Amwell Magna Fishery — Old River Lea between Ware and Stanstead Abbotts

River level

The lowdown

• This is roughly two miles of the Old River Lea, with the fishery sitting between Ware and Stanstead Abbotts.
• It is run by Amwell Magna Fishery, an angling club established in 1841. The club reckons it is the oldest angling club in England still fishing the same water.
• The fishery is not just one straightforward channel. It includes natural Old Lea sections, an old milling leat or millstream, and part of the lower River Ash.
• The River Ash joins the upper reaches from the left bank, adding another bit of character to the water within the fishery.
• There are two historic weir locations linked to the old mill system. The Stanstead Mill Stream splits from the Lea at a weir inside the fishery.
• That millstream eventually rejoins the Lea in the navigable water below Stanstead Abbotts. The connected channels are described elsewhere as around 3 km in total.
• This is a fly-fishing venue, and public conservation material describes the modern fishery as run exclusively as a fly fishery. Brown trout are the principal quarry.
• The trout mix includes stocked fish and naturally spawned wild brown trout. The club has recorded spawning and redds, with shallow, gravel-bottomed habitat in places.
• There has been river-improvement and habitat-restoration work on the fishery, so the spawning areas and natural character are a big part of the appeal.
• There is a cracking bit of history here too: the club says Izaak Walton fished the venue in the seventeenth century. Proper old Lea stuff.
• We're not sure on ticket prices for this one — check with the club or local regulations before you leave.

Methods: Fly fishing is the name of the game here, with brown trout the main target. The natural channel, millstream, weirs and gravelly spawning habitat give the water plenty of interest to explore with the fly.

Access & tickets

The rights holder’s public website provides membership-enquiry information rather than public day-ticket booking. Contact Amwell Magna Fishery through its membership enquiry route for current access details.

Fish the club names

trout

Key rules

• Fly fishing only

Where it is