In May this year, a small group of members from The Crabtree Society spent the day angling on the pond on Burgh Heath. Special permission was granted for this by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council who own the piscatorial rights to the pond. As a gesture of thanks, the members of the Crabtree Society were kind enough to spend time clearing debris from in and around the pond, helping to improve the environment for residents and wildlife alike.
This special event was set up to allow members of the society to fish a pond that was used by renowned fisherman, broadcaster and writer Chris Yates.
Crabtree Society member David Murtagh and his fellow anglers were delighted to spend the day at a location that was influential to one of the society’s idols.
“Back in the 1980s and 90s fishing in the UK was hugely popular this led to a very popular fishing programme on BBC2 called Passion for Angling in the early 90s. It followed the two anglers around the country to see what they could catch. One of these anglers was Chris Yates who in 1980 had caught the British record Carp of 51lb 6oz. Chris Yates is a prolific writer/author and he often mentions his time when he lived in Banstead and fished at Burgh Heath pond and Marble pond. He mentions both ponds in one of his books Casting at the Sun where he has a chapter titled Treasure Island which was his pet name for the pond with its distinctive island. He also mentions a Mr Green who lived nearby who taught him to fish and gave him his first proper rod.
In one chapter Chris Yates describes Burgh Heath at the time during the 50s “The old village of Burgh Heath, Surrey, had a friendly, comfortable atmosphere – a genuine village with none of the cold, raw tidiness of the ‘Best Kept Village’ competitions. It was a cluttered, shambling hotch-potch of old cottages – each with a little garden crammed with flowers – small shops, pubs, church, school and stables. On the west side there were tea gardens and ‘the pond’. Burgh Heath pond, with its tiny, but distinctive island and the broad, sweeping willows.”
Our experience was definitely one of a friendly and comfortable atmosphere and one you would associate with a close and friendly community. After researching and reading about the ponds I was sad to hear about the unsocial behaviour associated with fishing but hoping this was just a minority. So when we contacted the Banstead Commons Conservators and spoke to the amazing Lisa, I did have worries about how we would be welcomed or accepted. Lisa and I exchanged a number of emails to discuss the possibility of fishing the pond at Burgh Heath. We were so honored to have gained permission to fish the pond back in February, we were asked for a date and randomly and thinking of when carp will be more active and confidently said 17th May (this turned out to be an inspired but very lucky guess as it turned out to be one of the best days in May we have ever had in the UK).
I have lived in and around the Sutton area for many years and knew of the Heath and the Pond but I didn’t know the history these ponds held for fishing. I am part of a vintage angling society called the Crabtree Society (named after the famous comic strip Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing series published in The Mirror newspaper in the 1940s by Bernard Venables and later a book in 1949).
So 17th May slowly came around and in beautiful sunshine we headed to Burgh Heath ponds – just 3 of us from the Crabtree Society – Malcolm, Stuart and I. We came armed with vintage tackle. I came with a Split Cane Richard Walker Mk IV made in 1952 (thought this suitable as it is the same type of rod that Chris Yates caught his record carp with) I also had a Allcocks Carp Superb from1967 with a variety of reels dating back to the 50s. Any concerns about how we would be welcomed or being accepted were quickly gone, with kind residents coming to have a chat with us, looking at some of our antique fishing equipment and discussions about our shared passion of keeping to environment clean, natural and welcoming for all wildlife. The local residents asked us to come back again which was such a lovely gesture.
As part of the Crabtree Society and anglers we believe that anglers play a crucial role in environmental conservation, particularly within aquatic ecosystems. We act as the “eyes and ears” on the water, often being the first to notice and report pollution, invasive species, and other threats to pond/lake or river habitants. We also actively take part in habitat restoration, invasive species eradication/education and promoting responsible fishing practices which contributes to the long term health of our ponds, lakes and waterways. We always check the condition of the fish before we release them back into the water.
We ensured we went around the whole lake to tidy up anything (litter and discarded fishing line left by others) that had been discarded.
I did manage to catch two fish a Rudd and a Roach, both were in really good condition I am pleased to say. I dearly hope to return to the pond and meet the local residents again, we would love to become part of the community and would like to make this regular visit so we can help maintain the pond and the surrounding environment. Many people think it is all about catching fish (well yes it makes the day more pleasing) but we just enjoy the moment, watching the wildlife, admiring the setting and embedding ourselves in nature. When you sit and watch by the pond you notice all the wildlife that is in abundance, we could hear a buzzard overhead, saw treecreepers, woodpeckers, terrapins and Herons (both not always good news for fish). The pond and heath are a haven for wildlife and an anglers dream.
I hope that we can lead by example on how to maintain this beautiful pond for others in the future that is so central to the community.”