Sandwell Valley Fishing Lakes

Swan Pool sits inside Sandwell Valley Country Park, near West Bromwich in Sandwell, West Midlands. It’s the lake listed in fishing directories under Sandwell Valley Fishing Lakes, and it’s managed by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. The wider park has multiple lakes and pools, so make sure you’re heading for Swan Pool rather than just turning up at the first bit of water you spot.

• 1 lake: Swan Pool
• Fish: bream, carp, perch, pike, roach
• Tickets from: Day or part-day permit — £7.50
• Find it: West Bromwich · B71 4BG

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

Swan Pool sits inside Sandwell Valley Country Park, near West Bromwich in Sandwell, West Midlands. It’s the lake listed in fishing directories under Sandwell Valley Fishing Lakes, and it’s managed by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. The wider park has multiple lakes and pools, so make sure you’re heading for Swan Pool rather than just turning up at the first bit of water you spot.

This is a coarse-fishing lake with reported carp, bream, perch, pike and roach. A proper mixed bag of species, then. You could keep things simple with a float rod and nick a few silverfish, or take a more flexible approach and see what the swim tells you. If you fancy targeting carp or pike, pack suitable tackle rather than hoping the lighter gear will do everything.

The lake’s area and dimensions aren’t published, and official peg numbers aren’t listed either. So don’t arrive expecting a certain amount of room or a neat row of numbered swims. Have a wander first if conditions and access allow. Look for comfortable water, clear casting space and features that give you a sensible line to fish. On a new venue, keeping the first session tidy and adaptable is usually the bob-on plan.

Access is the big one to sort before travelling. The 2024/25 council fishing policy lists Swan Pool as excluding Saturdays and Sundays for angling, while the council’s general parks page lists it among permitted angling sites without repeating that weekend exclusion. That’s a proper grey area, so confirm the current position with Sandwell Council before loading the gear. It’s also worth asking about any temporary restrictions, the best place to park and which access route is easiest with your kit.

A day or part-day permit for all Sandwell waters is £7.50 and covers a maximum of two rods. There’s a £4.40 concessionary day permit, while season tickets are £62.60 or £31.40 concessionary. These permits are intended to cover council-designated Sandwell fishing waters rather than Swan Pool alone. You can buy them through the Sandwell Council website, with Sandwell Valley Visitor Centre also listed as a permit-sales location. A current Environment Agency rod fishing licence is required too.

The council defines day fishing as angling between dawn and dusk. Night fishing isn’t advertised or authorised in the available council information, so plan a daylight session and pack light enough to move if your first swim doesn’t look right. Sandwell Valley has car parks including Swan Pool Car Park and Forge Mill Car Park, although parking charges apply during stated summer and winter daytime periods. The visitor centre at Salters Lane, West Bromwich, B71 4BG, has toilets and a café or catering facility, making the wider park handy for a proper day out.

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 — “Swan Pool is the coarse-fishing lake within Sandwell Valley Country Park, near West Bromwich. It offers council-controlled day permits and season tickets, with carp, bream, perch, pike and roach reported, but weekend access needs checking before you set off.”

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.