Venue guides · Essex
Fishing Lakes Near Essex
Eighteen 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 Essex
Essex is one of the true big-carp counties. The Lea valley on its western edge, the Chelmer and Blackwater in the middle and the Stour on the Suffolk border are all lined with gravel pits, and the county’s reservoirs and estate lakes have produced some of the largest carp ever caught in Britain. It is also home to a dense network of well-run commercial fisheries.
That means Essex has something for every level. The syndicate pits are as hard as any in the country; the day-ticket lakes are as easy as you want them to be. The M25, M11 and A12 make almost all of it reachable from London inside an hour.
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 18 fisheries near Essex, sorted by angler rating. Click any pin on the map or card for directions.
📋 Fishery Cards
1 Lakeland Fishery with Lodges and Pods ⭐ Top Rated
📍 Wickham Bishop Rd, Chelmsford CM3 2JL, UK
2 Crow Green Fishery
📍 Days Ln, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood CM15 9SL, UK
3 Fryerning Fisheries
📍 Dog Kennel Ln, Ingatestone CM4 0EA, UK
4 The Mill Carp Fishery
📍 Sandford Mill Ln, Great Baddow, Chelmsford CM2 7RT, UK
5 HILTON VALLEY LAKES
📍 Great Yeldham, Halstead CO9 4HB, UK
6 Blasford Hill Fisheries
📍 Little Waltham, Chelmsford CM3 3PF, UK
7 Earls Colne Fishing
📍 Training2Care, Spitfire Dr, Earls Colne, Fishing CO6 2NS, UK
8 Oak Lakes Fisheries
📍 Burnham Rd, Southminster CM0 7BJ, UK
9 Essex Leisure Fisheries
📍 Colony Lakes, Hadleigh., Chapel Ln, Benfleet SS7 2PP, UK
10 Newland Hall Fishery
📍 The Lodge, Newland Hall, Bishops Stortford Road, Roxwell, Chelmsford CM1 4LH, UK
11 Blind Lane Fishery
📍 West Hanningfield, Chelmsford CM2 8UG, UK
12 Chigborough Farm Fisheries
📍 Chigborough Rd, Heybridge, Maldon CM9 4RE, UK
13 Berners Hall Fishery
📍 Berners Hall Farm, Ongar CM5 0TB, UK
14 Par Fishery
📍 St. Marys Ln, West Horndon, Orsett, Brentwood RM14 3PB, UK
15 Forty Acre Plantation Lake
📍 Goatsmoor Ln, Stock, Ingatestone CM4 9RS, UK
16 Birds Green Fishing Lakes
📍 Birds Grn, Ongar CM5 0FL, UK
17 Crowsheath Fishery
📍 Crowsheath Farm, Hawkswood Rd, Downham, Billericay CM11 1JT, UK
18 A12 Cuton Lakes Fishery
📍 Cuton Lakes, Brook End Rd, Chelmer Village, Chelmsford CM2 6NX, UK
📊 Full Fishery Table
| # | Fishery Name | Address | Rating | Reviews | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeland Fishery with Lodges and Pods | Wickham Bishop Rd, Chelmsford CM3 2JL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 137 | 📍 Map |
| 2 | Crow Green Fishery | Days Ln, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood CM15 9SL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 136 | 📍 Map |
| 3 | Fryerning Fisheries | Dog Kennel Ln, Ingatestone CM4 0EA, UK | ★★★★☆ | 39 | 📍 Map |
| 4 | The Mill Carp Fishery | Sandford Mill Ln, Great Baddow, Chelmsford CM2 7RT, UK | ★★★★☆ | 52 | 📍 Map |
| 5 | HILTON VALLEY LAKES | Great Yeldham, Halstead CO9 4HB, UK | ★★★★☆ | 67 | 📍 Map |
| 6 | Blasford Hill Fisheries | Little Waltham, Chelmsford CM3 3PF, UK | ★★★★☆ | 178 | 📍 Map |
| 7 | Earls Colne Fishing | Training2Care, Spitfire Dr, Earls Colne, Fishing CO6 2NS, UK | ★★★★☆ | 14 | 📍 Map |
| 8 | Oak Lakes Fisheries | Burnham Rd, Southminster CM0 7BJ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 131 | 📍 Map |
| 9 | Essex Leisure Fisheries | Colony Lakes, Hadleigh., Chapel Ln, Benfleet SS7 2PP, UK | ★★★★☆ | 6 | 📍 Map |
| 10 | Newland Hall Fishery | The Lodge, Newland Hall, Bishops Stortford Road, Roxwell, Chelmsford CM1 4LH, UK | ★★★★☆ | 175 | 📍 Map |
| 11 | Blind Lane Fishery | West Hanningfield, Chelmsford CM2 8UG, UK | ★★★★☆ | 130 | 📍 Map |
| 12 | Chigborough Farm Fisheries | Chigborough Rd, Heybridge, Maldon CM9 4RE, UK | ★★★★☆ | 297 | 📍 Map |
| 13 | Berners Hall Fishery | Berners Hall Farm, Ongar CM5 0TB, UK | ★★★★☆ | 66 | 📍 Map |
| 14 | Par Fishery | St. Marys Ln, West Horndon, Orsett, Brentwood RM14 3PB, UK | ★★★★☆ | 85 | 📍 Map |
| 15 | Forty Acre Plantation Lake | Goatsmoor Ln, Stock, Ingatestone CM4 9RS, UK | ★★★★☆ | 88 | 📍 Map |
| 16 | Birds Green Fishing Lakes | Birds Grn, Ongar CM5 0FL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 103 | 📍 Map |
| 17 | Crowsheath Fishery | Crowsheath Farm, Hawkswood Rd, Downham, Billericay CM11 1JT, UK | ★★★★☆ | 186 | 📍 Map |
| 18 | A12 Cuton Lakes Fishery | Cuton Lakes, Brook End Rd, Chelmer Village, Chelmsford CM2 6NX, UK | ★★★★☆ | 151 | 📍 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.
Gravel pits
The Lea, Chelmer and Stour valley pits
The pits along the river valleys are where Essex earned its reputation. Deep, mature and often clear, they hold big, wary fish and most are club or syndicate waters. Where there is a day ticket, expect to work for it.
Reservoirs
The big waters
Several of the county’s reservoirs allow carp fishing and hold fish that reflect the sheer amount of water and food. They are exposed and demanding, and suit an angler prepared to walk the bank and fish at range.
Commercials
The day-ticket lakes
Essex has a huge number of commercial fisheries, from small farm lakes to large complexes with facilities on the bank. They are heavily stocked and well kept, and the right place to start if the syndicate pits are out of reach.
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.