Fishing Guide: Welwyn Garden City

Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City
Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City (Image credit: Angler's Mail)

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Head to Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City for an excellent fishing spot. Controlled by Welwyn Garden City AC, 16-acre South Lake has fishing all round except for the area marked. It has carp to 33 lb 14 oz with a good head of 20 lb-plus fish, bream to 7 lb, tench 6 lb and perch, roach, rudd and crucians to 1 lb 8 oz. There are a few pole only and disabled-friendly pegs by the shop. On the same ticket there’s a stretch of the River Lee that has barbel, chub, carp, roach and bream.

TACTICS: Leger hair-rigged boilies, big halibut pellets or corn for the bigger carp. Alternatively use feeder or Method feeder. For bream and a few tench, feeder fish mini boilies or a redworm tipped with a maggot or a caster. Tench can show to float fished corn. Float fish maggot, caster or small soft pellet for nice catches of silver fish. No feeding of floating baits, no tiger nuts, and no baitboats allowed.

GOOD SWIMS: Peg 5 and the Oak Tree swim opposite are noted for big carp. Pegs 1 to 4 are pole only, but have produced carp to 31 lb.

TICKETS: £6 per day; £3 registered disabled, OAPs and under-16s, from the self-service machine on the way in. Fishing dawn until dusk only. On-site Leisure Park parking is £1.70 midweek or £2.70 at weekends. Welwyn Garden City AC is an open club and covers lots of other waters. Membership: adults £72.50; concessions £20 subject to terms and conditions. No keepnets, barbless hooks only, disabled access, toilets. Café and restaurant on-site. Enquiries: 07530 971634. Thames byelaws. Open all year.

LOCAL TACKLE SHOP: On-site Lakeside Tackle and Bait, AL8 6DQ. Tel: 07530 971634.

LOCATION: From J4 A1(M)  go to the first roundabout. The lakes are clearly visible at the bottom of the hill, on the left.

SAT NAV: AL8 6DQ.

Angler's Mail

Running from 1964 until 2020, Angler's Mail was the UK's leading weekly magazine devoted to coarse fishing, telling readers everything they needed to know about which fish to catch, where to catch them, and what kit they needed to do it. Now, loads of the magazine's expert advice can be found on Advnture.com, as a helpful resource for angling newcomers and experts alike.