The Vineyard Coarse Fishing

Venue information

SET in the grounds of the Halfpenny Green Vineyard, this vine-surrounded pool has a unique location as dozens of wines are produced at the venue. The excellent vinos in the shop can be sampled by anglers after fishing.

This roughly circular 30 peg pool has a central island at 25 metres and is heavily stocked with four species. Visitors can target carp to 5lb, bream to 4lb, roach to 2lb and hordes of gudgeon, some of which are 4oz specimens!

It’s very easy to fish due to the coloured water and pole-fished corn or maggots, at four metres or to the margin reeds either side of your peg, can bring mixed nets to 50lb.

Constantly feed tiny amounts of bait to draw shoals of fish into your baited area.

The pool is located in quite an open area and is often windy with a good tow under the surface. Pole fishing overdepth and holding back hard is the easy way of presenting a still bait, or, when fishing a waggler, fix a ‘chain’ of tiny No8 shot on the bottom at six-inch intervals. This will keep the float in position.

With floating baits not allowed, popped-up baits, especially bread and bunches of floating maggots, work well. Half-depth at about three feet, is a good starting point.

One of the first hot pegs is peg 1 which throws up good mixed catches. Fish tight into the corner, to the left of the swim, where there’s a reed bed. Even in winter, fish congregate just beyond the reeds three metres out. Next up is peg 7. An easy 25 metre cast will get a hookbait to the island and sweetcorn produces a number of good catches around the island point. Two or three pouchfuls of corn catapulted before you tackle up will get the fish feeding.

Situated directly opposite the island is peg 11 where anglers can fish down both sides of the island and to the point of it.

There are always bream around this area but they often get moved out by shoals of carp that patrol around the point and along the sides of the island.

In the summer another swim that is worth fishing is peg 8 where you’ll find extensive lily pads and reedbeds to the left and right of the swim. Fish close in with your hookbait close to the dense marginal cover.

Don’t fish too light here, 0.12mm (3lb 8oz) hooklengths are as low as you should go as the fish often take off straight for the weedbeds and must be played on a tight line.

Day tickets: Adults £5. Juniors £2.50 if accompanied by an adult.
Contact: 01384 221122
Bans: Following baits ONLY allowed: maggots, casters, worms, corn, meat (in moderation), bread (on the hook only) and no fl oating baits.
Directions: From Wolverhampton, take the A449 for six miles, through Penn and Wombourne to Himley, turn right at the B4176 lights and go along the by pass and through Wombourne towards Bridgnorth. Go straight on as you leave the B4176, which turns right for Bridgnorth and travel along Tom Lane for half a mile, following the Halfpenny Green Vineyard signs, at the gates on the right.