Old Hall Pond - Thorndon Country Park, Essex

[GazTheAngler]

I love the sound of this lake near Brentwood in my home County.

As its name suggests it was a lake next to the old Thordon Hall which burnt down(i think) a couple of centuries ago.

Pictures on flikr look great, I might well try it in the Summer, any of the Essex contingent ever fished there?

[KenSowerbutts]

Never fished this one , lived in Brentwood in the seventies and eighties but not sure if it was open to day ticket in those days . Would love to know what it is like , put a post in to let us know if you try it .

[Tengisgol]

Yep! Fished there as a boy!

From memory it had a similar stock to South Weald; skimmers and roach with the odd other usual suspects in there. It was a pretty little pool from memory.

[GregF]

I fished it for carp on a handful of afternoon/evenings about twenty five years ago. It was a really nice atmospheric lake. There were carp present but I didn’t catch any. It's rumoured that in the eighties/early nineties many carp were transferred to and from Thorndon during clandestine operations by some of the local fish ‘distributors’. What still swims there now, I have no idea but it would be interesting to hear how you get on if you have a go.

[Tengisgol]

We took the kids out for a bout of fresh air today and (rather conveniently!) found ourselves beside yet another old lake, here at Thorndon Country Park.

I was last here over thirty years ago and, like many things, it seems to have changed (although that could easily be my memory fading). It looks like 'dog walk central' most of the time but I suspect an early start or late evening would be quite nice. As you come down the track to the lake (from the car park) you arrive at the dam end with a spill over. I saw a very carpy swirl in the edge by the dam. There was no one fishing. My memory said that it should have been longer and thinner and that the shallow end was a lot more open 'back in the day' and I suspect it probably was. I reckon that the rangers have deliberately let it grow over a bit.

It is quite a muddy looking lake but plenty of trees allowed to lay in the edge so it does look inviting in that respect. The lilies are just coming up.

Here are some photos for anyone that is interested:

[Cooky]

As others have said a very atmospheric place, as the dog walkers, cyclists and everyone else leave when the sun begins to set and the breeze drops off an incredible stillness descends upon the place and you could be forgiven for thinking that the clock had turned back to a bygone era. Unfortunately this is the time to pack up and leave and trudge up the steep hill back to the car park. As you walk through the small copse of trees at the top rabbits scurry across your path in front of you and when reaching the car park at the top and looking south towards Kent you feel as though you are on top of the world.
I always thought the walk up the hill was an absolute back breaker but having had a look at Baldwin Hill and the Lost pond last week I can confirm that Thorndon is a gentle stroll in the park. If I go back to Baldwins/Lost pond I'll employ the services of a Sherpa and a pack of mules!

I've had a few nice carp out of Thorndon some years ago but as previously mentioned a lot of fish have been moved to other local waters over the years. What is left is a small number of fish that does contain several 20lb+ specimens.
The bream are plenty and I've witnessed on several occasions anglers bagging up big time with fish in the 4 - 5lb bracket whilst using basic ground bait feeder methods.

Regards
Cooky

[GazTheAngler]

Thorndon Hall Pond Is on my list for next season if i get round to it.

Cooky, last time I went to Lost/Blackweir Pond I waked from Loughton Station, a total killer.

Had a great day but walked out the wrong way and had another long walk through the forest finally coming out by Earls Path Pond! Earls path has a lot of small Tench in it with rumours of 4lb+ ones, its small so i'm not sure about that. Baldwins definately has them that big. Any Tench in Thorndon?