A maximum of two rods per angler are allowed (second rod must be on audible alarm).
Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult at all times
Spring Lake
At about an acre-and-a-half in size and with 30 pegs, Spring Lake is probably the most popular water at Lower Park Fisheries as it fishes well all year round.
Between two-and-a-half and three feet deep up to three metres out from the bank, the bottom then slopes to a maximum of six feet deep in the centre. An interesting feature is a gravel bar about 11 metres out from Pegs 14 to 18, on the bank between Spring and Abbey Lake, where depths rise from 11 feet to about nine feet.
Regularly used for matches, Spring Lake hold a good head of mixed fish including commons and mirrors averaging 4lbs to 6lbs, true English crucian carp to about 1lb, roach and rudd to a similar size, tench to 1lb 8oz, bream to just over 6lbs and perch to a handsome 2lbs. There are also roach/rudd hybrids.
Because it is fairly shallow and a popular match water, most anglers tend to fish Spring using the pole at either three, eight or 12 metres, building up three swims and alternating between them to find the fish.
Anglers fishing the margins at three metres tend to scale up their tackle as they are likely to pick up some of the patrolling carp whilst those fishing at eight metres fish a lighter rig on the bottom and groundbait the swim to attract the bream or tench. It also often pays to fish about three feet deep with between two-and-a-half to three feet of line between the float and the tip of the pole and ping maggots or casters to catch the roach and rudd which are up in the water.
Although this can be hard work most anglers can usually catch between 12lbs and 15lbs of fish in a five hour session using this technique.
At 12 metres it is recommended anglers use groundbait laced with chopped worm and casters or soft pellets. A lot of success can be had using Dynamite Baits' Bream or Roach Original groundbait, as was demonstrated when the Under 21 qualifiers were held on the water early in 2007.
Pole anglers tend to use 0.12 or 0.14 diameter lines on an eight or 10 elastic and Size 16 oir 18s hook.
Fishery Manager Tony Pallett suggests anglers should pot three or four Jaffa Orange sized balls of groundbait when first starting fishing and then feed to every fish using up to 8mm pellets for the bigger fish and 4mm pellets for the smaller stuff.
An alternative is to fish a free-running groundbait feeder or cage feeder packed with maggots or an in-line Method feeder.
Anglers who fish the waggler tend to use it as a searching tool to find the fish with Peg 12 (pictured right) being a particularly popular spot. Once again light tackle with 3lb to 4lb line tied straight through to a Size 16 or 18 hook should be used with feed spread over quite a wide area. Cast to the far side of the chosen swim and gradually draw the bait back until you find the fish.
The most successful tenchnique seems to be to use 'Shotz' weights which give a more gradual sink through the water than traditional shot, enabling more fish to be picked up on the drop.
Abbey Lake
Probably slightly larger than Spring Lake although with only 28 pegs, Abbey is a rectangular shaped lake again offering five to six feet of water at three metres out from the bank.
Abbey holds similar species and sizes as Spring Lake, although it currently also has some common and mirror carp which run into double figures. As part of the programme to maintain Lower Park as a pleasure fishery it is planned to move these double figure fish to Island Lake which will be opened as Specimen Pool in 2008.
The only other difference is that the bream and perch are slightly smaller than those in Spring with the bream topping just 5lbs and the perch going to only 1lb.
Like Spring Lake, Abbey has a two-and-a-half to three feet deep shelf running about three meters out from the side at both ends of the lake, although on the bank next to Spring Lake the shelf is deeper at about five-and-a-half feet deep and is six to seven feet deep out from the bank between Abbey and Swan.
From the edge of the shelf the bottom then drops at between three and six inches of water for every metre out until it reaches a maxiumum of 16 feet deep down the centre of the lake.
Because the edge of the shelf is where a lot of fish tend to gather it pays to plumb the depth to find the drop and then fish either on top of it near the drop off or down its sides.
The remainder of the pool has a shelf running about two feet out into the water before the banks drop to about six feet in the middle.
Caster is said to be a killer bait on Abbey and responds well when the water warms up to red coloured baits and groundbaits. The corner pegs, where the shallower water can be found, is very good, particularly for tench. Indeed, the largest pleasure catch yet taken on Abbey was a 66lb bag of tench which came from Peg 28 in the corner by the road - particularly impressive when you consider not one of the fish weighed more than 8ozs!
Most popular techniques are pole and waggler because generally speaking the swingtip does not do well. If fishing the long pole, a groundbait laced with samples of hookbait and a fairly heavy rig with a minimum one gram is needed because of the depth of water.
Much of the time you will get away with an eight or 10 elastic with a Size 16 or 18 hooks being popular with anglers fishing casters. Those fishing worm or pellet opt for and a maximum of a Size 14 or Size 16 with a popular bait being 6mm pellet on the hook whilst feeding with 4mm pellets.
As a general rule when fishing four to six metres out you need to groundbait lightly and get it down quickly on reasonable tackle. If fishing close in use a darker coloured groundbait and loose feed with casters fishing a couple of inches over depth.
When fishing the waggler it is always a good bet if there are several anglers fishing the water to search out the fish. Fishing 0.12 diameter or 3lb line and nothing bigger than a Size 16 hook, place the bulk of your shot about two-thirds of the way down your line with two or three No 8s as a dropper.
Hot pegs are said to be 9, 18, 22 and 28 with recommended baits being casters, maggots, sweetcorn and pellets.
Swan Lake
The deepest of all the Lower Park waters with up to 18 feet being able to be found in the centre, Swan Lake is shallower either side of the penninsula which runs out from the road end where some seven feet of water can be found.
Once again a three feet deep ledge which runs around the edge of the lake to about a rod length out.
Although not as heavily stocked as the other Lower Park Fisheries waters, Swan holds a good number of mirrors and commons ranging from 6lbs to over 25lbs, roach and rudd around the four to six ounce mark but running to about 1lb, tench between 10oz and 1lb 8oz and bream from 4oz to a similar size as the tench.
In general when fishing Swan you have to get through the rudd before finding the bigger fish, but in common with the other waters you do not need to fish far out to catch. Fishing close in you get three feet of water at a metre out and twice this depth at six metres.
Best pegs so far have proved to be along the road side bank, by the landing stage, in the bay towards the landing stage and those which enable you to fish towards the island. Fishing towards the end of the spit can also proved particularly effective.
When fishing Swan almost any technique works well although at times the fish can be hard to catch because they have come from waters which have not been fished and some of them have never been hooked.
Having said that, Tony Pallett has had more than 90lbs of carp from Swan fishing bronze maggot on a Size 16 hook, 5lb line and a 3AA waggler.
Although Swan holds some good carp, floating baits are not permitted on this water. However, because the lake is classed as a great waggler water these should not be needed with the waggler being particularly effective when fishing full depth and allowing the bait to sink slowly through the water. When used with casters, this method is deadly for catching the roach and rudd, although the rudd usually beat the roach to the bait!
Whilst Swan is not heavily stocked with bream and tench, these do show up from time to time and are normally taken on the tip or waggler by anglers fishing at full depth with sweetcorn or maggot.
In summer 2007, Swan had a total of 26 pegs but as a result of work being carried out on the water this is likely to be increased by early 2008.
Island Lake
Being developed over the coming months as Lower Park's specimen carp water, Island Lake is currently home to mirrors and commons between 3lbs and 10lbs plus a good head of rainbow trout to 3lbs which are gradually being depleted by anglers.
In addition there are some small roach and rudd between about four ounces and six ounces - although it is expected there must be bigger fish in here because these have bred in the lake on their own.
With 32 pegs and a central island, Island is currently available only to fly anglers at £8.00 a day catch and release or £15.00 for a two fish limit.
However, work over the coming months to move some the bigger carp from Spring, Abbey and Swan together with the purchase of some double-figure fish which are expected will grow on rapidly in the nutrient rich water will give those after carp a water where they can catch a decent number of worthwhile fish over 10lbs in 2008.
Up to 16 feet deep in the centre, Island Lake is about six feet deep round the margins only two metres out before shelving steeply to the bottom and rising again by the central island.
Before Spring 2008 work will also be carried out on the bankside to improve the 32 pegs by replacing them with slabbed pegs six feet by four feet in size to give anglers more space to set out their rods and pods. Once again all the pegs apart from those between Island Lake and Swan Lake will be easily accessible from the perminter road which runs round the site.
How to get there...
Lower Park Fisheries is just a short drive from Junction 2 of the M42. On leaving the motorway take the A441 towards Redditch and at the first roundabout turn left staying on the A441. At the first set of traffic lights turn left into Dagnell End Lane and you will see the entrance to the fishery about a mile along this road on the left. Turn into the drive and follow it until you come to the Fishing Lodge.
If travelling from the A435 Alcester Road, turn left into Beoley village and proceed through the village onto Dagnell End Road. You will see two brick pillars for Lower Park Farm on the right. Turn into the drive and follow it until you come to the Fishing Lodge.
Please click on the map for a more detailed image
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The on-site fishing lodge houses a small cafe, tackle shop and toilets which are suitable for both able bodied and disabled anglers. Open from 7.00am until 7.00pm, the 'Best Bite' cafe serves hot and cold food, drinks, snacks and confectionery whilst the tackle shop stocks an expanding range of terminal tackle, baits and accessories.
Because their pools were developed six years ago for trout fishing they are deeper than one would normally expect for a coarse fishery.
Although Lower Park is being developed primarily as a silver fish pleasure and match venue, it already holds some good carp, the biggest so far landed being a 25lb 8oz common which was taken in May 2007 by Redditch police officer Chris Gadd.
In common with an increasing number of fisheries these days floating baits are not allowed at Lower Park and anglers will be asked to show their Environment Agency rod licences before being allowed to fish.