Eight of the timber pegs have designed specifically for disabled anglers.

Deepest at the end nearest the house where up to eight feet of water can be found, Match Pool gradually shallows to about four feet deep at the end nearest the car park. Because the sides drop virtually straight to the bottom, the maximum depth for each peg can be found all the way round the pool.

Match Pool is stocked predominantly with common and mirror carp which run to 13lbs but which average between 3lbs and 4lbs. There are also a decent head of crucian carp to about 1lb as well as 5,000 tench, roach and bream which were stocked at six inches two years ago and are now regularly showing at about 8oz.

In addition there are plenty of quality roach which are frequently caught between 1lb and 1lb 8oz and some handsome perch to 1lb which give a good account of themselves once hooked.

Although Match Pool is a good little venue for small club matches, competitions are only allowed on one day at weekends. This means that if a match is booked on a Saturday the pool will not be used for a match on the Sunday.

The match record for Match Pool was set in June 2006 by an angler who pole fished maggots towards the island for a mainly carp bag which weighed in at 64lbs. Pleasure catches in excess of 100lbs are regular, particularly in the warmer months.

The deeper water is usually most productive in winter and although there are no particular hot pegs in summer the best fishing is usually done by anglers casting to the island or, when the venue is quiet, fishing close in to the margin.

Pole and waggler both work well on Match Pool, although anglers can't quite reach the island with the pole and tend to bait up a swim as far out as they can get or fish down the bank in the margin.

When it comes to baits, expander pellets fished over a bed of groundbait or feeder pellets are proving increasingly popular whilst maggots, luncheon meat and sweetcorn are particularly effective for the carp with smaller baits such as maggots, casters and single sweetcorn kernels popular with those after the tench and silver fish.

Because they give the best access to the island, the pegs in the centre of the road bank and those directly opposite on the farm bank are popular whilst those in the far two corners where the water is deepest are also well worth a try when they are vacant.

Although there are few rules at Alcott Farm, keepnets are only allowed in matches and landing nets and keepnets must be dipped before fishing. Groundbait should be used only in moderation and the venue is barbless hooks only

Small Pool is easy to fish because it has an average depth of only five feet with two or three occasional deeper holes where the bottom drops to eight feet. These provide ideal holding points for the fish in winter but makes plumbing the depth essential for those anglers who want to target these deeper points.

Although Small Pool is not as big as Match Pool, it is stocked with a similar range of species and sizes as Match Pool, so the opportunity to catch nice fish is as good as for those anglers who fish Match Pool.

As a result, there are carp to into double figures to be caught in Small Pool as well as some nice pleasure roach, perch and tench. Indeed, the opportunity to catch some nice fish was enhanced over the 2008/2009 winter with the addition of some 10lb-plus carp as well as 250 kilos of fish in the 1lb 8oz to 3lb range together with some 5,000 four to six inch silver fish and tench being added in Spring 2009.

Small Pool is again predominantly a pole and waggler water with maggots, sweetcorn, luncheon meat and bread being the most favoured baits.

Although the size of Small Pool may put some anglers off fishing it, this is not a water to be dismissed lightly. Because of its size it is a great pool for younger anglers or those wanting to try out new techniques and is a great little venue to try on the rare occasions when there is a club match on Match Pool, being stocked with a decent stamp of fish for those looking for a pleasant day's fishing in the countryside.

Visit Alcott Farm B and B on the Net Alcott Farm has a comprehensive website with information and photographs on all aspects of the venue from the history of the site through the fishing available. The site can be found at www.alcottfarm.co.uk.

How to get there...

Alcott Farm Fishery is a short drive from Junction 3 of the M42 motorway. On leaving the motorway take the A435 towards Birmingham and immediately after the Total garage take the slip road to the left. At the T-junction turn left into Watery Lane and turn left again at the next cross roads into Weatheroak Hill.

Turn left again opposite the Coach and Horses pub into Icknield Street and the entrance to Alcott Farm will be found about half a mile on the right shortly after you pass the entrance to the two pools. Drive up the long post-and-rail drive to the farmhouse.

Please note that Alcott Farm is south of the red circle on the Multimap link between the circle and the M42 motorway.

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