The Serpentine

Map

General Information

 The Serpentine is a 17 acre lake that is situated in Greenway Bank Country Park , Staffordshire. This water varies in size and depth, depending on which part of the pool you are. The section nearest the dam is the largest part of the lake with depths going down to 26ft in places. The middle section of the lake starts to decline in width but depths still go down to around 14ft. The last section, known as the shallows, is at the western end of the pool. This is where the pool is at its narrowest, and as the name suggests, the depths, particularly in front of peg 1 are very shallow (compared to the rest of the lake), rarely exceeding 6ft. The bottom of the pool is made up of mostly silt. There are several large snags in the lake, but these do provide some excellent fishing spots. There are currently 29 pegs on the pool. These pegs are in general, quite comfortable, although access to some pegs can be awkward. Please take care when accessing these pegs. The pool perimeter is surrounded by trees and bushes apart from

the dam wall which is grassed over. The trees encroaching onto the pegs are regularly maintained by the team of bailiffs who patrol the lake on a regular basis. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the pool is one of the most picturesque places in the local area and is definitely worth a visit for that reason alone.

Known Species

Without doubt, this is the clubs premier specimen water. There are Roach running well into 3lb+, Perch touching 4lb and Bream into double figures. There are large carp present, many of which are over 20lb, with the biggest known as Big Linear. The current weight of this fish is around the 32lb mark depending on the time of year. These large carp are backed up by 80 young carp (5-10lb) stocked in late 2007. We hope these fish will very soon be well into double figures pushing for 20lb+. There are also massive pike to go at. The biggest caught going just over 23lb, but a number of experienced pike anglers have spotted a fish, that they say will go over 30lb pike. On top of all of these specimens, there are massive shoals of smaller fish consisting of roach, perch and skimmer bream. There is also a good head of jack pike making the Serpentine one of the easiest pike waters in the local area.

Extra Rules/Conditions

- The close season is in force from the 15 th March to 15 th June (dates inclusive).

- The use of up to 3 rods is allowed on this water.

Directions and Parking

From Biddulph take the A527 and head towards Tunstall. Just after the Mill Hayes Road turning, (on the left), turn left into Childerplay Road . From here follow the road past the entrance to Bemersley Public Household Waste & Recycle Centre, and take the first left following the sign for Greenway Bank Country Park . This road leads to both car parks. From Tunstall, follow the A527 towards Biddulph. Just after Brindley Ford, turn right onto Bemersley Road . At the top of this road, turn right into Childerplay Road . Follow the road, past Bemersley Public Household Waste & Recycle Centre, and take the first left following the sign for Greenway Bank Country Park . This road leads to both car parks. There are 2 main parking areas to fish the Serpentine. The first is Knypersley pool car park. Once parked, a walk along the pathway is required. The path is a steady incline with one moderately steep bank to walk up. At the top of this bank, the Serpentine main bay can be seen. The path then forks off, left and right. A left turn takes you to pegs 17 – 30 and eventually leads to the shallows, whereas a right turn takes you down to the dam and is the quickest way to the pegs on the point. The other parking area is Greenway bank car park. It is worth noting that the gates are locked at dusk and are not opened until 10.00am. From the car park, the walk is quicker than the other car park, but there is a steep bank, which is OK going down, but can be a nightmare coming back. This path eventually will bring you out right at the top of the shallows. There are other access areas from Mill Hayes road, but these tend not to be used because of the increased distance to the pool.

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