Venue guides · Nottinghamshire
Fishing Lakes Near Nottinghamshire
Seventeen 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 Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is Trent valley country and the Trent valley is one of the best carp-fishing corridors in England. The river’s floodplain from the Derbyshire border to the Lincolnshire line is dotted with gravel pits, several of them famous, and the county adds the Idle valley in the north, a network of canals and a strong spread of commercial fisheries.
The pits hold big fish and most are club or day-ticket; the commercials are reliable and plentiful. The M1, A1 and A46 mean almost everything is within forty minutes of Nottingham, Newark or Mansfield.
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 17 fisheries near Nottinghamshire, sorted by angler rating. Click any pin on the map or card for directions.
📋 Fishery Cards
1 Springvale Fishing Lakes ⭐ Top Rated
📍 Springvale Rd, Bevercotes, Newark NG22 0BT, UK
2 Cromwell Lake Carp Fishery
📍 Great N Rd, Cromwell, Newark NG23 6JE, UK
3 Bleasby Lake
📍 Sycamore Ln, Bleasby, Nottingham NG14 7GJ, UK
4 Barnstone Lakes Ltd
📍 Coach Gap Ln, Langar, Nottingham NG13 9HP, UK
5 Sapphire Lakes
📍 Norwell Ln, Cromwell, Newark NG23 6JQ, UK
6 Office Lake Fishery
📍 Hoveringham Lane, Thurgarton, Nottingham NG14 7HD, UK
7 Little John Lakes Ltd
📍 Maida Ln, New Ollerton, Newark NG22 9RG, UK
8 Hackett Lakes
📍 Sandy Ln, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham NG12 2PW, UK
9 Three Lakes in Shirebrook woods
📍 Longster Ln, Mansfield NG20 8XB, UK
10 Spion Kop Fishing Lakes
📍 Mosscar Bungalow, Mansfield NG20 0EG, UK
11 L Lake Carp Fisheries
📍 Lake Farm Rd, Rainworth, Mansfield NG21 0ED, UK
12 Portland Fishing Lakes
📍 Longhedge Ln, Sibthorpe, Newark NG23 5PN, UK
13 Sherwood Forest Fishery
📍 Mansfield NG21 9HL, UK
14 Lakeside Fishery
📍 Ranskill, Retford DN22 8LW, UK
15 Trent View fishery
📍 Gonalston Ln, Nottingham NG14 7JJ, UK
16 Moorgreen Reservoir Carp Fishery
📍 Willey Ln, Nottingham NG16 3QY, UK
17 Hayton Lakes
📍 Smeath Ln, Retford DN22 9JL, UK
📊 Full Fishery Table
| # | Fishery Name | Address | Rating | Reviews | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springvale Fishing Lakes | Springvale Rd, Bevercotes, Newark NG22 0BT, UK | ★★★★☆ | 208 | 📍 Map |
| 2 | Cromwell Lake Carp Fishery | Great N Rd, Cromwell, Newark NG23 6JE, UK | ★★★★☆ | 264 | 📍 Map |
| 3 | Bleasby Lake | Sycamore Ln, Bleasby, Nottingham NG14 7GJ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 24 | 📍 Map |
| 4 | Barnstone Lakes Ltd | Coach Gap Ln, Langar, Nottingham NG13 9HP, UK | ★★★★☆ | 35 | 📍 Map |
| 5 | Sapphire Lakes | Norwell Ln, Cromwell, Newark NG23 6JQ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 103 | 📍 Map |
| 6 | Office Lake Fishery | Hoveringham Lane, Thurgarton, Nottingham NG14 7HD, UK | ★★★★☆ | 66 | 📍 Map |
| 7 | Little John Lakes Ltd | Maida Ln, New Ollerton, Newark NG22 9RG, UK | ★★★★☆ | 110 | 📍 Map |
| 8 | Hackett Lakes | Sandy Ln, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham NG12 2PW, UK | ★★★★☆ | 130 | 📍 Map |
| 9 | Three Lakes in Shirebrook woods | Longster Ln, Mansfield NG20 8XB, UK | ★★★★☆ | 144 | 📍 Map |
| 10 | Spion Kop Fishing Lakes | Mosscar Bungalow, Mansfield NG20 0EG, UK | ★★★★☆ | 42 | 📍 Map |
| 11 | L Lake Carp Fisheries | Lake Farm Rd, Rainworth, Mansfield NG21 0ED, UK | ★★★★☆ | 47 | 📍 Map |
| 12 | Portland Fishing Lakes | Longhedge Ln, Sibthorpe, Newark NG23 5PN, UK | ★★★★☆ | 259 | 📍 Map |
| 13 | Sherwood Forest Fishery | Mansfield NG21 9HL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 111 | 📍 Map |
| 14 | Lakeside Fishery | Ranskill, Retford DN22 8LW, UK | ★★★★☆ | 120 | 📍 Map |
| 15 | Trent View fishery | Gonalston Ln, Nottingham NG14 7JJ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 304 | 📍 Map |
| 16 | Moorgreen Reservoir Carp Fishery | Willey Ln, Nottingham NG16 3QY, UK | ★★★★☆ | 81 | 📍 Map |
| 17 | Hayton Lakes | Smeath Ln, Retford DN22 9JL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 49 | 📍 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 Trent valley pits
The pits along the Trent are the county’s specimen waters: deep, mature and holding carp to well over thirty pounds on the best of them. Most are club or day-ticket, and they reward a full session and a marker rod.
Canals and rivers
The Trent and the cut
The Trent itself holds carp in its slower reaches and marinas, and the canals hold fish in the wider basins. Both are ideal for a mobile evening session with one rod.
Commercials
The day-ticket lakes
Nottinghamshire has plenty of well-run commercial fisheries around its towns. Heavily stocked and well kept, they are the dependable choice and a good place to start.
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.