Wraysbury 1 (W1) North – 45 Acre Lake

Wraysbury 1 North Lake should need little introduction to anybody that has had one eye on social media and an ear planted firmly to the ground over the last five or more years…

Following on from his initial purchase of the site a little under ten years ago, the North Lake became the sole focus of Raphael Khalili as he set out to fulfil his vision and create the ultimate carp fishery. The water covers a surface area of some 40-acres, around which there followed an intensive restoration programme. This comprised the removal of a vast number of fallen trees, both in and out of the water, the construction of a quite simply breath-taking lodge, 28 purpose-built swims and additional facilities for the anglers.

Alongside this an extensive stocking policy was put into place that over the next two years saw both sides of the fishery benefitting from an injection of fresh, young fish. These were handpicked from a variety of fish farms to ensure a healthy mix of strains, ranging from high-backed and fast growing fish, to long commons and heavily scaled mirrors – in fact, something for everyone.

At the turn of the century, during the last throes of Cemex Angling’s tenure, the lake was sparsely stocked, for the most part with a handful of carp from Simon Scott, as well as a rag tag bunch of mirrors from all manner of sources, some of which were the ‘Fungus mirrors’, including the very largest fish in the lake, the aptly named King Fungus which topped out at 47lb 12oz a little while before the venue was sold on.

Fast forward to the present day and Raphael’s foresight has now blossomed handsomely, with those young fish growing rapidly, to the extent that there are now over 15 different 40lb+ fish present, four of which were part of his initial stock introduction, to back these up are a further 100+ fish that have already grown well past the 30lb mark. As these year groups continue to push on and flourish in the rich waters, the sky really is the limit and it is well within the realms of possibility – and reality – that within a few more seasons, the North Lake may well have a truly envious stock, the likes of which have only been seen once or twice on these shores.

And so it is that after a relatively subdued start to its new life as everything settled and grew, Wraysbury 1 North Lake now stands shoulder to shoulder with many other high-profile venues nationwide and can consider itself one of the country’s very finest big-fish waters once more.

• Gallery: Wraysbury 1 North