Every now and again in this fishing life you come across a place that ticks all the boxes. For me, as I approached my 70th birthday last year, I was after a fishery that I could book exclusively for the week which would cater for the wide and varied angling tastes of my fishing friends. These ranged from the died in the wool carpers through to match fishing types and all rounders like myself. I wanted somewhere that was lightly fished where I could catch decent tench on the float, some nice crucians and where the carp fishing was intimate with stalking in edge a real possibility. Not much to ask you may think until you start to look.

I guess I could have booked a French lake but these tend to be carp, carp and more carp which frankly bores me to death. Tropical locations would have been fun but only for a few as not all of my fishing friends have the inclination to spend their hard earned cash travelling to far off places in search of bent rods and screaming reels. So I was keen to also celebrate my big birthday year in home waters. For me, late springtime in England is a fabulous time of year. The countryside comes to life and the fish have woken up and are usually keen to oblige. Best of all it’s prime time for tench and crucians, my two favourite stillwater species.

The problem was how to find a fishery that could accommodate 30 anglers, in groups of up to six at a time, over a week in May. As luck would have it I stumbled across the perfect place in the Cotswold Water Park just 45 minutes from my home in Reading. Netherwood Lakes is owned by Tim Marks, who I knew from the old days of the National Association of Specialist Anglers, and Russell Griffiths who was developing the smaller pond as a bespoke crucian venue and who had invited me down for a visit and some advice. With two lakes, an onsite cabin, electric supply and running water, secure parking, a nearby pub and a Chinese takeaway that delivers, this place ticked all the boxes and more. Best of all it had only been lightly fished in recent years following restocking and refurbishment and held good numbers of sizeable tench, roach and carp in the main lake and tench, roach and crucians in the smaller pool.

With the water booked and the invites mailed out all I had to do was wait for the replies. The fishing was to be my treat but guests were encouraged to bring me some bait and a bit of grub to throw on the BBQ. I was going to be there all week cooking breakfasts, socialising and hopefully catching plenty of fish. So a constant supply of food and fresh bait was clearly going to be helpful. In no time at all the responses came in and the spreadsheet soon filled up as 29 of the mad keen anglers that I’m fortunate to have as fishing friends booked their slots in what we hoped would be a fish-filled week of fun. And so it turned with near perfect weather and some lovely sport for all who came. Carp to mid-twenties were caught stalking and off the top, particularly by the irrepressible Andy Cowley and Matt Webb. Keith Horsley from Nottingham Piscatorials, a man who has helped me to some of the greatest barbel fishing of my life, had the best of the tench fishing with nine fish to over six pounds on the float in the first morning. My travelling companions, Keith Elliot, Mark Edwards, Adrian Palmer and Dave Lewis swapped their game rods for coarse tackle and had some lovely tench and crucians. My own fishing was very enjoyable with 26 tench for the week along with a few nuisance carp which put an alarming bend in my Drennan tench float rod but nonetheless eventually ended up safely in the landing net.

With two Campervans, a BBQ stove and a cabin kitchen on site catering was pretty straightforward and nobody wanted for much. I really enjoyed spending this time with my fishing mates, so much so that we organised a return trip for 2025.

Return to Netherwood

It was clear that my friends shared my enthusiasm for Netherwood and I had no trouble filling the places for this year’s expedition to the Cotswolds. Some just came for the day, others for a couple of nights in either the cabin, a campervan or bivvy. We had the now ‘traditional’ BBQ on the Thursday night brilliantly organised by my friend Dan Garner from South Cerney Angling Club.

Unlike 2024 when we had fabulous weather all week Sod’s Law dictated that the only storm of an otherwise record dry Spring should coincide with the first few days of our trip. Luckily the size and configurations of the two lakes meant it was possible to escape the worst of the 40mph winds which, in any case, had subsided by the Tuesday evening. We were a bit later in the season this time which might explain why the tench fishing in the margins was a lot slower this year. This was in marked contrast to area in the middle of the lake, reachable only by a feeder, which was producing multiple catches of up to 16 fish in a session. This told us that maybe the tench were starting to group up ready to spawn. I made sure that the going swim was shared by those after tench so the goodies were well spread around the group. We did catch elsewhere, including a new lake record of 7.02, but not in the numbers previously experienced.

Great fun was had by those choosing to fish on the smaller Crucian lake with plenty of bonny fish up to around two pounds which were interspersed by modest but fun sized tench. The carp anglers did well again with fish to 35.12, again a new lake record, caught inevitably by my friend Matt Webb who has clearly developed an affinity with the place. The weather this time was not conducive to catching much off the top but a good few fish in the 20lbs + bracket were caught by careful stalking in the edge. And that’s the beauty of a place like Netherwood – it’s possible accommodate so many different styles of fishing all at the same time.

Future Bookings

Whilst it goes without saying that we immediately booked a prime week in May 2026 for our third visit we did have some conversations with Russell as to how he might choose to manage the water going forward. Basically the lakes are his back garden and have been immaculately maintained and developed. There’s a secure otter fence around the whole site and once that gate is closed it’s like entering a little piece of paradise. Obviously, these places cost money to run and Russell needs to generate some income but in reality if he could keep it just to himself and a few mates he would. And who can blame him?

We’ve helped Russell develop a marketing strategy for the fishery that will hopefully keep angling pressure to sensible levels and retain the charm of the place. There’s now a Facebook page and email address and I’ve included the relevant details below.

If a well managed mixed fishery in beautiful surroundings is what you are after then I strongly recommend you give Netherwood a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Martin Salter

July 2025

Netherwood Lakes – Information

Background 

Netherwood Lakes are situated on the western edge of the Cotswold Water Park near the picturesque village of Somerford Keynes close to the Upper Thames. They are among the oldest lakes in the Park having first been dug for their gravel in the 1950’s. There are two beautiful lakes set in secure landscaped grounds. The main lake is around six acres in total with plenty of features including islands, lily-fringed bays, points and peninsulas. The depths vary from three to eight feet and bottom is a mixture of sand, silt and hard gravel with healthy weed growth offering sanctuary and protection for the fish. 

The smaller lake is a little over an acre and has been recently re-profiled and restocked with aim of creating a bespoke crucian and tench fishery. It also holds a good head of roach. 

The lakes were originally managed as a successful carp fishery up until they suffered considerable predation from recently released otters in the area. A full scale otter fence was installed followed by a successful restocking programme. For the last five years the lakes have been very lightly fished and will continue to be managed sensitively to minimise fishing pressure and protect the special nature of the site.

Facilities 

The owner lives on site in one of the two onsite cabins but the other is available for use by guests and can sleep up to four people in the two bedrooms. It has a bathroom and shower, a fully equipped kitchen and lounge and a bbq area. There is also a separate toilet at the other end of the property beside the lake. 

The cabin is ideal for friends sharing or a family and perfect for those wishing to escape from their bivvies for a hot meal or a shower! 

Fish Stocks

The main lake has a good stock of both common and mirror carp which benefit from over-winter feeding and are averaging in the low twenties with a handful now making 30lbs. The lake record came out in May 2025 at 35.12 and it surely won’t be long before we see the first Netherwood Forty! 

In addition to the carp there are numerous tench to 7lbs+ with individual catches of 20 plus fish recorded in a session. Whilst feeder tactics will work in some swims the tench fishing at Netherwood harks back to a bygone age of raked swims, bubbling fish next to lily pads and quivering and slowly rising floats before the rod arches over and another hard fighting fish heads for the roots. 

There are also some quality roach and a few pike to be had along with plenty perch. 

The small lake is best suited to light float tactics targeting splendid crucians to over 2lbs and tench to around 4lbs as well the numerous roach.

Booking Info:

– Netherwood Lakes is open for 40 weeks of the year from April until December but to protect the fishery it will only be fished around 50% of the time.

– No day tickets.

– Weekday bookings run from Monday to Thursday.

– Long weekend bookings of three nights are available where the schedule allows. 

• For the keen carp fishers a maximum of four anglers is recommended to allow for bivvying up and stalking on the main lake. 

• For other groups wanting a mixed fishing experience six or seven anglers can be accommodated across both lakes. 

• Youngsters under 17 must be supervised at all times near the water.

• Prices on request 

• Contact: email us at netherwoodlakes@gmail.com or message us via Facebook