OPENING 2025 SEASON POSTPONED
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All details in the 1st post here
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OPENING 2025 SEASON POSTPONED 🔸 All details in the 1st post here 🔸
Our news and your pictures!
On this page, you find our news and updates about opening dates and other important information, but we’d also like to show updates about YOUR last catch! Do you have a special picture of your fishing day at Tanfield Lodge Lake? Send your pictures to us by email, WhatsApp, or use the quick upload tool you see here.
Don’t forget to tell us who we can mention in the photo credits (if you like to see a name with the picture), and please let us know the story behind the picture (where, when, who, how, etc. 😊).
21 March 2025 UPDATE
A LITTLE MORE PATIENCE
Last week, we informed you that we had to postpone the opening of the 2025 fly fishing season at Tanfield Lodge Lake (planned for Friday the 14th) because some of our fish were not as fit as they should be. (You can read all the details in the previous post here on this page.)
We are glad we can say that things are looking better already, but if you had hoped to get out to Tanfield Lodge Lake this weekend, we have to ask you for a little more patience.
Even though things have improved quickly, we don't want to open for fishing before the fish have had more time to regain their full strength and all our stock is fighting fit again. That's not only a matter of fair sportsmanship and giving you value for money, but first of all, we want to find out what exactly made some of the fish look unwell last week.
The Environment Agency visited to take water samples shortly after we reported there seemed to be a problem. However, the tests performed on the water samples didn't clarify why some of the fish were unwell. So earlier this week, the Environment Agency came out again, this time with a 6-man team, and spent a full day catching and examining a large number of fish of various sizes and taking samples for further lab testing.
Today we learned that we will need a little more patience to hear the outcome of their research. Some of the tests involve cultures, and apparently, that will take more time. All we can do now is wait for the lab results. Please check back here by the end of next week. Hopefully, we know more by then.
9 March 2025 IMPORTANT UPDATE
TANFIELD LODGE LAKE POSTPONES SEASON'S OPENING
We are very sorry to tell you that we have just decided to postpone the opening of the 2025 fly fishing season at Tanfield Lodge Lake, probably by a few weeks. So please ignore the date we originally mentioned in our previous message, posted 4 weeks ago.
As you all know, we pride ourselves on offering only the very best of fly fishing and have earned a reputation for the top quality of our fish. But at the moment, we are not as happy as we should be about the condition of our fish. This could be due to a recent pollution incident, which affected our main spring water supply. This is still being investigated with the help of the Environment Agency, and we hope their conclusions can shed light on what happened.
We know this is not the news you were waiting for, now that you were just getting ready for your first trip of the season to West Tanfield to catch the big ones that have been left to grow in peace all winter. However, the environmental integrity of our lake and the well-being of our fish come first, even if it means pushing back the opening day for the 2025 fly fishing season by a few weeks. We want to offer our fish plenty of time to fully recover from this brief incident and be sure they are fighting fit before you have a go at them. So keep an eye on this space and/or our Facebook Page for further updates and hopefully we can publish a new Opening Date soon.
12 February 2025
Start of the 2025 season:
Friday 14 March
Not long now before Tanfield Lodge Lake will look all green and springy again! With only 4 weeks until mid-March, it will not yet be as lush as in this picture (taken later in spring), but the first green sprouts are popping up! We hope the fish will pop up too, and that you left a few smart ones at the end of last season, to see them bigger and better now! “The ones that got away” will be waiting to challenge you again! 😊
We hope to see you all on the 14th of March or soon after,
Christopher Bourne-Arton
PS. Don’t miss the previous post when we had some good news and some bad news for the coming season!
26 January 2025, a message from Christopher
Now the days are lengthening, it’s time to start thinking about fishing again. Whilst jotting down these few lines the Lake is covered with a sheet of ice, which at least keeps our friendly local Cormorants at bay. And a number of trees have blown across the paths, courtesy of our latest storm offering from Ireland. Might have to persuade the grumpy old git who manages the place to get off his butt and do some work!
We have even, tho’ it goes against the grain, asked our Fishery lot to put some fish in!! That’s the good news, (hurrah I hear you cheering. But don’t get too excited, I haven’t got any more generous than in previous years 😊).
The bad news is that I had to retire to bed for a few days to recover from the shock when he told me what the fish will cost this year. Something to do with ‘Grow the Economy’ and ‘Starting with a clean sheet’ and ‘Sorting out the mess we inherited’. Not sure I quite understood it but seem to have heard something like that a fair bit nowadays.
So to the bad news… a DAY TICKET for 2025 will be £25.00 for 3 FISH. Junior and evening tickets will stay the same.
Look forward to catching up with you all again,
Tight Lines,
Christopher Bourne-Arton
© Picture by Shello Sheldon, West Tanfield
Christopher on Facebook…
Who would have thought that lake owner Christopher would set up a Facebook Page for himself 😊? But now that Tanfield Lodge Lake has its own Facebook Page, Christopher had to jump in too!
This mesmerising picture of Tanfield Lodge Lake was taken years ago by local photographer Shello Sheldon, who kindly allowed us at the time to use it on our previous website. He has a portfolio with beautiful pictures of West Tanfield and our surrounding area, but it’s not difficult to see why this picture was Christopher’s choice as the cover picture for his Facebook Page!
© Picture by Jenna Dixon, gardener & florist at Tanfield Lodge Estate, January 2025
Tanfield Lodge Lake
now on Facebook!
You might have seen it if you are browsing Facebook about fly-fishing: Tanfield Lodge Lake now has its own Facebook Page! It makes it even easier to see what’s happening at the lake and connect with fellow anglers.
This beautiful picture of a frozen Tanfield Lodge Lake in January was just what we needed for our first post! There is a link at the bottom of every page on this website to make you jump to Facebook. And when you’re there, remember to click the “like” button at the top of our Facebook Page to let Facebook know you want to see future posts and updates from Tanfield Lodge Lake!
25 April 2024
Catch of the Day!
Another picture of a proud angler. Our regular visitor Trevor Sedgwick told us he caught this brown trout just to the left of the tree near the peninsula. So now you know where to find it 😊, as this beauty was returned to water. But only after it had its picture taken!
Not sure who was so kind to take he photograph, but our thanks 🙏 to Trevor for sharing the picture of this beauty on our News blog!
We hope to see more pictures like this, to share on this page and/or on Facebook!
Picture sent in by Fred Rule, 31 March 2024
Nice bag!
Regular Fred Rule visited Tanfield Lake Lodge not long after he opening day of the season and sent us a picture of his recent bag. A 7 lbs caught on a size 16 black buzzer, 5 lbs on a March Brown and this year’s 2.5 lbs on a blood worm.
Who said rainbows don’t overwinter!!