Cromwell Lake

Cromwell Lake is one for a proper carp session rather than a cheeky few hours after work. Set on Great North Road at Cromwell, near Newark, this 18-acre spring-fed specimen lake has a minimum booking of 24 hours. Carp are the main draw, with wels catfish also present. The postcode is NG23 6JE, handy for sorting the journey before loading the car.

• 2 lakes: Cromwell Lake, Cromwell Pool
• Fish: carp, catfish
• Tickets from: Main lake — published 2023/2024 rate; minimum booking 24 hours — £35 per 24 hours
• Find it: Newark-on-Trent · NG23 6JE

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

Cromwell Lake is one for a proper carp session rather than a cheeky few hours after work. Set on Great North Road at Cromwell, near Newark, this 18-acre spring-fed specimen lake has a minimum booking of 24 hours. Carp are the main draw, with wels catfish also present. The postcode is NG23 6JE, handy for sorting the journey before loading the car. No need to dress it up with unconfirmed lump sizes: the appeal here is the specimen-water setup and time on the bank.

Booking needs a little attention before you get carried away picking a swim. Online, you select dates and swim numbers, then pay, but main-lake swim choice follows arrival order at the gate. Don’t treat that online number as a guaranteed peg. Tickets start at 09:00, with arrivals from 08:00. Night fishing is available, and bookings can stretch to seven nights or longer. That gives session anglers plenty of scope without trying to squeeze everything into a short day.

The tackle rules are worth sorting at home, not with the rods already on the rests. You can fish up to three rods, using barbless hooks no larger than size 4 and mainline at least 0.35 mm thick. Braided fishing mainline and shock leaders are out. Fixed leads are out too: leads must release on a bite or crack-off. Bring a carp-care kit, but use the supplied mats, nets, slings and water buckets rather than bringing your own.

Bait-wise, the rules specify boilies and pellets, with maggots additionally allowed from November 1 to March 14. That’s a useful seasonal detail when planning the bait bag, rather than assuming the same options apply all year. Bait boats are allowed when used sensibly within your own water. The catfish aren’t an invitation to pack predator tactics, either: deadbaiting, livebaiting and spinning are prohibited. Rods must stay attended, and spawning closures last as long as fish welfare requires.

The bankside comforts look bob on for longer stays. There are showers, ladies/disabled and gents toilets, Wi-Fi and electrical charging points. The kitchen has a microwave, toaster, kettle, fridge/freezer and bait freezer, with free tea and coffee for that all-important brew. Secure parking, CCTV and carp porters round things out. If you fancy accommodation instead, separate Cromwell Pool offers 0.4 acres of carp water, booked exclusively with its lodge for up to two anglers.

A couple of practical checks will save faff. The published prices are historical 2023/2024 rates, not confirmed 2026 quotes, so get the current total before committing. Winter arrival information also needs checking: the booking page allows arrivals until 19:00, while the winter FAQ closes at 18:00. Under-16s cannot fish Cromwell Lake, but can use Cromwell Pool with adult supervision. Dogs aren’t allowed, and one non-fishing guest per angler is permitted only when booked before arrival.

Good background reading. Most of it is a few years old, so treat it as a starting point and ask on the day.

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• Our read

  Checked Sept '26 — “Cromwell Lake pairs 18 acres of spring-fed specimen carp water with proper session comforts near Newark. There’s also the exclusive little Cromwell Pool with its lodge — just check current prices, as the published rates are still labelled 2023/2024.”

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.