Aston Ponds & Clown Ponds Fishing in the 60's and 70's

[sandie]

Hi newyankee,

 

I have sent you a PM, hope you recieve it ok,Whatever the original name of the ponds were called (Harlesthorpe Dam) it will always be Clown Ponds and there are many of us will hold that name with affection, The precise name will never take away the from a great deal of us from the past who have as kids had many happy hours at the side of this water.

Lets all remember the name of Clown ponds and not the politicaly correct name. My son who is now 30 if I said to him Harlesthorpe Dam was the place as a child we used to take him and have a picnic and fish all day he would not have a clue, but if I said Clown Ponds he would remember instantly.

 

 

Lets talk in old money

 

I may be wrong but I think that the original pond at Clown was owned by the Joseph Rogers Fishing Club of Pond Hill Fame now sadley gone the Factury that is But at least I am told there is a plaque on a wall someware to say they existed. my Dad worked ther all his working life.

 

Cheers peter.

[sandie]

Hi newyankee,

 

I have sent you a PM, hope you recieve it ok,Whatever the original name of the ponds were called (Harlesthorpe Dam) it will always be Clown Ponds and there are many of us will hold that name with affection, The precise name will never take away the from a great deal of us from the past who have as kids had many happy hours at the side of this water.

Lets all remember the name of Clown ponds and not the politculy correct name. My son who is now 30 if I said to him Harlesthorpe Dam was the place as a child we used to take him and a picnic and fish all day.

he would not have a clue, but Clown Ponds he would instantly remember.

 

Lets talk in old money

 

I may be wrong but I think that the original pond at Clown was owned by the Joseph Rogers Fishing Club of Pond Hill Fame now sadley gone the Factury that is But at least I am told there is a plaque on a wall someware to say they existed. my Dad worked ther all his working life.

 

Cheers peter.

[me-and-pippo]

Owdlad, i remember fishing Woodall pond and Killamarsh pond many years ago, my father worked at Balfour Darwins steel works.

And i well remember that long walk when we got of bus (number 26 from sheff: if i remember right) and up that hill to the ponds. This is Killamarsh Pond taken a couple of years ago.

[owdlad]

Owdlad, i remember fishing Woodall pond and Killamarsh pond many years ago, my father worked at Balfour Darwins steel works.

And i well remember that long walk when we got of bus (number 26 from sheff: if i remember right) and up that hill to the ponds. This is Killamarsh Pond taken a couple of years ago.

 

That's the one Steve. The far bank where it goes into the trees used to have a small boat house (ok it was a shed with a rowing boat) that used to be used occasionally to clear weed, and one day we were out in the middle when the man that I was with decided he fancied a swim; he did no more than cloth off and dive over the side! The soft sod could have drowned, but it was funny watching him trying to keep up with me rowing as fast as I could so that he got maximum publicity for his skinny dipping Just for the record his name was George Parkin, and he was the fishing club secretary at Rodgers.

[owdlad]

My husband and I used to go fishing at a pond up Orchard lane at Beighton.

It had steep sides and was very deep, and no longer exists I think it would have been somewhere behind the Doctors Surgery now.

I remember once going and catching fish with elderberries, it was just going dusk and watching the waters churn as fish went on a mad feasting session. I can almost feel it now, getting cool, insects biting, slight breeze, birds swooping and the end of a perfect day.

Forgot to mention I was 6 mths pregnant and we had to dash to catch the hourly bus back.

hazel

 

That would have been the sand quarries hazel, and after they sand quarry they were used as a land fill that also had some toxic rubbish tipped into it.

 

They were a bit further on than the Dr's surgery, in fact they were slap bang under the new school, but no worries the toxic stuff was removed before they let the kids onto the site, unless you go past in the dark and see the kids glow when they are on their way home.......oh well at least you can see them in the dark, so it must be a safety feature

[bazmcc]

In the mid 60's we would catch the bus at REX cinema to Clowne,and walk down the hill.On the left was the trout pond,and on the right was where you payed. The always had pickled eggs for sale on the counter

[hazel]

That would have been the sand quarries hazel, and after they sand quarry they were used as a land fill that also had some toxic rubbish tipped into it.

 

They were a bit further on than the Dr's surgery, in fact they were slap bang under the new school, but no worries the toxic stuff was removed before they let the kids onto the site, unless you go past in the dark and see the kids glow when they are on their way home.......oh well at least you can see them in the dark, so it must be a safety feature

 

Thanks for the reply owdlad,

I think the pond probably belonged to the YEB as my ex worked there at the time. I'm talking 1960 ish so it's quite a while ago.

It was very well stocked.

hazel

[foxxy]

As a child my first introduction to fishing was at Aston and Clown ponds and I could on public transport as a young teenager go with friends, also Dam Flask for trout out of the normal season. Can any one else remember those days

 

Hi Sandie, just read some of the messages and maybe you or the others can confirm my memory of Aston ponds. In the early 50's I used to fish at what I think was Aston Ponds and was taken there by a man called Jimmy Farrell who lived just off Petre St, Pitsmoor. (I lived at 95, Ellesmere Road) Jim was very much involved with Sheffield & District Anglers whose headquarters was at the Hotel(Pub) by the Wicker Arches.

I seem to recollect going from Sheffield on a bus and getting off at big Pub on the left, walk accross the road and down a long lane to 3 ponds ( I think). All very natural those days, no owners (unless English Steel Corporation owned them, Jim worked there?)

My abiding memory is of going to the ponds possibly in June, a very hot day and both of us hooking big Tench that we couldn't stop rushing into the lilies and breaking us. Jim decided we would leave in time to get to the tackle shop in Sheffield and get some strong line and big hooks (size 12. They seemed massive compared to the size 20's we were using. We also got some worms. Next morning, Sunday, got the first Bus, all excited we both settled down for the day of our lives. You've guessed it. A BLANK not a bite. We were sick.

I live in North Wales having retired but am enjoying the memories evoked through the Web site. Cheers, Charlie Abbott

[gremlin_mick]

I remember listening to the 1977 European Cup Final on the radio in my Uncles MG, on the bank at Clowne!

Fished there many many times as a kid.

 

Started fishing again a couple of years ago, and it's virtually unchanged. The old boathouse is still there, complete with sunken wreck! The owner likes to stretch the truth about whats coming out though. Seems to be a big pike or carp out every week, no-one actually sees em though! There ARE big carp and pike in Clowne, but they can be tricky!

 

Aston ponds I also fished loads as a nipper with my dad and Uncle. They however, HAVE changed a helluva lot. The top (lily) pond has just been landscaped and had platforms built on it, and 8000 little carp chucked in. Whether the big 30 that was in there is STILL there, no one seems to know!

 

The bottom lake is fishing alright at the moment. We caught some lovley Ide a couple of weeks ago, and we think one of the bigger carp was sniffing around, as we kept getting smashed up!

 

Have a look at this thread from another forum (replace the XX at the beginning with tt). It has some pictures of the lily pond as it is now.

 

hXXp://yorksfishing.proboards4.com/index.cgi?board=outh&action=display&thread=1170443880

 

Oh, and Aston WAS run by English Steel in the late 60's, as my dad worked for them, and one of the club waters was Aston.

[depoix]

Peter, sorry to tell you that you are wrong. The Pond that Rodgers owned was Killamarsh Reservoir, and was down a very long and rough lane (and still is) that was at Norwood. I used to fish it when JR owned it, and we had to walk from the bottom of Lock Hill, and go through a farm yard to get to it.

 

The pond is just above and to the right of the figure 47 on this map, and the other one that used to be up there (it belonged to Nethergreen club & Balfours) is just to the right of Rodgers pond.

 

http://tinyurl.com/36f727

 

By the way, what was your Father called?

i remember the dobberman dog at the farm,terrified my mate,old billy the water bailiff,i think it was 5/- to fish in the early 70's,caught my first monster pike of 6 pounds in there