freeline-105 - Flipbook - Page 60
EXCLUSIVE
Tony Bridgefoot the owner.
Fairly soon after the interview
I was offered the job which I
accepted. I was to start on the
first bank holiday of the year
in March.
massive carp and coarse fishing
making the place famous and
desirable for anglers from
all over the country for open
access big carp fishing, which
was Tony’s vision.
He had arrived at the site and
Tony and Lynda
fell on his feet with his wife
Bridgefoot
Lynda, living out of a caravan
During my interview I learnt together firstly leasing and
that Tony had been unwell and
basically had very little time
left in his battle with cancer.
Sadly days after I accepted
the job Tony passed away
and the funeral had already
happened before I started and
I never met him. I never really
knew from my previous visits
fishing that Bluebell was run
as a family business as I was
focused so much on my fishing
sessions. Obviously all the
regular anglers who fish/fished
bluebell were aware of this
and Tony was a well respected
man known by everyone who
used the site from its rise as
a famous fishery in the UK in
the 90’s showcasing loads of
BigCarp 58
then buying Bluebell lake
and then Kingfisher, Swan,
Sandmartin and Mallard later
down the line. Swan and
Sandmartin had once been one
lake but Tony had been paid to
have them separated by filling
in the land that separates the
two lakes now with unwanted
landfill. If you look at the top
end of Swan you can see these
boulders and rocks when the
water is low in the summer.
I believe Tony and Lynda
firstly lived in a caravan on site
and over the years the success
of the fishery built and built
to become what it is today. A
well established well known
complex with a tackle shop,
