with a long central island, it has 28 pegs and is deepest at the end furthest from the entrance where a nine-foot hole can be found just off the end of the island before the water shallows to six feet. Along both sides there is about four-and-a-half feet of water whilst out from the entrance bank it is only about three feet deep. The pool was constructed with a shelf all the way round which is about two feet under the surface and runs out about three feet into the water - an ideal spot for picking up cruising carp in the summer months.
Holding predominantly Mirrors and Commons to about 8lbs, Top Pool is also stocked with chub to 1lb 8oz; Crucian Carp, roach and some lovely rudd to 1lb; a large number of skimmer bream to about 2lbs and a small head of tench.
Having said that, this is still a fairly new pool and exactly what it holds is still something of a mystery.
An ideal pole water, Top Pool is also popular with waggler anglers whilst many of the locals from nearby Hammerwich and Burntwood also fish it with a swimfeeder, both to the island and in open water. Although it has 28 pegs, it is never used for matches with more than 20 entrants to ensure that the pegs are comfortable.
Although Top Pool has no particularly favoured pegs, some anglers prefer to head for the corners - the entrance end being favoured in summer because it is shallower and the far end in winter because it is deeper.
With the central island being 13 metres from both main banks, fishing to it with the pole is very popular as it enables anglers to place their bait right up against the island. Most popular baits for doing this tend to be caster, corn, soft hooker pellets and maggots.
When fishing the pole a minimum of a Size 10 elastic with a 14s or 16s hook is recommended, although those going for the silver fish should go as light as required.
Another popular technique is to fish up in the water at the far end of the pool using pole or waggler whilst other favoured techniques are to fish the swimfeeder either against the island or in open water and to fish the waggler close in to the margins, particularly in summer.
Top Pool also fished well in winter with one angler taking 35 carp fishing only a foot deep whilst spraying maggots every cast. However, most anglers tend to go for a more traditional approach in the colder months, fishing worm, maggots, casters, corn or pellets.
Middle Pool
Virtually surrounded by trees and shrubs, Middle Pool is the place to head for silver fish, crucians and carp to about 8lbs - although several anglers report having lost fish which they believe to be much bigger than this.
Ideal for those who want to get away from the main thrust of things, Middle Pool is oval shaped with an island at one end and a bed of reeds running between it and the bank, pretty to look at but ideal for fish to bolt to once they have been hooked!
Around much of the sides, the pool is only two to three feet deep whilst five feet can be found just off the island in the main body of the pool and a maximum of six feet in the centre. This makes the pool ideal for waggler or pole.
Unlike Top Pool, this water holds a good head of tench. Although they were only stocked a couple of years ago, they are already hitting the 1lb mark. There are also large numbers of roach and rudd to a similar size and a small head of skimmer bream to about 2lbs.
However, the hardest fighting fish are the mirror and common carp. Although there are not as many of these as in Top Pool they run to a larger size.
Most popular techniques are to fish the pole or waggler, either 12 to 18 inches deep in open water with single maggot or caster for the rudd and roach or close in the margins, up against the island or amongst the reeds for the carp, tench and bream. However, if fishing near the reeds you will need to scale up your tackle as the fish know immediately where to head for when hooked.
Middle Pool is a good water all year round and almost anything goes as far as bait is concerned in the summer, whilst in the colder months maggots, pellets, caster, corn and worm work best.
Bottom Pool
As with Middle Pool, the origins of Bottom Pool are again virtually unknown, believed to be natural farm ponds or ponds created over 30 years ago. Whatever its origins, Bottom Pool is another pretty, out-of-the-way water with some interesting features at its far end.
An ideal place to head for if you want to fish for the unknown, Bottom Pool is about two to three feet deep around the margins. Whilst shallow at just three feet at its deepest at the inlet end, it drops to between six and seven feet in the centre by the outlet.
With carp up to 6lbs but averaging about 2lbs, Bottom Pool is again a mainly silver fish water with perch, tench and skimmers to about 1lb; and roach and rudd to about 8oz.
A general pleasure water, Bottom Pool is again ideal for pole or waggler with anglers tending to use quite fine tackle and techniques vary from fishing up in the water for the roach and rudd to fishing on the bottom in open water or close into the margins for patrolling fish.
Most favoured baits again tend to be caster, corn, soft hooker pellets and maggots in summer and maggots, casters and worm in winter.
Becketts Pool
Since March 2007 the new pool has generated a lot interest from both pleasure and match anglers. Roughly two acres in size, it is the shape of a guitar with a large base with two islands in the base and centre and a long straight stretch with a reed bed running down the centre.
The average depth is about six feet off the ledges and the deepest area is about 12 feet. The pool has two inside ledges which will make it ideal for margin fishing. It has 32 well spaced pegs that are easily accessible from the new car park with the remainder being only a short walk away.
The new pool has been stocked mainly with mirrors, commons, tench and crucians to 3lbs, an informal match held on at the beginning of December 2006 saw 14 anglers catch a total of more than 450lbs of fish between them in five hours. The current record is 103lb in five hours whilst average weights are around 45lb to frame.
It is a pole fisherman’s dream as there are no snags in any of the pegs, and all have inside reeds or lilies which the fish love to congregate around. Generally you only need to fish between four to six meters out just off the ledge. Favorite baits are pellet, corn and casters. Recommendations for set up are size 6-8 elastic, 1.5lb line and 18hook size is general set up.
The pegs have been designed to cater for all requirements and incorporate a flat concrete base with imprints to give grip in the wet, two keepnet pole holders for use only in matches and an umbrella pole holder.
For anglers who like to fish the feeder and waggler, the islands are between 30 and 35 meters away. Either spraying maggots or casters up in the water to tight dropping a light feeder or lead tight to the reeds on the island can produce results.
Two famous fishermen visited and bagged up, can you guess who they are?
Visit Coppice Lane Pools on the Net
 Coppice Lane Pools now have their own website at www.coppicelanefishery.co.uk where a wide selection of information, news and photographs can be seen. Just follow the link to visit their site. |
How to get there...
Coppice Lane Fishery is just a few miles through the countryside from the Muckley Corner roundabout on the A5 near Brownhills.
On the roundabout, drive into Hall Lane next to the petrol station and follow this road. After about half a mile Hall Lane joins Coppice Lane. On a right hand bend you will see a small pond on the right and as you come out of the corner a triangle of grass with a road going off to the right. Take this and the entrance to Coppice Lane Pools immediately on your right.
Go back to Fisheries homepage
Coppice Lane Pools
Since taking over the fishery they have implemented a programme of work which is developing Coppice Lane into a fishery aimed at pleasure and small club match anglers.
Match bookings are available for clubs with 10 or more members, subject to date availability.
Match bookings are now being taken for Becketts for 2007 and 2008 at £5.00 per peg. To book, please contact Lawrence Beckett on 0121 351 5198 or 07702 695827 (mobile).
Because the approaches to the water and the banks are very flat, Top Pool is ideal for disabled anglers as are several pegs on Middle Pool. Coppice Lane welcomes enquiries from disabled angling clubs which would like to hold competitions at the venue.
