Brayton Park Lodges - Full Overview and Fishing Information (2023)

Carp Fishing in Brayton Park

We booked these cabins primarily because we were looking for a luxury cabin with a hot tub in the Northern Lakes for a vacation, and carp fishing was just an add-on. I went out of my way to find out a lot of information about the lakes and the fish before we left, other than the carp we had about 10lbs and there were some bigger ones.

During the first week at the cottage in Wordsworth, we (my children and I) spent 4 half day sessions fishing the lake around which else we did during the trip. This is one of the 4 double sessions we've had!

There is a house located on the shore of the lake with its own private dock. This was not the accommodation we booked so you have to take your gear to the bottom of the lake as it is only fished from the wooded shore. That was a bit painful!

There I talked with 2 of the 3 members who fish in the lake and learned a lot of information. I put it here in bookmarks to make it easier to read!

• The lake covers 7 hectares and was excavated by the monastery's monks around the 14th-16th centuries. century. At the first stake you arrive, a little to the right, there are still steps from that time into the water (you can't see it, but you can feel it with lead).
• Carp weigh an average of 6-8 pounds, all are wild and spawn in the lake. There are some in the 13- to 14-pound range.
• There is a large bed of lily pads that come up in the summer, so the first stake is nearly impossible to fish. I went in the spring and you could see it starting to sprout.
• The lake is very shallow in parts, and some areas, even in the middle, are around two to three feet deep. On warm spring days we could see carp sunbathing in these shallow waters and fishing well in them.
• The only fish in the lake are carp and crucian carp, except for some natural hybrids, there are no other fish or large fish.
• In our best session we had 11 carp in just under 3 hours with 2 rods. That morning they went to one of the shallows!

what you need to take

Here is a guide to what I took and what I would take again.

• Sticks or pods are fine. (If you're in the lake cabin, you'll need a capsule because it's a decorated stake).
• Tight bags with 14mm rollers worked well for me, another visitor did well with corn and a methodical feeder.
• I just used bags and nothing extra free as I was fishing 12 year old wraps with no spod. If you're there when it's warmer, I think a boil and pitching bat would work well for batting.
• Shorter sticks if you have them. I fished with 12ft carp rods, with all the trees a 9 or 10ft rod or swing type would be best.
• Decent padded side release mat, not sure the fish are caught that often as even after being tired before landing they were still combative on the mat!
• Common equipment for fish of this size.

The Lawson Lodge – Peg Privado

Here is a wedge from the hut on the lake -

I spent a week at Lawson Lodge in May and had a great week fishing for carp. The wedge above is huge and the outside area was amazing. The hot tub overlooks the wedge and lake and you can see koi jumping around all day.

During our stay we caught a lot of fish, mostly in the morning and evening. During the week we managed to catch 86 carp with numerous double moves. They were all standard Brayton Park wild carp, long and lean and weighing between 6 and 8 pounds.

I fished with PVA bags that worked perfectly.

If you plan on fishing during your stay, we recommend Lawson Lodge.

Brayton Park Golf Course

The course is 9 holes and 2,323 yards that looks well maintained. At the time of writing, it costs £10 for 9 holes or £15 for unlimited rounds.

Payment was made through the honesty box in the car park. Food and drinks were available to all residents and non-residents on the club premises.

Brayton Park is ranked highly in ourgolf accommodation holiday guide. It's perfect for a luxury vacation for the casual golfer.

There is a dress code as you would expect and tracksuits, football shirts etc. are not allowed. You are expected to wear a T-shirt on the course, but the code seems quite relaxed.

restaurant

The on site restaurant is located at the golf club where you get the keys. They have a good selection of local food and we think it's pretty good.

They also have a special in-stateroom dinner menu that you can call and order from your stateroom. It is better to order in advance as it can be crowded at times.

Only Lawson's cabin has a private fishing pole. Other cabin guests can access the lake by walking down the road and fishing on the wooded side.

Yes, you can have lunch at the restaurant or order from the menu in the cabin. There is also an agricultural store within the premises.

There is a pub within the premises. If you are a keen walker, you could walk to the pub in Aspatria which is approximately 1.5 miles away.

For groceries they delivered to us from Tesco, and Sainsbury delivered to the cottage next to us.

No, pets are not allowed.

Yes, parking is available next to all cabins and it looks like you can fit at least 2 cars in any one of them.