was just wondering the other day about a gravel pit i used to fish as a boy in cumbria.It was brigham pond as we new it by, and was an old lime stone quarry i am talking 30 years ago now and the place used to fish fantastic with 3lb plus perch, roach rudd bream crushion carp tench and trout and big eels i seem to remember twinames who owned the quarry started filling it in a few years ago but believe they were stopped by enviromentalists because of the wid life that frequented the pond ie toads ect and wondered if any body had fished it recently.
CF

There is a fishery run at Brigham which goes by the name of brigham pond which has a front lake and a back lake which is an old quarry i think .There is also a larger old quarry which people also fish but is not run as a commercial fishery . Fished them a few times as a kid but we are talking 15-20 years ago , didn't really know what we were doing !! They can both still be fished .

yes i think the comercial fishery is behind the local pub either the wheatsheaf or the lime kiln c,ant quite recall which it is.The old quarry i was talking about having fished it nearly 30 years ago d,ont no how it actually became stocked ???? with so many fish i was a member of the british steel angling assc and we had many outings to different venues ie ulswater canal lochmaben loch ken to name but a few and we usually brought fish back and released them there ...still a mystery how so mant fish ended up there with out it ever been a comercial fishery perhaps any locals could enlighten me ...

There are 5 disused quarries in Brigham, two of which are flooded & provide fishing. One of the two is Kirk Cross situated on the Low Road by the church & crossroads, hence the name. Across the road there are two more disused quarries, behind the Wheatsheaf & Lime Kiln pubs. Both pubs have been closed for some time. Neither of these two quarries is flooded.
The second flooded quarry is Ellerbeck quarry on the south west edge of the village, off the High Road. This is the commercial fishery. There was always a natural pond there but fishing has been expanded by the owner diverting the Ellerbeck stream into the quarry. This has unfortunately reduced the flow of the Ellerbeck to a trickle & destroyed a stream that for centuries was full of life with dippers on the stream bed and big migrations of eels. ("Ellerbeck" means "eel river") Whether the creation of "Brigham Pond" was worth the devastation of the stream is debatable.
The fifth quarry is behind the Hill Crescent & may now be a playground.

The one we used to fish is opposite the church on the cross roads, a sign of the times the twa pubs are closed both used to do good bar meals at one time. Did you fish the pond yourself at one time.. i remember a bloke from brigham who fished it quite regular i think his name was Mike Laycock or something similar....

Chris..

I know Mike Laycock, from workington. My dad was taught to fish by his late father Bill. My dad used to spend his evenings on the gaff for Bill fishing the Derwent in Workington (back in the late 50's early 60's before anyone gets upset).
I haven't seen Mike for a long time but he was heavily involved in the North West Sea angling league, what an angler.

I know the very place your on about and have fished it several times, as i live locally! However i've never caught anything but its rumoured coarse fish and pike are still in there! I know of eels caught but nothing else!! Its now quite a dirty pond with alot of litter around the area so its not the best place to fish, despite it being free!!!

See the West Cumberland Times & Star of 10/7/09 for the latest plans for Kirk Cross pond Brigham

We introduced loads of fish to the pond inc tench, perch, carp, rudd to name but a few probably illegal now but ok back then, the perch we used to pull out of there was unbelievable up to 4lb rudd to 1.5lb and even trout..... wasnt unheard of then to catch 50+ perch at a time all over the 1lb.. could have been one of the best course fisheries of its time if it were managed, another, great venue of it`s time was braystones pond on tarnside caravan park beckermet.. that also used to have a good head of course fish..

chris