Fishing Breaks

Besides the delightful scenery, Upton Lodges is a superb place for fishing holidays in Devon. Our three lakes are all well-stocked with a variety of species, while lakeside lodge users can enjoy their own private spots to cast from. With a good mixture of fish and features to explore, the lakes suit all ages and abilities too.

For the beginner, there are many roach, rudd and perch to catch on simple float fishing with maggots. For the more experienced angler, however, there are also some excellent larger specimen fish to catch. Perch grow to well over 3lb, while for the keen carp angler there are also numerous double figure commons, and mirrors to over 20lbs.

Upton Lake which is the oldest of the three lakes, was originally dug in 1904 and was renovated by us in 1990. Being over 100 years old, this lake has always been a favourite with all our fishing visitors. The biggest carp caught, in 2010, was 33lbs 6oz. The largest bream was 7lb 2oz. The lake also boasts tench to 6lb, perch to 3lb, and rudd and roach to 2lb. Our Elm and Willow holiday lodges are immediately next to this lake, and each has its own spot close to the front of the deck from which to fish. Well Mead Lake was designed and dug by us in 1999 and is ideally suited for pole fishing. It was stocked in 2000 and has provided some great fishing, with last year’s top bag exceeding 202lbs! It is packed with carp, skimmers, roach, rudd, tench, and Crucian carp. There are no lodges surrounding this lake so can be fished and enjoyed by all. Monks Wood Lake made a stunning new addition to Upton Lakes in January 2012. Stocked with tench, Crucian carp and carp to about 6 – 10 inches, there are a few double number fish in this lake too! Our Lakeside Escape, Freedom and Retreat Lodges are located on the lakes edge. All three lakes are highly regarded by our fishermen and the Upton lake is often said to be ‘the most beautiful in the area’.

Fishing rules The welfare of our fish is of the utmost importance to us, therefore, please abide by the following guidelines.

• We do not allow day ticket fishing, fishing is purely for the enjoyment of our lodge guests only
• Barbless hooks only
• No tiger nuts or peanuts
• No carp to be kept in keep nets
• Maximum of two rods per person
• Please do not share landing nets, ensure you have one per person
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• Fishing is not permitted from the lodge decking areas, please fish from the grassed area immediately in front of your lodge
• You must have a rod license to fish at Upton Lakes, this can be obtained from your local post office
• Please do not leave rods unattended at any time, even if you are using bite alarms
• Night fishing is permitted, please be courteous to other guests. The use of bite alams is not permitted at night.
• Bivvies are not permitted in front of our lodges, you are more than welcome to use them in open areas where they are no lodges.

 

River Culm  And if you fancy a spot of river fishing, the River Culm is only a short walk from our own lakes.

Wildlife There is an abundance of wildlife at Upton Lakes including geese, ducks, foxes, deer, badgers, woodpeckers, and kingfishers, as well as many varieties of song bird who will give you a marvellous dawn chorus!