Essex is a county in the East of England and offers anglers, coarse, carp, pike and trout fishing in various rivers, lakes, canals and reservoirs.
Day ticket fishing can be found on many of the commercial fisheries in Essex with some holding specimen carp and catfish and others stocked with mixed species ideal for pleasure fishing.
Trout anglers are catered for with catch and keep and catch and release fisheries containing Rainbow, Brown and other trout.
Angling clubs in Essex offer members and day ticket anglers the choice of good river fishing on waters such as the Blackwater, Stour, Roding, Pant and Wid.
The Chelmer and Blackwater Canal is also noted as a good water for pleasure fishing with species including carp, chub, bream, roach, rudd, tench, dace, gudgeon, perch, pike.
At time of writing angling clubs in Essex include Billericay and District Angling Club, Maldon Angling Society, Chelmsford AA and Kelvedon DAA. But we have to say that Essex has plenty more to offer for both novice and experienced anglers. Here’s some of the best fishing lakes the county has to offer!
Par Fishery: Brentwood
Set within over 12 acres of the beautiful Essex countryside, Par Fishery (located in Brentwood) has matured over the last 20 years and has become a “go-to” fishing hotspot for locals and beyond. At this fishery, there are 2 stunning lakes; one being the Tillingham lake (also known as the front lake) and the other being The Outlaw Pro Syndicate Lake.
So, let’s start with the first. Tillingham lake is approximately 4.5 acres in size and is the first lake you’ll come to when you enter the fishery. It has 13 decent-sized swims to take your pick from and most can accommodate a 2-man bivvy. This lake has a lot of overhanging trees and a fair amount of thick reed beds which is great because it gives the fish plenty of natural feeding areas and cover. On average, most fish weighing in at around 16-23lb but the current landing record stands at 32lb.
It’s not only a perfect home for carp but also inhabits around 30 Wels Catfish of which some weighing in at over 85lb. That’s not all though. The lake is also home to a variety of beautiful Perch, Roach, Rudd and Tench.
The Outlaw Pro Syndicate Lake is more engaging when compared to Tillingham with the average-sized carp weighing in at 20lb and a current lake record of 38lb.
The lake itself is around 4 acres in size and has 6 spacious swims to choose from giving anglers an abundance of open water to enjoy during their visit. And, just like the front lake, it has a lot of features to fish to, including overhanging trees and thick reed beds.
Oak Lakes Fisheries: Southminster
Oak Lakes fisheries have some of the most exciting and lively day-ticket fishing lakes in Essex. Well away from busy roads, these lakes provide a peaceful spot where you can fish for varieties of carp, tench, roach, perch, bream, catfish and pike. If you’re a carp fishing enthusiast, the Oak Lake and Pipe Lake are ideal, especially if you’re looking to land carp weighing over 30lbs and beyond.
There’s also the Predator Lake if you’re more of a fan of tackling pike or catfish and The Match Lake if you see yourself as a competitive angler. The Match Lake is over 2.5 acres in size, has 20 comfortably sized swims, 3 Islands and a depth of around 5ft to 6ft on average. The lake is also available for single tickets and group bookings and home matches take place on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month from March through to October.
So, whether you’re a seasoned carp angular looking for an exciting one-off day ticket venue or up for your next challenging match, there’s something for everyone at Oak Lakes Fisheries. If you opt for a day ticket, you can fish for an entire day starting from first light until dusk. Or you can buy a 24-hour ticket, bring your bivvy and stay overnight with night fishing available on all lakes.
Churchwood Fisheries: Brentwood
Located just on the outskirts of Brentwood lies this beautiful fishery consisting of 3 lakes called Jenkins, Churchwood and The Cat Lake. However, please be aware that fishing is only permitted on Jenkins and Churchwood with access to The Cat Lake only available to members. Access to all 3 lakes is also strictly controlled to ensure that the owners and anglers are not disturbed at any point.
The lakes are set within mature surroundings where anglers can often be joined by resident kingfishers, muntjac deer along with various other breeds of wildlife. Aside from the resident wildlife, however, all 3 lakes are stocked with a superb specimen of fish that both novice and experienced anglers would appreciate a like. On-site, facilities include toilets and showers, a fishing lodge and a takeaway food delivery option.
Newland Hall Fishery: Chelmsford
Situated just 4 miles west of Chelmsford, the Newland Hall Fishery and Country Estate and consists of a large Tudor manor house, picturesque gardens, a moat and 4 incredible fishing lakes that are surrounded by unspoilt countryside.
The 4 lakes at Newlands Hall Fishery (Osier Lake, Brook Lake, Moat Lake and Park Lake) are very well managed, heavily stocked and total approximately 10 acres. There is convenient parking close to the lakes with toilets and drinking water available.
Osiers Lake is a specialist carp water with only 8 carefully positioned swims. With common and mirror carp from 15Ib up to 35Ib+, it’s ideal for more experienced carp anglers looking for their next challenge. Brook Lake is also heavily stocked with common and mirror carp (up to 30lb). But there’s also a great selection of roach and tench too making this lake ideal for carp, match or pleasure fishing.
Moat Lake is very heavily stocked with common and mirror carp and roach. But the average size of fish is a bit smaller compared to Brook Lake. Nonetheless, it’s still perfect for both match and pleasure fishing. Park Lake is stocked to a similar density to Moat Lake with a high density of carp and roach, and therefore is perfect for pleasure fishing together with smaller scale matches.
So, as you can see, there really is something for everyone at Newlands Hall Fishery and why their lakes are such a worthy addition to our list of the best Essex fishing lakes.
Crowsheath Fishery: Billericay
Crowsheath Fishery is a picturesque venue in the Essex countryside (near Billericay). The three-lake complex has a spacious feel and features large grass banks and well-kept swims. The complex backs onto Hanningfield Reservoir and the surrounding nature reserve meaning there’s plenty of wildlife around including many species of birds.
The Main Lake contains about 350 carp averaging 18lb and at the right time of year, there are around 120 twenties present. There are 7 known 30lb carp and rumours of a 42lb+ too making it an incredibly exciting carp fishery.
There’s a catfish lake which currently holds the UK’s largest mandarin catfish which weighed in at 72lb+. There’s also a coarse and carp lake which is perfect for a spot of float fishing. The site has on-site toilets and showers, fresh water drinking taps, large bins (so you don’t have to take your rubbish home with you), and a secure car park that’s monitored by CCTV and floodlights.
Puddledock Farm Fishery: Upminster
Puddledock Farm Fishery is located on the outskirts of Ockendon in Upminster and has some of the finest fishing lakes in Essex. The four different lakes (Snake, Wood, Road and Islands) were created to offer a good mix of species in varied habitats with each lake designed to cater for novice, intermediate and experienced anglers. It also has a well-stocked bait and tackle shop on-site together with a café.
The Snake is a purpose-built 100-peg match lake that’s approximately 14 metres wide and 1.5 metres in depth. Regular matches are held every Wednesday and Sunday with an average winning weight topping the 100lb mark. Pleasure anglers also enjoy this lake as there’s carp up to 20lb, bream, tench, chub and roach and usually a secluded, peaceful spot available to cast from.
Wood is Puddledock Farm’s specimen lake which has an established wood backdrop. Mostly a carp lake, there’s a good head of fish around the 12lb to 18lb range but also some bigger specimens weighing up to 30lb+.
Road is a mixed-species lake and the most popular amongst anglers visiting Puddledock Farm. It has one long island up the centre, 20 metres from the bank, and a depth of roughly 1.6 metres which lends itself to feeder and waggler fishing. Islands were specifically designed to satisfy carp enthusiasts and an attractive carp-only lake that sits on the quiet end of the Puddledock Farm site. It features established hedgerows, is surrounded by dense woodland and is flanked by a stream.
Churchgate Lakes: Battlesbridge
Churchgate Lakes is set in a beautiful 20-acre estate in Battlesbridge. It’s a secluded venue in the heart of the Essex countryside and offers some of the finest fishing experiences in the county. The fishery comprises of 3 lakes of which all stocked with large fish and a diverse range of species.
There’s also an impressive angler’s lodge which serves hot and cold food and boasts stunning views over the surrounding complex. This makes Churchgate Lakes the ideal location to fish and socialise with fellow anglers. More importantly, let’s discuss the lakes!
The Top Lake is the newest addition to Churchgate and is 5 acres in size (bisected by 2 large islands). Most swims have platforms making this lake an ideal location for holding group and club matches. It holds over 500 double-figure caps, and huge shoals of bream together with tench and roach also making it perfect for pleasure fishing.
The Middle Lake is Churchgate’s dedicated specimen lake with fishing permitted for members only. The average weight of the resident carp is around 16lb, but plenty weigh in at over 20lb+. Multiple catches are common with many night anglers landing at least 5 20lb+ carp during a single night fishing session. Catfish (up to 40lb) are also present in the lake together with roach, perch, tench and rudd.
The Bottom Lake is ideal for smaller clubs and consists of 26 strong-level platforms that are both spacious and comfortable. The lake holds a large stock of bream with some anglers’ nets exceeding 120lb during each summer season. There’s also tench, roach, perch and rudd present in this lake making it perfect for small matches and pleasure fishing.
Brook Farm Fishery: Romford
Brook Farm Fishery is located in a beautiful rural location near Romford and was established over 22 years ago. The fishing lake is spread across two acres and depths range between 4ft and 14ft. It’s well stocked with a vast range of species including tench, roach, rudd, bream as large as 12 lb, and a variety of carp as large as 32lb, including mirrors, ghosts and crucians.
The main feature of the lake is the islands and there are no real snags as such so there’s certainly margin to be had (especially around the left-hand corner of the lake). On-site facilities included well-maintained male and female toilets, disabled access and a welcoming clubhouse that serves food and drink.
Colman’s Cottage Fishery: Witham
Coleman’s Cottage Fishery is a purpose-built fishery set in the Essex countryside near Witham. It’s located close to the bank of the River Blackwater and can be easily accessed via Colman’s Bridge on the nearby A12. The fishery comprises of 5 lakes (Copse Lake, Pathfield Lake, Wood Lake, Stepfield and Cottage Lake) and a section of the River Blackwater.
Copse Lake has 2 islands and is stocked with tench, bream, roach, rudd and carp to around 17lb making it perfect for pleasure fishing. Swims are positioned approximately 14 meters apart, with a total of 19 swims available to fish. Pathfield Lake has 1 long island that runs down the centre of the lake with a break in the middle and a few smaller islands. It’s a relatively shallow lake with depths varying between 3ft and 4ft 6ins and is stocked with carp (up to 10lb), bream, roach, tench, and rudd.
Unlike Pathfield, Wood Lake has numerous small islands down the centre of the lake. The average depth of the lake is around 5ft but there are some hidden depths of up to 6ft. It is stocked with a variety of species including carp, perch, tench, roach, rudd and bream. Stepfield is a more recently built lake that has 60 to 70 swims. This coarse fishing lake is stocked with carp, f1s, ide, tench, bream and brown goldfish. The average depth of the lake is around 6ft and 2ft down the margins.
All lakes are available for club and match bookings as well as corporates style events. On-site, facilities include a small tackle shop, a fully licensed restaurant, male and female toilets and facilities for disabled anglers.
Berners Hall Fishery: Ongar
Berners Hall Fishery located in Ongar offers 1 of the besting fishing experiences in Essex and has something for anglers of all levels. There are three lakes on the site (The Res, Meadow Lake and Poulton’s Lake) which are all suitable for beginners, seasoned anglers and advanced professionals looking for a personal best.
The Res has 24 swims spaced out across 24 acres of water. The depth of water does vary depending on the time of year, but generally, the deepest point is around 10ft-12ft. It has been impressively stocked with over 600 hand-selected carp (some of which weigh up to a whopping 40lb+) and just under 20 catfish, some of which the fishery has been growing in their stock lakes since 2006.
This has meant that the owners have been able to ensure that there’s a good cross-section of carp including clean commons, original pond mirrors, heavily scaled mirrors and linear carp.
Meadow Lake was purposely designed and build with carp anglers in mind and is sheltered between the River Roding and the reservoir. It has 5 well-looked after wood chipped swims that are socially positioned along 1 bank with plenty of features and opposite bank fishing available. Similar to The Res, Meadow Lake is stocked with the same species of carp up to sizes of 30lb+.
Poulton’s Lake is also sheltered between the River Roding and reservoir and is located directly next to Meadow Lake. It’s the smallest lake out of all 3 and is around 1 acre in size. It offers a more intimate fishing experience compared to the other lakes and is great for stalking and floater fishing. However, please note that this lake only has 2 swims and is only available to fish through the exclusive hire.
