River Thames — Romney Island, Windsor

The lowdown

• There’s roughly half a mile of Thames here, with over 40 swims. That’s a fair bit of bank to choose from, but keep your fishing to the designated swims rather than squeezing into an unofficial spot.
• Two weirs are the headline features. Alongside the deep holes, bars and gravel runs, they give this stretch more to get your head round than a simple row of interchangeable pegs.
• The deep holes are worth keeping in mind when choosing your swim. No exact depths are given, so don’t arrive with a fixed picture of what every peg will offer.
• Bars and gravel runs add another angle to the swim choice. They’re named features of the fishery, not a peg-by-peg guide, so there’s no need to pin your whole session on an imagined hotspot.
• Barbel and chub are a proper draw: reported catches from 2018/19 included fish of 14lb 10oz and 8lb 5oz respectively. Those are historical catches, mind, rather than a promise about your next bite.
• Bream, pike and carp round out the named species. The same 2018/19 catch reports included bream of 11lb 10oz and pike of 22lb 10oz — cracking fish, with the dates kept firmly attached.
• The members’ car park is about a minute’s walk away, which keeps the access nice and straightforward. Use its left side, display your parking permit and only park there while you’re fishing.
• Planning a longer session? The published limit is 48 hours per swim, with no more than three rods. That stay limit isn’t an explicit night-fishing permission, so get the overnight arrangements straight with Still Water Leisure.

Methods: The deep holes, bars and gravel runs are the features to build your approach around. The supplied fishery details don’t specify particular bait or method recommendations.

Access & tickets

Still Water Leisure advertises a 2026/27 membership application on the Romney Island website; the published application requires a passport photograph. Check the current fee before applying, as the priced form supplied is for 2025/26.

Fish the club names

barbel, chub, bream, pike, carp

Key rules

• Maximum stay of 48 hours per swim; maximum of three rods.
• Fish designated swims only, not the lock-cut side or where boats are moored.
• Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult.
• Return all fish alive and bring an appropriately sized landing net.
• No dogs, non-fishing guests, fires or barbecues.
• Do not leave tackle unattended; remove all litter.
• Carry your fishing permit and a valid Environment Agency rod licence.
• Bivvies must not be visible from Eton College buildings.

River level

Where it is