Hypothetically speaking, how hard, what things should one need to consider.

If, oh I don't know, let's say for arguments sake that. I'd got my hands on 4 acres of farmland and wanted to dig a lake. Would like to put trout in it and run it as a syndicate (Not for profit).

How hard is it, please feel free to rip this to bits I'd like to have as much input, constructive critque as possible.

Love

Sean

Can't answer your question but the Institue of Fisheries Management index - Institute of Fisheries Management may be able to help with booklets etc

First of all you have to have water!
bit obvious, but not as easy as you might think.
Nearby stream cant be diverted to accomodate as affects downstream riparian ownership, abstraction is option, but liscense required, most common way is to do test drills for borehole supply, but then is hit or miss on water quality.
Overflow/outlet required to let water loose, into drainage/system or said stream.
Then you can let the diggers loose!
Whole project will need planning consents from both local authority, and maff (change of land use)
can be a bloody nightmare.
regards
bert

Cheers Pikecatcher that may prove to be a good site, I'll have a shufty.

Excellent starting advice Bert, pretty sure there is a spring on the land, not had a proper look. Hadn't even thought of drainage.

Need more of an investigation, if anyone reading this has done this before or is thinking about it, feel free to chip in.

Sean

The advice you received from Bert is sound. The two most important aspects are water resource (can you get access to enough to hold level) and geology. Contrary to popular belief you don't need a flow of water boring through the lake/pond but you will need depth to buffer against rising water temperatures. IMO a dug stillwater trout fishery will need to have at least 33% of its area dug down to at least 4m and preferably more. Any shallower then it will warm up too much and also be prone to heavy weeding (if located on a lowland site where there is even the smallest amount of nutrient in the soil). If there is a spring source on the site then the chances are the land sits over some type of porous aquifer. If you have a layer of clay over the top that you can use this to dig into and puddle then the borehole route might work. You will still need planning permission from your local authority for earth works and an abstraction license from the EA if you want to take more than 20 cubic a day. If the local soil is porous and on chalk, sand or alluvial gravels, even if you dig a pool there is no guarantee that you can hold up a consistent level. Don't even think about a liner unless you have serious £s. If the levels fluctuate too much then the margins will never become properly established and it is difficult to sleep when the levels drop away in the late summer/autumn. The best option is to look for a site where a stillwater already exists and develop it. All ponds and lakes start to silt up from the day they are dug so finding some old lake or pond that is derelict is often a good route with regard to permissions/planning. Removing to sediment and finding somewhere to put it ican be very expensive and problematic but not impossible. WQ is usually the last of your problems. you don't need a "productive" pond to make a decent trout fishery as the fish are usually already grown on for you. If the lake is too rich if often becomes difficult to manage weed and algea so a nice acidic nutrient poor site which is useless as a coarse fishery is often the one to plump for.
You wouldn't buy a house without a survey so employ a specialist to give you some advice. PM me if you want some contacts.

"Making and Managing a Trout Lake" by Rupert Barrington ISBN 0 85238 126 3

Also worth a look at 'Management Of Angling Waters' by Alex Behrendt 1977. The original 'bible' for the modern fishery.

Water supply is certainly critical, esp in the South with extractions and hot weather where water become deoxygenated.

Weed control and silting is a factor and shallow water will be a nightmare come high summer. Inflows from agri drainage carry will carry silt and cause algae blooms.

Design. This is where 90% of dug-to-order commercial waters are aweful stew ponds.....as Behrendt illustrates in his book, a big round circle has unfishable water in the middle and every angler is looking at each other. A meandering snake of a lake with tree lined inlets, bays and islands makes exploring interesting. The original thinking is that you can fit on more paying customers as they are not phased by seeing so many other anglers. Nowadays I think most punters have become used to swarms of other anglers...the attraction of some of the oblong, intentionally featureless match waters defies belief.

I also detest idiot proof waters. Mown featureless banks are soulless and designed for the incompetent caster. Lack of underwater features favour the angler that doesn't do his homework and can't read a water....surely that's what makes fishing fun?

What I've never been able to understand about the UK is what's up with the trout fixation? It sounds to me like at best many of the stillwater ponds over there are only marginally suitable for trout and that's at best.

On a tangent, I admit, but a question to Anjinsan: What if you focused on building a pond for species that could actually thrive in it rather than just barely survive? Ever caught a largemouth bass on a topwater fly? Not only are bass and pike really exciting to catch on the fly, but they are far better suited to small waters with big temp fluctuations.

Given the situation with many of your big stillwaters actually being impoundments, there could be some incredible fly fishing and natural reproduction besides. If only it didn't have to be all about stocking rainbows.

Grouse

Grouse, you make a good point. One of the places I frequent is a mixed lake and holds a good head of common and mirror carp. Great fun on the fly.

Unfortunately because of the mix, during the summer months it is heavily fished by the bait boys. So tempting Carp for the fly is difficult.

__________________
Eddie
"We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation."
Voltaire

I know how much fun bass are, and i wish i could fish for them everyday, but i'm pretty sure stocking them in the UK would be illegal as they would be an agressive alien species.

Aside from trout we (arguably) don't really have that many species of fish in the UK that would take a fly or lure, so that's where our obsession comes from. Pike and Zander yes, but most fish in UK waters would rather be given a maggot on a size 22 hook than a lure.

I know people may argue with me, but the reality is we only really have 1 proper freshwater game fish, and that's the trout. (excluding migratory salmon)