The Lake will stay closed, for now 😢

Spring and our usual opening date in March are just around the corner, and we know you were keen to hear that The Lake will open soon. We received many messages and emails already, and it's about time to update you on season 2026! But sadly, it isn’t the news you were eagerly waiting for. After long and careful consideration, Christopher had to make the decision NOT to open The Lake (yet) for fishing this spring.

Difficult decision
It was not an easy decision to make, Christopher explains: "The last thing I want is to excite our customers with good news and announce our usual Mid-March opening, when this carries the risk we’d have to disappoint everyone soon after. We never found the exact source of last year’s problems, and therefore, we need to keep in mind that the 2025 scenario could repeat itself. We actually can’t be sure what will happen in the months to come."

As you probably will remember (or can read in older posts on our News Page, if you are new to Tanfield Lodge Lake), last season, a pollution event early in the season interrupted our planning, and we had to postpone the opening of Tanfield Lodge Lake for fishing. In the weeks that followed, the harm to our fish proved to be more serious than we initially thought. Even later in the summer, the fish that had survived were not fit enough to offer decent sport-fishing, and in the end, we stayed closed for the rest of the 2025 season. 

Never identified
The Lake is spring-fed, with natural springs in the deeper parts of The Lake that bring up water from the deeper earth layers, filtered through layers of limestone. This gives The Lake its crystal-clear water that we all love, but being spring-fed from natural springs also means the water can have travelled from far away, and, despite the efforts of the Environment Agency, the exact source of last year's pollution has never been identified. This uncertainty plays a big part in Christopher's decision not to take the risk of reopening yet.

Only time will tell
Christopher: "I first want to monitor how, after restocking, the 2026 fish will develop through spring and summer. We don't want to sell tickets when we actually do not yet know how good the fishing will be. Only time will tell how well the ecosystem has recovered and show us that The Lake is ready to sustain a healthy stock of fish. Before I want to reopen, I need to see with my own eyes that the fish have grown well and are fighting fit."

Quality first
The exceptional quality of the fish at Tanfield Lodge Lake has always been our strongest asset, and that's not just our opinion; the experts wholeheartedly agree. We showed you last summer (on our Facebook Page) how Fred Bainbridge, the 6-time English National Champion, on his website yorkshireflyfishingservices.co.uk, specifically praises Tanfield Lodge Lake for its "superstrong rainbows and browns". An accolade that was earned not in the least thanks to Christopher's philosophy to keep the fishing business at Tanfield Lodge Lake a small-scale operation (in relation to the significant size of the lake), so it's never overfished, and the fish get plenty of time to acclimatise and grow in their natural habitat. That not only keeps the operation sustainable at a relatively modest ticket price, but it also guarantees that the fish develop behaviour that offers a more natural sport, which the discerning angler will appreciate. 

Worth the wait
Christopher: "We know that we will lose some customers when we are closed for even longer, but our regulars will understand it will be worth the wait and realise that skipping another year will produce even stronger, more mature fish and even better sport for the years to come." 
"Our first mission now is to create and maintain a sustainable environment where the fish will thrive. We have started to stock cautiously, and if all goes well, we will gradually add more stock in the coming months, so we can next year once again confidently say that Tanfield Lodge Lake offers you the very best of fly fishing." 

We hope that Christopher's decision isn't too much of a shock for you, and that we will see you all in 2027!