The mere is thought to be an example of a 'kettle hole', a depression formed by the melting of a large mass of glacial ice buried in sandy glacial deposits. Esker deposits (sand and gravel deposited by glacial rivers) are also found to the north and east of the mere.
The mere supports a diverse fish population and large numbers of wintering and breeding wildfowl. The remainder of the reserve also has a significant ornithological interest - including breeding curlew and snipe - and is important for its botanical and invertebrate communities and its glacial geomorphology.
Several catches of pike to over 30lb have been recorded over the years and pike topping the 20lb mark are caught every year.
Float legered deadbaits do the trick with mackerel and herring tails being a popular bait.
The bigger pike are tend to be found in the vacinity of the shoals of bream and roach which are also found in the mere in huge numbers.
The mere is shallow throughout with an average depth of no more than four feet. Often you will see the water more cloudy where the large shoals of bream are feeding on the bottom.
100lb bags of bream are not uncommon if conditions are right. Big carp are known to be in the mere but are rarely fished for.
