Stillwater · Acidic · North East / Northumberland, GB-ENG

Sweethope Lough

Sweethope Loughs venue image

Two natural loughs in the Northumberland moors at the headwaters of the Wansbeck — Great Lough (140 acres) and Little Lough (12 acres) — managed as a trout fishery.

Fair · Rainbow
Minkie · 6–10
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
49% confidence
limited data

Sweethope Lough is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 14 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 23 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 23 km/h
SW 14 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp6.5°C
Air temp2°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
May–September
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Minkie on the bob and Buzzer on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Minkie on the bob and Buzzer on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Buzzer team todayfor the conditions now
Point
Bloodworm
Not in this water's box
#10
Fishery rule: “maximum of 4 flies per cast” Rules ↗
How to fish it
Slow-sink line · slow figure-of-eight, pausing to let the flies hang

Fly recommendations

Point fly shown — supporters see the whole team, sizes and why.

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Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
74%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A good match for Sweethope Lough — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Langley Dam Fishery
23 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Thrunton Long Crag Trout Fishery
27 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Kielder Water
29 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Knitsley Mill Trout Fishery
36 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
New Mills Trout Fishing Park
47 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The moorland setting and peaty water give both waters a character closer to a Scottish loch than an English commercial fishery. Rainbows here fight hard in the cold, low-nutrient water, and the chance of a fish of a lifetime — the kind that earns an immediate retelling — is real enough that regulars plan trips around it rather than treating it as a quick-visit water. Blue trout are stocked in among the rainbows. They tend to sit deeper and show a stubborn streak, and they'll often take a slowly retrieved lure in the hour after the rainbows have gone quiet.

  • Loch
  • Acidic
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
Related guides
Stocked Trout Variantsblue, tiger & golden troutScotland Playbookloch & river fishingSmall Stillwater Playbookstillwater tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Sweethope Lough is a loch in North East / Northumberland, England. Its recorded elevation is about 254 m above sea level and the catchment geology is acidic. The species listed for this water is rainbow trout. Best window recorded for anglers: May–September. Core methods listed: Bank loch-style wet fly; buzzer and nymph; surface dry fly in evening. Nearby waters in our listings include Langley Dam Fishery at 23 km, Thrunton Long Crag Trout Fishery at 27 km and Kielder Water at 29 km.