Venue guides · Hertfordshire
Fishing Lakes Near Hertfordshire
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 Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is boxed in by the M25 on one side and the M1 and A1(M) on the others, and inside that box is a surprising amount of water. The Lea valley on the eastern edge and the Colne valley on the western edge are both lined with gravel pits, the Grand Union Canal runs through the west, and there is a strong spread of commercial fisheries in between.
The valley pits have a long carp-fishing history and most are club or syndicate, with big fish and hard-earned bites. The commercials are the opposite: stocked, sociable and dependable. Almost everything is within forty minutes of north London.
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 Hertfordshire, sorted by angler rating. Click any pin on the map or card for directions.
📋 Fishery Cards
1 Hook Lake ⭐ Top Rated
📍 Hook Ln, Potters Bar EN6 4DA, UK
2 Tumbling Bay Fishing Ltd
📍 Tumbling Bay Weir, Ware SG12 7AW, UK
3 North Met Lake
📍 Cheshunt, Waltham Cross EN8 9AJ, UK
4 Ted Whiteman Waters
📍 Common Rd, Langford, Biggleswade SG18 9SA, UK
5 Lakes Farm Fishery
📍 Stanford Ln, Clifton, Shefford SG17 5EU, UK
6 Alcove Syndicate Carp Fishery
📍 Unnamed Road, 9QX, Biggleswade SG18 9JH, UK
7 Woodlands Lake
📍 Unnamed Road, Enfield EN2 9HH, UK
8 Cassiobury Farm and Fishery
📍 Rousebarn Ln, Croxley Green, Watford, Rickmansworth WD3 3GG, UK
9 Claverhambury Carp Lakes
📍 Claverhambury Farm, Claverhambury Rd, Waltham Abbey EN9 2BL, UK
10 Rib Valley Fishing Lakes
📍 Westmill Farm, Ware, Hertfordshire, Westmill Farm, Paynes Hall, Ware SG12 0ES, UK
11 Manor House Farm Lake
📍 Manor House Farm, Church Ln, Broxbourne EN10 7QH, UK
12 Southend Farm Fishing Lakes
📍 Southend Ln, Waltham Abbey EN9 3SE, UK
13 Moor Mill Fishery
📍 Hyde Ln, St Albans AL2 2JL, UK
14 Croxley Hall Fisheries.
📍 Croxley Hall Farm, Croxley Hall Farm Rd, Rickmansworth WD3 3BQ, UK
15 Holyfield Fishery
📍 Fishers Green Cottage, Holyfield, Waltham Abbey EN9 2ED, UK
16 Waterside Fishery
📍 Latimer Rd, Chesham HP5 1QQ, UK
📊 Full Fishery Table
| # | Fishery Name | Address | Rating | Reviews | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hook Lake | Hook Ln, Potters Bar EN6 4DA, UK | ★★★★★ | 2 | 📍 Map |
| 2 | Tumbling Bay Fishing Ltd | Tumbling Bay Weir, Ware SG12 7AW, UK | ★★★★★ | 3 | 📍 Map |
| 3 | North Met Lake | Cheshunt, Waltham Cross EN8 9AJ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 15 | 📍 Map |
| 4 | Ted Whiteman Waters | Common Rd, Langford, Biggleswade SG18 9SA, UK | ★★★★☆ | 24 | 📍 Map |
| 5 | Lakes Farm Fishery | Stanford Ln, Clifton, Shefford SG17 5EU, UK | ★★★★☆ | 19 | 📍 Map |
| 6 | Alcove Syndicate Carp Fishery | Unnamed Road, 9QX, Biggleswade SG18 9JH, UK | ★★★★☆ | 16 | 📍 Map |
| 7 | Woodlands Lake | Unnamed Road, Enfield EN2 9HH, UK | ★★★★☆ | 22 | 📍 Map |
| 8 | Cassiobury Farm and Fishery | Rousebarn Ln, Croxley Green, Watford, Rickmansworth WD3 3GG, UK | ★★★★☆ | 179 | 📍 Map |
| 9 | Claverhambury Carp Lakes | Claverhambury Farm, Claverhambury Rd, Waltham Abbey EN9 2BL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 113 | 📍 Map |
| 10 | Rib Valley Fishing Lakes | Westmill Farm, Ware, Hertfordshire, Westmill Farm, Paynes Hall, Ware SG12 0ES, UK | ★★★★☆ | 210 | 📍 Map |
| 11 | Manor House Farm Lake | Manor House Farm, Church Ln, Broxbourne EN10 7QH, UK | ★★★★☆ | 13 | 📍 Map |
| 12 | Southend Farm Fishing Lakes | Southend Ln, Waltham Abbey EN9 3SE, UK | ★★★★☆ | 213 | 📍 Map |
| 13 | Moor Mill Fishery | Hyde Ln, St Albans AL2 2JL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 48 | 📍 Map |
| 14 | Croxley Hall Fisheries. | Croxley Hall Farm, Croxley Hall Farm Rd, Rickmansworth WD3 3BQ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 24 | 📍 Map |
| 15 | Holyfield Fishery | Fishers Green Cottage, Holyfield, Waltham Abbey EN9 2ED, UK | ★★★★☆ | 41 | 📍 Map |
| 16 | Waterside Fishery | Latimer Rd, Chesham HP5 1QQ, UK | ★★★☆☆ | 59 | 📍 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 and Colne valley pits
The pits on either edge of the county are mature, weedy and full of features, and hold big, wary carp. Most are club or syndicate; where a day ticket exists it is worth the money, but treat it as a full-session water.
Canal
The Grand Union
The canal through the west of the county holds carp in the wider basins and the stretches around Rickmansworth and Kings Langley. It is ideal for an evening with one rod and a bucket, and the fish are rarely targeted.
Commercials
The day-ticket lakes
Hertfordshire has plenty of well-run commercial fisheries around its towns. Heavily stocked and well kept, they are the right first choice for a beginner or a short session.
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.