River Stour

The Henny Street stretch of the River Stour sits near Sudbury in Suffolk and runs for roughly a mile. It’s shared with Billericay and District Angling Club, with access also available through the Sudbury and Long Melford District Angling Association arrangements. Proper old-school river fishing, then, with enough water to explore rather than just plonking yourself in the first swim you see.

• 1 lake: Henny Street fishing stretch
• Fish: carp, tench, bream, roach, pike, perch, rudd, barbel
• Tickets from: Adult day ticket, bought in advance from Stour Valley Tackle — £10
• Find it: Sudbury · CO10 7LT

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

The Henny Street stretch of the River Stour sits near Sudbury in Suffolk and runs for roughly a mile. It’s shared with Billericay and District Angling Club, with access also available through the Sudbury and Long Melford District Angling Association arrangements. Proper old-school river fishing, then, with enough water to explore rather than just plonking yourself in the first swim you see.

Depths average around 5ft, but the river varies from roughly 2ft to 10ft. That gives you plenty to work out on the bank. There are several bream shoals in the stretch, with bream to approximately 10lb reported. Chub to around 6lb have also been reported, alongside tench, perch, dace, rudd and roach.

The river changes character around the weir, which is handy when you’re planning a session. Above it, the water is slower and deeper, with an average-style patient approach worth considering. Below the weir, it narrows and runs faster, so traditional river methods and a more mobile style may suit better. Take a look before getting the kit out, watch the flow, and work out where the depth and pace are doing something interesting.

Roving is very much part of the appeal here. Travel light, keep the tackle box sensible and be ready to cover a few swims rather than building a full camp on the bank. A float rod, suitable leads and a few reliable bait options give you room to adapt, but it’s worth checking the current club rules before deciding exactly what to bring. The venue is also described as a good winter pike fishery, with pike to approximately 21lb reported.

Small barbel were previously stocked as part of an Environment Agency programme, although their current presence is uncertain. That’s one to ask the bailiff or relevant angling association about before making a specific barbel plan. The river close season runs from 15 March through 15 June inclusive, with fishing available from 16 June through 14 March subject to the relevant ticket and club rules. The listed SLMDAA day-ticket period is 16 June 2025 to 14 March 2026.

Sort the ticket before setting off. Adult day tickets are £10 when bought in advance from Stour Valley Tackle or £11 online. Junior tickets are £3 in advance or £3.50 online. They’re valid from dawn to dusk only, allow two rods and do not permit night fishing. Tickets aren’t sold on the bank, and fishing without one may result in a £20 penalty ticket. Parking is in a layby or roadside area near Henny Road without blocking access, then it’s over a stile and across a field. The farm gate is for farm access only, there are no toilets or disabled swims, and swims must not be dug into the bank.

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 — “A proper old-school River Stour stretch near Henny Street, with bream shoals, reported chub and pike, plus plenty of scope for roving and traditional river tactics. It’s day-ticket water, but everything must be sorted before you arrive.”

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.