Quarry Bank Fishery - Part 2
Fennel continues his 12-part series about carp fishing at the fabulous Quarry Bank Fishery in France.
More about the lake
Inevitably, when considering a fishing trip to somewhere new, one seeks to know more about the venue and the sort of experience we might have when we're there.
Having booked a week's big carp fishing with Shaun Harrison and Tim Pike, to the unique Quarry Bank Fishery in France, my thoughts and dreams quickly focused on piecing together the likely puzzle we'd face when we arrived.
A strange sort of illumination
Our trip was booked for Saturday 15 to Friday 21 September 2019. This, being close to the anniversary date of Richard Walker's 44lb carp (13 September), seemed right and traditional, making me wonder whether, as Richard Walker said, we might experience a fish that "we knew was big, and suddenly it dawned on me it was more than that. It was tremendous!"
However, Shaun quickly pointed out that this would not be a good week for fishing.
"The moon will be full," he said. "My diaries from 40 years of fishing indicate that a full moon, which is good for hunting by sight, suits predators but not prey. Even big carp started life as small fry, eaten by bigger fish, so their survival instinct kicks in during a full moon. They're likely to be shoaled up or not moving about so much, thus are unlikely to be on the feed. Only the very biggest fish would have grown free of their wariness. So whilst we might catch a whopper, we're unlikely to get lots of sport."
"Shaun," I replied, "I've never had the luxury of 'lots of sport'; I'm totally used to biteless hours. In fact, I've made a 'thing' of not catching. So if it means that I'm fishing as normal, with the added chance of hooking a 'whoa it's huge, you woooant-beeeleeeeve it' fish, then that will do me just fine!"
So, with Tim agreeing that a holiday together would be a good thing regardless of what we might catch, 15-21 September was set. We looked forward to seeing a deep, dark lake illuminated by moonbeams and the enlightenment of knowing that it feels good to be doing something that's obviously illogical. (Genius walks so close to madness as to almost be standing in its highly polished clown shoes.) Besides, September is a wonderfully warm month, not too hot and not too cold, so we might enjoy a bowl of something 'just right'.
Deep, brooding atmosphere?
The sportsman-naturalist author BB wrote that carp pools can be sinister yet powerfully fascinating. Thus, when a traditional carp angler considers fishing a new carp water, his or her thoughts immediately go to the sort of atmosphere that might be sensed and savoured at the lake.
Would the lake be intimate and playful? Perhaps it would be cloistered and reverent? Maybe majestic and stately? And if big, it might have an expansive and liberating presence, as if staring out to sea and pondering the endless possibilities of life. However, carp waters can also be intimidating. One tends to stop and think, "where do I start?" as we realise that we could be a mile – or a year – from a fish, and further from any sense of knowing what we're doing.
On the other hand, when considering small and tree shrouded lakes, there are a rare few that are so deep and cavernous as to make us feel as though we are dipping our lines and floats into the darkest depths of the Earth. Such is the soul-consuming allure of 'bottomless' waters, with their "da-dum, da-dum" Jaws-like music that rumbles from the deeps.
Thankfully, Shaun assured us, The Quarry Pool* is not one of these waters. Although deep, it was far from oppressive.
*I began referring to Quarry Bank Fishery as 'The Quarry Pool' when I drew the connection with 'Quarry Bank', an area of the Black Country suburbs of Birmingham, near to where I grew up. This somewhat run-down town, also once a mining location, was far from the green and pleasant land sought by a countryside-loving outdoorsman. Also, in my old Brummy accent, it was always pronounced 'Quarry Bonk'. Again, not the prospect I sought from a week in the wilds with two strapping males...
The makings of a lake
Shaun explained that Quarry Bank Fishery had previously been a working quarry. Rock had begun being blasted and removed in 1932. This was the same year that Johnny Weissmuller first swung through the jungle as Tarzan the Ape Man, Amelia Earhart flew solo non-stop across the Atlantic, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was published. So I wondered if the quarrymen knew that they were beginning something that would have long-lasting impacts on a modern world, albeit in a less 'dystopian' fashion?
When quarrying ceased in 1971, the quarry was allowed to fill with water. This produced a unique pool with near-vertical cliffs on three sides and a shallower corner where the old road once entered the quarry and spiralled down to the working face below. Water depths, therefore, varied greatly: starting at 5ft but descended to 40ft.
A special nature reserve
The vertical cliffs, near impossible to climb, enabled a very special kind of nature reserve to emerge. Because they were so steep and inaccessible to humans, they were allowed to grow wild with birch, aspen, oak, elm and pine. Soon they were colonised by red squirrels and pine martens, which found a rich larder away from the local populations of wild boar and foxes. Kestrels nested on the cliffs and, as the trees grew taller, they became a veritable aviary of birds (including woodpeckers, hoopoes and golden orioles). Eventually the lake became concealed by walls of rock and foliage. The lake would have been lost to the outside world had it not been for a house and garden built at its southern end. This house was now occupied by The Quarry Pool's owner, Neil Shipman.
So, with five acres of water and a total of 14 acres of surrounding woodland, The Quarry Pool was more like a nature reserve than a standard fishery. This appealed to me, as I knew I'd be spending as much time viewing it through birdwatcher's binoculars as I would through an angler's lens.
A fishery, not just a lake
At some point in the lake's past, it had been stocked with carp, catfish, roach, rudd, perch, tilapia, grass carp, and an as-yet caught and thus unidentified species of fish which, from a distance, were thought to be asp. Of course, not all of this was known to Neil when he bought the estate. So, as an avid and very accomplished angler, he naturally set about turning the lake into a fishery by stocking it with a strong strain of fast-growing carp and catfish.
Two stockings were made, one in 2015 and one in 2017. These carp were allowed time to grow before being fished for. Late 2018 marked the first trial fishing, which revealed that the carp had grown huge. One was caught at 51lb, plus nine different 40s and 18 different 30s were caught as well. (The lake has since produced catfish to 74lb.) So there was enough 'evidence' of big fish to present a very real (and slightly intimidating) angling challenge. All with the added mystery of knowing that there were uncaught monsters lurking in the considerable depths.
Helping to piece together a jigsaw
Mystery is very important in carp fishing. The angler needs to sense the pioneering spirit to appreciate the full puzzle and gamesmanship of 'taking on' the challenge set by the lake and its inhabitants. Chess with a grand master? Yes, made more fun when we can sense the presence of one's opponent but not see him.
A five acre lake with 40ft of water is equivalent to a 40 acre lake that's only 5ft deep. That's a huge volume of water to grow big carp and gives them plenty of space in which to hide.
"There must be a monster in The Quarry Pool," I thought, "just waiting to rip the rod from one's grasp or do its best to pull us into the abyss?"
Such 'believable unbelievability', of legitimate monsters and the prospect of being the first person to bank Nessie, made Quarry Bank Fishery seem more like the stuff of myth and legend than a commercial holiday venue. But commercial venue it was, with sensible anglers being allowed to book it through Dream Fishing Holidays.
Clever science
It's easy to get wrapped up in the romance of big carp, uncaught monsters, human-free nature reserves and oases that have escaped the din of progress. Such havens, isolated from our 'normal' reality, seem rather like the timeless tree-covered islands that housed the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. But at Quarry Bank, as with John Hammond in Michael Chrichton's fictious books, the creator had great vision and employed some very clever thinking, ingenious resources, scientific know-how, and skilful craftsmanship to create them.
Spring-fed lakes, whilst being wonderfully clear and mineral-rich compared to their stream-fed cousins, are prone to seepage of all sorts of chemicals that leach through the rocks and gravels from the water table. (The water in BB's Old Copper Mine in Devon is undrinkable due to its high arsenic content, yet it sustained a good head of carp.)
Deep lakes, especially, are prone to build-up of sulphur which has a most unpleasant eggy smell and is most inhospitable to aquatic creatures. Thus, one would have thought that a flooded quarry would soon become a toxic cauldron of sulphur, ammonia and stagnant water incapable of growing weed, fish, invertebrate life, and especially not big carp.
"Not so at Quarry Bank," said Shaun. "Neil, being a perfectionist who would never accept second-best or expect his customers to compromise, has installed a pump and aeration system that circulates and oxygenates the water (all 40 million gallons of it). There are four diffuser heads, plus a back-up splash system, each turning over 140m3 water per hour. Thus, Quarry Bank Fishery is like an aquarium where the water at the bottom is as fresh and oxygenated as at the surface."
"What's more," Shaun continued, "is that Neil has built an on-site fish hospital for quarantining and returning to health any fish that shows undue distress."
It was a truly remarkable feat of engineering and fishery management science that, ignoring the incomprehensible costs of installing and running such a system, made me think of the filtration systems used in koi carp ponds and how a comparatively small but deep pool can sustain a large volume of fish.
Facilities
"Neil is striving for perfection," said Shaun. "This extends beyond the lake. Never have I seen such impeccably clean and well-furnished facilities by a lake. There's a dedicated building for anglers, which houses two shower rooms, a kitchen and a 'larder room' containing fridges and food and drink available to purchase. There's also a tackle room for those who would prefer not to bring their own tackle, and a bait room containing pellets (used to feed the fish, so you know they'll be 'on' them) and Quest Baits boilies for sale. Neil has his office there, too, so is on hand to advise on tactics or simply to talk you through the nature of the pool and its management."
"Wow," I thought. "At least that answered my unasked question of: 'Where will we be expected to poo?' So I can leave the shovel behind and instead look forward to a hot shower and a cold beer."
"But most of all," said Shaun, "is that this is Neil's home. He lives there with his wife Lin and together they are building something quite magical: a mixture of fishery, nature reserve, garden, and home. It's an oasis, a paradise, set in a quiet corner of France, surrounded by mile upon mile of farmland. When you're there, all you're likely to hear is birdsong during the day, and the distant squabbling of boar at night which visit the woods for acorns. Oh, and the crashing of huge carp and the tail-slapping of even bigger catfish. Remember: as it's their home, Neil and Lin are keen for anglers to appreciate it as much as they do, to connect with the place and its fish, to create great memories and friendships, and keep coming back to build those bonds."
Sense of future
We knew that Quarry Bank Fishery was the place to go, both for a wonderful holiday and an exciting angling adventure. It had the right mix of careful management and wildness, enough mystery and 'proven big fish' to make it a rewarding and likely long-term interest, and the right owners to protect its future.
Never since I fished at Jade Lake in the nineties had I been presented with an opportunity to make so many discoveries, unlock so many secrets, or make such lasting and meaningful friendships. As BB said in Confessions, "You will return to them, these happy places, gypsy-like, for many years, and each visit will strengthen the tie, each will find a re-echo in the chords of memory."
Preparing for the fishing
Of course, as anglers, we wanted to explore the ways in which we might catch these phenomenal fish. But that would have to wait. Shaun was about to introduce me to a way of communicating amongst friends that would see a plan hatched in real-time. Move over Jerome K. Jerome. It was time to WhatsApp...
The timeless atmosphere of a carp pool, to be experienced at Quarry Bank Fishery.
Full moon at Quarry Bank Fishery: when predators lurk, but there's chance of a big fish.
Vertical cliffs, near impossible to climb, enabled a very special kind of nature reserve to emerge.
Rich, warm, well oxygenated water. Ideal for growing big fish.
14 acres of fishery, nature reserve, garden and home.
At 51lb 12oz, this was the biggest fish caught during the trial fishing.
At 74lb, this is the biggest catfish caught to date. The captor is the owner, Neil Shipman.
A strong sense of 'home' at Quarry Bank Fishery, France.
In Part 3, Fennel, Shaun and Tim begin planning the tactics and logistics for their trip.
Quarry Bank Fishery is a 5-acre water in southwest France, about a two-hour drive from Limoges airport. It is set within 14 acres of private grounds, which are sensitively managed for their wildlife interest. This makes it a haven for both anglers and fish. The fishery is available for exclusive bookings only, for up to five anglers.