Square Meadow Lake

Despite being less than twenty years old, this seven-acre gravel pit has a surprisingly mature look about it, being surrounded by substantial hedgerows and copses on two banks and the open Wensum flood plain winding around the remainder. This is another of our Fisheries where you can sit all day and see very little human activity, no houses visible etc. Just you and the birds!

A little known, lightly fished water, this is one for the specialist who likes a little mystery. Fish stocks are still fairly low, however there are pike to over twenty pounds, perch, roach to a decent size, and tench have been caught to over nine pounds. Double-figure bream have been caught in the past. Odd carp are present, a common of twenty six pounds was caught many years ago, but the numbers are so low as to make fishing for them probably not worthwhile. There is a head of chub which have found their way in from the river during floods, no great size as yet but who knows?

Season runs from 1st April to 31st January, pike fishing starts 1st Oct onwards, some restrictions to access from 1st January for overwintering birds when fishing is not allowed on the bank closest to the river. 

Sparham Pools

This is a mature, picturesque gravel pit of around twelve acres. Probably dug for runway material for the many old wartime airfields which dot the surrounding countryside, this lovely lake is surrounded largely by mature trees, with many islands, bays and other features commensurate with a gravel pit of its age.

The venue is shared with Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and has abundant flora and fauna. WACA have five swims on the southern (river) bank and two on the east bank.

Long known for producing good catches of tench to five pounds and roach to over the pound, specimen perch are also present, and pike have been caught in the past to over thirty pounds. (Pike fishing starts October 1st)

Fishery opens on June 16 through to March 14 inclusive.

Boundary Lake

WACA only took management of Boundary Lake in 2020, before which there was no formal fishing arrangement. A long, narrow water of approximately five acres, surrounded by trees apart from an area of grazing meadow along the far end of one bank. All the margins are inundated with bur-reed, with little rooted weed apart from a few lilies around the margins. Depths average between thirteen and twenty-five feet, with a little shallower water near to the outflow. 

Prior to 2020, no-one really had any knowledge of its fish stocks; this is stunning, genuine, ‘virgin’ water. We have established there is a head of tench averaging five to six pounds. Originally, Boundary was dug as two lakes, separated by a causeway. When the lakes were drained before being joined together, large numbers of small tench were discovered. The current stock of tench is their progeny.

Pike fishing starts October 1st.

Fishing season runs April 1st to January 31st inclusive.

Island Pool

Approximately four acres in size, with an island in the middle. Depths average thirteen to eighteen feet with extensive shallow and weedy margins on the south and east banks that we know tench use for spawning. Stocks consist a few trout, a small number of sizeable tench, a few roach and pike well into double figures. 

Only acquired by the association in 2020, the Island Pool was previously run as a trout fishery. Apart from a little pike fishing, there has been little in the way of test fishing to assess what other species the water holds, but it is not (currently) a prolific coarse fishery. Now that trout are no longing being stocked, it will be interesting to see how the fishing will develop.

Season runs from 1st April to 31st January, pike fishing starts 1st Oct onwards, some restrictions to access from 1st January for overwintering birds when fishing is not allowed on the bank closest to the river.