Frensham Great Pond
Frensham, Surrey
| OS Map Reference: | SU 844 405 | |
|---|---|---|
| Postcode: | GU10 2QD | |
| Water Type: | Ancient Estate Lake | |
| Designation: | Carp & Specimen Water | |
| Size: | 60 acres | |
| Maximum Depth: | 5 feet | |
| Facilities: | Car Park | |
| Contacts: |
Head Bailiff: Mr. D Howarth Deputy Bailiff: Mr. S Larkcom Local Police: 101 |
|
| Stock: |
Mainly Tench from 3-6lb and up to 10lb Some Leney Carp to over 20lb Roach and Rudd to 3lb+ Pike and Perch |
For many anglers the traditional quarry of early summer remains the tench, and this lovely sixty acre lake has them in abundance. Later in the season specimen roach are a strong possibility, and as winter sets in, Frensham lives up to its reputation as a top-class pike water.
Large shallow lake mainly containing stocks of Tench, Roach, Rudd and Perch. Large bags of Tench can be expected in early season with specimens in excess of 7lb are a possibility. Numbers of Roach and Rudd may be caught with the odd specimen over 2lb present. Perch have made a welcome comeback and a small number of specimens over 3lb have been reported.
Please use a wire trace if you are lure fishing for them as you are likely to encounter Pike as well, see Bye-law 4.s. Pike fishing can be rewarding at times, with the odd fish touching 20lb occasionally being caught.
Other species are also present, e.g. Carp. The specialist angler may find an interesting challenge.
Members should note that this water is very popular with the general public and that we also share it with the Yacht Club. Early morning, evening and midweek sessions are advised, particularly in the summer. Members are advised to avoid the beach and swimming areas on Summer weekends and Bank Holidays.
Tackle and Tactics
This fantastic fishery is a frequent early season target for the Tench and responds well to the usual feeder tactics, although frequent casting to get a bed of bait out is needed to hold the shoals.
The Carp have been putting weight on over the past few years and need specialist tactics for a result, but are well worth the challenge.
Lure fishing for Pike can give interesting results for the active winter angler, but dead baits are recommended for the larger specimens.
News & Articles
Local Bye-Laws
- Members can fish all banks with the exception of the area from the front of the Hotel to the front of the Yacht Club and the private land/sanctuary in the south east corner (see map).
- No boats with the exception of bait boats are permitted.
- Night fishing is allowed, but we must stress that junior members are not
permitted to fish at night without an accompanying AND adjacent SENIOR
MEMBER. (see bye-law 4.r) - The platform indicated on the map may be fished, but it must be approached in
chest waders due to the depth of water. - No open fires – see Bye-law 4.o or BBQ’s of any kind at this
fishery. - Nobody to be on the banks with fishing tackle before 12 o’clock midday on 15th June
- Anyone fishing too close to the buoys or floating island are putting fish at risk. As a guide, fishing beyond or within 30 metres is too close and is unacceptable. Fish safety and conservation must at all times come first.
Directions & Parking
Approach from the A287 travelling south from Farnham.
There is an official car-park off the road which leads to the Frensham Pond Hotel.
You may have to pay a fee in the summer and gates are locked at night.
There are other areas around the pond where cars may be parked but please take care not to cause obstruction.
Location
Off Bacon Lane, Frensham, Surrey
History
Frensham Great Pond is a man made pond, having existed since at least 1206. Three streams fed the pond which was created by damming the Whitmore Stream at the west end of the Pond. The Bishop of Winchester stocked the pond with Carp, Bream & Pike and periodically drained it to trap the fish. There was a channel approximately 30′ from the western bank of the pond and some 6-10′ deep that was used to trap the fish within the sump,which was re-dug each time to enable its continued use. Some of the fish were transferred alive in barrels to local monasteries and kept in stew ponds from which fish were taken to provide Friday lunches for the monks and local population, others were sold and transported far and wide via horse and cart to markets.
By the 15th Century, in the area of the lake that now fronts the hotel, stew ponds and a mill had been built. Within the 17th Century, a sheep dip which was used to cleanse the sheep prior to them being sheared, was constructed below the stew ponds that supplied it with water.
Nautical aviation is marked by the fact that the very first seaplane was tested and developed on the pond in 1913 and during World War I thousands of British soldiers were billeted around the pond. In the 1920’s Frensham Great Pond was part of the Pierrepont Estate, which included the Frensham Pond Hotel with a Mr G Pollard controlling the pond with the fishing being leased to Farnham Angling Society and boating starting in the 1930’s.
By 1953 a Mrs Webster owned the hotel and was the leaseholder of the pond’s fishing, shooting and boating rights. The pond was eventually purchased under Compulsory Purchase in 1963 by Hambledon Rural District Council (HRDC) to stop it falling into private ownership. In the early 1970’s Waverley Borough Council replaced HRDC and agreed to manage the lake and surrounding common with The National Trust, this agreement remains in place.