Colwick Country Park — River Trent

River level

The lowdown

• The fishable bit is above the sluice at Colwick Country Park, around Colwick Sluices and the adjacent park-side river corridor.
• It’s a riverside coarse fishery rather than a tiny tucked-away pond. The park gives you paths and waterside access, handy for having a wander before picking a swim.
• The council hasn’t published a length or peg count, so there’s no point pretending you’ll find a numbered run of pegs here. Pick your swim from the available park-side access.
• The exact fishable bank setup isn’t stated either, so check the access on arrival and don’t assume both banks are in the ticket.
• The River Trent is one of the park’s permitted coarse-fishing areas, alongside the Marina, the Loop, West Lake and Old Trout Lake.
• The council names carp, roach, rudd, bream, chub, perch, pike and barbel among the fish present in the Marina and River Trent. A decent mixed-bag spread, then.
• This is a seasonal river ticket. The closed season runs from 15 March to 15 June inclusive, with fishing permitted from 16 June to 14 March, subject to the ticket and other rules.
• There’s no separate River Trent bait, tackle or method list published on the park page. Keep things sensible and follow any instructions from the ranger team or volunteer bailiffs.
• For parking, you’ve got free options at the end of Racecourse Road near Colwick Hall Hotel and off Daleside Road East near the Starting Gate. The River Road car park costs £2 in cash and runs 09:00–16:00.
• The kiosk is at the eastern end of the park off River Road and is open 09:00–16:00. It’s roughly 4 kilometres east of Nottingham city centre, so not a massive faff from town.

Methods: The published details don’t pin down a particular winning approach, so treat it as a mixed coarse river and pick your tactics to suit the flow and swim. Trotting, feeder work or a sensible specimen approach could all make sense, but the council doesn’t list specific methods.

Access & tickets

Tickets are available from the kiosk at the eastern end of the park off River Road. The kiosk is open 09:00–16:00.

Fish the club names

carp, roach, rudd, bream, chub, perch, pike, barbel

Key rules

• A valid fishing ticket is required.
• The River Trent can only be fished during the fishing season.
• The closed season is 15 March–15 June inclusive.
• Fishing is permitted from 16 June to 14 March, subject to the ticket and other rules.
• The River Trent section is checked regularly by on-site rangers and volunteer bailiffs.

Where it is