About Us
As a family we have been involved in carp fisheries and carp farms since 1963.
Norman Symonds will be remembered as a visionary and inspiration to many people within the carp fishing world. In 1963 he created Waveney Valley Lakes Caravan Park, which became the first premier carp fishery in the UK. Many of the leading carp anglers back in the 1970’s who fished at Waveney Valley looked upon it as the birth place of the modern day carp angler and the blue print for the next generation of carp fisheries in the UK and Europe.
In 1974 he built the first commercial carp farm, which supplied hundreds of thousands of carp throughout the UK.
In 1978 he started the development here at Homersfield Lake. Over the last 57 years, we as a family have had fisheries and fish farms in Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
In 2013 Norman’s long term friend, the late John Wilson, wrote his biography “One mans passion for Carp” which tells the story of Norman Symonds’ unique life.
In June 2019 Norman Symonds passed away at the age of 94. Norman’s legacy will live on here at the lake and all the other fisheries he created during his lifetime.
Incredibly he created this legacy and he wasn’t even a fisherman!
Martin Symonds has been carp fishing since he was four years old. Growing up at Waveney Valley lakes, he has fished with some of the most iconic carp anglers of our generation. These included Lenny Middleton, Rod Hutchison, Kevin Maddocks, Jack Hilton and many more.
It was during the 1970’s-80’s that Martin fished throughout the UK and it was in 1976 that Martin caught the UK’s largest Mirror carp of that time at 42lbs 12ozs.
Martin’s interest in carp fishing and carp farming led him to start dealing with Japanese koi. He first travelled to Japan in 1981 which changed his life.
In 1984 he started and created Tewin Mill fish farm in Hertfordshire which became one of the largest aquatic centres in the UK, and importer and supplier of Japanese koi.
He has lived and worked around the world, creating fish farms in Europe, Israel, Hong Kong, China, USA and Japan.
In 1999, he moved to Japan and created a company called Japan Koi Export, which is based in Ojiya, Niigata, the birth place of Japanese koi. For the next ten years he worked with the koi breeders, not just selling koi around the world, but learning about how to breed and select quality koi. This experience allowed Martin to return to the UK and improve the breeding of his own carp at Homersfield.
These days Martin and his wife Lara spend their time working at Homersfield to continue the legacy left by his father Norman. But Martin continues to travel to Japan spending around 4 months of the year to work at Japan Koi Export.
The future at Homersfield Lake
In 1974, our family created the first commercial large scaled carp farm here in the UK. By the mid 1980’s we had developed our own blood line of carp and these fish were supplied all over the UK.
In 2006, we started to develop our own fish farm and stock ponds at Homersfield Lake.
The first stage was completed in mid 2006 which was two earth growing-on ponds, followed in 2008 by four more nursery ponds and growing-on ponds.
We have a purpose-built hatchery and winter-holding ponds.
The main aim is to produce quality selected fish which are re-stocked back into the lake, therefore maintaining the high standard of fish stocks already here.
We have a strict bio-security system in place, making the welfare of our fish stocks our number one priority.
Only fish from the lake will be used as brood stock, and at no time will fish from outside the lake be allowed onto the ponds.
Surplus fish will be offered for sale to registered fisheries.
We also have an on-going netting program on the lake where we harvest excess bream, roach and Wels catfish.
All fish that we offer, are covered by the necessary health certification and if you have a Wels Catfish license we can sell these. We can deliver fish as well.
For a price list, and up to date fish availability list with our terms and conditions please contact us.
CEFAS Registered APB Number EW028-T-333A
Wels Catfish License number 1500
National Grid Reference TM28798572
