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 July 2025

July Saw the second Mainline Baits Pairs competition of the year at Upper Tamar Lake. The weather was warm with a nice south westerly breeze blowing. 17 pairs entered the event.

Anglers completed their bio security checks and dipped their nets and equipment. At 11am the draw was made; Anglers collected their Mainline goody bags; 8 pairs favoured the Devon bank and 9 pairs the Cornwall bank; transport was provided to get all anglers safely to their pegs.

 

2pm arrived and the horn sounded for start of the competition. Within the hour the first fish was recorded, Peg: 8 Terry Vincent and Ben Coombs, with a cracking 21Ib 5oz Mirror. Several hours past and Peg: 16 recorded their first fish Ashley Bunning and Jamie Rusling 12Ib 12oz Mirror. It was a slow start during the afternoon session.

 

Friday evening session proved different with 12 fish being recorded. Peg: 30, Peg: 14, Peg: 11, Peg: 14 with their second fish, Peg: 23, Peg: 8 with their second fish, Peg: 20, Peg: 16 with their second fish. Then within the hour Peg: 30 recorded 2 fish 18Ib 1oz Common and 22Ib 3oz Common, putting them into the lead. Peg: 24 Recorded their first fish 15Ib 3oz.

Saturday morning arrived; it was very wet and windy. After a busy night for the marshals, the leader board was looking exciting.

Current leaders Peg: 30 Jason McEvoy and Paul Thomas 56Ib 7oz, followed by Peg: 14 Steven Whitworth and Kevin Hicks 45Ib 11oz. Third place Peg: 8 Terry Vincent and Ben Coombs 32Ib 15oz.

Report came in that the ever consistent Nigel Woods fishing alone had a 3 rod take and landed all 3 fish; what an achievement. This put Nigel into the lead including 22Ib 12oz Common.

During the Saturday afternoon session another 5 fish were caught.

Saturday evening session going into Sunday morning the battle for the title and the top prize of £2000 was between Peg:30, Peg: 11, Peg: 8, Peg: 26, Peg:14. Peg: 26 Dave Bellew recorded 3 fish 21Ib 8oz Mirror, 14Ib 1oz Common, 10Ib 12oz Mirror, things were hotting up.

 

Sunday morning arrived and it was anyone’s prize. Peg: 2 John Kneebone and Wayne Bateman had a double take, they also recorded a lovely 22Ib 2oz Mirror. Peg: 24 previous winners Dan Hole and Jack Chillingworth were catching, but could not get into the bigger fish to make an impression into the contest. Peg: 28 John Keirle and Will Hayston were in there with a chance also. Several other fish were being recorded around the lake.

With 40 minutes left of the competition Peg: 8 Terry Vincent and Ben Coombs landed a cracking 21Ib 8oz Common putting them into the lead. This turned out to be one of the most exciting competitions, over 50 fish were recorded. 8 X 20Ib  fish were recorded amongst them.

I would like to thank all the anglers for making this July competition very exciting, it kept all the organisers on their toes.

Results Below:

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

A massive thank you to our volunteer marshal’s. Gary Vogel, Bob Davey, Matt Bennett, Mark Eager, Laura Jenkin, who gave up their time.

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

Next Mainline Pairs Competition 10th, 11th, 12th October 2025.

   

   

   

 

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