Fish Photos in From the Lakeside

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This Article was sent to us and is in the October Edition of the Goldsworth News. Why do we have a lake on Goldsworth Park? Well, just in case you didn’t know, much of this area was originally low-lying nursery land, only used for growing trees and shrubs. So, when building was to start around 1970, Thames Water first had the lake dug in order to prevent flooding. Measuring approximately 14.5 acres and up to 13 feet deep, with three inlets linked to the drainage system in the surrounding areas, the lake acts as a balancing pool to keep us all from being washed out – just as well after all the rain we have had this summer!

Close to Goldwater Lodge you can see the outlet sluice wheel that controls the level of the water. From there it is pumped away under the playing fields and beyond Littlewick Road into Parley Brook, which finally discharges into the river Thames near Weybridge. The three inlet jetties all have gates and notices warning people to keep off them, which it could be highly dangerous to ignore, as the water is deep and there can be strong undercurrents.

When work on the lake was complete, it was stocked with fish. These have bred so well, that today they number many thousands of healthy individuals, and no less than thirteen varieties. As promised last month, here are a couple of fishy photos.

Photo 1.

Big smiles from one of our regulars – a fine bream weighing more than 7lbs. Nice one! 

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Photo 2.

A beautifully plated mirror carp, affectionately known as “Scaly”, who weighs in at an impressive 27lbs 2ozs.

By no means the largest carp in the lake, Scaly is one of the oldest. Introduced in the early 1970’s aged somewhere between five and ten, he is now over forty years old. Despite being caught many times he is in excellent condition, and hopefully will go on bringing joy to anglers for years to come. Carp have been known to live for more than fifty years, so perhaps “Old Scaly” might be an even better name for this fine looking fellow.

A few weeks ago some of our fishermen formed a working party, which cleared some dead trees and used the trunks to reinforce the bank where erosion had occurred, a job we hope to finish before winter comes. Meanwhile the pike fishing season goes on from the 1st October until March 31^st, and our next issue will include a closer look at a species that is much misunderstood.

Finally, the piece about regulations last month should have read as follows –

Any prospective fisherman must obtain an Environment Agency licence in advance, either from any Post Office or on line via www.environmentagency.gov.uk/fish. Under twelve-year-olds do not need a licence, but they do require a day or season ticket, and they must be accompanied by an adult.