WINDERMERE LAKE

Tickets: Mainly free but remember a rod licence is needed.

Directions: Take the A591 Crooklands to Keswick Road from the M6 motorway and after about 16 miles you arrive at Windermere and follow the signs to Bowness and you reach the lake. Access can be gained at various places with public access such as Cockshott Point (near the Glebe in Bowness). Access is available at National Trust and South Lakeland District Council owned land. On the west side access is much more restricted as much is private property so a boat is a big bonus as you can fish the entire lake unhindered.

The lake is 10.5 miles long by about 1 mile wide so a very useful publication to obtain is a lake chart available from the Lake Wardens at Ferry Nab. This gives all the lakes depth contours, shallow shoals, bays etc and is a must to enable you to find fishy areas.

Obvious places are the shallows and ledges where the lake drops off to deeper water. Depths are up to 200 feet and can be readily seen on the chart.

Species include the large Ferrox Trout and one was taken in 1998 by one of our lady customers at 15.25lbs. They are hooked to about 10lbs on a regular basis and in 1999 another customer caught and released a 10lb whilst Char fishing. Other species are Perch, Pike to over 30lbs, Roach and Eels. In Autumn Salmon and Sea Trout migrate through the lake.

Most anglers start off Trout fishing in March by 'top lining' which is trolling a plug, usually a Rapala - talk to us for the 'in colour' as this seems to vary each year - or small spoon such as a Mepps about 30 yards behind the boats on the shallows around the islands and drop offs.

Fly fishing can take off in April and is improving as insect life is coming back after vast improvements to control sewerage pollution and nitrates. Good hatches of buzzer are again occurring and often plenty of olives. The lake also gets a genuine Mayfly hatch.

Most fly fishing is sub surface with nymphs, buzzers and tradition wet flies and early morning or evening is the best time with the fly. It usually slows down after June until September and fly fishing is rarely easy but fish are taken each year to 3 or 4lb.

Pike fishing is excellent and after 16 June dead baits are very effective at such locations as Whitecross Bay, High Wray Bay and off Crag Wood. Lure fishing is also very good with large Fire Tiger Super Shad Rapalas, Perch Bucher Raiders etc. In Summer fantastic top water sport is had using surface lures. Be warned it can get exciting!!

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