Hacche Moor Fishery

Introduction to the fishery

There are venues you visit once and forget, and there are venues that get under your skin. Hacche Moor Fishery, tucked away in the rolling North Devon countryside near South Molton, firmly falls into the second camp.

Owner Andy Parkinson has been quietly shaping this 12-acre site for over a decade, and the care he’s put into it shows in every detail, from the manicured swims to the quality of the stock. It’s the kind of fishery that feels like a proper angling destination rather than just somewhere to wet a line. Red deer wander through the surrounding woodland, kingfishers work the nearside margins, and somewhere out in the deep water, big old Leneys are going about their business.

What really sets Hacche Moor apart, though, is how it’s run. Exclusive hire only, no day tickets, no strangers turning up at dawn and plonking themselves in the swim you had your eye on. When you book a lake, it’s yours. Just you, your crew, and the fish. In a world of busy commercial venues, that’s genuinely something special.

The lakes, features & pegs

Three distinct waters make up the complex, and each one fishes differently enough to keep things interesting. The Top Lake (1.75 acres) is the headline act. It’s where the venue’s biggest residents live, and with depths ranging from 3ft on the shallows up to 9ft over the deeper channels, there’s real tactical variety to be found. Eight swims ring the water, but bookings are sensibly capped at four anglers, so even when it’s fully booked, you’ve got room to work your spots properly without bumping into each other. The central island is a consistent fish-holding feature and worth keeping an eye on whatever the season.

The Bottom Lake (2.75 acres) is the largest water on the complex, with nine swims and a maximum of five anglers at anytime. It’s the social lake of the three, there’s a Summer House on the bank and a dedicated picnic area, which makes it a brilliant choice for a group trip where you want somewhere to gather, debrief, and argue about rigs between takes. The island here is a serious feature, but as we’ll come onto, it’s not always the obvious spots that produce.

Jake’s Lake is the newest addition, built from two former stock ponds and carrying a proper head of fish. It has a higher average bite rate than the other two and a dense population of carp pushing through the 20lb barrier, ideal if you fancy keeping the rods busy!

Throughout the site, the swims are in excellent shape. Timber or bark-chip platforms, properly levelled, with enough room to set up a bivvy and still move around comfortably. After a long drive and a heavy barrow load, you’ll appreciate it.

What you can catch

Hacche Moor is a dedicated carp venue, no distractions, just carp, and the quality of the stock across all three lakes is consistently impressive.

The Top Lake holds around 60 fish, with 40 of those already past the 20lb mark. The current lake record stands at 44lb 12oz, and a big part of what makes the fish here so special is the strain. Leneys, the real deal, not watered-down versions, dark-scaled, long in the body, and absolutely ferocious in a fight. If you’ve never had one on the bank, you’re in for a treat.

The Bottom Lake is the most prolific of the specimen lakes, with over 140 carp including a strong head of twenties and a current record of 42lb 14oz. There’s enough fish in there to keep multiple rods busy without it ever feeling easy.

Jake’s Lake tops out at over 33lb, but the real appeal is the sheer number of fish in the 18–25lb bracket. If you want consistent runs and fast-growing, hard-fighting carp, this is your water.

Tactics & bait

Hacche Moor isn’t a switch-your-brain-off, chuck-and-chance venue. The fish have seen a few rigs in their time, and they’ll make you work for it, which, frankly, is most of the appeal.

One thing to sort out before you even pack the car: the fishery operates a strict no artificial bait rule. No plastic corn, no fake maggots — none of it. High-quality fresh boilies are your foundation, and they’ve proven themselves time and again here. Sticky Baits Krill is a well-regarded choice on the Bottom Lake in particular, and a 15mm or 18mm hookbait presented in a small PVA bag of crushed bait and matching pellets is a reliable starting point on any of the three lakes.

In the warmer months, don’t overlook the margins. Under overhanging trees and tight to the bank, fish on the Bottom Lake especially will patrol the nearside regularly, and a single bright hookbait on a short hooklink with a small handful of corn or hemp can be lethal, particularly in the first couple of hours of light. Come winter, fish the deeper water with a high-attract bait, stay patient, and trust the process, some of the biggest fish on the complex have come out in the cold months to anglers who simply kept the faith.

Tips worth knowing

The intimate size of these lakes is one of their great pleasures, but it does mean the carp are switched on to line pressure. Back leads are your friend here, pinning your mainlines flush to the lakebed can make a significant difference to your bite rate, especially on the Top Lake where fish will follow the bottom contours and bump into a taught line.

Watch the wind. A strong south-westerly will push fish reliably into the corners of the Bottom Lake, and setting up ahead of that movement, rather than reacting to it, is one of the most consistent edges you can give yourself.

The fishery provides nets, mats and slings as standard, and biosecurity rules mean you’ll be using theirs rather than your own, bring a proper carp care kit regardless; it’s non-negotiable.

And lastly, don’t neglect the shallower pegs. Swims 1, 2, 7 and 8 on the Top Lake can be exceptional during warm spells when fish drift up to bask. Get in quietly, set up with a low profile, and let the lake settle. It’s the sort of fishing that reminds you why you started.

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