Brook Farm Trout fishery was established by the current owner in 1984. It consists of two spring-fed lakes of about 2½ acres and 1 acre, set in spectacular Cotswold countryside. Both lakes are comparatively shallow, ranging in depth between 5ft and 12ft, and in that respect are fairly typical of many other fisheries, but this is where the similarity ends. When we think of Fly Fishing for Trout in its finest form, we immediately think of the Southern Chalk Streams, or the great Limestone lakes, and the essential ingredient in those environments is pure alkaline water. It is only in such water that the Fly life and the Trout come together to provide perfect Fly Fishing. Such conditions are confined to those parts of the country where the underlying Geology is chalk or limestone, and vast swathes of the country are denied this magic ingredient.

Brook Farm is located high in the Cotswold Hills, where the Groundwater has a Ph value of 8.1. The only possible source of contamination in this otherwise pristine environment has historically been Livestock. That problem has now been resolved, and Livestock are now fully excluded from the feeder stream. The lakes are often gin-clear and - with the exclusion of the Livestock - they will increasingly remain so. For a detailed description of the ongoing improvement in water quality, see Lake Recovery Time.

Not only is Brook Farm blessed with pure alkaline water, it is also blessed by its totally stunning Cotswold location. Close to the highest point in the Cotswolds, the Fishery nestles in a beautiful steep-sided valley with beech woods towering above us to the South, and protected Common land to the North. Where else can you fish for Trout and never hear the sound of a motor car, where you can look over your shoulder and find that your companion is a Roe Deer or a Badger. When you fish at Brook Farm, you truly get away from the rest of the world – you become part of the Brook Farm experience.

We feel the best way to enjoy our environment is by not fully exploiting it, and so the Fishery is offered as a small and exclusive Membership of serious Fly Fishers, combined with a limited number of Group Days. The Fishery is ideally suited for a small group of Fly Fishers who would like the exclusivity of booking the Fishery for a day for their private enjoyment. For details, click on Membership or Group Days.

There is yet another dimension to the Fishery which sets us apart, and that is the Trout. We have bred our own strain of Rainbow Trout at Brook Farm since 1983, and the result of selective breeding over this period is a unique strain of Trout that is a special part of the Brook Farm experience. The fish are usually bright silver, and look more like sea-trout than Rainbows, and they are powerful. ! The Trout vary in size throughout the Season - you might contact a fish of 1.1/4lbs at the start of the fishing Season, or it might be over 20 lbs, but at all times, we place the quality of the Trout and of the fishing before the size of the fish. There are also Brown Trout, which are exclusively Catch & Release, and so some of these have been around for years.

Fly life is extensive, with Mayflies and Pond Olives, Blue-winged Olives, Pale Wateries, Damsels, various Sedges, Alders, and numerous Midges, not to mention Shrimps. As regards Terrestrial insects:- we have Hawthorns, and Daddy Longlegs, as well as Grasshoppers.

Our chosen fishing method is Nymph and Dry Fly only, with Dry Fly accounting for over half of the fish that are caught; rods of 8’6” or 9’, with a 4 to 6 weight floating line being ideal. We fish much the same as you would fish the Chalk Stream, spotting and casting to Trout from behind the cover of the extensive banks of Yellow Iris. Once hooked, the power and the strength of the Trout are exceptional – it is not in any way an exaggeration to say that each Season there are always some fishers who will lose a fish after it has emptied a reel of all of its fly-line and backing!

The final aspect of the Fishery that sets it apart is the opportunity for Members to fish Catch & Release. It is said that Catch & Release can not work where a Fishery contains large fish – it will damage the fish – it will cause disease and the fish become un-catchable. Fortunately, none of this is true in our case, and we have operated Catch & Release for the past 5 years without the slightest problem. The secret is having good fishermen, who know what they are doing. The golden rule is that the Trout never leaves the water, and – if done correctly – we have found there is simply no risk. We combine the C&R option for Members with a Catch-and-Take policy for Group and Corporate Days, and in this way, we turn over fish and eliminate the problem of highly educated fish. The mix works extremely well.

In addition to the lakes, the Fishery has safe parking and a well-appointed Fishing Lodge with tea, coffee and cooking facilities, as well as fish weighing and bagging. Outside there is a marble wash-table to wash off that prized catch. The local Pub offers good beer and lunch.

For more information see:-

1 Membership
2 Group Days
3 Press Reports
4 Fishery Rules and Application Form
5 Fishing Report 2008
6 Flies
7 Eutrophication
8 Season Prospects 2009