Farnham Angling Society Frensham Ponds

Frensham Great Pond and Frensham Little Pond sit on Frensham Common, near Farnham in Surrey. They’re historic medieval fishponds, and Great Pond is the bigger of the pair. Proper varied water, too, rather than a one-trick carp puddle. There’s plenty to think about before you even pick a swim.

• 2 lakes: Frensham Great Pond, Frensham Little Pond
• Fish: carp, tench, rudd, pike, perch, roach
• Tickets from: 2026-2027 senior membership fee — £180
• Find it: Farnham · GU10 2QB

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

Frensham Great Pond and Frensham Little Pond sit on Frensham Common, near Farnham in Surrey. They’re historic medieval fishponds, and Great Pond is the bigger of the pair. Proper varied water, too, rather than a one-trick carp puddle. There’s plenty to think about before you even pick a swim.

Great Pond covers approximately 100 acres, or 45 hectares, while Little Pond is around 37–47 acres — roughly 15–21 hectares, depending on the measurement used. That’s a fair bit of water to get your head around, so a little homework before turning up is well worth the faff. Check the Society’s latest information, have a look at access details, and ask what areas or methods are fishing best at the time.

Carp are present in both waters, including mirrors and commons, but tench are a major attraction. Fish exceeding 10lb have been recorded, so there’s a serious green-and-gold lump in the mix. Rudd over 3lb are also present, along with perch over 3lb. Roach and other silver fish give you a handy lighter-tackle option when you fancy putting a bend in the rod without hauling the full carp armoury.

There’s predator appeal as well, with pike over 20lb recorded in Great Pond. In other words, you can arrive with a tench or carp plan and still find yourself eyeing up the margins for signs of predators. Bring tackle to suit the job you’re actually targeting, plus sensible unhooking kit, a landing net and a mat where needed. If you’re unsure about local requirements, the bailiff or Society is the place to ask before clipping up.

Fishing is for Farnham Angling Society members only, with no public day tickets available. Membership covers the Society’s listed fisheries and rivers, including the Frensham waters. For 2026–2027, senior membership is £180, with a £55 new-member senior joining fee. Other listed rates are £90 for intermediate anglers aged 16–17, £45 for juniors under 16, £135 for aged members eligible for the state pension, and £90 for disabled and student members. Guest tickets may be available on eligible venues, but guests must be taken by an eligible member and cannot use night tickets on night-booking waters.

The normal fishing season on Great Pond and Little Pond runs from 16 June to 14 March, with fishing prohibited between 15 March and 16 June. All Society waters are closed on 31 March each year. Night fishing is available on Little Pond only, through the Society’s night-ticket system, limited to 10 anglers per night. Tickets are booked by phone with the fishery between 2:30pm and 6:30pm, up to 28 days ahead, subject to the rules. Nearby car parks, toilets and refreshments make planning easier, with Great Pond access from Bacon Lane, Churt, and GU10 2QB the nearest published postcode. The car park is generally open 8am to 9pm, subject to site conditions.

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 — “Frensham Great and Little Ponds are proper old-school Surrey waters for Farnham Angling Society members, with carp, big tench, specimen rudd, perch and pike in the mix. No day tickets, so this one is firmly syndicate-only.”

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.