Tewitfields - Another Jewel in the Crown of Lancashire

For many years it’s been a well known fact that the River Ribble is the jewel in the crown of Lancashire, it’s a river that can offer the angler good coarse and game fishing. In the middle and upper reaches of this delightful water you can enjoy some excellent fly fishing for salmon, grayling, sea and brown trout. Downstream of Calder Foot you can expect to catch barbel, chub, roach, and dace, then further down stream you will find some good pike fishing, and the chance of a thirty pounder.

In this feature I want to tell you about another Jewel in the Crown. Tewitfields a twenty year old mature ten acre limestone lake that contains specimen roach, rudd, perch, tench, carp and pike. Yes the water contains some cracking fish; it’s not easy water so don’t expect instant success. You will have to spend time learning all its moods, remember fish are not spread around like currents in a pudding. As we all know fish move around following the wind, and this is certainly true of carp, tench will often do likewise. Not all swims contain big fish, its all down to learning from experience of fishing during all weather and water conditions. Day permits cost just £5-00, but you can get a syndicate permits at £300-00 a year which I reckon is very good value for money especially with the quality of fishing available. Booking details telephone Les Bratby on 01524-730331

My first visit to Tewitfields was with Leyland solicitor Martin Salisbury to record a programme for my At the Waters Edge programme on BBC Radio Lancashire. Then later in the week I would return to the water with Bolton photographer Ian Chapman for a feature in the Anglers Mail. It was late in the afternoon when Martin and I arrived to find the sun shining brightly, this certainly surprised us as the rest of the county was having heavy rain, in some areas hailstones were giving the impression of was winter. The fishery looked great in this rare glimpse of summer. Walking around this new Jewel in the Lancashire Crown we met Bailiff Frank Squirrel catching quality rudd. Many fish over a pound and a half graced Frank’s net; he had some forty, perhaps fifty fish during his latest session when he float fished Ringer pellets. Walking along the far bank we spotted several good tench rooting in the bottom, certainly the chance of some tench I thought! After recording my programme and talking with some other anglers, it was time to fish. Martin chose a swim on the west bank while I picked a spot along the bank that separated the two lakes, the smaller coloured water has produced some big carp and perch.

After giving my swim a good raking, I made up some method mix adding sweet corn, hemp and Cotswold Baits liquid bloodworm, I then fed the swim with three cricket size balls of bait. I chose a thirteen foot rod, matched with a centre pin reel and 4lb Gamma line with a 6 BB shot waggler and size 14 Pallatrax hook. I was ready to go. After plumbing the area I chose to fish my bait on a ledge in eight foot of water. In the gin clear water I would often see several tench moving through the swim. One of these could have been eight pound plus. For three hours fish rooted around in my swim, masses of tiny pin head bubbles appeared on the surface. Still no bites. I asked myself the question “What they are eating”. Eventually it was time to leave the fishery, when Martin arrived He said “I had fish feeding and bubbling in my swim but couldn’t get a bite”. The same for me I said. We both returned home wandering why we couldn’t catch.

My Second Visit for Anglers Mail Feature


Arriving at Tewitfields on Tuesday I was met by Les Bratby who had just returned from hospital and Frank Squirrel the fishery bailiff. Hospitality was high on the order as beef sandwiches on home made brown bread and tea was offered. Finishing off my food I had a walk around the fishery where in the gin clear water I spotted several tench on the 5lb class chasing one another. They didn’t have food on their minds; it was sex as they chased one another in and out of the weed often a female was accompanied by three or four males. I needed to find a group of fish that wanted to eat.

I chose a swim a few yards along the west bank from Frank Squirrel who already had a nice tench on float fished corn. Having raked and baited with brown crumb hemp and sweet corn. I made up two legering outfits using my Grauvell Specialist 1.2 rods, Mitchell 300 reels with 6lb line and Stonze weights. On the right hand rod I chose to fish a hair rigged Jungle boily on a size 8 Pallatrax stumpy rig. The other rod was baited with three grains of popped up corn to a fifteen inch braided hook line. Despite feeding little and often not one fished stopped to feed in the baited area. Having fished for some twelve hours where I had plenty of fish passing through my swim I didn’t get a bite. I made the decision to wind in my rods and have some food. I had only eaten a piece of cake and sandwich with a few mugs of yea. After my break I recast the rods, still choosing to fish with popped up corn and Jungle paste.

At 2-15 in the morning the boily baited rod was away soon a tench was in the net, the only bite of the night. I thought I might catch at dawn. No such joy. Then the wind changed, it was time to take a walk along the windward side where I spotted the odd feeding tench. It was time to move, soon I was sitting in a new swim with the wind in my face hoping above hope the fish would feed. About ten in the morning Ian Chapman turned up all smiles as usual and said “How many” just one I answered. Soon Ian was sitting next to me float fishing hair rigged corn, while I tucked into a freshly fried egg on home made brown bread cooked by Les partner Kathleen. Apart from an odd fish nothing wanted our baits, though further along the bank Frank Squirrel had four tench. As I have always recommended, seek local advice on where and how to fish a strange water. I done that but it didn’t help me on this occasion. As previously said the tench had sex on their minds. I suppose I wouldn’t want to eat on those occasions. By noon Ian had his Anglers Mail feature and was on his way home. Packing all my gear away I had a few hours sleep, I wasn’t in any fit state to drive. Nine o’clock I the evening I was a back home having a shower. In the words of the later General Douglas MacArthur I shall return. Then hopefully after a few visits I will have sorted out a way to defeat those big tench which could weight ten pounds and they want have sex on their minds.