The Warren Fishery

Quick location fix first: The Warren Fishery is at Hay-on-Wye on the River Wye, Herefordshire, rather than immediately near Leominster. The beat gives you roughly a mile of right-bank fishing, running from Steeple Pool below Warren Cottage upstream to the stone wall at Lap Stone Pool near The Burlands. That’s a decent bit of river to explore, so don’t be tempted to just plonk into the first swim you see.

• 1 lake: Main water
• Fish: carp
• Tickets from: Daily fishing permit — £15
• Find it: Leominster · HR3 5RS

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

Quick location fix first: The Warren Fishery is at Hay-on-Wye on the River Wye, Herefordshire, rather than immediately near Leominster. The beat gives you roughly a mile of right-bank fishing, running from Steeple Pool below Warren Cottage upstream to the stone wall at Lap Stone Pool near The Burlands. That’s a decent bit of river to explore, so don’t be tempted to just plonk into the first swim you see.

This is a proper river beat, not a lake complex. The water varies between faster and slower areas, which gives you plenty to think about as conditions change. Have a wander, look for depth, pace and likely holding spots, then build your approach around the swim in front of you. A bit of time spent walking the bank and checking access can save a fair old faff later.

Barbel are the main coarse-fishing draw, with typical fish reported at around 6–9 lb and catches reaching 13 lb 8 oz. That’s cracking sport on the right gear. Chub are another big attraction, with fish over 4 lb described as very common and reported catches reaching 6 lb. Roach, perch, bream and dace are also occasionally caught, so there’s a bit of variety if the bigger fish aren’t playing ball.

The pike fishing looks properly tasty too. Pike over 20 lb are described as fairly common, with reported catches reaching 28 lb 8 oz. Small trout are present, and good grayling are reported in winter. Salmon fishing hasn’t been undertaken here for many years, so the sensible way to view The Warren is as a coarse-fishing stretch, with some excellent predator and winter grayling interest as well.

The listed coarse-fishing season runs from 16 June to 14 March of the following year. A daily permit is £15, a weekly permit is £45, a seasonal permit is £75 and a 10-year permit is £500. Permit details and access information are provided through Hay Warren, with F.W. Golesworthy & Sons, Broad Street, Hay-on-Wye, listed as the local permit outlet. The telephone number given is the fishery. Anglers aged 12 or over in Wales need a valid rod licence, so get that sorted before setting off.

There’s no night-fishing permission stated, and no accommodation, toilets or on-site tackle facilities are listed. Pack for a self-sufficient session, including everything needed for the method you fancy, and ask about the current access arrangements when sorting the permit. Yearly and day-permit anglers may bring one junior rod-licence holder or child free of charge, while lifetime and 10-year permit holders may bring a guest. Check the map of the fishing beat, take your time finding the right water and keep your approach flexible. Done properly, this could be a proper River Wye adventure with a cheeky barbel, a chunky chub or a very serious pike on the cards.

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 — “The Warren Fishery is a cracking one-mile stretch of the River Wye at Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire — not immediately near Leominster. It offers day, weekly and longer permits for barbel, pike, chub and other coarse fish, with some proper lumps about.”

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.