Whinwhistle Coarse Fishery

Great fishery with on-site bait and tackle shop. On-site cafe serving hot and cold drinks, and various burgers and breakfast baps - no menu as such.There are three lakes to fish. Stocked with carp of varying sizes and the usual suspects, Bream, Roach, Perch etc.. the fish are in great condition too.The swims are formal wooden platforms on two of the lakes, where as the specimen lake is bankside. The smaller lakes have an abundance of large lily pads with the fish love to dash to once hooked. So prepare to lose some tackle at times.The facilities are pretty basic. The men's toilet is a small, single toilet within a shed type affair. The ladies toilet is similar but somewhat bigger and the shower is the same.Staff are friendly and always willing to offer advice on fishing. We were offered a complimentary tea as we were staying the weekend.There are a couple of things that could make this place even better...A toilet nearer the specimen lake would be a great addition, otherwise its a 3-5 minute walk each way.Some WiFi wouldn't go a miss, especially at the cafe.We would definitely go here again, it's a lovely setting that feels like you are away from all the hustle and bustle of life.

Back to Whinwhistle after a break of about 5-6 months, having fished regularly (subject to lockdown) since my first review in October 2019. March always a good month as the fish start to feed again in the run up to spawning. Another good reason to visit, and re-review, was that the fishery has been under new ownership since November.Ant, Mandy and Oakley are very friendly and welcoming and are working hard to improve this lovely fishery. Very peaceful this Tuesday (2nd March) although there were about 7 anglers on Keepers Lake, and others on The Rail and The Islands.Fishing relatively solid from 9:30 first cast until I packed up at 4pm. A range of fish from small perch and roach, smallish skimmers, and a great run of about 20 F1s most of which were 1-2lbs, 3 common carp and a lovely mirror of approx 10lb which was the last fish of the day.Highly recommended and looking forward to restrictions being further removed this year to get the full benefit of the well stocked tackle shop and cafe.

I can't thank enough, the experience and help given towards getting some youngsters in to fishing with their first bits of gear from the on site shop. As a stranger walking in with limited experience. I was met with patience and knowledge. Small hiccup with initial tackle, but another quick pit stop and minor upgrades ended up with two very enthusiastic starters!

Great fishing and Great new owners. Big carp in all lakes. Had a great time this month and getting to know the people around the lake especially the owners. Always there to help if needed and will always help if new to Angling. Great food too. Must give it a go

Just returned from a 48hr session has a few fish, can't say enough how tidy the whole complex was warm welcome from the outset so peaceful and relaxing. The owner is very hands on thanks for a great weekend see you again soon.

Stayed for 10 days in September with a touring caravan. This is essentially a fishing venue rather than a caravan site although it is a Caravan and Motorhome Club certified location.Caravan pitches are on hardstanding and are quite close together. Not suitable for awnings other than just the shade type. Pitches are just a few feet from an allocated fishing peg.Very quiet with an on site cafe, bar and fishing shop...all well away from caravan pitches.Fishing was quiet across the site during my stay. I caught several nice carp including a 12 pounder, several about 8lbs and some bream and perch. Probably a venue for serious anglers rather than experienced amateurs like me.Enjoyed the visit and will return.

Glen and I spent 8 days at this fab fishery and caravan site we chose the VIP site lake to ourselves was wonderful Ant and Mandy were wonderful owners nothing was too much trouble lovely peaceful place.the cafe was nice and the tackle shop came in handy a shout out to John was very helpful we both left making wonderful friends with ant and many and John.Well worth a visit you won't regret it we shall b returning very soon.Karen and glen.

Why am I leaving my second 5 STAR review?Up until a couple of years ago I had hardly ever coarse fished but having explained this when I first arrived the team at Whinwhistle were incredibly helpful and over time, they have increased my knowledge and confidence, helping me with everything, from setting up my rod, bait selection, bait presentation, different techniques, how to play a fish, how to land a fish, how to unhook it, how to safely weigh it and release it without harm and much more. There is only so much you can get from the internet and I can learn more from John, the Fisheries Manager in a 10 minute bank side conversation than I can from Youtube in a week!My last 5* review was after I first started going but they have consistently demonstrated to me over the last couple of years that it’s the health of the fish and my enjoyment that are most important to them and it’s undoubtedly driving this fishery forward because it is constantly improving, so a massive thank you to all, you deserve your second 5* review.I have personally caught, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, F1’s, Roach, Rudd, Bream, & Perch all to a good size plus a few Hybrids too! My heaviest so far has been a 10.5lb Common, but I’ve seen much, much bigger come out. My favourite, a large Golden Rudd, just a beautiful fish that glistened in the sunlight! (Apologies for getting all Wordsworthy!)If you run out of anything, they have a well stocked tackle & bait shop that is very competitively priced with quality merchandise often cheaper than the internet.If that is not enough, they have a lovely Café that serves hot food & drinks and you can even enjoy a beer or glass of wine with it if you prefer which, in the summer, over looking the lake, is not the worst way to spend an hour!I know I haven’t fished many venues so you might say my opinion doesn’t count for much and you may be right, but it’s the best fishery I have been to by some margin so I’m struggling to find a reason to look elsewhere when the team are so helpful, the lakes are so well stocked with top quality, hard fighting fish and it has all the facilities I need.I have no doubt I will find a reason to leave you another 5 STAR review in the future but for now, I wish you every continued success because…Nice things should happen to nice people…Nice, hardworking, friendly people like you!

Great fishery. Friendly and helpful owners, well looked after waters, a cafe and a well stocked tackle shop. The weather was terrible the day we fished, so it was good to have a break in the cafe with the log burner blazing and a warning cup of coffee. We didn't catch much, only small perch, but will return when conditions improve.