Earning his crust...

A gap in Charlie’s busy schedule allows father and son to revisit the lake where the boy caught his first fish to have another go at the carp

- Richard Negus

My neck of the woods is rarely known as a fly-fishing Mecca. There is a short stretch of ‘trouty’ water on the River Lark to the north of Newmarket and that is the extent of wild game fishing hereabouts.

Our slowly meandering rivers are not lifeless. Thanks to changes in farming practices and reduced chemical run-off, the likes of the Deben, Waveney and Stour are again filling with coarse fish. The Broads are justifiably regarded for their leviathan pike, but it is the estate lake for which Suffolk and Norfolk are arguably most famed in angling circles.

My son, Charlie, and I had watched a few old episodes of Go Fishing, presented by the much-missed SIM John Wilson. The legendary angling guru was an aficionado of the estate lake, wistfully describing them as either “mysterious”, “hidden” or “secretive”. With this romantic ideal in mind, the boy and I planned an evening in pursuit of carp at our own local enigmatic water, nestled in the leafy depths of the Thornham Estate a few miles from our home.

There are three lakes. Two are manicured and open, favoured by traditional float anglers, and the third is a more clogged affair. Lily pads cover most of the surface, scattered like Brameld dinner plates. In between these verdant dishes are gaps of clear water where the broad backs of fish can be seen, breaking the surface as they roll in the languid way of aristocratic carp. Throw a piece of bread or handful of Pedigree Mixer into these slivers of water and taupe lips appear to suck down the morsels with a slurping gusto.