River Great Ouse – Carlton Road, Felmersham

The lowdown

• There’s approximately 1,000 yards of river to consider here, all following a long sweeping bend. That’s the basic shape of the stretch, with a mix of water rather than one uniform glide.
• The slower glides are worth a look if you fancy a bit of trotting. Treat that as an approach to try, rather than a promise about pace or depth in any particular swim.
• Wider sections and faster runs add another option. Have a look at how the flow differs before settling on a peg; the stretch description gives you both slower and quicker water to work with.
• Overhanging trees and bushes provide the far-bank features. If fishing towards that cover appeals, those are the features to assess when choosing your swim, rather than simply aiming at the opposite bank.
• The club names roach, chub, barbel, tench, perch and pike here. That’s a proper mixed line-up, so there’s scope to choose your target rather than treating Carlton Road as a single-species stretch.
• There are some notable fish mentioned too: perch exceeding 3 lb, tench exceeding 6 lb and double-figure barbel have been reported. Lovely possibilities, but those figures aren’t a promise of what your session will produce.
• Summer and autumn can bring heavily overgrown banks, with nettles making things a bit of a faff. The club advises members to bring suitable equipment to clear a swim if required.
• A car park is a short walk from the river. Sort access before heading over, though: visitors need a member-arranged guest ticket, not an unrestricted public day ticket bought on a whim.

Methods: Trotting is an option to consider on the slower glides, with a feeder another approach to weigh up around the wider sections and faster runs. Choose your swim around the flow and far-bank cover, then match your approach to your target fish.

Access & tickets

Apply through Verulam Angling Club’s 2026–27 new-member form; the published membership season is June 16, 2026 to June 15, 2027, subject to availability. Members arranging guest tickets online must allow at least 48 hours for processing, payment and membership verification; more than one guest ticket per member is permitted on the Great Ouse.

Fish the club names

roach, chub, barbel, tench, perch, pike

Key rules

• Visitors must use member-arranged guest tickets rather than unrestricted public day tickets.
• Members remain responsible for their guests throughout the visit.
• More than one guest per member is permitted on the Great Ouse fisheries.
• Allow at least 48 hours for online guest-ticket requests to be processed.
• Payment must be received before a guest ticket is issued.
• The club’s 2025 guide requires members to carry their membership documents, rule book and valid EA rod licence.

River level

Where it is