Wilstone reservoir
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Startops End Reservoir
|
|
| Area of Search |
Hertfordshire Buckinghamshire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference |
SP919136 SP905131 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 106.5 hectares |
| Notification | 1987 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Tring Reservoirs is a group of four reservoirs close to Tring on the border Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England. Their purpose was to feed the Grand Union Canal.
The four reservoirs are: Startops End, Marsworth, Tringford and Wilstone. These reservoirs adjoin each other, separated only by paths and roads; the fourth, Wilstone Reservoir, is a short distance to the west, close to the village of Wilstone.
The reservoirs are a 106.5-hectare (263-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Wilstone Reservoir is the largest of the quartet at 119 acres (48 ha). Built in 1802, it is up to 18 feet (5.5 m) deep and has a capacity of 240 million imperial gallons (1.1 Gl). Wilstone reservoir supplies water to the Wendover arm of the Grand Union Canal. Startops End Reservoir, built in 1817, is much smaller at 26 acres (11 ha); Marsworth Reservoir, built in 1806, is 24 acres (9.7 ha); and the smallest, Tringford Reservoir, was built in 1816.
The reservoirs are popular with anglers and most famous for holding specimen wels catfish to 60lb, with a former British record wels catfish of 43lb 8oz caught by Richard Bray at Wilstone reservoir in 1970.carp to 35lb, and tench to 14lb, the British record tench has been achieved twice from Wilstone reservoir, first by Tony Chester in 1981 with a tench of 10 lb 1 oz 4 drams, then by Alan Wilson in 1985 with a tench of 12 lb 8 oz 11 drams. The fishery also holds pike to 20lb, bream to 17lb, the British record bream has been broken twice at Startops end reservoir with a bream of 12 lb 12 oz 8 drams caught by Mr. A.J Fisher from in 1931 and broken again by C.J.Pugh with a bream of 12 lb 14 oz in 1933. The reservoirs also hold roach and rudd to 2lb,and perch to 4lb, in addition, rainbow trout are also stocked in Tringford reservoir only for fly fishing.
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