Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan
Album Contents
Album Contents
Wigan Album
Hindley
4 Comments
Deep Pit about 1978
Photo: dk
Photo: dk
Views: 4,857
Item #: 19383
Item #: 19383
The shallow end Hindley Deep Pit c1978 and a lot of green around besides the golf course; a far cry from its original excavated landscape. This was the scene of many happy good times for us lot fishing, swimming and camping.
In the early seventies, we arrived one morning to find the wind blowing hard from Hindley towards this end and probably every white fish belly-up, floating, long-dead and covering the surface of this entire view. There were roach, a few bream and thousands of small fry. We were distraught but never found out why this had occurred.
5000 crucian carp were netted when Hindley Reservoir was closed to fishermen and several thousand were released in here. In the following year we were catching them at 3/4lb instead of a few ounces and mostly in the margins where the lily pads are. The next year they had seemingly disappeared and, as far as I know, haven't been seen since - a peculiarly crucian behaviour.
The far bank in this view that runs down along the length of the golf course was a man-made cobbled banking which descended underwater fairly steeply to a featureless, clay, flat bottom about five or six feet deep. My brother and his mate would take to the water equipped with snorkels and swim the length of the deep pit dipping down at regular intervals to rescue miss-hit golf balls thus ensuring a valuable supply of jubbly money in the summer.
In the early seventies, we arrived one morning to find the wind blowing hard from Hindley towards this end and probably every white fish belly-up, floating, long-dead and covering the surface of this entire view. There were roach, a few bream and thousands of small fry. We were distraught but never found out why this had occurred.
5000 crucian carp were netted when Hindley Reservoir was closed to fishermen and several thousand were released in here. In the following year we were catching them at 3/4lb instead of a few ounces and mostly in the margins where the lily pads are. The next year they had seemingly disappeared and, as far as I know, haven't been seen since - a peculiarly crucian behaviour.
The far bank in this view that runs down along the length of the golf course was a man-made cobbled banking which descended underwater fairly steeply to a featureless, clay, flat bottom about five or six feet deep. My brother and his mate would take to the water equipped with snorkels and swim the length of the deep pit dipping down at regular intervals to rescue miss-hit golf balls thus ensuring a valuable supply of jubbly money in the summer.
Comment by: aitch on 1st January 2012 at 12:17
It sure doesn't look like that now, more like central Africa all overgrown with trees everywhere, and no access for fishermen, unless you walk
Comment by: cullie on 1st January 2012 at 19:32
good place to fish and not a class 40 insight grrrrrrrrrrrr
Comment by: dk on 2nd January 2012 at 07:33
I have been planning a traipse around here for the last few weeks Aitch and I haven't made it yet. It is thirty years since I last wet a line in here and forty since I wet a toe. I will take a machete for the undergrowth when I go.
(You never know what I may find hidden in the trees - I'll let you know Cullie - Ha Ha!)
Comment by: aitch on 2nd January 2012 at 11:14
take the path through the field at the top of Makerfield way just down Hemfield road, and dont forget the machete and a satnav if you have one dk
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