I
ian n
Guest
Hi All,
I have just purchased a 5 acre plot with a big pond in the middle will be approx 2 acres, the pond is an old disused quarry, and has been there for some years (40+) at a rough guess. It was never actually dug out to become a fishery. We have yet to perform depth tests, o2 content tests, and PH tests on it but i think it could be over 20 foot deep in places. It shelves of very quickly from the sides at the moment but i will obviously be modifying the banks etc with a excavator. The sides, bottom and all the surrounding area are all made up of slate stone. Hence the quarry bit!!
We are unsure of the water source as no rivers or streams feed into this pond indicating that it may be a spring or underground water supply, Ive been informed by locals that the pond maintains the same level most of the time and has done for years and years. There are tadpoles, beetles and frogs in the water along with a submerged type of weed, indicating no pollution and good O2 content, i will obviously be testing this properly before stocking with live fish. There is also ducks nesting on banks, so there is an ecosystem there already.
As this is a completely new venture and i have never run, owned or started a fishery before in my life i am looking for some advice from anyone in the know,
I have scoured the internet and have found a lot of useful info which i will put into practice, im looking more for personal hints, tips advice etc...
PS im as far north in scotland as you can go so please dont be worried about competition, unless your from up here LOL
Really for this first question i am looking for advice from people who have done it or know how to do it already.
One burning question I have is do most fisherys hatch and grow their own stock? or do you all buy stock in from a hatchery? (The latter seems very expensive to me??)
Secondly am after the opinion of anglers...
What would you be looking for in your perfect fishery??
For Example:
Round the banks: A woodland/tree/shrub setting, a flat grassed setting, a hardcore pavement type setting, steep banks, shallow banks.....
What water features would you expect, or be put off by...
Ie weeds and reeds, islands, fountains Etc
What kind of Trout and at what proportions:
IE 60%Rainbow, 10%brown, 30%brook etc etc...
Size and quantity:
Lots of small (IE under 2Lb)
Lots of small - medium size (IE less that 10lb)
Not so many but bigger (IE most over 10lb)
Very few fish but absolute monsters
Or a mix??
Would you prefer to pay a small fee to fish on a catch release all day, then pay seperate for any fish you wanted to keep, IE a fixed price per lb of fish
OR
Pay for a ticket for a certain amount of time and certain amount of fish? Ie 2 hours 2 fish
What facilities would you like?
Ie BBQ, Night fishing, On Site Tackle shop, Refreshments, food, CCTV, boats, etc etc...
What facilities would you expect...
Ie Toilets, shelter hut, nets, tackle hire
What facilites would you never use?
Ie boats, food, equipment hire
What prices would you class as fair?
Would you appreciate a pay monthly ticket - Ie fish as much as you like each month, for a fixed price, if so how much??
Think thats about all i need to know for now, im sure there will be more specific questions to follow...
Thankyou all so much who input to this question in advance.
I have just purchased a 5 acre plot with a big pond in the middle will be approx 2 acres, the pond is an old disused quarry, and has been there for some years (40+) at a rough guess. It was never actually dug out to become a fishery. We have yet to perform depth tests, o2 content tests, and PH tests on it but i think it could be over 20 foot deep in places. It shelves of very quickly from the sides at the moment but i will obviously be modifying the banks etc with a excavator. The sides, bottom and all the surrounding area are all made up of slate stone. Hence the quarry bit!!
We are unsure of the water source as no rivers or streams feed into this pond indicating that it may be a spring or underground water supply, Ive been informed by locals that the pond maintains the same level most of the time and has done for years and years. There are tadpoles, beetles and frogs in the water along with a submerged type of weed, indicating no pollution and good O2 content, i will obviously be testing this properly before stocking with live fish. There is also ducks nesting on banks, so there is an ecosystem there already.
As this is a completely new venture and i have never run, owned or started a fishery before in my life i am looking for some advice from anyone in the know,
I have scoured the internet and have found a lot of useful info which i will put into practice, im looking more for personal hints, tips advice etc...
PS im as far north in scotland as you can go so please dont be worried about competition, unless your from up here LOL
Really for this first question i am looking for advice from people who have done it or know how to do it already.
One burning question I have is do most fisherys hatch and grow their own stock? or do you all buy stock in from a hatchery? (The latter seems very expensive to me??)
Secondly am after the opinion of anglers...
What would you be looking for in your perfect fishery??
For Example:
Round the banks: A woodland/tree/shrub setting, a flat grassed setting, a hardcore pavement type setting, steep banks, shallow banks.....
What water features would you expect, or be put off by...
Ie weeds and reeds, islands, fountains Etc
What kind of Trout and at what proportions:
IE 60%Rainbow, 10%brown, 30%brook etc etc...
Size and quantity:
Lots of small (IE under 2Lb)
Lots of small - medium size (IE less that 10lb)
Not so many but bigger (IE most over 10lb)
Very few fish but absolute monsters
Or a mix??
Would you prefer to pay a small fee to fish on a catch release all day, then pay seperate for any fish you wanted to keep, IE a fixed price per lb of fish
OR
Pay for a ticket for a certain amount of time and certain amount of fish? Ie 2 hours 2 fish
What facilities would you like?
Ie BBQ, Night fishing, On Site Tackle shop, Refreshments, food, CCTV, boats, etc etc...
What facilities would you expect...
Ie Toilets, shelter hut, nets, tackle hire
What facilites would you never use?
Ie boats, food, equipment hire
What prices would you class as fair?
Would you appreciate a pay monthly ticket - Ie fish as much as you like each month, for a fixed price, if so how much??
Think thats about all i need to know for now, im sure there will be more specific questions to follow...
Thankyou all so much who input to this question in advance.