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.

Send in your catch report 

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

Reviewed and updated: 16 April 2021

In light of the updated position of the Government with regard to fishing, our season permit holders, day ticket and 24 hour ticket holders are able to continue to fish our waters. 

Following the Angling Trust statement released on 16 March, night fishing is now permitted. Match fishing and competitions have also resumed, but must be Covid compliant.

The statutory stay at home restriction has now been lifted but the guidance will encourage you to minimise travel outside of your local area. This means avoiding making unnecessary journeys, combining trips and avoiding travel at peak times where possible. People should avoid travelling further than is reasonably necessary to take part in, or during, their activity.

 “I am pleased that fishing has been allowed to return in all its forms.  It is a great way to get outdoors and to boost mental health, but we do urge anglers to follow social distancing guidelines in force at the time of their visit”

James Platts  - CEO of SW Lakes


The Angling Trust has produced guidance which can be accessed on their website. This guidance must be adhered to at all time, in short:

  • Fishing will remain as a legitimate outdoor recreation or exercise for up to 6 people, or in a larger group if everyone present is from the same two households. A ‘household’ can include the support bubble linked to that household [if eligible].
  • Outdoor recreational activities and exercise may take place at night so you may fish into or through the night. There are no time limits on outdoor recreation. Formal campsites and self-contained holiday accommodation opened on April 12th (Step 2).
  • Match fishing (in freshwater and at sea) can go ahead as an organised outdoor sports gathering from March 29th. Organised outdoor sports will not be subject to the gatherings limits but must be compliant with guidance issued by national governing bodies to ensure appropriate steps, including risk assessments, are taken to make it Covid secure in line with the law. At this stage, these gatherings must only include participants – not spectators.
  • Throughout, anglers must also ensure they are in possession of a valid fishing licence, adhere to fisheries bylaws including the close season (March 15 to June 15 for coarse fishing on rivers) and have permission of the fishery owner.

Anglers please note:

  • Permits are only available to purchase online 
  • Permit availability will be reduced if necessary in order to control numbers
  • Local has been defined as staying within your village, town or the part of a city where you live. Please follow this guidance and do not travel to the lake if it is not local to where you live.

This is going to be a very difficult period for everybody but as anglers, we must recognise that we are extremely fortunate that our chosen form of recreation can continue even though there are restrictions on what we can do.

Please continue to stay safe, stay alert and control the virus.

Below is further guidance published on 10 September 2020

Updated: 10 September 2020
Reviewed and updated: 6 November 2020

Prior to every fishing trip, it is essential that you check the information on this page to ensure that you are up to date with relevant site information, rules and regulations.

Safeguarding our visitors and team of employees is our priority and therefore we have certain measures in place to limit the spread of coronavirus and maintain the safety of everyone. Please respect our team; they are doing their best to keep you safe during your visit.

Whilst open, we must maintain social distancing and hygiene standards to a level that we feel minimises the risk of spreading coronavirus. If at any point we have concerns that visitor numbers or public behaviour are restricting our ability to do this, we reserve the right to close particular lakes or facilities without prior notice.

Following these instructions will help us to keep our visitors and our team safe and enable our gates to stay open.

Lake Information, Rules and Regulations

If you have a new, persistent cough, temperature or any other reason to suspect you may have coronavirus, please do not visit and help save lives.

Limited toilet facilities are open, a hand sanitiser is available at each location however, we do recommend that you bring your own sanitiser if possible.

Night fishing is permitted under Angling Trust guidance. 

Social distancing; please maintain 2 metres distance between yourself and others at all times

We do not actively clean furniture such as benches; only use if absolutely necessary

All fishery rules and regulations available on our website and the notice board still apply with the additional rules below as recommended by the Angling Trust:

• Fishing and sharing of swims must be undertaken on current measures i.e. individually, within your household or support bubble or with one other person.
• No sharing of fishing tackle or any other items
• No angler to fish within 2 metres of any other angler
• Bring disposable gloves and anti-bacterial hand sanitiser to use when handling gates, locks and other surfaces that anglers come into contact with
• When parking please leave at least 2m in between cars
• You need to purchase your fishing permits through our website or by calling 01566 771930

Thank you for your support at this time