Coarse Fishing

Our coarse fisheries include over 275 acres of water with fisheries ranging in size from 2 to 81 acres. Our established lakes are located in outstandingly beautiful and secluded rural areas across the South West.

At South West Lakes Trust Fishing we offer more than just great angling, our unique fisheries are matched with a recognised reputation for great fish quality.

Enjoy the tranquility that our waters provide with established tree-lined banks, lily pads and weed beds with natural woodlands surrounding the lakes. Our coarse fisheries offer a peaceful setting within picturesque and wildlife-rich surroundings.

Coarse fishing in the South West:

We regularly hold carp and match competitions at Upper Tamar Lake with prize money exceeding £3,500. Season tickets are available online. Day tickets are bookable through Catch. Download the Catch app from App Store or Google Play.

Facilities include onsite cafes, parking, toilets, showers, wheelchair access platforms, on-site permit rooms and easy access paths and swims.

SW Lakes Fishing Trust is managed by South West Lakes Trust.

Catch Reports:

Catch reports help us monitor the health of the fish in the lake as well as manage and improve our fisheries. You can submit your catch reports using the button below or directly through the Catch App. 

Send in your catch report 

Click here to find out why submitting a catch report is so important. 

Reporting an Incident:

South West Lakes Trust manages a portfolio of nearly 50 lakes and other natural resources so it is not always possible for our wardens to be on the scene when issues occur. The very remote and rural nature of our estate, the thing that makes them so special, also means that modern mobile communications don’t always cover the areas we would like them to. This makes getting an immediate response to ongoing incidents very challenging.

Please use this form to report any incidents of poaching, illegal fishing or any other form of antisocial behaviour to the management team so that we are able to take appropriate action.

Complete Form

Mainline Baits Pairs Competition March 2025

March 21st, 22nd, 23rd Mainline Competition 2025.

March saw the first Mainline Pairs competition of the year at Upper Tamar Lake. The weather was overcast and a cold breeze. This time we had 28 entries, a complete sell out. Some anglers favoured walking around the lake to find any fish showing.

All anglers completed their bio security checks and dipped their nets and equipment. 11am arrived and time for the draw, excitement grew to find out who was going to be drawn first. 15 pairs favoured the Devon bank and 13 pairs the Cornwall side. The draw was completed and each pair collected their Mainline goody bags; transport was provided to get all anglers safely to their pegs.

At 2pm the horn sounded for the start of the competition, within 40 minutes, the marshals had their first call, once again it was Dave Bellew on peg 16 with a double take, landing a cracking 21Ib 3oz Common followed by 11Ib 7oz Mirror. Within an hour peg 31, Ashley & Aaron Bunning, recorded their first fish, a lovely 20Ib 5oz Common.

Not long afterwards peg 32, Pete Oates & Kris Ingiszi, were off the mark with 19Ib 3oz Mirror. Ten minutes went by and peg 31, Ashley & Aaron, recorded their second fish 13lb 12oz Common. Peg 13 recorded their first fish, Kris Harrison & Trev Island, 20Ib 9oz Common. Before end of the day session Ashley & Aaron Bunning were recording their third fish, this time 22Ib 13oz Mirror. Not much was caught during the first night.

Saturday morning arrived and pegs 31, 16, and 32 were dominating the leader board. Peg 30, Matt Pepperell & Chris Hudson recorded their first fish. Previous winner Nigel Woods was off the mark on peg 1. 11Ib 5oz Mirror. Within the hour Nigel Woods was in again this time 17Ib 4oz Common. Fish were being recorded around the lake, but the contest was between pegs 30, 31, 32, and peg 1. Early leader Dave Bellew, peg 16 recorded one more fish, 5Ib 1oz Common, could this be the smallest fish prize? During Saturday evening some fish were recorded. Peg 31 Ashley & Aaron were leading followed closely by Peg 32, Peg 1, Peg 30, and peg 16.

Sunday morning arrived, cold and wet, the usual Upper Tamar weather. The contest was starting to hot up Peg 2, Tony Johns & Andy Byrne, were on 30Ib recording 3 fish. Fish were being recorded on pegs, 12, 17, 18, 21, and 26. With one hour left to go, peg 31 was in the lead followed by peg 1, peg 30, peg 32. Twenty minutes remaining peg 30 recorded a cracking 21Ib 2oz Mirror putting them into third spot, only followed by Nigel Woods doing what he does best in catching a fish in the last ten minutes of the competition securing his 2nd place with a 18Ib 3oz Common. The March competition turned out to be one of the most exciting competitions, seven fish were recorded being 20Ib plus. The horn sounded at 11am. Congratulations to Peg 31, Ashley & Aaron Bunning, Peg 1 Nigel Woods, Peg 30 Matt Pepperell & Chris Hudson, Peg 32 Kris Ingiszi & Pete Oates, Peg 16 Dave Bellew and Peg 2 Tony Johns & Andy Byrne for making it a close competition.

Results below.

1st: £2000 Peg 31. Aaron & Ashley Bunning 61Ib

2nd: £1000 Peg 1. Nigel Woods 55Ib 9oz.

3rd: £500 Peg 30. Matt Pepperell & Chris Hudson, 47Ib 13oz.

4th: £250 Peg 32. Pete Oates & Kris Ingiszi. 42Ib 12oz.

5th: 24hr Permits Peg 16. Dave Bellew. 37Ib 11oz.

Biggest Fish. Peg 32. Pete Oates & Kris Ingiszi 23Ib 9oz Common.

Smallest Fish. Peg 16 Dave Bellew 5Ib 1oz Common.

 

Section 1: Peg 2. Tony Johns & Andy Byrne. 31Ib 8oz.

Section 2: Peg 13. Kris Harrison & Trev Island 20Ib 9oz.

Section 3: Peg 18. Dave & Dean Willoughby. 18Ib 10oz.

Section 4: Peg 26. Rich Harman & Richie Eaton. 10Ib 8oz.

 

Big thank you to all that took part, thank you John Kneebone and Mainline Baits for once again sponsoring the event.

A massive thank you to our volunteer marshal's. Ken Sampson, Iain Ross, Matt Bennett, Bob Davey who gave up their time.

Also a big thank you to Dil Singh & Mark Baxendale who helped with the transport.

Thank you to our Head of Fisheries Leon Fisher, who kept the food flowing throughout the event. (Thank you all, Mervyn.)

 

Next Mainline Comp 25th, 26th, 27th July 2025.

Manage Cookie Preferences