A major city in the north of England, Leeds is ideally placed to offer excellent access to many fine and popular fisheries. Served by the main motorway network and a lively and vibrant city, Leeds is surprisingly close to some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK.
- Knotford Lagoon
- Waterloo Lake – Roundhay Park
- Washburn Valley Reservoirs
- Chippies Quarry
- Clayton Wood Ponds
- None Go Bye Farm
- Kippax Park
- Swillington Park Fishery
- Spring End Farm Fishery
- Yeadon Tarn
- Leeds & Liverpool Canal Yorkshire
- Eric’s Willows Lake
- Middleton Ponds
The M62 an A1M converge close to Leeds giving easy access north to south, and east to west, and some of the fisheries occupy quite spectacular locations thanks to the Pennine Hills. We’ve picked out three of the best fisheries in the locality.
Washburn Valley Reservoirs offers some of the best fishing in Leeds with access to three reservoirs in the simply glorious surroundings of the Washburn Valley. Owned and managed by Yorkshire Water, the facility is simple to reach from Leeds and neighbouring towns. Swinsty Reservoir offers excellent access for disabled anglers, and together the three wates cover almost 300 acres. Popular with fly and coarse anglers, brown and rainbow trout of 14lbs have been caught here but be aware that coarse fishing is only available on Swinsty Reservoir. We do not have details of the coarse species in Swinsty Reservoir. Parking is available and toilets are on site.
While not strictly one of the Leeds fishing lakes the 3-mile stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Sandbeds offers some of the best carp fishing in Leeds. With a good head of carp, bream, tench, roach, and pike, the water is suitable for all ages and experience, and is a pleasant and quiet place to fish with spacious pegs. Close to the main road, it also caters for the disabled and those with limited mobility. The fishery is open to both members and day ticket buyers, and tickets are available from the local tackle and bait shop. Pike and carp are in double figures with 25lbs not unusual, while other coarse species tend to be around the 3lbs to 8lbs mark. Good toilet facilities are on site and be aware that parking is limited to a few spaces by the side of the road.
Offering great fishing in Leeds City Centre, Middleton Ponds is a fishery popular with locals and families thanks to easy access. Located in a beautiful park, the fishing lake is just one of the facilities that can be enjoyed here. Free to fish if you have a licence, carp in the pond reach 15lbs, there are tench to 5lbs, and smaller roach and dace. This is a perfect place to introduce children to angling. The lake is accessible to disabled anglers, and while facilities at the lake itself are limited the park café is just a short distance away. The park has parking facilities on site.
The above are just a few of the many fisheries in and around Leeds and it is worth checking out more.