We extend a warm welcome to all trout anglers. The range of fishing we offer ensures excellent sport for all abilities. Our still water fisheries are among the best in the west and vary in size from around 50 to over 900 acres!
Our fisheries are picturesque and atmospheric lakes, including countless secluded bays, weedy shores and tree line margins to explore. We boast rainbows, browns and a large number of blues of the highest quality. Traditional fly fishing is the rule at our stocked fisheries, although other methods can be used at our free wilderness trout waters.
We are working hard to encourage young people and newcomers to take up the sport. Under 12s may fish for free when sharing their parents’ bag limit. Throughout the season, we host open days and events where we offer free fly fishing tuition for all.
Boats are available at most of our waters which provide an alternative to bank angling. These may be pre-booked and we advise calling in advance to check availability at each fishery.
Most of the waters benefit from facilities designed for disabled or wheelchair anglers, either by platforms or Wheelyboats. These boats must be booked at least 48 hours in advance.
A number of the fisheries have associated local clubs. These are a great way to meet fellow anglers, as well as participating in competitions and social events. We run four competitions during the season with two singles, one pairs and one team of four competition. More details of each of these are available on our competitions page.
Anglers on all our waters must have a valid Environment Agency rod licence which are available from post offices or via the Environment Agency. The only exception may be when attending a bona fide course or a coaching session with a qualified coach – please check beforehand.
South West Lakes Trust is the managing charity of SW Lakes Fishing. The charity is a member of The Angling Trust. In 2014, the South West Lakes fisheries hosted the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships; Scotland took gold and England won silver.
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.
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A summary of the third round of the Best of the Best Qualifier at Siblyback Lake in Cornwall. Read more
Anglers have enjoyed some good sessions this week despite some challenging conditions, and have used changing techniques to suit the varying weather and levels of activity in the water at any given time. Read more
All of the South West Lakes Trust trout fisheries continue to be operated under strict Covid-19 restrictions, in line with the Angling Trust and Government guidelines. At the time of writing, the on-site permit huts are still not yet open, so day tickets, season tickets, and boats should be pre-booked online. Read more
Some enjoyable and busy fishing sessions last week, in-between the wind and rain, with anglers doing very well at times. The week rounded off with the Siblyback Best of the Best competition. Read more
A summary of last week's fishing, including the Snowbee Top Rod Competition on June 13th at Kennick. Read more
Some great fishing this week, with plenty of anglers making the most of the weather. Read more
Some fantastic fishing this week, with impressive totals and rod averages, which also included Siblyback Best of the Best on Saturday. Read more
A quieter week, not surprising given the changeable weather which unfortunately led to the rescheduling of the Best of the Best at Burrator until 18 September. The high winds forecast for the Saturday made this the most sensible decision and we do appreciate. There are still plenty of spaces left for qualifying. Read more
Some great angling across the venues this week, despite changeable weather conditions ending with the Kennick Pairs on Sunday 2 May. Read more