Picks Cottage Fishery is pleased to confirm that over 650lbs of Carp have been stocked in to the Middle Doughnut Lake this Autumn. This years stocking consisted of 30 C4 Carp (7-10lbs) from VS Fisheries Ltd, and 400lbs of C3 Carp (4-5lbs) from Priory Fishery Ltd.
My ambition with the Doughnut lake since my tenancy has been to create an easier introduction to Carp fishing. Many anglers today enjoy an easier days fishing, so this is our intention. At the same time, the higher stocking density in combination with supplementary feeding should help remove the weed growth in the lake. By maintaining colour in the water (created by stock stirring the bottom when feeding), less light can penetrate the water and hence weed growth is reduced. We have also done a large amount of work removing the Norfolk Reed beds which were dominating the lake. Many swims were being closed off by the reeds and landing fish was also becoming quite a challenge. Despite it's current appearance, we only removed reeds from the water itself. The beds will return next Spring and repopulate the waters edge.
The Priory stock was the first to arrive on the scene with some truly wonderful specimens. All of these fish were three summers old (C3) ranging between 4-5lbs in weight. Stocking fish at such weights ensures that predator damage by Cormorants is minimal. At this age, the fish are also incredibly hardy and achieve a much greater survival rate than smaller fish.
A fine example of the gorgeous fish delivered by Jez & Tom at Priory Fishery
Several weeks later saw the arrival of Viv Shears and his stunning C4 Carp. We decided to source these slightly larger specimens to ensure the lake wasn't dominated by the smaller fish stocked earlier. Our hope is that these fish will all reach double figures by the end of Summer '17. To give you an idea of how well these fish have previously done at Picks Cottage Fishery, we stocked 20 C4s into the S lake approximately 3 years ago. All of these fish are now upper doubles with several specimens reaching the 20lb mark already. Considering the Doughnut only has 5 or 6 20lb fish at the moment, this stock should really help push the lake in the right direction.
We decided to call this Fully Scaled Mirror the 'Leather' - going to be some very confused anglers when she graces their nets!
A gorgeous Zip Linear which is sure to put a few smiles on anglers faces!
Please be aware that these fish represent a significant investment by the fishery and as a result they should be handled with meticulous care. I hope their arrival brings as much pleasure to anglers as they have to us already!