Coppice Lane Pools

Coppice Lane
Hammerwich
near Brownhills
West Midlands
WS7 0LB

Tel: 0121 351 5198
or 07702 695827 (club matches)
07976 013011 (day ticket information - Evening only)
07913 017861 (details of Open Matches - Evening only)

Plans approved for new centre at Coppice Lane Coppice Lane Pools have been granted planning permission for the construction of an on-site cafe, tackle shop, teaching centre and disabled-friendly toilets which are expected to be complete and open early in 2011. Work is also nearing completion at Coppice Lane on a new two-and-a-half acre specimen pool which is expected to open next year. Aimed at dedicated and experienced specimen anglers, the new lake will have between eight and 10 pegs and is expected to be stocked only with double figure fish. Co-owner Lawrence Beckett said: "When completed, the new lake will mean that Coppice Lane offers everything apart from trout fishing because we will have something for the pleasure angler, the matchman, anglers who like catching plenty of silver fish in the winter and good quality fish for the dedicated specimen angler." Although it has not yet been decided whether the new lake will be operated on a day ticket or syndicate basis, the emphasis will be placed on exclusivity. Lawrence Beckett added: "We could have put 40 pegs on a lake of this size, but we want to develop the water so that anglers will be well away from each other. We are aiming to attract anglers for whom the quality of fish and surroundings are as important as the number of fish they catch."

Coppice Lane - The Fishing Experience
Until a few years ago Coppice Lane Pools was owned by a local farmer who ran the fishery very much as a sideline to his main interests. In 2005, however, this all changed following the purchase of the pools and a 14-acre adjoining field by a group of three local anglers from the same family - Lawrence, Paul and Martin Beckett.

Since taking over the fishery they have implemented a programme of work which has developed Coppice Lane into an attractive, diverse and productive fishery aimed at pleasure and small club match anglers.

The original three pools have been restocked with hundreds of tench, carp and crucians, a move which has put a new lease of life into what were previously predominantly carp waters, transforming Coppice Lane into a mixed fishery which offers the opportunity for anglers to use a diverse range of angling styles to catch a wide variety of fish species.

Becketts Pool (above), an establshed one-acre match pool which is designed to cater for all aspects of pleasure and match fishing. Half of the pool is within pole distance to a long sunken island which is covered by a bed of reeds. The remainder of the pool is open water where two islands can be reached by waggler, ledger or feeder.

Stocked predominantly with mirrors, commons and tench, Becketts opened in Spring 2007 and is already offering some great fishing. An informal match held before the opening saw 20 anglers catch more than 450lbs of fish between them in five hours, whilst the individual match record currently stands at 103lbs.

Meanwhile, construction has also been completed on the new 31-peg canal style Bridge Match Pool (left) which was stocked in November and December 2008 with a mix of carp, tench, skimmer bream, roach and chub and which is not only already proving popular with anglers but also highly productive with excellent catches being reported.

With 13-metres from each peg to the opposite bank, the pool has been built with a three-feet deep shelf mirrored on both sides all the way round and a six feet six inch deep track. All the pegs have concrete bases and the pool should prove to be an ideal pole anglers' match venue complete with its own poolside car park and on-site toilets.

Top Pool (right) is still very much a carp orientated water with the five-hour match record standing at 126lb, although for pleasure anglers it is not uncommon for 100lb-plus bags to be caught in a session. Being the nearest water to the car park it is also probably the most popular Coppice Lane Pools water.

Bottom and Middle pools are stocked with different varieties fish that offer good sport to both novice and experienced angler. The planting of trees, bushes and lilies have also provided additional cover and features to fish to, whilst toilet facilities are now available on site.

Match bookings are available for clubs with 12 or more members, subject to availability.

Coppice Lane Pools is an unusual venue in that it is one of the few fisheries which trust anglers to pay for their day tickets in an honesty box in the purpose-built pay station (left) next to the entrance to the site.

Anglers should follow the instructions at the pay station and proceed to fish. Anglers found not to have paid in advance are given one of two options - either pay a £10.00 day ticket fee instead of the usual £5.00 - or be banned from the fishery for life! A team of bailiffs visits the pools several times throughout the day and evening.

Another feature is a visiting snackbar which is available every Sunday from 7.30am until 12.00 noon and which serves hot and cold sandwiches and drinks. Ordered food can be delivered to anglers' pegs whilst those taking part in club matches can pre-order food by contacting Dave Lunn on 07948 322526.

In addition, there are local cafes in nearby Chasetown and Brownhills which will take advance booking for club matches. Details of the services they offer are obtainable at the fishery.

The changes the new owners have implemented have been well received by both day ticket anglers and season ticket holders. These include restricting the use of keepnets to matches and requiring junior anglers under the age of 16 to be accompanied by an adult.

On the ground, work has been carried out to repair staging and pegs on all pools and the planting of additional shrubs and trees around Top Lake to enable it to blend more naturally into the surroundings and give increase cover for anglers and wildlife.

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 and the pegs nearest the car park on the new Becketts Pool. Poolside parking is also available for disabled anglers on Top Pool. Coppice Lane welcomes enquiries from disabled angling clubs which would like to hold competitions at the venue.

Baits allowed at Coppice Lane are maggots, casters, worm, sweetcorn, carp pellets, soft hooker pellets, paste, cubed luncheon meat and bread on the hook only. All other baits are banned. The maximum permitted hook size is Size 12 and anglers should not use floating baits, barbed hooks, method feeders or bolt rigs. Keepnets are allowed only in matches and landing nets must be used at all times. Anglers should note that they must not stand up whilst being photographed holding fish.

Pools available for club matches include the new Becketts Pool (32 pegs), Top Pool (20 pegs) and the new 31-peg Bridge Canal Pool.

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2010 Ticket Costs and Opening Times

Ticket type	Adults	OAP/Juniors/Disabled
Day (7.00am until Dusk - Summer)         (8.00am until Dusk - Winter)	£5.00 (one rod only)	£4.00 (one rod only)

Ticket must be purchased from the Pay Station before fishing.
Anglers found not to have pre-paid will be charged £10.00
Juniors under 16 must be accompanied.
Spectators are not allowed without permission.
One rod only per angler
Please note that the gates lock automatically at dusk and
anglers who call out the bailif to be released will be charged £25.00.

Some nice match catches Pictured above are, from left to right, Ron Day with a bag of carp, tench, chub and roach taken on pole fished pellet and paste; Under 16's Matt Yardley with an all-carp catch taken on pole fished sweetcorn and Luke Mellor with a mixed bag of carp and chub taken on a shallow fished waggler in open water spraying and fishing pellet.

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 from 3lbs to 15lbs, Top Pool was restocked in February 2010 and all the silver fish distributed between Bottom and Middle Pools. This has turned Top Pool into a pure carp water.

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 of more than 20 entrants to ensure that there are pegs for pleasure anglers when there is a match.

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, paste and maggots. Try shallow in the summer and feed pellets lightly.

When fishing the pole in summer, a minimum of a Size 14 elastic with a 14s or 16s hook is recommended. In winter it is recommended that anglers fish light with a Size 10 elastic.

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.

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 tench which were stocked about four years ago and are now hitting the 2lb 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 which now run up to 5lbs.

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.

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. It is an ideal water for anglers who want to get away from the thrust of things.

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 12lbs and averaging about 4lbs to 5lbs, Bottom Pool is again a mainly silver fish water with perch, tench and skimmers to about 1lb 8oz and roach and rudd to about 1lb. There are also good heads of crucian carp which average about 1lb.

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.

The average depth is about six feet off the ledges and the deepest area is about nine 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 as well as skimmers, roach and rudd.

An early informal match held before the water opened 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. Favoured pegs include Pegs 4, 8, 12, 14, 18 and 25.

It is a pole and waggler angler'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, casters and paste. Recommendations for set up are Size 6-8 elastic, 1.5lb line and 18s hook whilst in winter fishing to the islands with a swimfeeder has already produced good results.

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 holders for use in matches and an umbrella pole holder.

Although there is a small step down to all of the pegs, the water is suitable for accompanied disabled anglers.

For those 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.

With depths that vary between six feet down the centre of the track to between eight and nine feet in the deepest areas, the pool has two inside ledges which will make it ideal for margin fishing. It will have about 30 well spaced pegs that are easily accessible from the new car park with the remainder being only a short walk away.

Match bookings are now being taken for Becketts and Bridge Canal Pool for 2010 at £5.00 per peg. To book, please contact Lawrence Beckett on 0121 351 5198 or 07702 695827 (mobile). Alternatively, please call Paul on 07913 017861 (mobile - evenings only); Martin on 07976 013011 (mobile) for general information or the Jamie, the Fishery Manager, on 07976 013011 in the daytime from August 2009.

Stocked with a mix of mirror and common carp between 8oz to 5lbs, tench and skimmers to a similar size and roach and chub averaging 8oz, this is an easy water to fish with good quality pegs and a flat, even bank which is suitable for disabled anglers in dry weather.

The matches that have been held so far on Bridge Canal Pool have thrown up some impressive weights with anglers needing on average between 30lbs and 50lbs to be in the frame. These match weights have been fairly consistent as the pool holds a 50/50 mix of silver fish and carp. One pleasure angler reported netting 105 carp at a sitting. Anglers should note that keepnets are allowed only in matches.

Because it has been developed as a canal style match water, Bridge Pool has proved popular with pole anglers fishing the long pole to the island or the short pole down the track. So far the most popular technique has been to fish light and to feed little and often.

Many anglers also favour fishing the waggler either close into the margins or in the centre of the track, whilst those wanting to fish near the island are also going for small cage feeders or straight through Arlesey bombs.

The most popular baits so far have been soft hooker carp pellets, sweetcorn, paste baits, casters, chopped worm and maggots, all fished over micro-feeder pellets which have been first dampened down.

If the success of the new Becketts Pool is anything to go by, it won't be long before the new Bridge Canal Pool is proving ever more popular with anglers as both pleasure and match weights climb.

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.

Satnav owners should enter the postcode WS7 0LB.
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