Sywell Country Park

Sywell Reservoir sits inside Sywell Country Park near Ecton, Northamptonshire. It’s a single, sizeable water of about 67 acres, or 28 hectares, with a fair bit of history behind it. Built in Edwardian times and opened in 1906, it originally supplied water to Rushden and Higham Ferrers.

• 1 lake: Sywell Reservoir
• Fish: tench, pike
• Tickets from: Full-season ticket, 1 April to 31 March — £100
• Find it: Sywell · NN6 0QX

Based on how each lake is set up — not a ranking.

Sywell Reservoir sits inside Sywell Country Park near Ecton, Northamptonshire. It’s a single, sizeable water of about 67 acres, or 28 hectares, with a fair bit of history behind it. Built in Edwardian times and opened in 1906, it originally supplied water to Rushden and Higham Ferrers. These days it’s no longer used as a drinking-water supply, but it remains a proper country-park venue with plenty to think about before you pack the gear.

The big pull is the tench fishing. Sywell is recognised as a leading tench fishery, with many double-figure fish caught each season and tench exceeding 12 lb caught in recent years. That’s serious green and gold territory. If you’re planning a tench campaign, take time to understand the water, watch how the weed is changing and speak to the bailiff about where fish have been showing before setting up.

There’s a cracking pike angle too. Pike over 30 lb have been caught historically, while a 20 lb fish is described as a more realistic current target. Pike fishing, including lure fishing, is allowed from 1 October to 31 March only. Live baiting is prohibited, pike rigs must use a wire trace and semi-barbed trebles are permitted for pike fishing, so get the unhooking side properly sorted before you arrive.

Weed is the main feature — and the main faff. The reservoir can become very weedy, with some areas unfishable. Be ready to check the swim carefully, keep leads and rigs sensible, and move if the spot is properly choked. Three rods are allowed, although this can be reduced to two when directed during weedy conditions. A landing net of at least 30 inches, unhooking mat and forceps are required, with fixed leads prohibited. Only semi-fixed or sliding leads are allowed.

Access needs sorting well in advance. Fishing is by season ticket only, with no day tickets, and collection must be arranged by appointment. The council states that permits are currently not being issued for the season because of reservoir improvement works, so check the position before making a trip. When available, a full-season ticket is £100 for 1 April to 31 March, while half-season tickets are £50. Full-season concession tickets are £50, and under-16s fish free but still need a season ticket. Bring a passport photo, cash payment and a valid Environment Agency rod licence.

The park is open 24 hours, although vehicle access gates are locked at 8pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and reopen at 6am. Night fishing is allowed, but sessions are limited to two nights. Drab-coloured bivvies and brollies are okay if they don’t obstruct paths; tents are not allowed. Expect uneven grass, mud and slopes, with no artificial fishing platforms, so proper footwear is bob on. There’s a café, visitor centre, accessible toilets, play areas and paid parking, while fishing tickets include car parking.

Good background reading. Most of it is a few years old, so treat it as a starting point and ask on the day.

Videos linked by the fishery

• Our read

  Checked Sept '26 — “Sywell Reservoir is a proper Northamptonshire tench water, with double-figure fish reported each season and a solid pike reputation too. It’s season-ticket only, though the council says permits are currently not being issued while reservoir improvement works are under way.”

This is our own summary of recurring public feedback and the venue details we checked, not a copied customer review or a promise you’ll catch. Feedback changes, so we keep it separate from the Tackle Index score.