Carp Fishing Lakes In Cornwall: The Best Day Ticket Venues

Cornwall is arguably most famous for its pasties, coastline and cream teas, but it is also no slouch when it comes to carp fishing venues.

More than 5 million people visit Cornwall each year and many of them are carp anglers travelling from further afield who kill two birds with one stone by combining a family holiday with some relaxing fishing.

Specimen Carp In Cornwall: Where To Catch Them

In alphabetical order, let’s take a look at some of the best day ticket carp lakes in Cornwall.

Bake Lakes (Saltash)

Bake Lakes is located in Trerulefoot, which is approximately 8 miles from Saltash.

Set in 30 acres of stunning Cornish countryside, there are 9 lakes on the Bake Lakes complex, 2 of which hold specimen carp.

Caesar’s Palace Lake is the most recent addition to the complex, having only been opened in 2016. It is around 5 acres in size and all of the carp in the lake are in excess of 10lb, up to a lake record of 25lb.

There are multiple islands in this lake which separate the pegs nicely and are also hotspot features to fish towards. The depth of the lake varies quite drastically from 4ft-20ft, with an average depth of around 10ft.

Luxor Lake is the original specimen lake of the complex and is home to the largest carp. It also extends to around 5 acres in size and the lake record carp is in excess of 34lb. The shallow end of the lake is popular during the summer months, with depths of 2ft-4ft. The deeper end of the lake reaches a maximum depth of 12ft.

This wonderful Cornish fishery has an on-site tackle shop which sells a range of accessories and bait. Toilet facilities are also available.

Day tickets start from £12. Night fishing is available on Caesar’s Palace Lake and is priced at £25 per 24 hours. Any anglers wishing to fish overnight on Luxor Lake must make arrangements in advance with the owners.

Bake Lakes At A Glance:

Gwinear Lakes (Newquay)

Gwinear Lakes is located in Cubert, which is around 4 miles from Newquay.

The complex consists of 2 lakes; a 3 acre match lake and a slightly smaller specimen lake.

The Specimen Lake is around 2 acres in size and has 2 islands towards the southern bank of the lake. The lake has a stock of around 100 carp, with almost half of them in the mid/upper double-figure bracket. There are more than thirty carp which exceed 20lb in weight and eight that are known to have crossed the 30lb barrier to a lake record of over 35lb.

In addition to the 2 islands, there are lily pads, reed beds and an overhanging willow tree to aim for while in pursuit of the carp. There are only 6 pegs on the lake, allowing each angler to have an appropriate amount of water.

Gwinear Angling Centre is on the main site and is one of the largest fishing tackle shops in Cornwall, stocking a huge range of tackle, accessories and bait. There is also an excellent toilet/shower block.

Day tickets are priced at £12 and a 24 hour ticket is available for £24. Due to the limited number of pegs, pre-booking is essential.

Gwinear Lakes At A Glance:

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Lower Tamar Lake (Holsworthy)

Lower Tamar Lake is located in Alfardisworthy, which is approximately 7 miles from Holsworthy. It lies on the Devon/Cornwall border.

Run by South West Lakes Trust, this 35 acre water has only 16 pegs, giving each angler plenty of water to fish.

There is a nature reserve at the north end of the lake which is an out of bounds area. Anglers fishing in peg 1 on the east bank or the peg known as “swampy” on the west bank are the closest to this territory and both pegs are known to be productive.

There is a good head of carp in excess of 20lb and the lake record weighed over 38lb when captured. Despite the large size of the lake, the high stock levels ensure that multiple catches are possible when you are on the fish.

Day tickets are priced at £12. Anglers wishing to fish for 24 hours will be charged £22.

Lower Tamar Lake At A Glance:

Meadow Lakes (St Austell)

Meadow Lakes is located in Hewas Water, which is around 6 miles from St Austell.

Meadow Lakes is a holiday park that consists of 4 fishing lakes. For guests of the holiday park, fishing is free of charge, but day tickets are available for non-staying guests.

Lakes 1, 2 and 3 are mainly stocked with silver fish and small carp, which means that Lake 4 is home to the biggest fish on the complex.

Lake 4 is around 2 acres in size and has a small island not far from the centre of the lake. The depths vary in this lake from 2ft-3ft in the shallower areas to approximately 14ft at the deepest part. There is a lot of smaller mirror carp in this lake, but they are backed up by a good number of double-figure common carp and a lake record ghost carp of 26lb.

Night fishing is not allowed, but day tickets are available for £10. Anglers wishing to purchase a season ticket (March 14th-January 15th, daytimes only) can do so for £100.

Meadow Lakes At A Glance:

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Oakside Fishery (Newquay)

Oakside Fishery is located in Whitecross, which is approximately 6 miles from Newquay.

The lake extends to around 3.5 acres and features 4 islands, lily beds, overhanging trees and reed beds, all surrounded by more than 20 acres of farmland.

The current lake record is in excess of 30lb and there is a good number of 20lb+ carp as backup.

There are portacabin style toilets available for use in the car park area.

This lake is situated on the north Cornwall coast and can be fished on a day ticket basis, with prices starting from £7. Anglers wishing to fish for longer can purchase 24 hour tickets for £12 or a season ticket for £110.

Oakside Fishery At A Glance:

Trewandra Fishery (Saltash)

Trewandra Fishery is located in Tideford, which is around 6 miles from Saltash.

At just over 1 acre in size, this mixed coarse fishery is home to a lot of silver fish and also boasts carp in excess of 20lb.

While you might not break any records at Trewandra Fishery, the location is so peaceful and relaxing that you will want to return here time and time again.

Day tickets at this picturesque Cornwall fishery start from £7 and night fishing is possible if arranged in advance with the owners.

Trewandra Fishery At A Glance:

Upper Tamar Lake (Holsworthy)

Upper Tamar Lake is located near Alfardisworthy, which is approximately 9 miles from Holsworthy.

Like its sibling water, Upper Tamar Lake is run by South West Lakes Trust and covers a mammoth 81 acres of water across the Devon/Cornwall border.

Formerly a trout fishery, it became a coarse fishery in the 1990s and has a good stock of carp despite its large size.

There is a good head of 20lb+ fish in the lake and South West Lakes Trust carry out a comprehensive stocking program which sees large injections of fish every couple of years.

The largest recorded carp from the lake weighed in excess of 36lb, but there are whispers around the local community that suggest the actual record is much larger but captures of these fish are kept quiet.

Day tickets are priced at £8 and a 24 hour ticket costs £20. Season tickets are also available and are priced at £125 (day fishing only) or £205 (days and nights)

Upper Tamar Lake At A Glance:

Conclusion

Cornwall is definitely one of the most beautiful regions of the United Kingdom and is a wonderful area to visit for some carp fishing.

As you can see from the list above, there are some fantastic lakes available that will satisfy most carp anglers, regardless of whether they want to catch medium-sized carp at a runs water or pit their wits against some specimens at a huge reservoir.

Have you fished any of the lakes listed above? If you have, please let me know in the comments as I would love to hear how you got on.