Venue guides · Bristol
Fishing Lakes Near Bristol
Sixteen day-ticket and club waters within 30 km, ranked by the anglers who fish them, with the honest notes I would want before booking a day on any of them.
I have not fished every water on this list. The ratings come from anglers who have; the advice on choosing between them is mine.
Carp fishing in Bristol
Bristol itself has little still water to fish, but you do not have to go far. The city sits between the Somerset Levels to the south, the Cotswold edge to the north-east and the Severn estuary to the west, and within half an hour you can be on farm lakes, commercial complexes or the slower reaches of the Bristol Avon.
Most of the carp fishing within reach of the city is on day-ticket commercials and estate lakes rather than big gravel pits, which makes it a friendly area for a beginner or a quick after-work session. The M4, M5 and M32 mean the venues to the north and south are equally easy to reach.
The map below plots the fisheries anglers rate most highly within roughly 30 km, so you can shortlist a water, get directions and check the reviews in one place. Treat the ratings as a filter rather than a verdict, and read the notes on choosing a venue before you ring ahead.
At a glance
The fisheries, mapped
Every venue below is plotted from its real address. Tap a pin on the map or the button on any card for directions.
🎣 Found 16 fisheries near Bristol, sorted by angler rating. Click any pin on the map or card for directions.
📋 Fishery Cards
1 Bitterwell Lake ⭐ Top Rated
📍 Ram Hill, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UF, UK
2 Century Ponds
📍 Stockwood Vale, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 2AW, UK
3 Rode Hill Fishery
📍 Rode Hill Fishery, Rode Hill, Frome BA11 6QH, UK
4 Plantations Lakes
📍 Middle Lane Farm, Middle Lane, Kingston Seymour, Clevedon BS21 6XW, UK
5 Ham Green Lake
📍 Chapel Pill Ln, Pill, Bristol BS20 0HL, UK
6 Acorn Carp Fishery
📍 Avon, Lampley Rd, Clevedon BS21 6XS, UK
7 Duchess Pond, Stoke Park Angling Club
📍 Bristol BS16 1WN, UK
8 Mathern Mill Fishery
📍 Bailey's Hay, Mathern NP16 6JP, UK
9 Blagdon Lake
📍 Blagdon Ln, Bristol BS40, UK
10 Shackell’s Fishing Lake
📍 Cold Ashton, Bath BA1 9DE, UK
11 Bullock Farm (Fishing & Camping)
📍 Back Ln, Kingston Seymour, Clevedon BS21 6XA, UK
12 Tarn Lake
📍 Bristol BS10 7QB, UK
13 Windmill Fishery Bristol
📍 Oakley Green Farm Lane, Bristol BS37 8QZ, UK
14 Silver Springs
📍 Silver St, Congresbury, Bristol BS49 5EY, UK
15 Boyd Valley Lake
📍 Golden Valley Ln, Bitton, Bristol BS30 6NY, UK
16 Bagwood Carp Lake
📍 Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4JZ, UK
📊 Full Fishery Table
| # | Fishery Name | Address | Rating | Reviews | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bitterwell Lake | Ram Hill, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UF, UK | ★★★★☆ | 93 | 📍 Map |
| 2 | Century Ponds | Stockwood Vale, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 2AW, UK | ★★★★☆ | 27 | 📍 Map |
| 3 | Rode Hill Fishery | Rode Hill Fishery, Rode Hill, Frome BA11 6QH, UK | ★★★★☆ | 54 | 📍 Map |
| 4 | Plantations Lakes | Middle Lane Farm, Middle Lane, Kingston Seymour, Clevedon BS21 6XW, UK | ★★★★☆ | 186 | 📍 Map |
| 5 | Ham Green Lake | Chapel Pill Ln, Pill, Bristol BS20 0HL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 68 | 📍 Map |
| 6 | Acorn Carp Fishery | Avon, Lampley Rd, Clevedon BS21 6XS, UK | ★★★★☆ | 200 | 📍 Map |
| 7 | Duchess Pond, Stoke Park Angling Club | Bristol BS16 1WN, UK | ★★★★☆ | 31 | 📍 Map |
| 8 | Mathern Mill Fishery | Bailey's Hay, Mathern NP16 6JP, UK | ★★★★☆ | 153 | 📍 Map |
| 9 | Blagdon Lake | Blagdon Ln, Bristol BS40, UK | ★★★★☆ | 44 | 📍 Map |
| 10 | Shackell’s Fishing Lake | Cold Ashton, Bath BA1 9DE, UK | ★★★★☆ | 11 | 📍 Map |
| 11 | Bullock Farm (Fishing & Camping) | Back Ln, Kingston Seymour, Clevedon BS21 6XA, UK | ★★★★☆ | 204 | 📍 Map |
| 12 | Tarn Lake | Bristol BS10 7QB, UK | ★★★★☆ | 31 | 📍 Map |
| 13 | Windmill Fishery Bristol | Oakley Green Farm Lane, Bristol BS37 8QZ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 60 | 📍 Map |
| 14 | Silver Springs | Silver St, Congresbury, Bristol BS49 5EY, UK | ★★★★☆ | 22 | 📍 Map |
| 15 | Boyd Valley Lake | Golden Valley Ln, Bitton, Bristol BS30 6NY, UK | ★★★★☆ | 245 | 📍 Map |
| 16 | Bagwood Carp Lake | Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4JZ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 61 | 📍 Map |
How to choose a venue from this list
A five-star water with a dozen reviews and a 4.8 with three hundred are not the same weight of evidence. Weigh the rating against the review count, read the most recent few for current stock reports, and then check these four things before you commit a day to a water.
Day ticket or syndicate?
Most waters here are day-ticket commercials, but some are club or syndicate lakes that need membership arranged in advance. Confirm how you get on the bank before you travel.
Night fishing and bivvies
Plenty of day-ticket waters are daytime only. If you want an overnighter, check the venue allows night fishing and bivvies rather than assuming it does.
Tackle and bait rules
Barbless hooks, unhooking-mat requirements, banned baits and boilie or particle limits vary from water to water. Read the fishery’s own rules, not a general guide.
Match the water to your session
Larger pits and reservoirs reward longer sessions and distance work; smaller lakes and canal stretches suit a short evening after work. Pick the water that fits the time you have.
What to expect from the water
Most of the accessible carp fishing here falls into three kinds of water, and each fishes differently. Knowing which you are turning up to changes what you pack and how long you plan to stay.
Commercials
The day-ticket complexes
The commercial fisheries ringing the city are well stocked and well kept, with plenty of doubles and the odd twenty. They are the obvious first choice for a day out from Bristol, and most have facilities and parking close to the swims.
Estate and farm lakes
The lakes on the Levels and the Cotswold edge
Older, quieter and often prettier, the estate and farm lakes to the south and north-east hold fewer but bigger carp. They fish best in the warmer months, and a short, mobile session with one rod is often the most productive way to approach them.
Rivers
The Bristol Avon
The Avon holds carp in its deeper, slower sections above the city, particularly around the weirs and mill pools. It is exploratory fishing, but the fish are rarely pressured and a summer evening on the river can surprise you.
Before you set off
A valid Environment Agency rod licence
Anyone aged 13 or over fishing with rod and line for coarse fish in England needs one. It is separate from the fishery’s day ticket and takes two minutes to buy online.
The fishery’s own rules
Booking method, opening hours, night-fishing policy, barbless-only, banned baits and mat requirements all vary. A look at the venue’s page or a quick call saves a wasted trip.
Mat, forceps, antiseptic and a sling
The minimum for handling carp safely, and many waters will send you home without them.
A phone call in peak season
Popular day-ticket lakes fill up at weekends and through the summer. Confirm there is space, and ask how it has been fishing while you are on.
A note on ratings
The star ratings and review counts on this page are pulled from public angler reviews, not written by me. They are good at telling you whether a venue is well run and welcoming; they are less good at telling you what is in the water or how it is fishing this month.
For that, read the most recent handful of reviews, and ring the fishery. Owners will usually tell you straight.
Willing to travel a little further?
Neighbouring guides, each with its own map, ratings and notes.
Last Updated on September 9, 2026 by Shane Stanford
Shane Stanford has fished for carp for over twenty years, in the UK and in France, and currently fishes a private syndicate water in West Sussex. He writes Fishing Again to put the things he learned the hard way into plain language: location and watercraft first, then bait, rigs and gear. He is straight about which kit he has actually fished and which he has assessed on specification, and says so on the page.