History Shillinglee Fishery has two fishing ponds. The main specimen lake is 6.5 acres and was formed by damming a valley nearly five hundred years ago. The purpose being to supply water power to an iron works 3 miles down the valley. The iron blast furnace closed in 1620, and for the last four hundred years the lake has rested with nature, resulting in a truly beautiful home for our fish. The lake is fed by three springs and therefore is not prone to silting up and still has a depth of 10 feet by the dam and 2 foot at the northern end with a steady gradient up the valley. The lake is home to Tench, Carp, Pike, Perch, Roach and Rudd with the occasional eel. Silverdale has depths of 2 feet to 9 feet it is fed by a natural spring that originates by the Oak tree some 50 metres north of the pond and tumbles into the pond via a small waterfall. A good spot for carp in the spring with maggot or luncheon meat. In May the wooded banks are amass with wild Bluebells. Silverdale has Carp to 6 lbs and Rudd to 1lb. Foxdale. The three small pools that make up Foxdale have an interesting history. They are formed by three dams that run up the valley, originally they would have been an ornamental feature for Lord Winterton who owned the Shillinglee Estate from 1770. In 1997 we uncovered the remains of the dams which had long been breached, we restored them and now they are stocked with Carp and Golden Rudd. Foxdale Ponds are not available for fishing since they are our stock ponds. Canal Pond is 8 foot deep by the dam and shelving to 2 foot where the waterfall enters the pond. It is currently being used as a back-up reservoir for the main lake in anticipation of future dry summers and low water levels. |