New Carp!

An icy day in early March saw our first delivery of fish to the lake known as middle pool, at Compton Verney. Six good-sized Carp were introduced breathing new life into the lake; the first introduction of new stock for many years.

New Carp introduced to Compton Verney Middle Pool. Gary Webb 2013

Andrew Ellis, a fisheries consultant arrived nice and early with the precious cargo and wasted no time introducing them to us before seeing them off safely into the lake. They were keen to go off and explore, and I guess that is most likely the last time I shall see them!

Coming to a Compton Verney anglers hook soon!

In addition to the new introductions was the first application of calcium carbonate to the middle pool in an attempt to raise the pH (the pool was measured as being slightly acidic last year.) Andrew is a firm believer of the benefits of calcium carbonate treatment and has used this method on many occasions elsewhere to great effect.

Believe me – even this quantity is but a drop in the ocean!

The application is of course a trial at Compton Verney and could need repeating over many seasons before we see any visible results. However, I’m assured that even this first treatment will cause action in the depths of the lake by triggering the break down of detritus.

How many can we balance on the boat before we get wet feet?!

Although the lake is large, it is slow-moving, and we can only hope that the through-flow doesn’t negate the effect of the treatment. We attempt this treatment with the best of intentions, and very much look forward to seeing if and how the lake improves. The images show the treatment being loaded and taken to the main inflow area of the lake where the silting up is at its worst.

Those who know Compton Verney will know that we uphold the tradition of angling at the property, and as such endeavour to make the lake available to anglers through an angling membership scheme. However for those unfamiliar with Compton Verney please follow the link to the Compton Verney website, which will in turn lead you to angling membership information and much more!