River Great Ouse

Portholme Meadow - Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire.

Situated in idyllic Godmanchester, Portholme Meadow is England’s Largest meadow.
A designated S.S.S.I. By Natural England, Portholme Meadow is one of our most picturesque venues.
The appearance of the meadow, and river changes dramatically through the seasons. Currently, the water levels are low and clear, but the meadow can flood… Fast.

Before you get too excited, you won’t get much joy fishing for barbel in floods. However, this part of The Great Ouse holds good perch and chub, with bream, roach, dace and pike also making an appearance. Carp and tench are also seen making an appearance toward the Eastern section in summer months.

The river is varied too, with the opportunity to fish the navigation section, river, confluence, brook, weir or mill pool. Approximately 4.5 miles of fishable bank in total. On top of that the LAA also controls the majority of neighbouring fisheries. Roving anglers will love this venue.

Parking is ample, and their is a choice, depending on which section you choose. Google Earth will help you out here.
The local facilities on The Causeway are also fantastic, with a tackle shop, pubs and bars, local shops, and the quaintest fish and chip shop you will ever see.

Portholme is a very accessible venue due to it being a settlement on a crossroads of Roman roads. It is believed that people have inhabited Godmanchester for 2,000 years.

This venue is also served by Huntingdon rail station, which is served by Kings Cross station. A short pleasant walk will take you to the ‘Pump Station’ entrance, where you will ask yourself the inevitable question…
…where shall I fish first?

Night Fishing is permitted at no extra cost.

Littleport - Ten Mile Bank Littleport, Cambs.

At Littleport on the Great Ouse this fishery is known for big bags of bream and quality bags of roach. It is also a good venue to target pike and zander, both are caught to a good size in this wide and slow deep part of the Ouse. Our fishery extends for almost ten miles on both banks and the access by road is very good due to the river at most points being just over the flood bank and parking almost anywhere that does not cause obstruction. Due to fact the river is very straight and the surrounding area almost flat the winds tend to be a challenge.

Night fishing is permitted at Littleport for those who want to try for the Zander and other species.

The Roxton Fisheries - Great Barford, Bedfordshire.

These are wonderful stretches of the Great Ouse, producing excellent bags of fish from waters as varied in character as an angler could wish for. ‘A’ section starts at Barford Bridge and the fishing is from this point upstream. The bridge swims are good for chub. Moving up over the first fence and on to just before the second fence is the area that proves a good haunt for the bream shoals particularly in the colder months. From this fence on the trees start and good roach and chub are to be caught again the colder months prove better mainly due to the river having a tendency to slow down on the inside. As we move up to the boundary we have probably the best part for the warmer months due to the river narrowing down and therefore retaining the flow when water levels are low. Expect plenty of roach and bream with a good sample of chub also perch, dace, pike, tench and carp.

Roxton ‘D’ features a weir pool (see below photographs), where barbel catches are common.

Night Fishing is permitted at no extra cost.

Barford Bridge Meadow - Great Barford, Bedfordshire

The fishing at Barford is similar to the Roxtons. However Barford Meadow is often entirely fishable bank, which is suitable for roving lure anglers taking advantage of big perch and pike.

Night Fishing is permitted at no extra cost.

Blunham - Bedfordshire

Nearly one mile of single bank fishing in a peaceful stretch of the Great Ouse, just upstream of The Roxtons.

Night Fishing is permitted at no extra cost.

Bluntisham - Cambridgeshire

Swims are currently limited at this venue. Traditionally a Bream venue with plenty of colour and some flow.

Leabrook Huntingdon, Cambs.

A delightful little stream type water narrow winding and good depth it includes a weir pool at the top end by the main river. Very good for large chub with plenty of swims looking likely to hold them. Roach by the net full dace, bream, perch and pike. The main river also has plenty of roach and looks good for bream.

The ‘Car Park’ swims offer a good trotting or light rolling ledger, from beneath the viaduct downstream.

Night Fishing is permitted at no extra cost.

West Meadow - Huntingdon, Cambs

The first part of this fishery is a delightful little stream type water – Narrow winding and good depth. It includes a weir pool at the top end by the main river. Very good for large chub with plenty of swims looking likely to hold them. Roach by the net full, dace, bream, perch and pike can be had. The main river is a long walk from the car park, this does have some notable bream swims, by the railway bridge being the best. Also plenty of roach along with all the usual species.

Night Fishing is permitted at no extra cost.

Alconbury Brook/Island - Huntingdon, Cambs.

Completing the circle around the meadows of Godmanchester and Huntingdon, the ‘Old Gas Works’ corner is home to Alconbury Weir, flowing into the brook, diverted around Alconbury Island. A natural shallow section, this section fishes best in flood.

Night Fishing is permitted at no extra cost.

Willow Tree Island - Oxford Cluny, Cambs.

This venue is on the ‘River Great Ouse’ at Offord. The fishery is in actual fact a complete island providing swims on the main river and a back stream.

The only access is on a pontoon which crosses the back stream. The swims along the back stream which is narrow and very deep even close to the bank side. The average depth is at least 9 ft. and they contain good roach.

At the right time these swims often produce good nets to hemp and tares. The main river is less deep but roach can still be found in large numbers. Chub are also well worth targeting and most of the swims look ideal for this species which can often be caught tight in to the bank under overhanging trees.

Other fish include bream, tench, dace, pike and perch. The swims at the upstream end of the island on the river which at this point is wide and slow often produce the bream and tench. The venue can also turn up the odd barbel usually a double figure fish.

The main problem for anglers visiting this venue seems to be picking a first swim to fish. I have heard many state that every swim is so inviting that it is difficult to decide which one to try every swim looks so good and so likely to produce fish.

The fishery has about thirty swims all within a short walk of the pontoon the path is good all round the fishery but it has a very secluded and wild aspect.

One Hundred Miles of Riverbank

Seven Distinctive Stillwaters