Lake Management
How & Why
My approach to lake management is simple: work with nature, not against it.
My Background
I've been working with water and fish my whole life - tropical, marine, lakes, natural swimming pools. If there are fish and water, I've worked with it. I did my training in river and lakeside management at Sparsholt College, and I've spent years creating and managing aquatic environments.
I don't just understand fish - I understand whole ecosystems. How water, plants, land and wildlife all work together to create healthy, balanced environments.
And honestly? I'm happiest when I'm working on this stuff. Yeah, I'm a bit nerdy about it! 🤓
What Is Lake Management?
In plain English: keeping everything balanced so the lake and fish stay healthy, even when things are constantly changing.
You've got three main things to balance:
- Water Quality - Clean water, proper depths, good oxygen levels
- Biomass - Right number of fish for the lake size
- Food Quality - What goes in affects fish health and growth
Get those right and the fish do the rest.
Working With Nature
This is old-school lake management. You work with nature and help balance it.
That means:
- Using beneficial bacteria to prevent algae and break down organic matter
- Using plants for natural water cleaning
- Encouraging natural foods like daphnia and bloodworm
- Understanding it's not just the water and fish - it's the plants, the land, the whole ecosystem working together
It's not about fighting nature or forcing solutions. It's about creating the right conditions and letting nature do what it does best.
Why Biomass Matters
You can't just keep adding fish and expect them all to grow. A 5-acre lake can only support so much.
Too many fish = competition for food = slower growth = smaller fish.
We're working on getting the biomass spot-on through professional netting (when conditions allow). Fewer fish means more food per fish, which means faster growth and better condition.
The Space To Grow
Looking back through catch reports, our carp just weren't putting on weight anymore.
Here's why: when carp run out of space, they release growth-inhibiting pheromones that slow or stop their growth. It's their way of managing population in confined spaces.
This causes real problems - stunted growth, deformity, stress-related health issues. The fish literally stop growing because they sense there's no room.
The dredging work increased water volume throughout the lake. More water = more space = the pheromone response stops = fish can grow again.
Simple as that.
The 70lb Goal
We've got carp with the potential to hit 70lb. I've seen it in the catch data.
But they need the right environment:
- Proper depths and water volume (the dredging - done)
- Right biomass (the netting - when conditions allow)
- Quality food (house bait and natural foods)
- Clean water (beneficial bacteria and plants)
Create those conditions, and nature does the rest. That's what we're working towards.
House Bait
Poor quality bait = poor water quality = problems.
House bait means:
- Consistent, quality food the carp recognise
- Better water quality
- Better fish health and growth
- You're fishing effectively from day one
We've got a whole blog on why house bait works - check that out for more detail.
Keeping The Balance
Annual netting to monitor stock, regular sonar mapping, water quality checks, managing natural food sources - it's all ongoing.
You can't just do it once and walk away. Lake management is constant attention to keeping that natural balance.
I love this stuff. Always have. And I'm lucky enough to be doing it every day at Genêts.
James