Annual Drain Down and Netting at Compton’s Lake

Each winter at Compton’s Lakes in Bussière-Galant, France, we carry out our annual drain down and netting of Compton’s Lake—an essential part of maintaining a healthy, well-balanced fishery. This week’s work was a great success, helped along by a fantastic team: Jim Smith, James Sadler, and Harry Fincham.

The purpose of this annual operation is to carefully manage biomass in the lake. By removing unwanted roach and perch, along with small carp that would otherwise compete with our main stock for natural food sources, we help maintain excellent water quality and ensure our carp continue to grow strong, healthy, and fast.

A Successful Netting Day

With everything prepped and our 70-metre seine net ready to go, we made the first pull around the lake—and it proved to be a productive one. As expected, a number of roach and perch were removed, keeping the predator–prey balance exactly where it should be.

The carp tally, however, brought some real highlights. We transferred 55 small carp, each around the 1kg mark, into Harry’s Lake—our dedicated stock and breeding lake. These young fish will continue to grow on there before being introduced into Compton’s Lake once they reach a suitable size.

We also removed 15 carp that have now gone on to their new home in another lake. Their weights were impressive and show how well our fishery continues to develop. The carp removed weighed 8.5kg, 9.3kg, 9.5kg, 9.6kg (x2), 9.9kg, 10kg, 10.1kg, 10.3kg, 10.5kg (x2), 11kg, 11.1kg, 11.3kg, and 11.9kg.

Removing carp in this size range is a key part of our long-term management strategy. Fewer fish competing for the same natural and supplementary food allows the remaining stock to flourish. This is one of the reasons Compton’s Lake continues to produce such strong, high-quality carp year after year.

Hidden Gems and Future Stars

While most smaller carp were moved on, we always keep an eye out for those truly standout fish—carp with exceptional scale patterns or character that we feel deserve to remain in the main lake. This year, a few such gems stayed right where they were.

One of the highlights was a stunning fully scaled mirror carp weighing 11kg (24lb 4oz). This fish is already a beauty and has huge potential for the coming years.

Another exciting moment came when we spotted a beautifully scaled mirror first caught in 2023 at just 5lb. It has never been caught since, making it a bit of a mystery fish—until today. Seeing it during the netting, we estimated its current weight at around 16lb, showing exceptional growth. This one is definitely a future star and a carp our visiting anglers will want to keep an eye out for!

The Lake Refills and the Anticipation Begins

With the netting complete, we closed the sluice and began the refill. After just three days, the water level has already risen by 400mm, and at this rate we expect the lake to return to full level within the next 3–4 weeks.

We are extremely pleased with how this year’s drain down and netting went. The fish looked fantastic, the biomass is now right where we want it, and the surprises we found have made us even more excited for the season ahead.

Seeing some of these bigger carp on the bank next year is going to be very exciting for our anglers—and we’re confident the work done this week will help ensure another memorable year at Compton’s Lakes.

Here’s to a brilliant season ahead and to watching these beautiful fish continue to grow and thrive!

A few photos from the netting.