Keith Maker with his 20lb 2oz from the Summer house swim on Beattie’s lake using Sticky Baits Manilla boilie’s.
(Above) Keith Maker who had 3 fish out from the summerhouse swim on Beattie’s lake using Sticky Baits Manilla Wafters and carp company caviar and cranberry boilies up to 19lb.
Steve Pinn sent me this stunning image of mid double carp caught from Stafford Moors Beatties Lake. Steve also landed a 21lb 12oz mirror but size isn’t everything with this stunning fish a pleasing capture for any carp fisher!
(Above) Adrian Carnell AKA Carpbusters who came with friend Geoff Waring who had out 2 fish to 16lb 8oz from the beach swim on Beattie’s using good old Mainline Cell boilies.
(Above)Simon Hartman who fished for 24 hours on ‘big fish corner’ on Beattie’s using cherry carps poker pop ups , Simon had out 3 fish up to 21lb 14oz.
Some major work has been undertaken on lodge lake making it deeper at the back where the the mangroves have been removed! Many over hanging trees and branches have been removed and several new swims created. .The line found in and around the lake was extreme so it was good to get it removed .There are many 27, 28 & 29lb carp in Lodge so fishery owners Joanne and Paul are predicting some excellent sport during the coming season. Below Wayne Grinney with a carp that weighed in at 31lb 2oz
I have just received this exciting press release from South West Lakes Trust. Upper Tamar is set to receive an impressive stocking of big carp that will make it one of the West Country’s most exciting waters.
South West Lakes Trust would like to announce some exciting news for Upper Tamar fishery in 2017 with the stocking of some fantastic large fish for the first time. In September, 30 carp weighing between 20-32lbs will be stocked. This is the start of a longer term stocking plan that includes a further 25 carp in the same weight range in 2018 and 40 more weighing over 20lbs in 2019. This follows on from the stocking of around 250 smaller carp, transferred from some of other waters, weighing up to 20lbs over the last three years to add to the already good stock of fish that reside in the 81 acre venue.
In recent years catching a fish over 20lbs or 30lbs from the venue has been a challenge but that is set to change!
Upper Tamar forms part of the Tamar Lakes complex of fisheries with Lower Tamar only half a mile down the road. At 35 acres, Lower Tamar is home to a large head of 20lb+ fish with several fish over the 30lb mark and growing very quickly.
The new fish are being sourced from our local supplier Lana Springs Fish Farm in Devon. Owner Chris Mannifold has a great reputation for supplying premium carp.
Ben Smeeth, the Trust’s Angling Technical Lead said “I am delighted to be working with Chris on this exciting project. The majority of fish will be Mirrors to complement the large population of Commons already in the lake. With a really good weed growth providing a rich source of food these fish will continue to grow with the aim of producing a large head of 30lb and 40lb fish within the next 5-7 years.”
Upper Tamar has produced a lot of runs for anglers in the last few years with some anglers catching as many as 25 carp in a single 24 hour session. There are so many swims to choose from each giving a different perspective of the beautiful lake and each presenting different challenges and features.
Upper Tamar is a spectacular venue, set in peaceful rural countryside, spanning two counties with the Devon and Cornwall border running down the middle of the lake.
The fishery benefits from outstanding facilities with a café open from March to November, showers, toilets and a camping field – perfect if the family also want to come along! There is a supply of bait and tackle available from the café and an onsite self-service permit room so you can arrive at your leisure and start fishing! The venue also benefits from a level stoned path all the way around which makes access to swims for everyone really easy. We do also provide a taxi service to any swim if you give us plenty of notice!
There are also two angling lodges which sleep two people and are bookable through our central office on 01566 771930.
Updates to our new fishing website www.swlakesfishing.co.uk will mean you can view a map of Upper Tamar fishery including swim names before even visiting. We also have a very active Facebook page called ‘Coarse Fishing South West Lakes Trust’ so please LIKE our page for regular catch reports, pictures and information about all of our coarse fisheries in the South West.
The stocking in September will be just in time for the Pallatrax Carp Open Pairs competition at the end of the month and it will be interesting to see if any of the competitors can bank some of our new residents and scoop a share of the £3,500 prize money. Anyone who wants to book onto one of our three pairs carp competitions in 2017 needs to call our office on the above number.
Anyone who would like to come along and see the fish stocked are very welcome – we would love to see you at Upper Tamar to share this great occasion with us and witness the start of an amazing future for this special fishery.
Ben Smeeth
Fishery Manager 01288 321262 [email protected]
I have just heard of a threat to a popular local fishing mark as a result of the idiotic behavior of a few anglers. This unfortunately is a very common problem that has lost anglers access to many marks across the country.
I took the above photograph earlier in the year whilst on holiday in Cornwall where we visited a picturesque viewpoint that overlooked the stunning River Fowey. There were no anglers present at the time except me, I was not fishing just admiring the view. A young couple scrambled past and I heard them remark about the disgusting stench. The smell of stale urine hung in the air and the detritus that lay around was a clear sign of the culprits. At that moment I felt ashamed to be an angler.
There is no excuse for leaving the places we fish in such a disgusting state, litter should be taken home. Ensure leftover bait is discarded with care, if its not going to be taken home then ensure it goes into the sea where it will be washed away and eaten. Never leave hooks and traces lying around, there have been numerous incidents with dogs becoming injured resulting in costly visits to the vet. The stench of urine is another blight on the anglers who should either use the public toilets or have a pee where the tide will wash clean.
Many of the places we fish are shared by sightseers who want to sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery that North Devon has to offer. What do you think there reaction is going to be when the place stinks of urine and the ancient cobbles are strewn with litter. If it was your property would you welcome anglers?
I know that some of you reading this will be guilty of the above and that my words will fall on stony ground. Angling is a wonderful pastime, pursued in stunning surroundings and I have often sung the praises of what anglers do for the environment and how they care about fish stocks. Those who leave behind their dirt tarnish us all. I have written this in the hope that it will make a few think about their actions. If it doesn’t then don’t grumble when we lose another easily accessible fishing mark. Don’t walk by if you see litter pick it up and bin it.
Matt Martin had his first 20lb carp from Lower Tamar over the festive period. Weighing in at 21lb 8oz Matt tempted the fish at long range using a single Master Baits wafter boilie. Well done Matt on landing such a superb looking specimen during the winter months when large reservoirs are a far greater challenge than well stocked commercial carp waters.
Kyle Rundle landed a fine 29 lb catch from the Dam wall on beatties lake using sticky baits 12mm boilies tipped with pink sweetcorn.
(Below) Adrian Stockton and friend James Cooney with a couple of there 8 catches using Sticky Baits Manila boilies from the dam wall on the new swims on Lodge lake.
Steve Pinn affectionately known by his mates as the bivvy tramp enjoyed more success on Stafford Moor’s Lodge Lake.
Best of 3 – !8Ib 1oz, the evening after the big thaw on Lodge lake. Used a piece of pepperami ‘firestick’ balanced with half a 12mm pop up and a PVA bag of dead reds in hemp oil.
Gary Harding had 5 fish out up to 20lb 4oz on the summerhouse swim on Beatties using Mainline essential cell boilies.
Steve Pinn AKA ‘ Bivvy Tramp’ with one of his 3 catches from Albert square fishing with CC Moore 12mm northern specials and also CC Moore pink fluoro up to 15lb 11oz.
There is range of quality CC Moore products in Stafford Moors well stocked tackle shop.
Stuart Hutchings and his dad Brian fished the dam on Lodge lake Stuart was fishing with essential cell crushed in a PVA mesh bag. a 22mm boilies with goo squirted in the centre also using CC Moore northern special as hook bait. Brian was fishing with Sticky Baits Manilla boilies and Manilla 12mm pop ups , they had 12 fish out up to 19lb 14oz in a day session.
