This is our original water and club home.  It is regularly stocked and teeming with fish.  It provides the venue for the Club's Open Matches with 36 fishing stations.  The perimeter paths have recently been surfaced providing easy access for barrows and trolleys.

NESTLED between the rubble and remains, and evoking the memories of mills of yesteryear, lies Hoddlesden reservoir, the spiritual home of Darwen Loyal Angling Club.
In the height of summer, with bluebells blooming and trees full of leaves, it is virtually hidden from sight. It is something of a hidden gem.
The Canada geese know about it as do the heron, the grebes, the ducks and the squirrels that scuttle and scurry on those trees that mark the perimeter of the three acre body of water.
Then of course there are club members, 70 at the last count. The Club is rightly proud of their water. It’s their own little nature reserve but now they want the whole world to know about it.

The mills, which the reservoir once served, have long since gone but club members are determined to make sure they are not confined to the scrap heap.
“It’s a lovely little piece of the world and, more importantly, a wonderful place to come and do some proper fishing,” said Chairman Dave Connell.
By proper fishing, Connell means natural as opposed to commercials – those over-stocked fisheries that go some way to taking the skill out of the sport.
“There are more and more commercial fishing venues and for what they offer they are very good,” added Connell who has been with the club for more than 30 years. “But for clubs like ours it’s more about angling skill, about biding your time and waiting for the right moment. With a lot of the overstocked venues, you can just go along, drop your line and hook a fish.”

Club Members have spent the past few years making improvements to the facilities. As well as making it a better place for anglers, it has begun to attract more walkers from the Hoddlesden area and beyond. A path has been created around the water while 40 fishing pegs have been built, all done by club members.
Club chairman Dave Connell said: “We have dug out and done all the paths all the way around and refurbished all the fishing platforms. We have also done drainage work where necessary and carried out general maintenance.”
Now the club would like more people to know about their fishing hideaway.
“I suppose you could call it something of a hidden gem,” said Peter Dyrda who is one of the club’s longest serving members. “You can drive past here and not notice the reservoir let alone know there is an angling club. But it is a beautiful spot and a great place to come and fish.”

Hoddlesden reservoir is home to pike that can grow up to 20lbs along with roach, tench, perch, bream and eels with the club restocking up to £2,000 worth of fish each year.