Bishopswood Fishery

Bishopswood Fishery runs along the River Wye near Walford and Bishopswood, tucked away in the Herefordshire countryside. Worcester Angling Society operates the venue, which is split into Lower Bishopswood and Upper Bishopswood. Each section is roughly three-quarters of a mile, giving around 1.5 miles of river altogether. That’s a fair bit of bank to explore, rather than a couple of pegs crammed round a car park.

• 2 lakes: Lower Bishopswood, Upper Bishopswood
• Fish: chub, roach, barbel, pike, perch, rudd
• Tickets from: Lower Bishopswood day ticket — £20
• Find it: Ross-on-Wye · HR9 5QT

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

Bishopswood Fishery runs along the River Wye near Walford and Bishopswood, tucked away in the Herefordshire countryside. Worcester Angling Society operates the venue, which is split into Lower Bishopswood and Upper Bishopswood. Each section is roughly three-quarters of a mile, giving around 1.5 miles of river altogether. That’s a fair bit of bank to explore, rather than a couple of pegs crammed round a car park.

This is proper river fishing, not a conventional stocked lake complex. The reported species list is a cracking mixed bag, with chub, roach, barbel, pike, perch, grayling, salmon, sea trout, brown trout, gudgeon, dace and bleak all mentioned. It means there’s plenty to think about, whether you fancy trotting, legering or just walking the stretch and looking for signs of fish before settling into a swim.

Lower Bishopswood is the day-ticket option. A day ticket costs £20 and must be bought before fishing starts, through Swimbooker and designated tackle-shop arrangements. There’s no pay-on-the-bank option stated, so get that sorted before you arrive. Weekly permits cost £35, while annual coarse-and-game permits are £50 and annual coarse-only permits are £45. Those season permits run from 1 April to 31 March, which could work out bob on for anyone planning regular trips.

Upper Bishopswood has tighter access rules, so this is one to check carefully before packing the gear. Only full Worcester Angling Society members may fish above the canoe launch. Bishopswood-only members and day-ticket anglers cannot use that upper section. Mondays and Tuesdays are also retained for the previous owners and are unavailable to society members. If you’re unsure where your permit applies, ask before you tackle up rather than having a cheeky wander into the wrong bit.

Approach-wise, keep it flexible. River levels and flow can change the whole game, so take time to read the water rather than forcing one method. Look for crease lines, steady glides, cover and the margins, then adjust your tackle to what’s in front of you. Chub and barbel are obvious coarse targets from the reported list, while roach, perch, pike and the smaller species add plenty of variety. The checked facts don’t give a peg-by-peg breakdown, so a first visit is best treated as a chance to learn the stretch, chat to the bailiff and note down promising swims for next time.

A few bits of housekeeping need keeping bang on. Close every gate, park tidily without blocking other users, take your rubbish home and follow the notice boards marking the boundaries and rules. Salmon anglers need a Society Salmon Permit, and Environment Agency fishing byelaws apply. A local bailiff regularly checks anglers and may ask for membership or permit details. No night-fishing entitlement or opening hours are published on the checked official pages, so ask the fishery about anything unclear before making plans.

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 — “Bishopswood Fishery is a cracking River Wye venue near Ross-on-Wye, with roughly 1.5 miles of Upper and Lower Bishopswood water. It is a proper river job rather than a stocked lake complex, with day-ticket access on the lower stretch and tighter membership rules upstream.”

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.