Coarse fisheries

Whittle Dene

Consists of seven small lakes, four of which, the Lower, Northern, Southern and Western (from 1 April) are used for coarse fishing. The lakes contain mainly wild species such as Roach, Perch, Dace and Gudgeon.  Double figure nets are a weekly event with weights of over 30lbs not uncommon.

The skimmers which were stocked into the Lower lake in 2005 are coming on well and turning into tremendous bream.  We are confident that this water will develop into a prime leisure and match fishing venue.

Directions to Whittle Dene
The lakes are located right on the old military road (B6318) near to Harlow Hill.  From Newcastle take the A69 westwards and take the junction signposted Harlow Hill.  From Carlisle and Hexham follow the A69 eastwards and take the junction signposted Harlow Hill.  Sat nav:  NE15 0QA.

Western lake
New from 1 April 2008 is the addition of the Western lake – we believe this would make an ideal specimen lake, so we would welcome ideas from anglers on what type of fishing they would like to see introduced here from the start of the 2009 season.

Tips for beginners
Keep a low profile and avoid walking the banks too much, as this can scare the fish in the clear water. Where the water flows from the Northern into the Lower is an excellent spot to start. A simple waggler set up, fished just off the bottom, combined with a single maggot will take fish.

Advanced fishing
Pole fishing with bloodworms can really produce numbers of quality fish.