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Gawsworth Fishery,
Church Lane, Gawsworth
Macclesfield
Cheshire; SK119RQ.
Contact 01260223442.
www.gawsworthfisheries.co.uk
Gawsworth Fishery is situated on the Staffordshire/Cheshire border near Macclesfield. An extremely well established mixed fishery which now has six pools to suit all anglers. Wood Pool contains some very handsome carp to just under 30lb in addition to other specimen fish including perch, bream and BIG cats to 45lbs+. At 4 acres, it’s an intimate pool able to accommodate plenty of rods but with lots of space between pegs to ensure no conflict with other anglers. It has an island within easy casting distance and loads of attractive reedy margins with the odd snaggy swim to tempt the accomplished big fish hunter. With depths between 4-8ft it has a clean bottom with very little weed cover and some gravel patches to test your skills. The prevailing wind can play a part in the fishing with carp tending to follow it into the shallows, but I’m told it fishes better with the wind onto the dam. Boilies are the recognised carp bait as sweetcorn may be more likely to be picked up by one of the huge tench which run to almost 10lbs or the barbel which are even bigger! There are also some pretty impressive roach which get up to the 1 ½lb mark. Surface fishing with ‘zig rigs’ or floating baits scores when the weather is warm and the wind is light; multiple catches are easily possible with 20lber’s falling regularly to this tactic. The island pegs prove popular, and a depression midway across in front of the island towards the dam holds feeding fish throughout the year which fall to careful baiting and presentation.
Park Pool; at 2 acres and full of features, carp fall to similar tactics to the fish in Wood Pool. The extensive lily beds give cover and shade to big common and mirror carp which inhabit this pool. 6 feet at the deepest, this pool gives great sport, but beware the big tench! Again weighing up to 7lb, they will also bend your rod! Since I last looked at Park Pool, the overhanging trees have separated parts of the water into intimate bays and corners, all giving even more cover to try and find the fish in!
The third pool which I’ve considered is Wall Pool; this is the first pool seen when entering the site near the Hall. Again, a smaller pool at 2 acres, it was originally constructed over 400 years ago to provide carp for the table of the owners of Gawsworth Hall; thankfully, this is no longer the case, and now mature stock fish reach up to around 20lbs. Wooden staging covers some of what were originally fly casting platforms from years gone by when Gawsworth was a top class trout water, but work has been carried out to make bankside pegs easy to cast from. This small pool contains some amazing ghost koi carp which achieve 15lbs. To see these fish glide through the dark water will have you wondering if you really saw them.....They really are stunning creatures, not confined purely to Lodge Pool, they can be caught in Wood and Park pools, but perhaps not in the same number. Ethereal in the water, these ghost Koi are unlike any carp I’ve seen before; beautiful shades and scale patterns make them fantastic to catch, and you are just as likely to catch them on a simple float rig with maggots on the hook as you are with a specialist carp rig. Crucians abound in Wall Pool, with a 2lb fish a real possibility!
New pools recently added include the 46 peg Serpentine Match Pool, with an average depth of seven feet, heavily stocked with carp around 5lbs and a variety of other species to make up match winning nets of into triple figures!
Springbank Pool is a well established water, again of a couple of acres, which carries big carp, good tench and bream and is also stocked with Ide, an unusual species providing great sport on light tackle. At its deepest, Springbank drops away to almost ten feet and has two island features with plenty of cover and lily beds.
Coppice, another new pool, aimed at the pole angler and stocked with a huge amount of smaller fish including barbel. With a central island and eight feet of water, it gives plenty of scope for pole and close range feeder work on a light tip rod and has ample room behind each peg to keep tackle clear of obstructions.
There are no silly rules at Gawsworth; owner John Birch takes fish welfare seriously and protects the carp to ensure they remain in pristine condition. Fixed Method feeders are banned, as is leadcore, and all hooks must be barbless. Unprepared nuts, peas, beans and trout pellets are banned, but coarse pellets are well used on site. Pet food isn’t allowed as the high fat content proves difficult for the carp to digest. The carp on site all benefit from these few simple steps, and the fish are all hard fighting and in superb condition. Find out more by visiting www.gawsworthfisheries.co.uk or contact John on 01260223442.
Previously published elsewhere.
Church Lane, Gawsworth
Macclesfield
Cheshire; SK119RQ.
Contact 01260223442.
www.gawsworthfisheries.co.uk
Gawsworth Fishery is situated on the Staffordshire/Cheshire border near Macclesfield. An extremely well established mixed fishery which now has six pools to suit all anglers. Wood Pool contains some very handsome carp to just under 30lb in addition to other specimen fish including perch, bream and BIG cats to 45lbs+. At 4 acres, it’s an intimate pool able to accommodate plenty of rods but with lots of space between pegs to ensure no conflict with other anglers. It has an island within easy casting distance and loads of attractive reedy margins with the odd snaggy swim to tempt the accomplished big fish hunter. With depths between 4-8ft it has a clean bottom with very little weed cover and some gravel patches to test your skills. The prevailing wind can play a part in the fishing with carp tending to follow it into the shallows, but I’m told it fishes better with the wind onto the dam. Boilies are the recognised carp bait as sweetcorn may be more likely to be picked up by one of the huge tench which run to almost 10lbs or the barbel which are even bigger! There are also some pretty impressive roach which get up to the 1 ½lb mark. Surface fishing with ‘zig rigs’ or floating baits scores when the weather is warm and the wind is light; multiple catches are easily possible with 20lber’s falling regularly to this tactic. The island pegs prove popular, and a depression midway across in front of the island towards the dam holds feeding fish throughout the year which fall to careful baiting and presentation.
Park Pool; at 2 acres and full of features, carp fall to similar tactics to the fish in Wood Pool. The extensive lily beds give cover and shade to big common and mirror carp which inhabit this pool. 6 feet at the deepest, this pool gives great sport, but beware the big tench! Again weighing up to 7lb, they will also bend your rod! Since I last looked at Park Pool, the overhanging trees have separated parts of the water into intimate bays and corners, all giving even more cover to try and find the fish in!
The third pool which I’ve considered is Wall Pool; this is the first pool seen when entering the site near the Hall. Again, a smaller pool at 2 acres, it was originally constructed over 400 years ago to provide carp for the table of the owners of Gawsworth Hall; thankfully, this is no longer the case, and now mature stock fish reach up to around 20lbs. Wooden staging covers some of what were originally fly casting platforms from years gone by when Gawsworth was a top class trout water, but work has been carried out to make bankside pegs easy to cast from. This small pool contains some amazing ghost koi carp which achieve 15lbs. To see these fish glide through the dark water will have you wondering if you really saw them.....They really are stunning creatures, not confined purely to Lodge Pool, they can be caught in Wood and Park pools, but perhaps not in the same number. Ethereal in the water, these ghost Koi are unlike any carp I’ve seen before; beautiful shades and scale patterns make them fantastic to catch, and you are just as likely to catch them on a simple float rig with maggots on the hook as you are with a specialist carp rig. Crucians abound in Wall Pool, with a 2lb fish a real possibility!
New pools recently added include the 46 peg Serpentine Match Pool, with an average depth of seven feet, heavily stocked with carp around 5lbs and a variety of other species to make up match winning nets of into triple figures!
Springbank Pool is a well established water, again of a couple of acres, which carries big carp, good tench and bream and is also stocked with Ide, an unusual species providing great sport on light tackle. At its deepest, Springbank drops away to almost ten feet and has two island features with plenty of cover and lily beds.
Coppice, another new pool, aimed at the pole angler and stocked with a huge amount of smaller fish including barbel. With a central island and eight feet of water, it gives plenty of scope for pole and close range feeder work on a light tip rod and has ample room behind each peg to keep tackle clear of obstructions.
There are no silly rules at Gawsworth; owner John Birch takes fish welfare seriously and protects the carp to ensure they remain in pristine condition. Fixed Method feeders are banned, as is leadcore, and all hooks must be barbless. Unprepared nuts, peas, beans and trout pellets are banned, but coarse pellets are well used on site. Pet food isn’t allowed as the high fat content proves difficult for the carp to digest. The carp on site all benefit from these few simple steps, and the fish are all hard fighting and in superb condition. Find out more by visiting www.gawsworthfisheries.co.uk or contact John on 01260223442.
Previously published elsewhere.
