Richworth Linear Fisheries – St Johns Lake

St Johns Lake sits at Linear Fisheries near Hardwick Village, off the B4449, close to Witney in Oxfordshire. It’s an 18-acre gravel pit and a major big-carp day-ticket water. If you fancy putting a proper lump on the mat, this is very much the sort of place that’ll get the mind wandering.

• 1 lake: St Johns Lake
• Fish: carp, tench, bream, catfish, pike
• Tickets from: One rod for 10 hours — £9
• Find it: Oxfordshire · OX29 7QF

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

St Johns Lake sits at Linear Fisheries near Hardwick Village, off the B4449, close to Witney in Oxfordshire. It’s an 18-acre gravel pit and a major big-carp day-ticket water. If you fancy putting a proper lump on the mat, this is very much the sort of place that’ll get the mind wandering.

Carp are abundant, with most stated to exceed 20lb. Linear reports at least 40 carp over 30lb, while several have pushed beyond 40lb. The reported records are tasty as well: a 49lb 2oz ghost carp, a 48lb 7oz common and a 48lb 12oz mirror. Some serious slabs to be thinking about while you’re clipping up.

The lake is regularly stocked with selected carp, including fish in the 10-15lb range, so there’s a mix of established big fish and newer stock. As ever on a new water, spend a bit of time looking before launching straight into it. Watch for shows, bubbling, patrol routes and signs of fish in the margins, then keep the presentation tidy and the disturbance down.

There’s plenty more swimming about too. Tench over 12lb are present, bream over 15lb have been recorded, and catfish are regularly targeted. Linear reported a St Johns catfish record of 105lb in 2021. Pike over 20lb have also been caught, with historic fish over 28lb, although pike fishing is restricted to October 1 through March 31.

St Johns is one of the general, non-bookable day-ticket waters. Pick an available swim and pay the patrolling bailiff, so there’s no booking faff for a standard session. It can be fished day and night, and there’s no close season on Linear day-ticket waters. The current prices are £9 for one rod for 10 hours, £20 for two rods, or £21 for three. For 24 hours, it’s £15 for one rod, £30 for two, or £36 for three.

Access is available all year, subject to the fishery rules and any temporary operational restrictions. The gates are locked overnight for security: from 9pm to 7:30am between March 1 and October 31, then from 7pm to 7:30am through the winter period. Arriving during lock-up means waiting in the early-arrival car park by Hardwick Lake, so check the timings before setting off. Pack the proper big-fish kit too, including a suitable unhooking mat, landing net and weighing gear, and keep rods attended.

Facilities are handy, with toilets on the lakes and a shower and toilet block between St Johns and Manor Farm Lakes. There’s drinking water from the tap outside, plus the on-site Linear Bait & Tackle shop for bait, tackle, food and drinks. Add a bit of patience, keep noise and lights low after dark, and you’ve got the makings of a cracking Oxfordshire session.

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 — “St Johns is an 18-acre gravel pit at Linear Fisheries near Hardwick Village, built for serious carp anglers but with proper tench, bream, catfish and pike interest too. It is a non-bookable day-ticket water, fishable day and night all year round, with some very tasty lumps swimming 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.