terrierist
Member
Hi all, I fished a cracking venue yesterday, it's not that well known and I'm a little loathed to open it up but here goes!
I’m not a fan of commercial fisheries, far from it. To be honest they leave me cold as they can, and do attract “anglers” who really don’t care about the fish, all they want to do is sit, get drunk/stoned and shout to their mate across the water. If that’s their bag, fine, but it is one of the reasons I stay away from the more popular and easy to get to places.
I was in my local tackle shop earlier this weekend, Neptune Angling of Maghull https://www.facebook.com/pages/Neptune-Angling/227877503993460?fref=ts and there was a flier on the desk showing a water local to me I hadn’t heard of. Speaking with Neptune’s unbelievably helpful owner (John) made me want to talk to the bailiff and owner of this small water, Brookfield Fisheries in Aughton.
I spoke with Mike from Brookfield Fisheries whilst stood there and immediately booked myself on a peg he reccomended. This was refreshing, booking on a peg? Being sussed out before you fish a place? Just what I wanted to hear! Aughton is no more than ten minutes drive from my home, I had intended to be there at first light, but a night of wine, beer and food with my In-laws put paid to that, I woke brookfieldas I normally do with the light breaking through our bedroom curtains and decided that a few hours sleep would be wise as the after effects of the alcohol were still with me. After a full English with my missus, I ventured out about 11 AM, and was in Aughton by quarter past. Aughton is on the Merseyside/Lancashire Border, and is a very affluent village with several nice restaurants and Gastro Pubs, it’s one of those places where footballers retire to and the residents polish the gravel on their drives! Brookfield Fisheries was originally known as “Swifts Pond” and isn’t easy to find. On Brookfield Lane, the water isn’t signposted, it doesn’t advertise it’s presence. Following the lane as it winds its way past Nells Lane and a large property is on your right, Directly opposite this is a locked gate. This is the path that leads you to Brookfield. It’s a good walk when loaded up with gear, and there is a dyke to cross as well so be warned! The water is small, but very well presented, the pegs sturdy and access steps excellent. Due to the access though, I am sorry to say that this water is not suitable for disabled anglers. Brookfield has six pegs, they are well spaced and allow you a generous portion of the pond the high banks offer some protection from the wind, and even in this isolated location, you can sometimes hear the distant A59, there is also the main Liverpool to Preston train line that runs right by the water, this is no problem as the trains are not that frequent for peace lovers like myself!
I was allocated peg 3, which gives good access to around 8 feet depth of water, a man made floating Island, and some tricky margin fishing. Other pegs have better casting for waggler anglers, this peg is definitely a good pole peg, butIMG_0641[1] if you are prepared to put in the effort and improve your skills, this peg is totally suitable for traditional styles. Brookfield has several species available, it is stocked well, but with the welfare and care of the fish at mind as well. Carp, Common and Mirror, Crucian, Tench, Perch, Bream, Rudd and Roach are stocked. There are also the rare Ruffe and an odd Barbel or two that were in the water when it was taken over by Mike. This water isn’t busy, far from it, and Mike is of two minds just how busy he wants it to be. He vets people carefully before booking them, he wants to keep the water clean and litter free.
I started off by plumbing depth and found that the marginal shelf drops away very quickly to the ponds depth of around eight feet, there were signs of activity as fish topped and bubbled away, the growth of this years aqua culture has started and Flag Iris and Phragmites were starting to shoot and sprout. I opted for a puddler float to start with, 4 lb mainline straight through to a size 16 Guru pellet waggler with Maggot as my starter for ten. I started at 2″ over depth and wanted to see if I could connect with any lurking Tench on the prowl, I was baiting my spot with a few coarse pellets and corn to provide the free offerings. I started to get small line bites and it wasn’t long before I connected with a small Roach and then a Rudd, soon followed by a nice Bream of around 2 pounds who put up a decent fight for a “snotty”. I fished on and was starting to be battered by silvers, so I stepped up the hook to a 14 and opted for larger baits such as Corn and Peperami. I was Joined by Mike who told me how he came about the water, what his plans were and how he wanted to keep this a well stocked, but well run water. He is adamant that he will not have less considerate anglers on here, and wants to keep the water pristine and free from litter. He advised me of the excellent maRuffe!rginal fishing the water provides, and as we were talking I landed the first Ruffe I had seen in over 15 years, a very welcome addition to the bag. Mike left and as the afternoon drew on I shallowed up and re-plumbed my depth for the margins. I had bee steadily feeding a spot and a switch to a heavier crystal waggler coupled with size 12 hook and a bunch of four maggots proved effective. A lovely Mirror Carp of a couple of pounds found its way into the landing net. This was soon followed by a better Mirror of just 5lbs and the swim was full of fizzing and line bites, it seemed that Mikes advice was on the nose, I had found the place the fish were feeding and was having excellent sport. Another angler on peg one was having a great day with some lovely Carp and a beautiful Crucian of around 1 1/2 lbs. Before I go any further, can I stress that this isn’t one for the Bivvy boys, as there is no overnight fishing, the pegs are not Bivvy size and the Carp are not that large to attract the dedicated Carp lads, this is a pleasure fishery not a specimen water.
As the day wore on I caught Carp after Carp, very spirited for their size and fantastic fun, then came my first Tench, not a large fish by anyone’s standards, but a welcome 2lb female who fought above her weight. The small changes seemed to reap rewards, a change from maggot to corn and then to Pepperami all brought instant results, I lost a couple of good fish through my own fault, them charging away and a little too much drag saw me pull a couple of hooks. I ended the day with Carp, of around 2 lb each, their colouring and scale patterns were stunning though. I’ve searched for a good while to find a local water that is well kept, well stocked and the owner is passionate about. I want to fish in space and not have to put up with shouting, drunken behaviour and inconsiderate anglers.
This water ticks all my boxes, I don’t want it to become busy, but the walk to it and strict rules applied will deter the park and plonk anglers. I hope that it stays this way, but it does give Mike the return on his investment as he has something rare in the Angling world here, a great fishery, well presented but free of idiots.
Mike can be contatced on 07880 920227 for details of this cracking little fishery. I have no financial or other interest in this Fishery.
I’m not a fan of commercial fisheries, far from it. To be honest they leave me cold as they can, and do attract “anglers” who really don’t care about the fish, all they want to do is sit, get drunk/stoned and shout to their mate across the water. If that’s their bag, fine, but it is one of the reasons I stay away from the more popular and easy to get to places.
I was in my local tackle shop earlier this weekend, Neptune Angling of Maghull https://www.facebook.com/pages/Neptune-Angling/227877503993460?fref=ts and there was a flier on the desk showing a water local to me I hadn’t heard of. Speaking with Neptune’s unbelievably helpful owner (John) made me want to talk to the bailiff and owner of this small water, Brookfield Fisheries in Aughton.
I spoke with Mike from Brookfield Fisheries whilst stood there and immediately booked myself on a peg he reccomended. This was refreshing, booking on a peg? Being sussed out before you fish a place? Just what I wanted to hear! Aughton is no more than ten minutes drive from my home, I had intended to be there at first light, but a night of wine, beer and food with my In-laws put paid to that, I woke brookfieldas I normally do with the light breaking through our bedroom curtains and decided that a few hours sleep would be wise as the after effects of the alcohol were still with me. After a full English with my missus, I ventured out about 11 AM, and was in Aughton by quarter past. Aughton is on the Merseyside/Lancashire Border, and is a very affluent village with several nice restaurants and Gastro Pubs, it’s one of those places where footballers retire to and the residents polish the gravel on their drives! Brookfield Fisheries was originally known as “Swifts Pond” and isn’t easy to find. On Brookfield Lane, the water isn’t signposted, it doesn’t advertise it’s presence. Following the lane as it winds its way past Nells Lane and a large property is on your right, Directly opposite this is a locked gate. This is the path that leads you to Brookfield. It’s a good walk when loaded up with gear, and there is a dyke to cross as well so be warned! The water is small, but very well presented, the pegs sturdy and access steps excellent. Due to the access though, I am sorry to say that this water is not suitable for disabled anglers. Brookfield has six pegs, they are well spaced and allow you a generous portion of the pond the high banks offer some protection from the wind, and even in this isolated location, you can sometimes hear the distant A59, there is also the main Liverpool to Preston train line that runs right by the water, this is no problem as the trains are not that frequent for peace lovers like myself!
I was allocated peg 3, which gives good access to around 8 feet depth of water, a man made floating Island, and some tricky margin fishing. Other pegs have better casting for waggler anglers, this peg is definitely a good pole peg, butIMG_0641[1] if you are prepared to put in the effort and improve your skills, this peg is totally suitable for traditional styles. Brookfield has several species available, it is stocked well, but with the welfare and care of the fish at mind as well. Carp, Common and Mirror, Crucian, Tench, Perch, Bream, Rudd and Roach are stocked. There are also the rare Ruffe and an odd Barbel or two that were in the water when it was taken over by Mike. This water isn’t busy, far from it, and Mike is of two minds just how busy he wants it to be. He vets people carefully before booking them, he wants to keep the water clean and litter free.
I started off by plumbing depth and found that the marginal shelf drops away very quickly to the ponds depth of around eight feet, there were signs of activity as fish topped and bubbled away, the growth of this years aqua culture has started and Flag Iris and Phragmites were starting to shoot and sprout. I opted for a puddler float to start with, 4 lb mainline straight through to a size 16 Guru pellet waggler with Maggot as my starter for ten. I started at 2″ over depth and wanted to see if I could connect with any lurking Tench on the prowl, I was baiting my spot with a few coarse pellets and corn to provide the free offerings. I started to get small line bites and it wasn’t long before I connected with a small Roach and then a Rudd, soon followed by a nice Bream of around 2 pounds who put up a decent fight for a “snotty”. I fished on and was starting to be battered by silvers, so I stepped up the hook to a 14 and opted for larger baits such as Corn and Peperami. I was Joined by Mike who told me how he came about the water, what his plans were and how he wanted to keep this a well stocked, but well run water. He is adamant that he will not have less considerate anglers on here, and wants to keep the water pristine and free from litter. He advised me of the excellent maRuffe!rginal fishing the water provides, and as we were talking I landed the first Ruffe I had seen in over 15 years, a very welcome addition to the bag. Mike left and as the afternoon drew on I shallowed up and re-plumbed my depth for the margins. I had bee steadily feeding a spot and a switch to a heavier crystal waggler coupled with size 12 hook and a bunch of four maggots proved effective. A lovely Mirror Carp of a couple of pounds found its way into the landing net. This was soon followed by a better Mirror of just 5lbs and the swim was full of fizzing and line bites, it seemed that Mikes advice was on the nose, I had found the place the fish were feeding and was having excellent sport. Another angler on peg one was having a great day with some lovely Carp and a beautiful Crucian of around 1 1/2 lbs. Before I go any further, can I stress that this isn’t one for the Bivvy boys, as there is no overnight fishing, the pegs are not Bivvy size and the Carp are not that large to attract the dedicated Carp lads, this is a pleasure fishery not a specimen water.
As the day wore on I caught Carp after Carp, very spirited for their size and fantastic fun, then came my first Tench, not a large fish by anyone’s standards, but a welcome 2lb female who fought above her weight. The small changes seemed to reap rewards, a change from maggot to corn and then to Pepperami all brought instant results, I lost a couple of good fish through my own fault, them charging away and a little too much drag saw me pull a couple of hooks. I ended the day with Carp, of around 2 lb each, their colouring and scale patterns were stunning though. I’ve searched for a good while to find a local water that is well kept, well stocked and the owner is passionate about. I want to fish in space and not have to put up with shouting, drunken behaviour and inconsiderate anglers.
This water ticks all my boxes, I don’t want it to become busy, but the walk to it and strict rules applied will deter the park and plonk anglers. I hope that it stays this way, but it does give Mike the return on his investment as he has something rare in the Angling world here, a great fishery, well presented but free of idiots.
Mike can be contatced on 07880 920227 for details of this cracking little fishery. I have no financial or other interest in this Fishery.
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