Simple Match Fishing Forum

Having been fishing for getting on half a century, there's a fair few places I used to fish as a nipper that no longer exist due to the changing landscape - pools lost to motorways, industrial and commercial developments etc here in the sunny Midlands.

There's also a few still in existance that I fondly remember but access is now denied following change of ownership etc.

What waters did you used to fish that you'd love the chance to revisit or go back in time for one last cast ...........

Come on, over to you for your nostalgia trip.......

The Lucas waters at Harvington, used to go there with my dad, and that was where I got the fishing bug, took a walk down there a couple of years ago and it was a different river (or seemed to be) as the fields and pegs were overgrown, but the shed in field two was still there.

Went to Sawley on the trent on Monday behind the Harrington Arms, that river has also changed, parts of it used to be like fishing a still water, but now it was hammering through and the pegs seemed to have gone, it looks like it has been dug out and there used to be an island there, but the only island I could see was past the houses, may take another visit up there this time with the wife so I can have a real look.

River Sow, town and Shaky Bridges.

The town, Stafford, 5-6 feet gentle pace had some of the best roach fishing in the Midlands.
To give you an idea the last time I fished there before the M6 came and before the Council's hair brained scheme to take the bends out I went down there for and evening and had just five roach, crumbling up a bit of bread for feed and putting a bit of flake on the hook. The smallest of these roach was 1 lb 1 oz, the largest 1 lb 5 oz, not the greatest catch in the world but shows the size available. You would have a job to run a plasic duck through it now, a float would be impossible.

Shakey Bridges was an area of the Sow north of the town. The fishing for roach, dace and chub was nothing short of brilliant, spent every day of my school summer holiday there one year.
Went over to look at it for nostalgia's sake six or seven years back, wished I had'nt, now it is all but a trickle, swims that were four feet deep are now four inches, if you are lucky. Sad day seeing this.

In my younger day there were coach trips, and full coaches, of Brummies used to come over to fish the Sow, it were unbelievable fishing and nearly all of it free.
It is a disgrace now.

Remember fishing one of the lakes associated with the opencast mines just off the A5, more or less opposite the old Fleur de Leys pub at Norton Canes. Someone put us on to it cos his 7 year old nipper had caught some "big fish" while messing about down there. Me and a mate (remember John Bryan, TK) paid a visit early one morning, and fished wag and mag. To say we were gobsmacked at the size of the Roach is an understatement. I don't think we had a fish under 12 oz and all in pristine condition . Fished it a few times, but then set up one evening and was shortly visited by a couple of officials from the landowners, (they looked like bouncers) who told us if we set foot on there again we would be prosecuted A few days later, the whole area had been fenced off and security notices posted. All them big Roach probably buried under the M6 toll now

In the 70s I used to fish the gravel pits on what is now the Asda Great Barr supermarket car park , lakes were filled in ( bar 1 which is now the nature reserve ) before the supermarket was built . Lakes were stuffed with perch , perch and more perch - nice fish in the 2oz to 1lb range mostly - just the sort of greedy fish a young angler needed to get his bobber float dipping !!! .

Lakes were very deep , upto 12 feet deep under your rod tip , had to be very careful not to drop in though .

Oh happy days

The old Swad waters on the Trent - Cardiac Hill. It's still there but I don't think anyone fishes it now - and I'm certain it wouldn't be like it was back in the days when Kingfisher was the man to beat on there.

Cardiac Hill, remember it well. Horrible walk/slog back up. You never carryed anything back up that hill you didn't need to. Made sure the Flask only ever had one Coffee left in it.

.......Or the Old stretch. Field after Field after Field.


Good fishing though.