Pennine Fishery

Pennine Fishery in Lancashire is rightly regarded as one of the premier fly fishing venues in the north of England for those anglers seeking to catch the fish of a lifetime.

It is plentifully stocked with both rainbow trout and brown trout in excess of 20lb. The fishery record at Pennine Trout Fishery stands at a mammoth 29lb for Rainbow Trout and 25lb 1oz for Brown Trout!

Pennine Fishery

The venue and is open all year round and features a well stocked tackle shop that sells a limited selection of hot food plus tea and coffee. A tip for anglers visiting Pennine Trout Fishery is to reserve a pie on arrival as stocks can be limited depending upon the day you visit.

Pennine Fishery is very well maintained and is a must visit venue for anyone fly fishing in Lancashire or fly fishermen in the Manchester area. The grounds are manicured with the precision one could expect from a championship golf course let alone a fly fishery. The venue is always litter free and the knowledgeable staff are always on hand to provide advice on fly fishing tips and tactics and can provide tuition and fly fishing rod hire.

It is a wonderful venue where any angler has a great chance of catching fish on any day. This means it is great for beginners, especially children. There are only two minor gripes with Pennine Fishery.

Firstly it is very small with two spring fed lakes covering only 2.5 acres each. The depth of these ponds is deceptive at a whopping 20 feet deep and 40 feet deep respectively. This means that a good fly caster can cover half of the water from many of the pegs that surround the gin clear lakes. I have snagged a number of fishing flies on the cages that contain soon to be stocked fish. However the venue is large enough to provide a challenge for most anglers looking for the fish of a lifetime.

The second issue is the fact that Pennine Fishery closes at 6pm sharp every day. This is no great hardship in the winter but during the summer months it is a wrench to leave this beautifully maintained venue just as the evening rise is a about to start. The benefit of the early finish however is the fact that anglers are saved from the ferocious Lancashire midge that descends on the venue from the nearby moors.

Pennine Fishery is very well stocked and one cannot fail to be impressed at the submarine sized Rainbow Trout that patrol the margins. The mammoth size of the stocked Rainbow Trout does not diminish the ferocity of the tussle one can expect from the fighting fit fish at Pennine. My best to date was a 9lb 8oz fish that was agonisingly close to my first double. The pride I felt once I had landed this fish after a fifteen minute fight that had my heart thumping was short lived. Within an hour the anglers adjacent to me had netted fish of 12lb and 17lb respectively!

Due the significant depth of the two lakes the key tactic at Pennine Fishery is finding the correct depth. To land a 20lb plus fish I am advised that one should always go deep and aim as close as one can to the cages. Monster Brown Trout in particular are believed to lie under the cages and have been known to pounce on a Damsel, Dawsons Olive, Orange Fritz or Cats Whisker that infringes on their territory in the dark cold depths of the lakes. This technique has yet to work for me and I would recommend Buzzers, Damsels, Dawl Bach, Daddies, Bloodworm, Montana, Cats Whisker and Dawsons Olive. When feeding of the surface a Kate Mclaren Snatcher works very well as does Daddies and the Muddler.

Pennine Fishery is a popular fishery in Lancashire, partly due to the fact that is it accessible from Manchester, West Yorkshire and Merseyside. If you are planning to go Fly fishing in Lancashire then Pennine Fishery is a recommended option and booking is always advised.

For more information about Pennine Fishery or to find out about fly fishing in Lancashire call 01706 378325.

Pennine Fishery Contact Details

Address:
Pennine Fishery
Calderbrook Road
Littleborough
Lancashire
OL15 9HL
Telephone: 01706 378325

Pennine Fishery Fishing Reports

18/12/20: Classic Autumn Fly Fishing

Pennine trout fisheryMy son and I had a great afternoon of sport on the top lake. Lots of fish were rising but anglers were catching them just beneath the surface. We caught three for a total weight of 8lb. Two on a size 14 epoxy ‘Black Buzzer’ with red cheeks with a floating line and one on a size 12 ‘Cat’s Whisker’ with an intermediate line. The weather was about 11 degrees Celsius. There was no find and it was cloudy.

As is often the case, one angler was hammering the fish. The leading tactic of the day was a snake fly fished on an intermediate line. The fly was retrieved with a slow figure of eight after being left to sink for 45 to 60 seconds.

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