Fishing Pond

As I wrote already today on my other blog, I am fascinated by the idea of having a pond for fish and for fishing. My son and I are keen and not very good fishermen, and far more interested in sea fishing than coarse, but the idea is an appealing one.

Reading Parson Woodforde's diary (highly recommended, a fantastic insight into real life in the 18th century, and in a strange way a compelling soap opera avant la lettre) I was taken with his own obsession for a time with stocking, filling, and generally taking care of his own fishing pool or pools. Tench featured regularly on his menus, as did eels (best not to promote the eating of them at present given they are in decline), and if memory serves carp. I cooked carp once, bought on Bury Market as a Christmas Eve treat for my late Polish father-in-law. It tasted muddy and very unexciting, but I think in his grumpy way he appreciated the effort.

We do have an ornamental pond in our garden, and have managed to keep goldfish alive for several years in there, plus a few tiny perch (I think). Recent visits by a heron (can't help thinking about the instructions in Hannah Glasse about how to dress one of these birds) have almost certainly emptied the pond of fish, so perhaps in the warmer months we'll restock with something edible.

Given the weather the last few years has been wet, wet wet, thus parts of the garden are sodden after the merest drizzle now, it could be a good idea to expand the pond, or dig a much larger one designed for the purpose. I guess my wife will have her say on that. As we have lots of trees which drop leaves aplenty it may not be truly practical here. The fun of raising tench, perch and whatever other species are compatible and obtainable, is another aspect to this, and so of course is dropping a hook and line in to catch one for tea.

And yes, tench, perch etc are fine to eat. Perch is a treat in Switzerland, where I have eaten it. My memory is that the flesh was quite sweet, a bit like dab. They need a good sauce, but then so do quite a few more frequently eaten fishes.