Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

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Newtocane
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Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Newtocane »

I'm part of a small syndicate on this lake, there was a previous syndicate that fished there in the early noughties, I was wondering if anyone on here had any knowledge or information on this water?

We believe that it was formed in the Victorian era by damming a stream, it has a good head of wild Brown Trout, Roach, Rudd, Perch and some wild Carp. Some catch records from the previous syndicate we have seen also indicate Crucian Carp and Tench.

I've attached some pictures of the pond.



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Barbulus
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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Barbulus »

I may be wrong but if it is the old lake I think it is .... is there an ancient grotto in the woods near the lake ? - I think you will find it rather predates Queen Victoria a little - My cousin and I "guested" Chantry in the 1970s - the days of a 21/2 inch Ordnance Survey Map and circling anything blue in a twenty mile radius of Bath ..... fantastic carp then .... stunning old lake .... Blimey .... over 40 years ago .... Mitchell 300s and home built 1 1/2 lb test curve Sportex with lob worm for the bottom feeders and floating crust for the surface .... very old school but state of the art of course in the 70s ... I believe there used to be two lakes originally but one has dried up .... a marvellous piece of history there .....

Paul D

Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Paul D »

Fascinating! My son lives in Frome, love to hear a little more about this. :Hat:

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Dave Burr
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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Dave Burr »

Not sure if it's the same place but when I was about 12 years old I was taken to a water known as Red Lynch - or similar - near Frome. It too was an estate lake and contained true wild carp. I was loaned a hollow glass rod for the day - the first time I handled such a luxury - but my only bite came as I visited a bush. The guy that took me had one of about 4lbs.

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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Barbulus »

Dave - I think you will find Redlynch is a little further down the road toward Bruton - but another historic place. You might also recall Witham Friary just the other side of Frome off the Shepton Mallet Road - again used to be really quite "decayed" and rather atmospheric although that seemed to be the case with anything 40 years ago and not now the same sadly...... Chantry I recall creeping out thru the undergrowth as a teenager in the 70's and seeing the most magnificent carp lazily basking on the surface..........and I have a vague recollection that the carp then had been supplied as part of the same stocking that was in Hunstrete which I know you know......another place that I will leave with memory rather than what it is now. In contrast, Chantry looks to have retained the magic so best of luck NewtoCane...

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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Dave Burr »

Barbulus wrote:Dave - I think you will find Redlynch is a little further down the road toward Bruton - but another historic place. You might also recall Witham Friary just the other side of Frome off the Shepton Mallet Road - again used to be really quite "decayed" and rather atmospheric although that seemed to be the case with anything 40 years ago and not now the same sadly...... Chantry I recall creeping out thru the undergrowth as a teenager in the 70's and seeing the most magnificent carp lazily basking on the surface..........and I have a vague recollection that the carp then had been supplied as part of the same stocking that was in Hunstrete which I know you know......another place that I will leave with memory rather than what it is now. In contrast, Chantry looks to have retained the magic so best of luck NewtoCane...

Sounds like a lovely place, pity I've never fished it. By the time I had transport I was working and maintaining a long distance relationship so I had little time to put into carp fishing. My lake time was often spent on Emborough Pond after the tench - happy days.

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Skeff
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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Skeff »

Dave Burr wrote:
Barbulus wrote:Dave - I think you will find Redlynch is a little further down the road toward Bruton - but another historic place. You might also recall Witham Friary just the other side of Frome off the Shepton Mallet Road - again used to be really quite "decayed" and rather atmospheric although that seemed to be the case with anything 40 years ago and not now the same sadly...... Chantry I recall creeping out thru the undergrowth as a teenager in the 70's and seeing the most magnificent carp lazily basking on the surface..........and I have a vague recollection that the carp then had been supplied as part of the same stocking that was in Hunstrete which I know you know......another place that I will leave with memory rather than what it is now. In contrast, Chantry looks to have retained the magic so best of luck NewtoCane...

Sounds like a lovely place, pity I've never fished it. By the time I had transport I was working and maintaining a long distance relationship so I had little time to put into carp fishing. My lake time was often spent on Emborough Pond after the tench - happy days.
Barbulus is right Dave... I used to fish Redlynch for the wilds and wrote about it in the wild chapter in my book, in which i called it "The Monastery Pond".... It was drained and stocked with King carp if i remember correctly, back in the 80's. I never went back but it used to be a lovely pool with some wonderful fish that were great fun to fish for on floating crust and corn.

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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Dave Burr »

Skeff wrote:
Dave Burr wrote:
Barbulus wrote:Dave - I think you will find Redlynch is a little further down the road toward Bruton - but another historic place. You might also recall Witham Friary just the other side of Frome off the Shepton Mallet Road - again used to be really quite "decayed" and rather atmospheric although that seemed to be the case with anything 40 years ago and not now the same sadly...... Chantry I recall creeping out thru the undergrowth as a teenager in the 70's and seeing the most magnificent carp lazily basking on the surface..........and I have a vague recollection that the carp then had been supplied as part of the same stocking that was in Hunstrete which I know you know......another place that I will leave with memory rather than what it is now. In contrast, Chantry looks to have retained the magic so best of luck NewtoCane...

Sounds like a lovely place, pity I've never fished it. By the time I had transport I was working and maintaining a long distance relationship so I had little time to put into carp fishing. My lake time was often spent on Emborough Pond after the tench - happy days.
Barbulus is right Dave... I used to fish Redlynch for the wilds and wrote about it in the wild chapter in my book, in which i called it "The Monastery Pond".... It was drained and stocked with King carp if i remember correctly, back in the 80's. I never went back but it used to be a lovely pool with some wonderful fish that were great fun to fish for on floating crust and corn.
Really? That's such a shame. I always hoped that the lake was kept under wraps and out of bounds to all but the lucky keeper. Then, one day, I may stumble across it again and all those wildies.........

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Skeff
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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Skeff »

Dave - Last time I visited to fish (1980's) the lake was drained and the diggers were in.... I was told the king carp were on their way to make a "proper" fishery... What the outcome was and what the lake is like now I really don't know. I left with a tear in my eye at a little bit of Paradise lost and never went back.

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Newtocane
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Re: Chantry Pond, near Frome, Somerset

Post by Newtocane »

Thank you for the replies, yes there is still a grotto, though now in a state of disrepair and nature has reclaimed a lot of the lake, the old boat house is now at least 50 yards from the lake! I'm visiting again this weekend and, although catches haven't been prolific, it's such an idyllic lake that catching is almost secondary! I'll let you know if there's anything worth reporting.

Dave, are you the same Dave Burr who is a friend of Nick 'Nature of Barbel' Giles? If so, Nick has fished here with us and you'll probably know David Wettner? He's also a member of the syndicate.

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