A days fishing at Poole Bridge Farm

Location: near York. Turn right off of the A19 to Fulford at Crockey Hill so that you are heading towards Wheldrake. The fishery and caravan site are sign posted on your left.Address: Pool Bridge Farm Lakes, Crockery Hill, York, YO19 4SQ Contact: Ron or Dave Fletcher Phone 01904:637854/620304/63340Lakes: There are four lakes in the complex. Carp lake is stocked with ghost, common and mirror carp to over 301b. The lake also holds tench to 41b, crucian to over 21b and bream to over 61b.Normans lake: This is well stocked with a good head of roach, rudd, tench, bream, carp and orfe. There are only about 25 pegs on this lake which is the smallest in the complex.Horse Shoe Lake: This is another mixed fishery and as the name suggests is a horse shoe shape with an island. This is much larger than Normans with about 60 pegs.Coarse Lake: This is a mixed fishery holding some good roach that were showing when we visited. It is a well established water holding most species including chub.Tickets: A full adult day ticket costs £5 whilst O.A.P., disabled and under sixteens pay only £3. Evening tickets have different start times according to lighting up times but always allow five hours fishing. These cost £3.The fishery opens at 7.30a.m. and closes at dusk. There is no night fishing Physically disadvantaged anglers – On this venue they hold matches for physically disadvantaged anglers who can, by prior arrangement, take their cars to the waters edge in many swims. There is also a purpose built W.C. for the disabled.Other facilities: Cooked breakfasts and other simple meals are available on site. Food is served in a covered area. Virginia and I arrived unannounced and thought the breakfast was excellent value for money.Caravans: The flat rate charge is £7 per van per night but there are no electrical hook ups. There are no extra charges and awnings can be used for no extra charge. Fresh water, flush toilets (male and female) and showers. The site is both dry and level. Discharge for chemical toilets is also available.Camping charges range from £5 per tent per night for a small tent to £7 for large tents that occupy the same area as a caravan.Naturally at such low prices neither caravan or camping charges include fishing. However there is flexibility in charges so that you pay only £5 per eight hours fished

A days fishing at Poole Bridge Farm

Virginia and I had arranged to meet veteran Leeds match ace Ron Fearnley on the lakes. We arrived to find that Ron had arrived much earlier and was already bagging up on Normans Lake. He was fishing tight up against an island, fishing well up in the water on worm and feeding trout pellet to catch carp well into double figures.We chatted to Ron and decided to fish completely different methods to gain as much knowledge of the lake in the shortest possible time. However we went for a breakfast before starting and was not disappointed as it set us up for the day.After breakfast we returned to Normans lake to fish down the far end. Virginia decided to fish close in near some bank side reeds. Her tactics were to use an 11ft powerful float rod with a 1.5lb test curve with an Ariel centre pin loaded with 81b line. The terminal tackle consisted of a small spliced waggler locked in position by the bulk shot with just a number 6 shot down the line. She was going to fish a large piece of meat paste to a size 6 hook tied direct to the main line. Certainly a heavy approach by northern standards and without doubt the heaviest tackle with the biggest bait on the venue. She introduced a few free samples with some trout pellets no more than one foot from the reeds.Virginia sat well back from the edge to fish quietly under her rod top. After less than half an hour she struck into the first of many carp and soon had a near double figured common on the bank. This was followed by more fish that appeared to average over nine pounds and included two nice common ghosts to over eleven pounds. There was no doubt about it, Virginia had out fished everybody on the lake, including me, to produce a bag of carp that went well over 1001b.Naturally, as I said earlier, I used different tactics with a Shakespeare 20ft rod with a centre pin loaded with 31b b.s. line to fish a pole float up against some lilly pads. It was about 6ft deep in my swim and I fished it with trout pellet paste on a size 12 hook, feeding regularly with 5mm trout pellets. I started off catching golden orfe to about 21b and bream to 31b before carp moved in. Although I regularly caught carp, mine were much smaller than Virginias with the best a perfect conditioned common ghost of 9lb 14oz. I had a good bag but Virginia had a much greater weight.

We had all had plenty of fish proving the venue was very well stocked. It had certainly fished well but Virginias 1OOlb plus bag was exceptional by any standards. Chatting to other anglers in the car park we heard that the other lakes were also well worth fishing.