Fishing at Lower Aylescott‍

We would like to stress that Lower Aylescott is a family friendly collection of cottages and not a fishery, so please use the sizes and information below as a guideline only.

The two fishing lakes at Lower Aylescott are just a few minutes’ walk from the cottages, and are secured by gates. They belong to the owners of Lower Aylescott so fishing is unrestricted to onsite guests all year round. Guests can relax either on the jetty or round the side of the lakes as they enjoy this wonderful pastime.

The lakes are rarely fished as they are not open to the public (only residents in the cottages). This means that the fish are less wise when the bait comes their way! So tends to work well if showing someone new to fishing as they should catch at least a small fish quite easily. The bigger carp are slightly wiser so a bit more of a challenge!

Our guests have caught carp, roughly 30 to 50cm, and 3-5lbs. These include mirror carp, crucian carp, and even a large ghost carp was recently spotted (this June 2019). There are also plenty of bream and rudd, again probably around 3 to 5lbs. Some bigger, some smaller. As the lakes are only fished on a few occasions the carp are not over fed, some have never been caught. They tend to be long, lean and very healthy!

What you need to bring to fish at Lower Aylescott?

You will require an Environment Agency rod licence to fish the two lakes at Lower Aylescott.

The principle is similar to the requirement for a TV licence. If you want to watch TV on private premises you need a licence. It’s the same with using a fishing rod. You can buy them online, and you can buy them by the day if you want to (although it can work out more expensive, if you buy them regularly). Normally, it’s best to buy a 12 months licence costing £27. If you are under 12 years old, you are exempt, and if you are under 16, the licence will only cost £5. Find out more at https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence

EA bailiffs do have the right to come onto private property to check for licences.

It is the guest's responsibility to have the licence in place prior to fishing at Lower Aylescott Cottages.

Please note that guests need to bring their own rods and bait.

There are no bait bans but the owners of Lower Aylescott ask that you use barbless hooks and keepnets are not allowed. The owners also request that you treat the fish with respect and return them to the water quickly to minimise distress.

Fishing further afield

If looking to venture further afield various other forms of fishing can also be experience around North Devon, such as fly fishing, saltwater fishing, boat fishing, shore fishing and sea fishing. Game fishing is also available; however, this is often limited to certain times of the year.

We recommend that Ilfracombe is the first place to go when looking to fish away from Lower Aylescott. The Victorian seaside harbour town is only a 10-minute drive away from the cottages. It’s great for simple line fishing off the pier and the harbour, or down on the rocks around Capstone. For crabbing, again off the pier or even The Tunnels Beaches. There are also many charter fishing trips that leave from the main pier, and explore the North Devon coast or head over to Lundy Island. Choose from either a Sea Safari, where two Humber Ribs travel up to 20 knots along the coast, or alternatively book their brand new catamaran ‘Sea Swift’ for Mackerel Fishing, Reef Fishing, Deep Sea Fishing or perhaps a wildlife cruise.

www.ilfracombeseasafari.co.uk/fishing