Easter Family Fishing at Whiteacres by Rob Hughes

A blog from Get Fishing ambassador and On The Bank TV presenter, Rob Hughes, recounting a recent family fishing visit to Whiteacres, Cornwall.

It’s Easter 2018 and I’ve just come back from a really nice break down at Parkdean Resorts Whiteacres Complex in Cornwall. Just like most of your reading this, we all lead busy lives, so fitting in everyone’s needs is a bit tricky. The compromise between a trip with the family and a spot of fishing was exactly what was needed.

For those of you that don’t know the venue, Whiteacres is about 10 minutes out of Newquay in Cornwall. With its trendy bars and even trendier beaches, it’s a great place to spend some time whether you’re an outdoorsy type person, a surfer dude, a fisherman or a foodie. There’s something for everyone and my family love it there. Whiteacres is a large holiday park with something for everyone. A bar, restaurant, swimming pool and gym, nightclub/ theatre area as well as loads of different things to do outside. There’s peace and tranquillity or hustle and bustle in equal measure, depending on your wishes….  and of course there is the fishing. Accommodation wise there are different types available from standard static caravans to luxury lodges and lakeside log cabins. The site is also dog friendly although some lodges do have restrictions on pets. We stayed in the newer area called Nelsons Meadow which is right by the side of Nelson’s lake, a carp and cat-fishing venue which suited me down to the ground.

The fishing was the major attraction for us, and with two kids (16 and 11) I wanted somewhere that would offer something that would suit all levels. Some carp for me and some action for the kids. There’s 13 lakes on site with a bit of everything for everyone including two lakes that have carp running to very respectable sizes. Pats lake and Nelsons offer some great carp fishing with a good head of double-figure fish running up to mid/upper 30s. All the other lakes have a good mix of stock and are regularly used for matches and festivals. Float or feeder fishing can be very effective and it’s a brilliant place for the kids to get a bite or for you to test your match skills. They have regular festivals throughout the year if you fancy a trip away with the crew.

We spent three days there in total, and to be honest would loved to have stayed a little bit longer. It was brilliant. After checking in and seeing our lodge with the usual excitement of arriving and choosing rooms, there were plenty of “oooh’s” and “wow’s” from the kids, and lots of nods of approval from the wife. The accommodation was more than impressive. It was a contemporary lodge that had loads of wow factor for sure. We all felt a bit special living in such a wonderful place overlooking the lake with it’s magnificent morning views. Taking the family away to a fishing resort could always be seen to be a little bit risky. Not here. Everybody loved the place.

Afternoon 1 saw us head straight down to Newquay to see the sea and watch the sunset over Fistral Beach then grab a bite to eat. Check! One tick off the list.

Our first full day saw a morning of park exploration, a few games then a cracking lunch in the restaurant. We then had an obligatory trip to the on-site amusements before I pulled rank and decided an afternoon /evening of carp fishing was on the cards. I chose Nelsons, which was right outside our front window. Opting for very simple tactics of small boilies and Dynamite sticks and corn in the edge it wasn’t long before I’d nabbed a couple of fish including cracking up a double ghosty just on dark. I put a bit more bait on the marginal spot and, feeling contented, popped back to the lodge for a glass of wine and a chill out with the crew.

The next morning saw another short session of carp fishing on Nelsons. I’m very much a morning person and love to be up at first light so I was down there first thing whilst the tribe had a well-deserved lie in.

The baiting up worked a treat as almost straight away I could see the fish were still on my spot. It took no time at all to get another couple of fish on the bank and was mega rewarding. There was nothing massive but it was a great little carp fishing fix. I was back up at the lodge for breakfast already feeling like I’d had a successful day. Tick.

The girls decided to head into Newquay for the so the boys had another explore around the park and did some lads and dads stuff. My boy Jack is 11 and is really into both fishing and nature. I limit the fishing to a couple of hours rather than going all day and we spent the rest of the time doing a bit of bird watching, exploring and having a bit of telly time when the rain set in. As a busy bloke that spends a lot of time away from my crowd, it was lovely to have nothing to do but at the same time have loads to do…. if that makes any sense. I think it’s called relaxing, and is not something I get to do very often.

The flashing lights of the on-site arcade were once again too much to ignore, and we spent an hour or so trying to win 2p pieces at the slot machines, and me being beaten by rally car driving games.

Our last day saw us all stay on site and the kids made the choice that they both wanted to go fishing. We took the whips and short poles down to Python lake and in no time at all the floats were going under left right and centre and a heathy net of carp, F1s and some lovely carrassio were landed. It was great fun and the smiles on everyone’s faces showed that you don’t need an Xbox to have fun, and that healthy outdoors activities together as a family are were memories are made.

We all had some great fun and some lovely times together and to a person all felt we would like to go back and spend a little more time there. Making memories are what trips like this are about and we certainly did exactly that.

Rob “Spending time in such lovely surroundings with the family, and getting some fishing in was a real winner for me!”

Cath “What a wonderful place. The accommodation was excellent and there was plenty to do. Really nice relaxing break”. 

Jack “It was fun to go out fishing, playing in the arcade, good food and the rooms are lovely” .

Ellie “It’s a great place. Lots to do and see. Newquay was great and the fishing was good fun too”.

Find out more about Whiteacres on their website. If you want to try fishing with your loved ones, we have a large number of Let’s Go Family Fishing events listed online. Find one near you today on our event page.