Where to Fish in and Around Leeds (2026)

Fishing in and around Leeds runs from accessible park ponds to wild river stretches and big-water reservoirs. Whether you fancy carp a tram ride from the city centre or a quiet grayling morning on the Wharfe, the choices nearby are wider than most anglers expect.

This guide groups the best spots by water type: lakes inside Leeds, rivers, canals, reservoirs, day-ticket commercial fisheries, and members’ waters. It covers what you’ll catch, how to book, and the licence and permit rules before you cast a line.

For a softer-paced day on dry land first, browse our guide to Leeds parks and pick your bank.

Lakes and Ponds in Leeds

The city has a surprising amount of accessible stillwater fishing, from un-stocked urban lakes to club-managed carp waters tucked into the suburbs.

Roundhay Park

Address: Mansion Lane, Roundhay, Leeds LS8 2HH

The largest urban lake in the city, Waterloo Lake, is also the most popular bank fishing spot. The lake is un-stocked but holds carp and pike to 20lb-plus, alongside small roach and perch for the float crowd. In the 80s and 90s this was a serious match venue, and the fish are still here even if the matches have moved on.

You can only fish the western edge, away from the path that circles the lake. The Dam and Bywash are off limits under the Reservoirs Act. Hard-standing pegs sit close to the Lakeside Cafe at the end of Park Avenue (LS8 2JL), which is also where toilets are. Parking holds 50-plus cars and gets busy at weekends.

Find out more about Roundhay Park

Yeadon Tarn

Address: Yeadon, Leeds LS19 7UR

A 20-acre carp lake within sight of Leeds Bradford Airport, Yeadon Tarn is the closest serious carp fishing to the city. The Yeadon Tarn Angling Club has run it since 2019 and has stocked it heavily: more than 750 carp swim here, with around 150 in the high twenties and several thirty-pound-plus fish. This is now a carp-only fishery.

Crucially for working anglers, night fishing is permitted with the right ticket. That makes it a rare option close to Leeds for a 25-hour or 48-hour session without joining a yearbook scheme. Day tickets and overnighters are bookable through the club, and the Tarnfield car park sits a short walk from the bank.

The Activity Centre on the bank has accessible toilets, which is unusual for a stillwater fishery this size.

Find out more about Yeadon Tarn

Kippax Park

Address: Brigshaw Lane, Kippax, Leeds LS25 7RS

Three day-ticket lakes (Lapwing, Skylark, and the Rainbow specimen pool) make up the heart of Kippax Park Fishery, with a smaller trout pond alongside. Lapwing and Skylark hold mixed silvers, tench and double-figure carp; the Rainbow lake is the standout, holding specimen carp with a 20lb-plus average and a 24-hour ticket option for night anglers. All four are managed by Leeds and District Amalgamated Society of Anglers.

A regular restock of infant carp keeps the lakes lively for newer anglers, and the venue runs scheduled match days through the season. Day tickets are sold on site only and members of Leeds and District ASA get a concession.

A layby next to the park holds around ten cars, and the lakes sit within a hundred metres of the parking. There are no public toilets at the venue.

Find out more about Kippax Park

Clayton Wood Ponds

Address: Clayton Wood Road, Leeds LS16 5EH

Two small ponds tucked into a hillside above the A6120, Clayton Wood has been fished for decades. The ponds reach up to twenty feet deep and hold carp to 20lb, tench to 8lb, bream, perch, and the occasional eel. Floating baits work well for the bigger fish.

You fish here free with a current rod licence, finding your own spot on the bank rather than using marked pegs. Park opposite the wood on Fillingfir Drive. The nearest toilet is a short walk away at the McDonald’s by the ring road.

Find out more about Clayton Wood

Skelton Country Park

Address: Skelton Lake, Leeds LS9 0AS

Skelton Lake is the wild card on this list. There are no pegs, the lake has little stocking history, and yet local anglers do turn up and fish the bank. Treat it as a quiet bank session rather than a target-fish venue.

Park for free for up to three hours at Leeds Skelton Lake Services (LS15 0BF), then walk roughly two hundred metres to the lake. The services have 24-hour toilets, which is more than most stillwaters offer.

Find out more about Skelton Country Park

Highfield Pond

Address: Garforth, Leeds LS15 2DS

A natural woodland pond run by Leeds and District ASA, Highfield is one of the cheapest day tickets in the city for members. It holds carp, chub, ide, perch, roach, tench and small skimmers, which makes it well suited to beginners or a junior’s first session.

Rivers Near Leeds

The Aire, Wharfe and Calder all carry fish within easy reach of the city, and an annual yearbook from Leeds and District ASA opens up the lot. Note that the river close season runs from 15 March to 15 June each year. Stillwaters stay open through that window, but rivers do not.

River Aire

The Aire is the closest river fishing to the city centre. Leeds and District ASA controls multiple stretches downstream from Leeds, including waters at Stockbridge, Thwaite Mills, South Accommodation Road through to Woodlesford, and further on at Ferrybridge, Riddlesden and Beal. Expect chub, bream, perch, pike and roach in the middle and lower river, with brown trout and grayling as you head upstream.

The Thwaite Mills stretch is genuinely walkable from the city via the Trans-Pennine Trail, which makes it the most accessible river fishing in the area. A yearbook is the ticket.

River Wharfe

The Wharfe is the local favourite for trout and grayling. Leeds and District ASA controls a long stretch around Pool-in-Wharfedale (LS21 2JR) which is one of very few day-ticket trout and grayling rivers near Leeds. Tickets are sold locally rather than online, typically through Otley Angling and Country Sports.

Further up, Otley Angling Club holds the river through town and a pond at Knotford Nook on a members-only basis. Downstream, Wetherby and District Angling Club controls Wetherby and Collingham water, with a small annual fee that has earned it a reputation as one of the best-value river clubs in the country. Chub, barbel, dace, perch, grayling and trout all show up.

River Calder

The Calder is the river success story of recent decades. Years of pollution recovery have brought stocks back to peak levels, and Wakefield Angling Club holds the rights from Denby Dale Road bridge up to Calder Grove weir. Mirfield Angling Club covers Battyeford down towards Healey Mills. Chub, barbel, dace, roach, perch, trout and grayling are all on the cards.

Note that Leeds and District ASA does not control any Calder water, so a yearbook for that club will not get you on the river here. You join one of the local Calder clubs instead.

Canals

Canal fishing through Leeds is quiet, mixed coarse, and usually free of crowds.

Aire and Calder Navigation

Leeds and District ASA controls the Aire and Calder Navigation from the start of the canal downstream to Woodlesford Lock (LS26 8PL). It’s a yearbook water, with parking at Thwaite Lane or at the lock. Bream, pike, perch and roach all feature, and the towpath is walkable from Leeds Dock for a city-edge canal session.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal

For stretches not held by a local club, the Canal and River Trust Waterway Wanderers permit is the catch-all. One annual permit covers more than 500 miles of canal across the country, including most of the Leeds and Liverpool. Adult, concession and junior rates are available, and the permit also covers other waterways within the trust’s network.

Where local clubs hold the rights, you’ll need their ticket instead. The CRT Fisheries Map shows which is which. The Esholt section near Bradford has accessible “have-a-go” platforms suited to a first session.

Reservoirs

Washburn Valley Fishery

Address: Yorkshire Water, Washburn Valley HG3

Three Yorkshire Water reservoirs sit within thirty minutes of Leeds, and together they make up one of the best-known fly fisheries in the north.

Swinsty (153 acres) is the most flexible of the three: fly, spinning and coarse fishing are all permitted. Stocked rainbow, brown and blue trout share the water with roach, perch, dace, gudgeon and bream. Fewston (153 acres) is fly only, with stocked rainbows averaging 3lb to 7lb and the occasional double-figure fish. Thruscross (140 acres) is fly only, catch-and-release only, and holds wild brown trout to around 8lb.

The fishery runs daily from late March to the end of November (7.30am opening), with weekend-only winter sessions and longer evening windows in summer. Parking is included in the ticket, and tickets are sold by card at the Swinsty Moor car park machine. Season permits are available online from Yorkshire Water.

A note on Eccup Reservoir

Eccup Reservoir, just north of Leeds, is not a fishing venue.

The water is fenced off as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, open for walking and birdwatching only.

Day-Ticket Commercial Fisheries

These are walk-up venues. Pay on arrival, fish the day, go home. No membership, no yearbook.

Swillington Park

Address: Coach Road, Swillington, Leeds LS26 8QA

Five well-stocked lakes spread across organic farmland, more than a hundred pegs, and parking lakeside. The specimen lake holds big carp into the doubles; the four pleasure lakes carry mixed coarse. Day tickets are sold at the fishery office on arrival, with a separate overnight option for booked anglers.

The site is closed through winter, from 1 December until the end of February. There are toilets, a snack van, and disabled access throughout. Find out more from Swillington Park Fishing.

Birkwood Fisheries

Address: Birkwood Road, Altofts, Normanton WF6 2JE

Five lakes, more than a hundred fishing stations, and a flat day-ticket rate that lets you move between lakes during a session. The Main Lake and Frog Hall hold carp into the high twenties; the smaller lakes (Emily’s, Oscar’s, Molly’s) mix carp with rudd, bream and chub. Children under ten fish free with a paying adult.

Birkwood is day fishing only, last entry mid-afternoon, and it closes on Mondays outside bank holidays. The canal stretch that used to be part of the offering is no longer accessible. Find out more from Birkwood Fisheries.

Spring End Farm Fisheries

Address: Spring End Farm, Gildersome, Leeds LS27 7NG

Two ponds sit within easy walking distance of the parking. The older pond is small and lively, packed with mixed coarse including good crucians, koi, roach and tench. The newer, larger lake adds carp into the doubles. There’s no need to book, and the owner is accommodating about anglers setting up before paying.

Sykehouse Fishery

Address: Sykehouse, near Doncaster DN14

Around forty minutes south of Leeds, Sykehouse runs four well-stocked lakes including a popular match lake. Carp, bream, silver bream, roach, rudd, crucians, tench, perch and golden orfe all feature. Barbless hooks are required, no floating baits, and no night fishing. The on-site cafe seats around seventy and is open through the day. Find out more from Sykehouse Fishery.

Pontefract Park Lake

Address: Pontefract WF8

A council-run urban lake that sits inside Pontefract Racecourse, this is one of the cheapest tickets in the area. Bream, tench, pike (often into the mid-doubles in winter) and stocked carp share the water with the boating crowd, so expect dogs and the occasional kayak alongside the rod.

Hemsworth Water Park

Address: Hemsworth WF9 5JB

Two lakes managed by Hemsworth Council, with day permits sold at the Pedalo pay point. Roach, skimmers, bream and perch make up the bulk of the catch, with carp to 36lb in the bigger lake. Local residents get a concession. You’ll need to show your rod licence at the kiosk before you fish.

Members’ and Syndicate Waters

These waters need a club ticket, syndicate place or yearbook. Worth knowing about even if you don’t join, because they sit alongside the venues above and are often the next step up for serious anglers.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park (Bretton Lake)

Address: Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield WF4 4LG

Bretton Lake sits inside the sculpture park grounds. The fishing is run by Wakefield Metropolitan Angling Club on a members-only basis, with no day tickets. The lake is un-stocked but carries a strong head: carp and pike to 20lb-plus, tench to 5lb, bream to 7lb, plus quality roach and perch. Fishing hours are restricted (early morning to late afternoon, no nights). A ticket into the sculpture park covers parking; the lake is a half-mile walk south.

Find out more about Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Coppice Pond at St Ives Estate

Address: St Ives Estate, Harden, Bingley BD16 1AT

Coppice Pond has been fished since the 1960s and remains the sole Bingley Angling Club water at St Ives. It is a members-only fishery; there are no day tickets. Carp to 25lb-plus headline the catch, with tench, bream, roach, chub and perch alongside. Disabled access pegs are reserved for wheelchair users when needed. A second rod is permitted with a club Carp Permit, and a small night syndicate runs separately.

Find out more about St Ives Estate

Oxbow Lakes

Address: Ninevah Lane, Allerton Bywater, Castleford WF10 2EW

A 4-acre carp lake managed by Allerton Bywater Victoria Angling Club. Membership is annual, by waiting list, and there is no day-ticket option. Carp run to 20lb-plus across nineteen pegs, and the lake’s small size makes the fish notably wary. There are no toilets close by, so bring a plan.

Wintersett Fisheries

Address: Haw Park Lane, Wintersett, Wakefield WF4 2EB

Three waters, three different memberships. Wintersett Reservoir is 105 acres, syndicate-only, and holds carp to 35lb across roughly fifty swims. Cold Hiendley (28 acres) is being developed as a specimen day-ticket water and already holds fish to 27lb. Botany Bay is a smaller, three-acre pool inside primary woodland, well suited to families, beginners or a half-day session.

The Gold syndicate covers all three waters year-round. Silver covers Wintersett Reservoir only. A winter pike ticket runs October to February. Day tickets are sold for Cold Hiendley and Botany Bay; Wintersett Reservoir is members only. Bookings go through the gocatch.fish app, with full pricing on the Wintersett Fisheries website.

Knotford Lagoon

Address: Otley LS21 1EA

A Leeds and District ASA stillwater with around fifty flat pegs, otter fencing, and parking close to most pegs. Carp run into the high doubles and low twenties, with bream, tench, roach, perch, pike and eel alongside. Yearbook only, with an additional night permit available for members who want to fish overnight.

What You Need Before You Cast

A rod licence

In England and Wales you legally need an Environment Agency rod licence to fish for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel with a rod and line. Buy yours from gov.uk or at a Post Office. The fine for fishing without one runs to £2,500.

A trout, coarse fish and eel licence covers up to two rods and runs from the day you buy it for twelve months. Three-rod and salmon-and-sea-trout licences cost more. Concessions apply for over-66s, Blue Badge holders, and people on PIP or DLA. Under-13s do not need a licence; 13 to 16-year-olds need a junior licence (free, but you still have to apply for it).

Permit or licence?

The two are not the same. A rod licence is the legal right to fish freshwater in England and Wales. A permit, day ticket or club membership is the water owner’s permission to fish that specific water. You need both. A rod licence does not get you onto a club water, and a club ticket without a rod licence is still illegal.

River close season

All rivers, streams and drains in England and Wales close to coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June each year. Rivers re-open on 16 June. Stillwaters and most canals stay open through the close season, though some Sites of Special Scientific Interest follow the river dates.

Salmon and sea trout

A standard trout, coarse and eel licence does not cover salmon or sea trout. If you intend to fish for them, buy the separate Salmon and Sea Trout licence. The Aire and Wharfe both hold migratory salmonids, so anglers fly-fishing the upper river should know what they might hook.

Where to buy a permit

Most clubs sell yearbooks directly through their website. For canal stretches with no controlling club, the Waterway Wanderers scheme is the standard answer.

Check, Clean, Dry

Invasive non-native species cost the UK economy around £4 billion a year, and many are spread by anglers moving between waters. Three steps every angler should take between sessions:

1. Check kit, clothing, footwear, nets and boats for mud, plant material and animals before leaving the bank.
2. Clean thoroughly with tap water (hot water kills more species). Pay attention to damp, hidden areas.
3. Dry completely. Many species survive for two weeks or more in damp gear.

In Yorkshire, watch in particular for floating pennywort, killer shrimp, signal crayfish and zebra mussel. Several local clubs, including Leeds and District ASA, require members to comply.

What’s Changed for 2026

A few things worth knowing if you’ve fished Leeds in past years:

• Pugneys Country Park is no longer a fishing venue. Wakefield Council has shifted the focus to wildlife habitats.
• Birkwood Fisheries has closed canal access permanently. Day fishing on the lakes only.
• Wintersett Fisheries has restructured into Gold, Silver and Winter Pike syndicates, with day tickets only on the smaller two waters.
• Eccup Reservoir is fenced off as an SSSI and is not open for fishing.
• The 12-month rod licence now runs twelve months from the day of purchase, not from the old 1 April anniversary.

Ready for a different kind of day out? Browse our guide to nature reserves and reservoir walks in Leeds.