Fishing Near Me | Places to stay and fish in the north.
Sycamore Fisheries
Cheshire is well known for hosting some of the country’s finest fishing locations – and Sycamore Fisheries backs this up, with anglers averaging 70lb-80lb mixed bags.
On site you’ll find six feature-packed pools that scream classic pole fishing, thanks to their canal-style shapes with far-bank reeds and islands to target. Silverbirch and Rowan are the two identical match waters and each boasts 20 well-spaced pegs to fish from.
Around 12m away you’ll reach the island, and anglers have been fishing tight to these features with pellet, corn and maggot for fantastic nets of carp, F1s, chub and barbel.
Similar fishing can be found on the 30-peg David’s Pool which shares a similar layout to Silverbirch and Rowan. The central island is slightly further away but this is easily reachable on the bomb or Method feeder – which will claim the biggest carp to around 15lb and barbel to 6lb.
The Willow Pool is a very popular pleasure water that has the most open water on site and is the best place to catch 50lb of carp shallow on the pellet waggler or pole with caster on the hook.
There are also some awesome crucians in here and these are well worth a go with maggots down the edge. Finally, the two smaller pools – Clockface and Joe’s Pool – are superb for bite-a-chuck action.
The latter is your standard canal pool offering a mixed stock and a deep track and far-bank margin to target. Clockface is designed in a ‘Donut style’ and gives every angler an island to target in the middle of the lake.
Again you’ll find a mixed stock of fish in here, including carp to 10lb, bream, tench, roach, crucians and rudd – and is the place to be if you’re just getting into the sport.
Prices: £5 a day, £4 concessions
Contact: Phil on 07710 780864 or visit www.sycamoresleisure.co.uk
Location: Ashton Road Farm, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3UU
Rules: All nets must be dipped, barbless hooks only, no keepnets except during matches, landing nets must be used to land all fish, no dogs allowed, children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult over 18, no littering, groundbait in moderation only, no bloodworm or joker, no boilies, no cat or dogfood, no floating baits, only coarse feed pellets may be used – no trout pellets allowed
Facilities: Parking, toilets
Spring Heath
Spring Heath Log Cabins & Fishery is a tranquil 10-acre holiday park located on the outskirts of the traditional English village of Knockin, in Shropshire.
The park is set in a beautiful natural waterside location which instantly de-stresses you from your everyday life. So, whether you wish to spend time fishing or relaxing, we can ensure you that we have what you are looking for.
The cabins are individually hand crafted using whole Douglas Fir tree trunks. They have been built using traditional post and beam construction, as used in Canadian log cabins. They even have grass-covered roofs to act as insulation.
We have two log cabins which overlook the fishing pools. Each cabin is divided into two spacious semi-detached holiday lets. Two sleep six people and two sleep four.
The fishery consists of two pools, each approximately two acres in area. The pools have a number of wildlife islands and are set in mature surroundings. They attract lots of rare wildlife which will make your stay even more special.
Ecclestone Pool is a fishery that caters for the discerning angler who prefers to fish in a quiet mixed fishery that is not full of F1 carp or where you can expect huge bags of fish in six hours. This pool is ideal for the beginner or intermediate angler, or someone who wants to get away from busy commercial waters.
There are a number of fishing platforms for less-abled anglers or those that just want a dry platform to fish from. This pool contains carp of all varieties, tench, bream, roach, rudd, crucians, chub, perch and golden orfe.
You really cannot fail to catch from this pool, which is perfect for the younger angler to learn the sport.
Blurton Pool is also two acres and has two islands in a tranquil setting at the edge of woodland. This is a challenging, moderately-stocked pool and not one for the angler who wants a quick bite.
This is a small pool with carp predominantly between 8lb to 20lb. Due to the size of the pool you do not need 3lb test curve rods and 15lb line. Most of the time the fish are within 30 metres of the bank.
When fishing this pool, you must have an unhooking mat and a suitably sized landing net (minimum net size 36ins and no pan landing nets), as the fish are larger than those in Eccleston Pool.
No night fishing is permitted on either pool.
Before you start fishing, please read the rules on the website.
Location: Lower Heathwaen, Knockin, nr Oswestry , SY10 8DA
Contact: 01691 682746
Prices: Day tickets, Blurton Pool: Adults £10 per day for two rods, concessions £9; evening tickets £8, £7 concessions. Eccleston Pool: Adults £8 one rod, £10 two rods, concessions £7; evening tickets £6, £5 concessions for a maximum of two rods
Rules: Two rods only, no fixed rigs, barbless hooks only, unhooking mats, no keepnets,
no nut baits, no sacks, no rods to be left unattended
Facilities: Disabled access and swims, toilets and disabled facilities, caravan pitches
Website: www.springheath.co.uk
Breffni Arms Hotel
This stunning hotel in the town of Arvagh is well-known by match anglers for the regular festivals it sponsors – attracting some on the sport’s biggest names – and being sited close to the Cavan-Leitrim-Longford border.
There are hundreds of lakes to keep anglers pleased, including Gowna and Gulladoo along with river fishing too, and all sited just 90 minutes from Dublin and Belfast.
Family-run, Breffni offers the visitor 13 superbly-appointed family and standard guest bedrooms on a bed and breakfast or bed, breakfast and evening meal basis, with all the facilities to ensure a comfortable stay including Wi-Fi, multi-channel TV and direct dial phones.
You’ll also be spoilt on the dining front, with bar food served throughout the day alongside the sumptuous restaurant offering modern cuisine and a range of fine wines – plus plenty of beer of course!
But while you’re not relaxing in the hotel it’s the fishing that’s the main order of business here and if bream, roach and hybrid sport is what you’re after then we recommend Lough Gowna, where you can catch between 50lb and 80lb of them on cage feeder or slider float tactics.
Come in closer on the pole with maggots over groundbait for the roach – which can be caught up to 2lb and over… if you’re lucky!
Prices: Single rooms from £55, fishing is free on most waterways here
Contact: 00353 049 4335127 or visit www.breffniarms.ie
Location: The Breffni Arms Hotel, Arvagh, Co. Cavan, Ireland
Facilities: Single, double, twin and family rooms, Wi-Fi, bed and breakfast, restaurant, parking, access to dozens of waterways and fisheries
Longford Fishery
This nine-lake commercial complex is as scenic and peaceful as any river bank or natural water you will find.
Lily Lake has seven islands which are perfect to polefish to at 14m-16m. Carp average around 5lb and can be caught on a variety of methods including fishing in the margins or tight to the islands.
Paste is an excellent bait here. Fish it in the margins or at the bottom of the near shelf for instant bites, although other common baits such as pellets, meat and corn work well too.
The Main Lake is for day-ticket anglers only and holds a good mix of stock at high density, making it ideal for beginners or those looking for easy fishing.
There are also specimen carp in here to 20lb, but most enjoy fishing for the early doubles using a waggler or pole in the margins with paste or corn, or taking them off the surface with biscuits or floating pellets. This would be a good lake to catch your carp personal best.
Carwood Lake is similar to Lily, except the carp average 5lb-10lb. Nets to 200lb have been taken on here and there are also barbel to 4lb being caught in the margins on dead maggots, meat or past on the pole. The margins tend to hold the bigger carp, while the two islands hold smaller fish.
Prices: £7 a day, £4 for an extra rod, concessions (juniors and OAPs) £5.50 a day
Contact: 07917 824188 or visit www.longfordfishery.com
Location: Longford Fishery, Long Lane, Longford, Derbys, DE6 3DF
Rules: Barbless hooks only, all fish to be landed in a landing net, no carp sacks permitted
Facilities: Parking, toilets, café, food delivered to swim
Blackthorn Gate
The three on-site pools and four luxury lodges have been drawing in anglers and holidaymakers from all over the country since their introduction a few year ago.
Set at the entrance to the glorious North Yorkshire Moors National Park, just being at Blackthorn Gate, Eastfields Farm, is breathtaking – but it’s when you book a holiday here that the fun really starts.
Each lodge – Curlew, Skylark, Lapwing and Chaffinch – is tailor made with relaxation in mind. All have a living room/dining room, a kitchen and two bedrooms. The master bedroom has an en-suite shower room.
There is a drying room in each lodge as well as a veranda, where you can sit and soak up the sun. You’ll also find a private hot tub (extra charge applies) and a sauna so you can relax and unwind after a hard day’s fishing.
And there’s plenty of fun to be head on each lake, with carp to over 10lb, bream, tench, roach, crucians and chub available to ensure the float keeps going under all day long.
Contact: 01642 324496 or visit www.blackthorngate.co.uk
Prices: Lodges from £267 for midweek and weekend breaks depending on time of year. Weekly rates available on the website
Rules: No keepnets, maximum of two rods only, barbless hooks only, no fires or radios, groundbait in moderation, no littering, no fishing from the island on Rita’s Pool between March 1 and August 31
Prince Albert Angling Society
When a club has more than 220 waters in its portfolio you know it’s got to be pretty special – and that’s the case with Prince Albert AS.
The Cheshire society offers a staggering range of waters right through the season at a bargain price. Every member of the club has access to secluded meres, big stillwaters and rivers that offer everything from trout and salmon to specimen carp and bream.
The club is highly active on the tuition front, with free coaching days for juniors and an extensive match calendar to get youngsters into fishing.
The waters controlled by Prince Albert are as far apart as the Scottish Borders down to South West Wales. Night fishing is available on many of these, too, and because the club does not operate a day-ticket system you’ll often have a venue all to yourself.
Famous rivers including the Severn, Trent, Wye, Eden, Ribble, Mersey and Dee are on offer with fine barbel, chub and roach sport, plus many smaller, intimate wild waters in Wales. Fly anglers have the chance to catch trout, fresh-run sea trout and salmon when the time is right.
For stillwater anglers, Redesmere, part of the Capesthorne Estate in Cheshire, is a famed carp water and home to fish well over 30lb.
There are over 50 stillwaters on the club card, ranging from 100-acre lakes to small ponds. Anglers can target carp to over 40lb, specimen tench and bream as well as monster perch and pike. The club also runs two long canal stretches as well as some syndicate waters, including trout venue Blithfield.