WHY I LOVE... estate lakes, by Mat Woods
Mat Woods has been bewitched by the beauty and history of estate lakes, and the fish they hold, for longer than he cares to remember
MY INFATUATION with estate lakes was first fuelled by Chris Yates and Bob James during their tweed-clad escapades at Redmire Pool in the seminal series A Passion For Angling.
For me, that episode is easily the greatest piece of angling cinema ever made. It perpetuated the mystique of the mythical monsters that live in such waters perfectly and supercharged my interest in big carp. No sooner had I caught my first specimen than I was desperate to find such a special venue myself.
I have spent most of my life in Staffordshire or Shropshire, home to many truly remarkable estate-owned fisheries. And while as a lad I never quite managed to acquire the right tickets to get a real taste of this sort of fishing, as an adult, I have been blessed.
Estate lakes are more than just sheets of water. Often, they’re surrounded by opulent stately buildings and beautiful grounds, which serve as a reminder of aristocratic days-gone-by. You could describe them as halcyon slices of history, ones that abound with legends both above and below the surface.
By their very nature, estate lakes present many challenges for the angler. Most are fairly shallow, silty, and a far cry from the more manicured fisheries of the modern era. The impressive age of these lakes is what drives much of the mystery surrounding them.
Many are of such an age that the majority of the original stock have long-since passed. Or have they? That’s the beauty of it – simply never really knowing what swims beneath.
I’ve always found estate lakes to be the most obliging of cold-water fisheries. A little sunshine is all that’s needed to make them come alive, and spring seems to come early on many. I can remember many a
mild winter’s day when I’ve witnessed carp piling into crystal-clear, shallow water – just like a scene from A Passion
For Angling – with clouds of silt pluming up off the lakebed as the fish meander in and out of the bay like Red Arrow formations in slow motion.
I once visited Redmire for a weekend many Januarys ago. I climbed all the same trees that so many anglers had before me, and saw every single carp in the lake sitting a few feet off the bottom in a deeper gully. It taught me that the warmer it is, the better estate lakes tend to fish!
Truth be told, my Redmire visit was an anti-climax, but I have fished venues that supersede it in the modern era.
I would not be exaggerating when I say that RH Fisheries’ Weston Park in Shropshire well and truly eclipses any other venue I have ever fished. It was created in 1812 and designed by none other than Capability Brown. As estate lakes go, it’s truly magical – a shallow, clear venue that’s lined with dense evergreen woodland, and the lake perimeter dotted with rhododendrons. It’s breathtaking, even in the depths of winter. The clarity of the water also means that the majority of the carp living there are bite-the-back-of-your-hand gorgeous – often totally black across their backs. Safe to say that the majesty of an estate lake is often matched by that of its inhabitants.
I will never forget the many great days fishing I have enjoyed there. I didn’t wear a tweed jacket, but the style of fishing has certainly helped keep my own version of A Passion for
Angling burning brightly.