Pitsford Water

Pitsford Water near Northampton is a reservoir fishery operated by Anglian Water Parks. Trout are a big part of the offering, with rainbow and brown trout to fish for on the fly from bank or boat. Pike and perch add another angle, though predator fishing comes with its own method restrictions and seasonal windows. Pick your target first, then sort the right permit and access.

• 1 lake: Pitsford Water
• Fish: trout, pike, perch
• Tickets from: Trout day permit: eight fish plus catch-and-release — £40
• Find it: Northampton · NN6 9BN

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

Pitsford Water near Northampton is a reservoir fishery operated by Anglian Water Parks. Trout are a big part of the offering, with rainbow and brown trout to fish for on the fly from bank or boat. Pike and perch add another angle, though predator fishing comes with its own method restrictions and seasonal windows. Pick your target first, then sort the right permit and access.

The causeway is the standout geographical feature, dividing the reservoir with nature-reserve areas to its north. You’ll see an approximate figure of 413 hectares attached to Pitsford, but that covers the reservoir and designated SSSI, not fishable water alone. Don’t read it as an acreage you can fish throughout. Likewise, the official Causeway car park location isn’t the same thing as directions to the fishing lodge.

For trout anglers, the choice is straightforward: fish from the bank or hire a boat separately. Permits offer different fish allowances with catch-and-release, while the sporting option is catch-and-release only and requires barbless flies. Brown trout must go back under the 2026 stocking policy, whatever allowance your ticket carries. That’s the important distinction here: a fish allowance doesn’t make every trout a keeper.

The trout season runs from 28 February 2026 to 31 January 2027, giving you plenty of calendar to work with. There’s also a senior permit, and accompanied children fish free within their accompanying permit’s rules and limits. That makes a shared trout outing worth a look, but it doesn’t give the youngster a separate allowance. Keep everyone’s fishing within the ticket conditions and there’s less faff to untangle later.

Predator anglers need to be a bit more calendar-minded. Boat-only fly and lure fishing runs from 16 June 2026 to 31 January 2027, with boat deadbaiting starting on 1 October. The main calendar lists bank deadbaiting from 1 November 2026 to 14 February 2027. An older booking paragraph remains on the page, so confirm the bank dates when arranging your trip rather than relying on whichever paragraph you spot first.

Boat hire is an extra rather than part of the fishing permit, with full-day, half-day, single-occupancy and sunset options listed. Prebooking avoids the walk-in surcharge, and Wheelyboat hire is restricted to Blue Badge holders. For deadbaiting, it’s sea deadbaits only, no livebaiting, and predator anglers are limited to two rods. Overall, Pitsford gives you several ways to spend a day afloat or on the bank—just match the method, date and ticket before loading the tackle.

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 — “Pitsford Water offers bank and boat fly fishing for rainbow and brown trout, plus seasonal pike and perch fishing. There’s a proper choice of permits and boat options, but predator methods have separate calendars worth checking before you book.”

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.