Broad Acres Fishery
Pleasure and match fishing with parking, an on-site cafe and anglers’ pods. Carp to 30lbs plus night fishing.
Key facts about Broad Acres Fishery
Part of a former 80-acre beef and sheep farm, Broad Acres Fishery has been developed since the early 1990s into a four pool match and pleasure venue with its own clubhouse cafe, ladies and gents toilets and lakeside anglers’ pods for those who want a bit more comfort than a bivvy. Much of the fishery is suitable for disabled anglers and there is ample car parking a short walk from the pools.
Facilities at Broad Acres
Broad Acres’ new Lakeview Cafe is run by Mandy Morgan and provides a range of hot and cold food and drinks including All Day Breakfasts, a selection of burgers, hot dogs, hot and cold sandwiches, toasted snacks and confectionery.
Facilities have been further improved with the refurbishment of the ladies and gents toilets and the creation of an outside covered seating area at the cafe and the provision of a hard standing car park near Main Pool. In 2021 lakeside cabins were provided on Main Pool to provide anglers with an alternative to using bivvies.
Broad Acres’ lakes
Main Lake, the original and largest of the Broad Acres waters, is well stocked with a range of carp and silver fish with the carp running to 30lbs and plenty of fish in the mid 20s now showing. These are the venue’s original stock fish. Since the beginning of 2016 Main Lake is now kept purely for pleasure and carp anglers, although matches which have already been booked on the lake will be honoured.
Excavated in 1992 and opened to anglers the following year, Main Lake is a mixed pleasure and carp water where night fishing is allowed by prior arrangement. Stock Pool, which was enlarged in the late 1990s, is home to carp to 30lbs and also has a large head of silver fish.
Leafy surroundings
The other two waters – Charlie’s Pool and Bill’s Pool (right) – were both created in 1999 with help from Billy Makin who developed the highly successful Makin’s Fishery at Wolvey to the north of Coventry and offer anglers a chance to get away from it all in leafy surroundings.
Stock in both these waters were supplemented during the 2016/2017 winter with the addition of 700lbs of F1 carp between two an eight ounces in Bill’s Pool and 500lbs of F1s of a similar size in Charlie’s Pool. These fish feed well in winter and will improve the year round fishing and help to improve the match fishing on both waters.
Charlie’s and Bill’s pools both have three islands running down their length with 11 metres of water between each island. Stocked with smaller fish than the other two waters, these are ideal for club matches and pleasure pole fishing.
Plenty of fish to go at
An indication of how well the match fishing can be at Broad Acres can be judged by the fact that the venue match record now stands at 315lbs 10oz. This was set by Redditch angler Richard Kings from a three-hour Friday evening Open Match on Stock Pool and beat the previous venue record set in 2016 by Andy Checkits’ 304lb 12oz.
Other great Broad Acres match catches include one by John Harris who had a mainly carp bag which weighed in at 126lbs. On this occasion John fed with casters and fished meat on the hook from Peg 6 on Main Lake.
As a general rule, anglers currently need more than 80lbs of fish to be in the prizes whilst those with 50lbs usually come nowhere!
Night Fishing at Broad Acres
Over the past few years Broad Acres has held a series of pre-booked night fishing sessions on Main Lake which have proved very popular. These will again be held this year at a cost of £20.00 and anglers interested in taking part are asked to telephone 07866 721141 or contact Pete Rice on 07510 697224 after 5.30pm.
Broad Acres has also relaxed its rules on permitted baits, allowing for the first time coarse fish feeder pellets and soft hooker pellets to be used. Anglers can also purchase Broad Acres’ own ‘fish friendly’ pellets from the on-site cafe.
Broad Acres Fishery is operated by Broad Acres Leisure Ltd.
Video preview of Broad Acres
Main Lake
At two acres in size, Main Lake is now kept purely for pleasure and carp anglers and offers about 45 slabbed pegs sited about 10 yards apart. A recent addition are lakeside anglers’ pods which offer day and night anglers more comfort than a traditional bivvy.
Deepest at the left hand end near the tall dead tree where between six and seven feet of water can be found, Main Lake shallows gradually to about five feet around the two islands and then to four feet at the right hand end as you come onto the fishery. Around the edges about three feet of water can generally be found, the bottom of the lake gradually shelving down to its maximum depth.
Large carp in the Main lake
Holding common and mirror carp between 2lbs and 30lbs-plus – the largest verified to date being a 30lb fully scaled common taken by Redditch builder Paul Jones – Main Lake is also home to a large number of carp in the 10lbs to 17lbs range which make up about 60 per cent of the total fish population in the water. An increasing number of fish in the low 20s are also now being caught on Main Lake.
In addition, there is a large head of bream to 6lbs and skimmers to about 3lbs, perch reputedly to 5lbs, roach to just under 2lbs and a few tench and crucians.
The most popular methods on this water are to fish the pole, waggler or swimfeeder. Pole and waggler fishing are equally effective close in or out in open water, but if you want to reach one of the two islands you will probably need to fish a swimfeeder packed with hook samples. The smaller of the two islands may only look like a tree stump sticking out of the water, but the stump actually sits on an island about two feet under the surface.
Fishing techniques on Main lake
Because Main Lake now holds specimen carp, many anglers are also using modern and traditional carping techniques which are proving increasingly popular with boilies, meat, sweetcorn and bread all being productive baits.
As with many waters there is no right or wrong way to fish Main Lake and all pegs are equally popular and productive. Fishing close in to the margin with pole or waggler are both good, particularly so in summer because there is only about three feet of water close in. When going for the silver fish, fishing either on the bottom or up in the water, feeding little but often with hook samples, is good. When going for the carp and bream, fishing on the bottom is obviously most productive.
Baits for Main Lake
Although in its early years there had been a blanket ban on pellets at Broad Acres, this has now been relaxed and anglers can now use Broad Acres’ new generation of coarse fish pellets which do not contain the oils in trout pellets which are thought to cause liver problems in stillwater coarse fish. These can be obtained from the Lakeview Cafe or on the bank.
As for other baits, all kinds of meats and sweetcorn are good for the carp whilst good general baits are obviously maggots, casters, worm and bread – as long as it is not fished on the surface.
Charlie's Pool
Charlie’s lake ideal pegs
At about an acre in size, Charlie’s Pool, as with Bill’s Pool, was developed with the pole angler in mind having three long narrow islands, the centre one of which can be fished from, giving 11 metres to the opposite bank from most of the pegs.
With 32 well-spaced pegs – each one between 12 and 14 yards apart – the pool has banks which drop straight down to its maximum depth of four feet. With plenty of bankside vegetation, Charlie’s Pool is popular with pleasure anglers and for small club matches, angling clubs being able to have the whole pool to themselves if they so wish for just £140.
Plenty of smaller fish in Charlie’s pool
Stocked predominantly with silver fish and F1 carp, it holds skimmer bream, roach to 2lbs 8oz, a large head of tench to 5lbs, chub to between 4lbs and 5lbs, and some carp which go to a maximum of 12lbs including some handsome ghost carp. Because it was designed as a match water, the pole is obviously the most popular method used with anglers fishing either close in or tight against one of the islands.
Favoured fishing techniques
Best baits tend to include worm, maggots and casters, all of which account for plenty of fish whatever the weather or time of year, with sweetcorn and tinned meat baits such as luncheon meat, cat food or flavoured meats, popular during the summer months when this shallow pool has warmed up.
Once again there are no particular hot spots on Charlie’s and the secret tends to be to attract the fish into your swim with samples of hook bait and then keep them there by feeding little and often.
Bill's Pool
Like Charlie’s, Bill’s Pool was developed with input from Billy Makin and is again rectangular in shape with three central islands, giving most of the 27 pegs 11 metres of water to the opposite bank.
Island fishing on Bill’s pool
Once again anglers can fish from the center of the three islands and all pegs drop straight down to four feet throughout the pool. Being the furthest water from the car park, Bill’s Pool is often the quietest of the Broad Acres pools, and having more vegetation and cover than Charlie’s Pool is perhaps more suited to pleasure anglers going after the common and mirror carp, the only species in the water. The bulk of the carp are in the 4lb to 6lb range but some run to 14lbs and provide lively sport when on form.
Common technique on Bill’s
Once again Bill’s is virtually an out-and-out pole water, although there is nothing to stop waggler anglers sticking with more traditional methods if they prefer. Best baits are again worm, maggots and casters with tinned meats and sweetcorn coming into their own in summer.
An ideal water to try out new techniques, tackle and baits, Bill’s is again best fished close in to the side or close up against the far bank with regular feeding of hook samples getting the fish going and keeping them on the boil.
As with Charlie’s Pool, angling clubs wanting to book the whole pool can do so at £140. Anglers who want to fish on after the match has finished can do so at no additional cost although they may be asked tomove to another pool if the water has been booked for a second match later the same day.
Stock Pool
Suitable for anglers of all ages
Although the three-quarters-of-an-acre Stock Pool holds commons to 30lbs and mirrors to the mid-20s, it is popular with anglers of all ages and abilities, including children, because the rank and file fish are relatively easy to catch.
A total of 17 permanent slabbed pegs have been installed on Stock Pool which have improved facilities for match fishing. However, pleasure anglers can fish from anywhere around the pool, although popular spots tend to be down the far end where the island can be reached and along the entrance bank.
What to fish for on Stock Pool
In addition to the bigger carp, Stock Pool holds a few ghosties, lots of smaller and mid-range carp between 8lbs and 14lbs, plus a large head of silver fish including skimmers, roach, bream, roach/bream hybrids and tench.
Although the bigger carp tend to be more wary and difficult to catch, specimens of between 15lbs and 18lbs are taken regularly and if you are looking for your first double this is a water to head for.
Bait and technique on Stock Pool
Once again, Stock Pool tends to be a water where almost anything goes with all baits from maggots to flavoured meats working well. Bread can also be a great bait but once again this should not be fished on the surface.
Deepest at the entrance end of the pool where about seven feet of water can be found, Stock Pool shallows gradually thoughout its length to about five feet near the island and four and three feet at the top end. Although it has a bowl-shaped bottom at the far end, the banks go straight down to the maximum depth near the entrance.
Used for small matches in winter, the pool is reserved for pleasure anglers in summer but can become busy at weekends so anglers after the bigger carp may want to go mid-week when the water is quieter.
Prices
Please note that two rods are allowed only on Main Lake. In summer please purchase your ticket from the Lakeview Cafe before fishing (When this is not open fees will be collected on the bank). Children under 12 must be accompanied. Match bookings are £8.00 per peg.
There is a minimum booking for half a pool – equivalent to 10 anglers. Clubs or smaller groups of anglers interested in hiring half a pool
should contact the fishery for details of availability and costs.
Main Lake |
All Anglers | Day (Dawn-Dusk) |
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10.00 (2nd Rod +2.00)
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Day (Dawn-Dusk) | 10.00 (2nd Rod +2.00) | Night Fishing |
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20.00 (Max 2 Rods)
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Night Fishing | 20.00 (Max 2 Rods) |
Other Lakes Day Tickets |
Adults (1 Rod) | OAP/Junior/Disabled (1 Rod) | Day (Dawn-Dusk) |
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8.00
7.00
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Day (Dawn-Dusk) | 8.00 | 7.00 | Half-day (After 3.30pm) |
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6.00
6.00
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Half-day (After 3.30pm) | 6.00 | 6.00 |
Whole Lake Hire |
Stock Pool | Charlie's Lake | Bill's Lake | Price |
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130.00
150.00
150.00
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Price | 130.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
Rules and conditions
As with many other fisheries, anglers are not allowed to use floating baits or keepnets whilst the list of permitted baits includes luncheon and flavoured meats, maggots, casters, sweetcorn, bread, cat meat, prawns and worms, as long as they are washed and do not contain peat.
The only other restrictions are that anglers should use no more than 2kg of groundbait at a session and there is a maximum hook size of Size 10.
How to get there
Latest upates
Broad Acres installs lakeside Anglers’ Pods
Worcestershire’s Broad Acres Fishery has installed four timber Anglers’ Pods on Main Lake to provide day and night ticket anglers with accommodation which is more luxurious than standard bivvies.
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