Venue guides · Gloucestershire
Fishing Lakes Near Gloucestershire
Twelve 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 Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire has one of the largest concentrations of gravel pits in Europe. The Cotswold Water Park on the Wiltshire border is a landscape of more than a hundred lakes, many of them stocked with carp and run as club, syndicate or day-ticket fisheries, and the Severn vale to the west adds estate lakes, canals and commercial complexes.
The Water Park pits are deep, clear and mature, and the best of them hold very big fish; the vale waters are softer and easier. The M5 runs the length of the county and the A417 and A419 link it to the Water Park, so most venues are within an hour of Gloucester, Cheltenham or Swindon.
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 12 fisheries near Gloucestershire, sorted by angler rating. Click any pin on the map or card for directions.
📋 Fishery Cards
1 Ham Pool Lake ⭐ Top Rated
📍 South Cerney, Cirencester GL7 5UQ, UK
2 Cherry Lakes
📍 Wildmoorway Ln, Cirencester GL7 5UZ, UK
3 Churn Pool Fishery
📍 Cerney Wick Ln, Cirencester GL7 5LW, UK
4 Matson Anglers
📍 Matson Ln, Matson, Gloucester GL4 6DX, UK
5 Walters Lake
📍 Lake, 15 Wickwater Ln, Cirencester GL7 5RL, UK
6 Harescombe Fishery
📍 Harescombe, Gloucester GL4 0XD, UK
7 Farriers Lake - The Carp Society
📍 Wickwater Ln, Cirencester GL7 5RL, UK
8 Steam Mills Lake (Royal Forest of Dean Angling Club)
📍 Cinderford GL14 3JJ, UK
9 Elton Carp & Catfish Lakes
📍 Elton Farm, Littledean Road, Newnham GL14 1JU, UK
10 Tirley Court Pete’s Lake
📍 B4213, Gloucester GL19 4EX, UK
11 Burley Fields Lake
📍 Leckhampton Ln, Shurdington, Cheltenham GL51 4XT, UK
12 Forest carp lake
📍 Coleford GL16 7QR, UK
📊 Full Fishery Table
| # | Fishery Name | Address | Rating | Reviews | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ham Pool Lake | South Cerney, Cirencester GL7 5UQ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 15 | 📍 Map |
| 2 | Cherry Lakes | Wildmoorway Ln, Cirencester GL7 5UZ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 117 | 📍 Map |
| 3 | Churn Pool Fishery | Cerney Wick Ln, Cirencester GL7 5LW, UK | ★★★★☆ | 21 | 📍 Map |
| 4 | Matson Anglers | Matson Ln, Matson, Gloucester GL4 6DX, UK | ★★★★☆ | 24 | 📍 Map |
| 5 | Walters Lake | Lake, 15 Wickwater Ln, Cirencester GL7 5RL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 17 | 📍 Map |
| 6 | Harescombe Fishery | Harescombe, Gloucester GL4 0XD, UK | ★★★★☆ | 167 | 📍 Map |
| 7 | Farriers Lake - The Carp Society | Wickwater Ln, Cirencester GL7 5RL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 6 | 📍 Map |
| 8 | Steam Mills Lake (Royal Forest of Dean Angling Club) | Cinderford GL14 3JJ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 61 | 📍 Map |
| 9 | Elton Carp & Catfish Lakes | Elton Farm, Littledean Road, Newnham GL14 1JU, UK | ★★★★☆ | 59 | 📍 Map |
| 10 | Tirley Court Pete’s Lake | B4213, Gloucester GL19 4EX, UK | ★★★☆☆ | 19 | 📍 Map |
| 11 | Burley Fields Lake | Leckhampton Ln, Shurdington, Cheltenham GL51 4XT, UK | ★★★☆☆ | 54 | 📍 Map |
| 12 | Forest carp lake | Coleford GL16 7QR, UK | ★★★☆☆ | 2 | 📍 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 Cotswold Water Park
The Water Park is a carp angler’s playground: dozens of lakes within a few miles, ranging from heavily stocked day-ticket waters to syndicate pits with a handful of very big fish. Bars, plateaux and clear water make feature-finding essential.
Estate lakes
The Severn vale waters
To the west, the vale has older, softer waters: estate lakes, canal-side pools and farm ponds that fish best in the warmer months. They are quieter than the Water Park and suit a short, mobile session.
Commercials
The day-ticket complexes
Around Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud the commercial fisheries give a dependable day. Well stocked and well run, they are the right first stop if the Water Park syndicates 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.