Barton & Walton Pool
A well established former railway ballast pit dug out over 150 years ago. The pool is approximately 5 acres, two sides dropping quite quickly to a depth of 10-12ft the opposite sides sloping gradually to this depth. The pool is surrounded by mature alder trees and has a large established lily bed. The fishery contains 30-40 carp that were stocked in 2006/07. They range from mid doubles to mid 20s and can
usually be spotted on the surface or roaming the margins during the summer months. They haven’t been heavily pressured in recent years and can be caught in most areas of the lake with the margins being the most productive in the warmer months of the year.
There are some very snaggy areas in the pool, consisting mainly of sunken branches and tree trunks along the top bank. There is also a sunken corrugated iron platelayers hut around 15 yards out and to the right of the peg that contains the depth gauge on the railway bank. When targeting the carp in this pool, it pays to have a feel around with a bare lead prior to positioning any rigs and be aware of any underwater obstacles when playing a fish.
Aside from the carp the pool holds perch, tench and a few pike. Access to the pool is by a stoned
track, through a locked gateway with parking behind the pegs on one side.
In recent years the level of the pool has fluctuated wildly as a result of adjacent gravel workings, that has now ceased and we are now waiting for the water table to re-establish so that the optimum level of the pool can be determined and safe pegs can be created.