Bank House Fly Fishery was opened in 1974 by local vet and his wife, David and Jan Dobson.

They still manage the fishery today 33 years on, which I believe is a record for a British still water fishery. They have now been joined by their son Ben and together they also run Stocks Reservoir.

At 2½ acres Bank House is only a small water, but it has been carefully planned and designed with fly fishing and wildlife in mind. A total of twelve small islands are scattered over the water giving the fishery a network of slow swims and pools. The water flows evenly around the lake before exiting from one of three outlets. This means that there are few if any dead areas where the water can warm in summer and become low in oxygen.

It also means that the trout movements around the fishery are widespread and determined only by the availability of food. The islands and the vegetation break the line of sight for the angler, so that even when the fishery is full with 16 fishermen it does not feel crowded and gives a feeling of privacy with plenty of space available for the roving fishermen.

Bank House is rich in both aquatic and terrestrial insect life.

It has large populations of corixa, damsels, buzzer, shrimps and sedge. Also present in abundance are sticklebacks, which are readily eaten by the resident Kingfisher as well as the trout.

Above the surface the fishery has been planted to encourage insect life and in the summer months there is a constant supply of tasty morsels falling from the overhanging trees.

These include a variety of weevils, beetles, moths, spiders and many species of adult fly.

Although Bank House has been carefully designed it has had 3 decades to mature and has a very rich wildlife population.

The Dobson family are passionate about natural history and try to manage the six acre site to maximize its potential as habitat.

The islands and surrounding banks have been planted with a mixture of cover and food trees for birds and nest boxes are scattered all over. Some land has been planted into small woods and some set aside for scrub. The result is a compact oasis with many differing habitats that attract a wide variety of British wildlife. It is worth a visit on a spring morning just to listen to the dawn chorus. Bank House offers the imitative angler a chance to fish for naturally feeding trout in a beautiful setting and with big rainbows, blues, browns and tigers on the prowl you never know what you might catch.

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Stocks Reservoir is the largest fishery in the North West of England. It was created in the early 1930s by flooding the village of Dale Head and adjacent farmland to provide drinking water for the Fylde. Situated at the head of the Hodder Valley in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Stocks has a wild and unspoiled quality the perfect place for a days fly fishing.

Stocks Reservoir has Four and a half miles of fishable shoreline and 350 acres of open water.

Stocks Reservoir is under the same management as the renowned Bank House Fly Fishery in Caton near Lancaster and is extremely well stocked with quality triploid Rainbow, Brown and Blue trout reared in our own farms.

Stocks Reservoir is now the premier water in the North of England. It has been named as the most improved fishery in the North by Trout Fisherman Magazine and in the 2003 National Angling Awards it received 2nd place as the best commercial fishery.

Stocks Reservoir Fly Fishery offers fishermen the perfect day out, superb quality trout, a setting of natural beauty and a friendly atmosphere. Glance away from your fly and become captivated by the wildlife that makes Stocks United Utilities most important reservoir in the North West of England for natural history.

We have twenty 15 Coulam boats. The boats have been specifically designed for fly fishing, the seating position is much higher, they drift slowly and are very stable and spacious making them the perfect boat for able and disabled anglers alike. Plus we have five 17' and seven 14' Anglers Fancy Irish loch boats. All boats have Honda BF2 petrol engines, anchors and safety equipment. 1,2 or 3 man boats available.

The lodge is open from 8am until dusk with a member of the fishery team always on duty to offer their help and advice. It has a well stocked tackle shop, a cafe selling hot and cold snacks and separate male, female and disabled toilets.

In 2005 the Northern Shallows of Stocks Reservoir opened to fishing and improved Stocks dramatically as a boating venue. Newly stocked trout move to the area surprisingly quickly and it also harbours many overwintered specimens. The boat rod average in March was a record for the month at 7.23 and was even higher than our bank rod average at 6.5. The area is rich in aquatic insect life and is the prime trout feeding ground on the reservoir. We would like to thank United Utilities for their careful management of conservation and recreation on Stocks.

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