We open for a ‘fishing season’ from late March until early October, details of the opening and closing dates for the year will be advertised and posted on the News page. The operation is not permanently manned, customers can buy tickets from the fishing hut on site.

The lake is spring fed from the underlying limestone aquifer thus ensuring excellent water quality and clarity and creating perfect conditions for the natural insect and fly life that is the hallmark of a quality fishery.

Tanfield Lodge Lake boasts a huge variety of wildlife, from the signal crayfish in its depths to the visiting ospreys on their migratory journeys. A profusion of wild flowers adorn the surrounding area. Violets, cowslips and three different orchids amongst them, making this a mecca for nature lovers.

The Lake is stocked principally with rainbow trout up to 3lbs, with an annual stocking of fingerling brown trout to grow on, clients are encouraged to return brown trout as we can guarantee you will enjoy the fight they give you if you are skilful enough to hook them as 7lb beauties.

Tanfield Lodge Lake sits in the alluvial plain of the river Ure at a point were a number of springs from the underlying limestone come to light through the gravel overburden. This glacial gravel deposit was extracted throughout the 60s and 70s and the Lake was created as part of the final landscape restoration.

In the early 1980s the decision was made to operate the lake as a day fishery for trout on fly, and from the idea’s inception it was soon apparent that it suited both the trout and the anglers. The ethos of the fishery has always been for sport angling and to keep the price affordable, we do not therefore tend to stock with large fish, but prefer to keep a good head of fish in the 2-3lb range in the lake, which quickly acclimatise to the water and can offer more natural sport.

We hope you enjoy your fishing time with us.