Winter carp on the fly is marginal — fish are lethargic and deep. Only worth trying on unusually mild, sunny days when carp push into warming shallows. Sight-fishing only. Polarised glasses essential.
If the main plan stalls, drop to a size 14–16 midge — switch to a washing-line or suspender rig and change drift line before you change food group.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
As water cools through September and October, carp shift away from surface feeding and concentrate on building reserves before winter. They cruise subsurface along weed edges, dam faces and the deeper sections of margins, occasionally feeding on invertebrates. Bottom bugs and nymphs dropped precisely in the path of cruising fish work best. Surface flies become unreliable once water temperature drops below 12°C. Approach cautiously — autumn carp in clear water are easily spooked.
Conditions are ideal for Lower Tamar Lake — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.
Sixteen swims. Carp to 39 lb, mostly commons with some fine mirrors and plenty from 15 lb up; bream to 14 lb with many doubles; roach over 3 lb; a few tench to 8 lb, perch to 4 lb, rudd and eels. It can weed up in some summers. Day and 24-hour fishing; season tickets are few. Open all year. Run by South West Lakes Trust; not on the all-waters coarse permit.
A 35-acre lake below Upper Tamar on the Cornwall–Devon border, near Sutcombe: quiet, shallow (nine to ten feet at most) and holding specimen fish of every species.
Winter carp on the fly is marginal — fish are lethargic and deep. Only worth trying on unusually mild, sunny days when carp push into warming shallows. Sight-fishing only. Polarised glasses essential.
If the main plan stalls, drop to a size 14–16 midge — switch to a washing-line or suspender rig and change drift line before you change food group.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
As water cools through September and October, carp shift away from surface feeding and concentrate on building reserves before winter. They cruise subsurface along weed edges, dam faces and the deeper sections of margins, occasionally feeding on invertebrates. Bottom bugs and nymphs dropped precisely in the path of cruising fish work best. Surface flies become unreliable once water temperature drops below 12°C. Approach cautiously — autumn carp in clear water are easily spooked.
Conditions are ideal for Lower Tamar Lake — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.
Sixteen swims. Carp to 39 lb, mostly commons with some fine mirrors and plenty from 15 lb up; bream to 14 lb with many doubles; roach over 3 lb; a few tench to 8 lb, perch to 4 lb, rudd and eels. It can weed up in some summers. Day and 24-hour fishing; season tickets are few. Open all year. Run by South West Lakes Trust; not on the all-waters coarse permit.
Lower Tamar Lake is a reservoir in South West / Cornwall–Devon border (Holsworthy), England. The catchment geology is recorded as shale, and the water sits at about 132 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: carp and perch. The coarse season is recorded as running from 1 January to 31 December. Best window recorded for anglers: May–October. Core methods listed: Specimen carp tactics; feeder for bream; float for roach. Nearby waters in our listings include Upper Tamar Lake at 1.0 km, Simpson Valley Coarse & Trout Fishery at 7.0 km and Melbury Reservoir at 13 km.
