East of England · county guide
Fishing in
Essex.
14 lakes, rivers and fisheries in Essex — mapped with species, facilities and day-ticket prices, ranked by live catch reports.
Top venues
The best fishing venues in Essex
Ranked by data quality — venues with full species, facility and pricing info first.
Berners Hall Fishery
Fyfield
Berners Hall Fishery at Fyfield near Ongar in Essex is a serious carp and catfish venue built around three waters: a 24 acre reservoir known as The Res plus two newer purpose built carp lakes, marketed as holding more than 850 carp. Over thirty fish top 30lb, headed by a mirror known as Rambo at around 44lb, and the catfish run to roughly 70lb. Listed session prices start at £35 for 24 hours with three rods, with advance booking required, and an on site Total Fishing Tackle shop covers forgotten essentials.
Listed 24hr from £35 (3 rods), confirm with the fishery
Brookhall Lake
Tolleshunt Knights · CO5 0RN
Four-acre coarse venue near Tiptree, Essex with 50 pegs, holding carp to 29lb, bream to 7lb, tench to 8lb and plentiful roach. Match record 191lb.
Micklem Mere
Great Waltham · CM3 1DZ
Micklem Mere in Chelmsford, Essex is a former trout syndicate roughly 7 acres in size, believed to hold around 200 carp with the lake record at 28lb plus tench, roach and rudd.
Norton Fishery
Lambourne · RM4 1SJ
Carp-and-pike water at Lambourne in Epping Forest district, west Essex. Sits within easy reach of the M11 and M25, with on-site shower facilities for anglers running longer sessions or trips over from London.
Silver End Back Pit
Silver End · CM8 3ZE
Silver End Back Pit is a private 5.5-acre water in Silver End, Essex, holding rudd, roach, perch, crucian, tench, bream and carp to 35lb plus pike to 20lb+.
Silver End Front Pit
Silver End · CM8 3ZE
Silver End Front Pit is a private mature 3-acre gravel pit in Essex, holding rudd, roach, perch, crucian, tench, bream and carp to 35lb plus pike to 20lb+.
Southend Farm Fishing Lakes
Waltham Abbey · EN9 3SE
Broads Green
Great Waltham · CM3 1DZ
Chigborough Carp Syndicate
Heybridge · CM9 8FJ
Church Langley Fishery
Harlow, unparished area · CM17 9PB
HSC
Epping · CM16 4PE
Orchard Complex
Alresford · CO7 8AW
More fishing venues in Essex
Species
What you can catch in Essex
Species aggregated from venue records across Essex. Browse the full UK species guide.
Do I need a licence to fish in Essex?
Anyone aged 13 or over fishing freshwater in Essex needs an Environment Agency rod licence — £36.80/year for a 2-rod trout and coarse licence, day licences from £7.30. Buy at gov.uk/fishing-licences. Most venues also charge a day ticket on top.
Fishing in Essex: FAQ
There are 14 mapped fishing venues in Essex on GilledIt, from day-ticket commercial fisheries to club waters and free spots. Well-known venues include Berners Hall Fishery, Brookhall Lake, Micklem Mere. Open the map or browse the list above to find the closest water to you.
Anyone aged 13 or over fishing freshwater in Essex needs an Environment Agency rod licence — £36.80/year for a 2-rod trout and coarse licence, day licences from £7.30. Buy at gov.uk/fishing-licences. Most venues also charge a day ticket on top.
The most commonly stocked and reported species across Essex venues are carp, pike, roach, tench, catfish, bream. Check each venue page for its full species list.
Several Essex venues offer walk-on day tickets; check individual venue pages for pricing, or browse the UK day-ticket directory.
Open the GilledIt app and the map centres on your location with every Essex venue marked — filter by species, day ticket and facilities, and see live catch reports before you drive out.
See live catch reports across Essex
What came out this week, on what bait, at which venue. GilledIt is free on iOS and Android.
More: Fishing spots near me · Carp lakes near me · All East of England venues · Full UK directory