Norman Symonds

This entry was posted on 1st July, 2019

On the 19th June, Martin Symonds owner of Homersfield Lake announced that his father Norman Symonds passed away at the age of 94. Many carp anglers might not know his name, he never caught a record carp, he never invented any fishing tackle or made any bait, in fact he wasn’t even a fisherman, but what he did as a visionary was to change the course of carp angling in the UK, and indeed the world. So, you might not know the name but here is a huge possibility that you know the fisheries he created and maybe caught carp that were bred by his carp farm or offspring of his original carp over the last 55 years. Some call him the “godfather of carp fishing”.

Back in 1963 he created Waveney Valley Lakes Caravan Park which was located on the Norfolk / Suffolk border in the village of Wortwell. Norman Symonds had a vision to create a carp fishery and holiday park, something back then that had not been done.

Over the next 25 years it became a hot bed for carp anglers from all over the country to fish. Many of these carp anglers who fished there went on to create their own fisheries and carp businesses after seeing the potential from those days at Waveney.



The late Rod Hutchinson wrote “I truly believe that Waveney Valley Lakes was the catalyst that ignited the massive growth in carp fishing worldwide. It gave the blueprint to the thousands of lake complexes throughout the UK and in Europe today.”

In 1974, Norman Symonds designed and built the first commercial carp farm at Fishers Green in Essex in the UK, which over the following 10 years went on to supply and stock 100,000’s of carp to fisheries and water authorities all over the country allowing a new generation of carp anglers to fish for and catch. From Fishers Green Fisheries and carp farm in Essex, to Yew Tree Fisheries in Norfolk, his final project was at Homersfield Lake where in 1978 he took an old working gravel pit and over the next 40 years turned it into one of the best specimen fisheries in the UK today. Set in 70 acres of landscaped grounds the 35-acre lake holds carp over 50lbs, roach over 4lbs, Wels catfish over 100lbs, tench over 13lbs and bream over 18lbs.



In 2013 fishing legend and TV personality, the late John Wilson wrote Norman Symonds biography called “One mans passion for carp”. John Wilson had been a lifelong friend of Norman’s and this was the last book that John wrote. For John Wilson he felt that Homersfield Lake “was the best freshwater fishery in the British Isles."

Martin Symonds his son has been running the fishery with Norman and taken it to the next level. Back in the 1980’s they created their own bloodline of carp and now at Homersfield have their own hatchery and growing on ponds.



Our very own Phil Spinks who works at the Angling Direct shop in Beccles has been a member there for 5 years and took the fishing world by storm when he caught SIX...3lbs + roach in one session something never achieved in the angling world before. Catching no less than two 3lb’rs and a number 2lb’r for the ADTV cameras!

Our association here at Angling Direct started with Martin at Homersfield. Like his father, Martin has continued to pour his fishery knowledge into Homersfield Lake, helping to create the venue as it is today. Angling Direct have been very lucky to have exclusive filming access, not only to capture the magnificent fish that reside there but also to benefit from its tranquil surroundings. From carp, roach, tench and even large Wels catfish, all have been caught and filmed successfully at Homersfield Lake.



Without what Norman Symonds set-out to achieve all those years ago, many anglers, including the ADTV film crew, wouldn’t have benefitted from some of the finest fishing available in the UK, today. Norman was a true pioneer within the carp industry and what better legacy to remember Norman by than the exceptional fishing venues he worked tirelessly to perfect over the years.