Lake note 01 · Old Bury Hill
Old Bury Hill Lake
A spring-fed, 12.5-acre estate lake with a wooded island and 75 wooden platforms. It was the fishery’s main water until it closed to anglers in February 2023.
Figures
At a glance
12.5 acres
Spring-fed, tree-lined estate lake with a wooded island
75
Wooden fishing platforms between the lily and iris beds
2–11 ft
Depth range, averaging 7 ft
7m gallons
Water moved per day by the aeration system installed in 1997
78 lb / 137 lb
Three-hour and six-hour match records, as of early 2002
Feb 2023
The Old Lake closes to anglers
The lake
The fishery’s own 2002 description called Old Bury Hill “a spring fed, 12.5 acre tree-lined estate lake with a wooded island, nature reserve, and feeder stream running alongside” [Archive, 29 January 2002]. Depths ran from 2 ft to 11 ft, averaging 7 ft, and dense beds of lilies and irises surrounded the whole lake.
The lake sat on what the fishery described as a 200-year-old country estate in a secluded valley near Dorking, run in the early 2000s by owner David de Vere [Archive, 21 March 2002].
The fishing
It was a traditional mixed fishery with a large head of carp, tench and bream and an abundance of roach, rudd, perch, crucian carp, chub, pike and zander [Archive, 29 January 2002]. The same page listed tench and bream to over 10 lb, carp and pike to 30 lb, roach and rudd to 3 lb, perch to 4 lb, crucians to 5 lb and zander to 16 lb.
“All methods work well on the day, but traditionally Old Bury Hill Lake is a waggler and feeder water.” Bags over 200 lb were described as not uncommon in spring and summer, and in May 2000 John Houseman and Chris Tulley shared a 500 lb pleasure haul while boat fishing “the jungle” [Archive, 29 January 2002]. More in waggler and feeder and boat fishing.
For carp anglers the fishery counted around 450 double-figure fish and 50 over 20 lb in 2002 [Archive, 24 March 2002]. In 2001 Steven Grant’s 30 lb 8 oz mirror from peg 42 on the Long Bank was reported as the biggest carp from the lake for 30 years [Archive, 28 January 2002]. See carp at Bury Hill.
The aeration system
In 1997 the fishery installed what it called “the most advanced aeration systems ever built at a commercial coarse fishery”: two corkscrew pumps moving over 7 million gallons a day, returned through an artificial weir and stream at three inlets along the Island Bank [Archive, 29 January 2002]. The fishery said the flow kept large areas free of ice in winter and drew bream, roach and carp to the inlets, with bags over 100 lb from the mouth of the flow.
Closure
In June 2022 anglers shared the fishery’s notice that Old Bury Hill Lake would close [Report, June 2022]. A month later Angling Times reported the loss in the context of rising running costs for commercial fisheries [Press, July 2022].
The Old Lake closed to anglers in February 2023 [Operator site, 26 October 2026], two years before the rest of the venue.
From the old site
Restored original pages
- Old Bury Hill Lake page (2002)/BuryHill.htm
- The Fishery page (2002)/fishery.htm
- News: biggest carp for 30 years/news/specimen3.html
These pages are restored at their original addresses. See the full index of restored pages.
Also at Bury Hill
The other lakes
Lake note 02 · Milton
Milton Lake
Three acres, 30 platforms, dug in 1991. Crucians, tench and pleasure bags to 250lb.
Lake note 03 · Bonds
Bonds Lake
Two acres around a central island. Hard-fighting carp in big numbers.
Lake note 04 · Temple
Temple Lake
Four acres, built in 2002. The specimen carp water, with fish over 40lb.
Questions
Frequently asked
How big was Old Bury Hill Lake?
About 12.5 acres, with depths from 2 ft to 11 ft and an average of 7 ft, according to the fishery’s own page in 2002.
When did Old Bury Hill Lake close?
It closed to anglers in February 2023, after a closure notice circulated in June 2022.
What was the biggest carp from Old Bury Hill?
The fishery gave its carp record as 33 lb, caught in the early 1970s. In 2001 Steven Grant’s 30 lb 8 oz mirror was reported as the biggest for 30 years.