Fun At The Farm

Midlands Where To Fish contributor Steve Cope is a seasoned canal matchman, having fished the Midlands towpath circuit for over 30 years. He loves his river fishing, too, and often visits stillwaters in his region. This week we find him at Top Barn Farm, in Worcestershire.

- Steve E Cope

FOR four generations, with the fifth snapping at their heels, Top Barn Farm has been in the Harper family since the 1930s. The business encompasses fishing pools run by Richard Harper and wife Nicky and a farm park, butcher’s shop and harvest shop under the management of brother Michael. There's also a working farm and a fully accredited packing facility, both run by another brother, John, to deal with their busy harvest of vegetables and cereals

They also have Hereford cattle and sheep, alpacas, goats, pigs, rabbits, donkeys, ponies, ducks and chickens, and offer tractor-drawn trailer rides around the farm park – a great day out for everyone. Set in the rolling Worcestershire countryside at Holt, there are four pools: Woodside; Fir Tree; Top Barn, which is the specimen carp lake; and Grebe, with 117 pegs in total.

Grebe Pool invite

Richard had asked me to come along and try my luck on four-acre, 58-peg Grebe Pool, fishing alongside his friend, 70-year old Norman Dent, from Bewdley. It had rained heavily the night before and it hammered down whilst I was on my way, but luckily the weather cleared up as I arrived.

Richard and Norman were already poolside, Richard building some more easy access, wide, disabled angler friendly platforms, and Norman had already caught a 3 lb bream, two skimmers and a couple of common carp of around 2 lb apiece.