Sutton Coldfield, a historic town that lies roughly 11 kilometers from the Birmingham city centre, is an old civil parish with a plenty of history behind it. Just outside of its bounds lies a truly picturesque little fishery – the Grounds Farm. Tucked away far from the busy town and the urban surroundings, this venue is so hidden in the landscape that you can hardly spot it. For the locals of Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield, this is a fantastic little retreat for the weekends, right there on their doorstep. But if you’re travelling in that direction, you should certainly stop by, as this charming little piece of nature does offer some decent angling prospects. But the most important feature of Grounds Farm is the amount of features on these waters. Let’s discover more.
Grounds Farm Fisheries is located near the small village of Wishaw, and just near the M6. It consists of three small lakes set closely together, and surrounded by dense tree copses and lovely rural meadows. Nearby is a small farm. These tree little waters are stocked for coarse fishing, offering a great variety of tench, bream, roach, rudd, and carp. The specimen carp goes well up to 25 lbs and over. The venue is open all year round, and is now a private fishery under the care of the Wishaw Country Sports club. It operates on an annual membership basis, so if you’re a local and looking to join a group of like minded anglers and individuals, this is a good chance. Wishaw Country Sports is regularly looking for new members.
Defining features of Grounds Farm fishery are the numerous natural elements of the water. The first thing to notice are the several little islands on each lake, which offer great prospects when angling for carp. There are also reed beds, deep margins, and a plenty of overhanging trees. All of these combined can give you access to different tactics, and provide a challenge and a different experience on the water. Several anglers report that angling at Grounds Farm was a quite unique experience due to the set up of the waters.
The lakes are called the Heron, the Paddock Lake, and the Turn lake. The latter is a specimen carp water, while the Paddock pool is considered the best of the three, with the best balance of coarse fish and specimen carp. It has 50 evenly spaced out pegs with wooden supports. Anglers report that the best feeding for the carp at this venue are sweet corn and pellet. The bait is maggot. The Heron is the most difficult lake to fish, as the owners relocated a lot of fish to the Turn lake.
Either way, although Grounds Farm is sometimes difficult to fish at, it still offers decent angling and a wonderful environment. Plenty of snug greenery and a truly natural ambience will allow you to relax and entertain yourself with some challenging angling. And at the end of the day, isn’t that the part of the fun?
Mike has over 30 years of fishing experience in carp fishing and general coarse fishing. He is always looking for the latest fishing kit to try out and talk about and needs a bigger shed due to all the fishing tackle he owns. You can read more about him here.