Fishing Chew Valley Lake: the big pike, the reservoir trout, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

Chew Valley Lake sits in Somerset, about eight miles south of Bristol, between the village of Chew Stoke and the Mendip Hills. It is a large, shallow, food-rich water-supply reservoir of about 1,200 acres (around 490 ha), run by Bristol Water Fisheries from Woodford Lodge on the north shore. The shallowness and the food are why the fish grow big.

It was flooded over farmland in the early 1950s and opened in 1956, and it is one of the largest man-made lakes in England (source: Bristol Water Fisheries). It is shallow for its size: an average depth of about 14 ft (around 4.3 m) at top level and a maximum of about 37 ft (around 11 m) near the dam. That matters more than the surface area. The whole lake is in the productive depth band, so it is rich in fly life, fry and silverfish, and both the trout and the pike pile on weight on the back of it.

It is an easy water to reach. Woodford Lodge, where you book, pay, collect a boat and return your card, is on the north shore off the A368 / B3114, a short drive from Bristol and the A37. Most anglers base themselves around Chew Stoke, Bishop Sutton or Bristol itself and drive in for the day.

Chew is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area, one of the most important sites in Britain for wintering wildfowl, with hundreds of bird species recorded. That shapes the fishing: access is by permit only, there are restricted areas marked on the day, and the winter pike season is run as a managed, limited operation rather than a free-for-all. Read the access notes at the lodge and respect the marked zones.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Two fisheries share one lake and barely overlap in season. Pike are the winter prize, fished on sea deadbaits and lures in limited managed sessions, and Chew holds the British record. Stocked rainbow and brown trout are the spring-to-autumn fly fishery. Big perch and roach are present too. The cards below give you where, when and how for each.

Roach and silverfish, for context. Chew holds large roach and other coarse fish, which are the food chain that grows the pike and the big perch. They are not what most visitors travel for, and access for coarse fish is governed by the fishery's permit rules, so check with the lodge before planning a coarse session. The four cards above are the trip for most anglers.

I have set each fish out as a card. Read the one you came for, check the seasonal section for how it fishes through the year, and follow the rig link to build the method. Chew is really two trips: a winter pike trip and a spring-to-autumn trout trip. Decide which one you are planning before you book, because they want different dates, different permits and different kit.

Two facts of form set the scene. The British rod-caught pike record, 47 lb 5 oz, came from here on 13 February 2024 (source: Angling Times and Bristol Water). The lake trout records are big too: a rainbow of about 14 lb 9 oz and a brown of about 22 lb 7 oz (source: Bristol Water Fisheries). The shallow, fry-packed water is why all of them grow.

How the fishing changes by season

Chew runs on two clocks. The trout fly season opens in early March and runs to the end of November, best in spring and autumn. The pike season is a limited winter operation, booked from 10 January, on sea deadbaits and lures. So winter is pike; spring through autumn is trout. The two barely overlap.

Here is the year in plain terms.

• Deep winter (January and February). The pike season. Tickets go on sale from 10 January 2026 and are usually gone within days, so this is a book-ahead trip, not a turn-up one. The cold, shallow water and the big resident pike are why February has produced Chew's biggest fish, including the British record on 13 February 2024.
• Early spring (March). The trout fishery opens (bank opening day is around 5 March on Chew). Early-season trout fishing on the north shore and the deeper water near the dam, often on lures and nymphs fished slow in cold water.
• Late spring (April to June). Prime trout fishing. Hatches build, fish come up, and dries, emergers and nymphs on a floating line come into their own. Boat fishing drifts the open water.
• Summer (July and August). The trout fishing pushes to the early and late hours in the heat; the middle of a bright day is slow. Fish deeper with sinking lines through the day, or fish the edges of light. Perch fish on lures in the warmth.
• Autumn (September to November). The other prime trout window. The trout go on the fry, so fry-imitating lures and boobies tempt the bigger rainbows and browns. The trout season closes at the end of November, and the boats come off the water earlier than the bank (around early November), so check the closing dates before a late trip.
• The handover. The trout season ends in late November; the pike season opens in deep winter. There is a short gap between them, so check both calendars rather than assuming the lake is open on your dates.

What you can eat (and what you must release)

Pike are catch and release at Chew: they go straight back, handled with the right kit. Trout you may keep up to your permit's bag limit, which is how the day permits are sold (for example an eight-fish day permit), or take a catch-and-release sporting permit and return them. Perch and coarse fish: follow the fishery's rules and the usual restraint.

This matters, so it is worth being exact.

• Pike: returned, always. The pike fishery is run as catch and release. Pike are returned to the water as soon as possible after capture, which is why the welfare rules below (the unhooking kit, the big knotless net, the wire trace) are compulsory, not optional. Any trout caught by accident on a pike day must be returned immediately, and a trout killed by accident must be handed to a Bristol Water employee, not kept. (Source: 2026 Bristol Water pike rules.)
• Trout: kept to your permit's bag limit, or released on a sporting permit. The trout day permits are sold by how many fish you may keep (for example a full eight-fish day, a half-day four-fish, or a two-fish catch-and-release "sporting" permit). You keep up to the limit on your ticket and stop, or you take the sporting permit and return everything. Chew trout are clean, well-fed reservoir fish and good eating within the limit. (Source: Bristol Water Fisheries permits and pricing.)
• Perch and coarse fish. Where the fishery allows them, the usual restraint applies: keep only what you will eat, within any limit, and return the big perch that make the fishery special.

Whatever you keep, handle fish in wet hands, unhook them carefully, return what must go back without delay, and clean your kit between waters so you do not carry anything from one fishery to the next.

Licence and rules

You need two things. First, an Environment Agency rod licence (a Trout, Coarse Fish and Eel licence is about £36.80 for the year in 2026, from GOV.UK). Second, a Bristol Water Fisheries permit, booked online or through Woodford Lodge: a trout day or season permit, or the separate, limited winter pike ticket. The pike rules are strict and enforced.

The two things you need. A Bristol Water permit gives you permission to fish Chew; the Environment Agency rod licence is the separate statutory licence every angler in England needs on top. You must hold both. Anyone aged 13 or over needs the EA licence; under-13s do not.

1. The Environment Agency rod licence

The statutory UK licence, the same for every angler in England (source: GOV.UK):

Buy it at GOV.UK or at a Post Office. Carry it (paper or on your phone) while you fish.

2. The Bristol Water Fisheries permit

Booked online through the Bristol Water Fisheries site and the Clubmate portal, or by phone to Woodford Lodge (01275 332339). The trout permits are everyday; the pike permit is separate and limited.

2026 trout permit prices (Chew Valley Lake, source: Bristol Water Fisheries permits and pricing, as of 5 June 2026):

Single-rod and half-day boat permits can only be booked the day before, by phone to the Woodford Lodge lakeside team, subject to availability.

The winter pike permit

Pike fishing on Chew, other than by fly, is a limited managed operation: deadbait and lure days, capped at around 41 days a year. Tickets go on sale online from 10 January 2026 and run until sold out, usually within a few days, with predator season-ticket holders booking their allocation in advance of the general release. Book the day ticket online through the Bristol Water Fisheries TicketSource page; the 2026 prices are £79 per angler for a bank session and £200 per boat (two anglers). (Source: Bristol Water Fisheries pike fishing and the pike dates-and-prices page, as of 5 June 2026.)

The 2026 pike rules (these are strict and enforced)

Read the full rules PDF before you book; the key ones (source: 2026 Bristol Water pike rules):

So Chew is a fishery you book and read the rules for, not one you turn up to. The pike welfare rules in particular are zero-tolerance, and they exist because these are exceptional fish.

Other rules that matter

• Boat safety: lifejackets at all times on the jetties and in the boats; every boat angler watches and signs the safety briefing on every visit; keep 50 m from other boats. (Source: 2026 Bristol Water pike rules, boat section.)
• Clean your kit between waters so you do not move invasive species or disease between fisheries.
• Respect the marked restricted areas (this is an SSSI and a bird sanctuary); they are shown at the lodge on the day.

Where to fish from the bank

From the bank, the trout marks are the north shore and the deeper water near the dam early season (Walley Bank and the North Shore are named), with the bays fishing as the season warms. For the winter pike, you fish the bank areas the fishery opens for the season. Stay 25 m clear of any jetty, and keep to the permitted areas marked at the lodge.

Chew is shallow and open, so from the bank you are reading the wind, the fly life and the fry rather than deep structure. These are the bank areas to know (source: Bristol Water Fisheries):

• The North Shore and Walley Bank. Named bank marks, with deeper water and good early-season trout fishing. A solid base for a bank trout day.
• The dam end. The deepest water in the lake, which fishes well in cold early-season conditions for trout on lures and nymphs. Note the aerators near the dam are out of bounds to anchored boats.
• The bays (Herriotts, Stratford, Villice and the like) and the Roman Shallows. Productive trout water as the season warms and the fly life builds, and the shallow, fry-rich areas the big fish hunt.
• The pike bank areas. For the winter pike fishery the lodge opens specific bank marks for the season and marks the permitted areas on the day. UK-record attempts must be made from the bank.

What depth means for method from the bank

• Early season, deeper water near the dam (cold): trout sit deep and slow. A nymph rig fished slow, or a streamer rig with a lure on a sinking line.
• Warmer water, fish up in the layers: a dry fly rig or emergers and nymphs on a floating line.
• Winter pike from the opened bank marks: a sea deadbait under a float or on a leger, on a pike rig with the compulsory wire trace, big net and unhooking kit to hand.
• Big perch on lures: a drop shot worked off the bottom around the fry shoals.

Keep 25 m clear of any jetty area, and fish only the areas the permit and the lodge allow on the day.

Bank vs boat, and the time of day

From the bank you can fish trout all season and pike in the winter days. A boat opens up the whole lake: loch-style drifting for trout, and anchored or drifting pike fishing over the productive shallows. Boats are booked through the lodge, supplied with engine, oars, anchors and a bailer, and cover two anglers. First and last light beat the bright middle of the day.

Plain version: if you only have the bank, you can fish the whole trout season and the winter pike days, which is most of what Chew offers. A boat adds reach and lets you drift loch-style for trout and cover more water for pike. Either way, the early and late hours beat the bright middle of the day, and in summer that gap is wide.

This table is the core decision the trip turns on. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Pick your fish, pick where you are and when, and it gives you the rig.

Boats are supplied with an engine (fuel included), oars, anchors and a bailer, and a boat ticket covers two anglers. The boats are got ready for around 9am; lifejackets are worn at all times, and every boat angler signs the safety briefing on each visit. (Source: Bristol Water Fisheries and the 2026 pike rules boat section.)

The boat: hire, guided, or the lodge

Boats are hired through Woodford Lodge, not from a separate operator: book online or by phone (01275 332339), and the boat comes with an engine, fuel, oars, anchors and a bailer, covering two anglers. For a first trout visit, a Chew fly-fishing guide (for example John Horsey) takes you out and shortcuts the lake. There is no separate self-launch fishery; you fish from the lodge's boats.

A boat is worth it on a water this size, especially for trout, where loch-style drifting covers far more water than a bank rod. Book the boat with your permit through the lodge.

Hire a boat (through the lodge)

Boats are booked with the permit at Bristol Water Fisheries / Woodford Lodge (01275 332339). The boat day permit is priced per boat for two anglers (see the licence section), and the boat is supplied ready with engine, fuel, oars, anchors and a bailer. Half-day and single-rod boat permits are booked the day before by phone. Trolling, where the rules allow it for pike, is by electric engine only.

Guided (worth it for a first trout visit)

A local Chew fly-fishing guide takes you out, supplies or advises the tackle and shows you where the fish are holding, which shortcuts a big lake. John Horsey is a well-known Chew and Blagdon guide (johnhorsey.co.uk). Rates are on request, so contact the guide to book rather than expecting a fixed day-rate.

The winter pike boat

Boat pike fishing is part of the managed winter season and runs under the strict pike rules (wire trace, sea deadbaits or lures, the welfare kit, 50 m from other boats, no bringing big pike ashore from a boat). Book the pike boat through the lodge with the pike permit.

Where to stay (and book a permit locally)

To base yourself near the fishing, stay around Chew Stoke, Bishop Sutton, Blagdon or Bristol itself, all a short drive from Woodford Lodge. There is no on-site accommodation. You book the permit and collect a boat at Woodford Lodge on the north shore (01275 332339), where there is also a tackle shop carrying flies.

Stay near the water

• Chew Stoke and Chew Magna – villages right by the lake with pubs and B&Bs, the closest base to Woodford Lodge.
• Bishop Sutton and Blagdon – to the south and west, near the lake and the neighbouring Blagdon reservoir if you want to fish both.
• Bristol – a short drive north, with the full range of places to stay if you want a city base.

Book and collect at the lodge

Woodford Lodge, on the north shore, is where you book or collect a permit, pay, take a boat, return your card and buy flies (the lodge tackle shop carries a large fly selection). It is open through the season, roughly 8am to 4pm. Most permits are booked online ahead, with day-before and phone bookings handled by the lakeside team (01275 332339). The Environment Agency rod licence is bought separately, online at GOV.UK or at a Post Office, not at the lodge.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

Two method families cover Chew. Fly fishing is the trout fishery: dries and nymphs on a floating line when fish are up, lures and boobies on a sinking line when they are down, drifted loch-style from a boat. The pike rig (sea deadbait or lure on a wire trace) is the winter pike. Drop shot or a float covers the big perch. Each links to its own build page.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Rainbow and brown trout, fish up in the layers → dry fly rig. Imitative dries and emergers on a floating line when the fish are taking off the top. The spring-and-autumn method when there is a hatch on.
• Trout, fish in the middle or holding deep → nymph rig. Nymphs on a floating or intermediate line, fished slow, the workhorse when nothing is showing. The early-season method in cold water.
• Trout, fish down, or browns on the fry → streamer rig. Lures and boobies on a sinking line, and fry-imitating patterns in autumn for the big browns and rainbows. Also the fly-rod pike option in the trout season.
• Pike, winter, bank or boat → pike rig. A sea deadbait under a float or on a leger, or a 4-in-plus de-barbed lure, on a compulsory wire trace (minimum 40 lb, 18 in deadbaiting / 10 in lure). The trace and the welfare kit are non-negotiable at Chew.
• Big perch → drop shot or sliding float rig. A small soft lure off the bottom around the fry, or bait under a float.

The fly rigs are tied with a leader-and-tippet system; the lure and bait rigs use the site's three core knots, the Palomar (the workhorse), the dropper loop and the non-slip loop. Each rig page links the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish and whether you are on the bank or in a boat, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and the rigs to exactly what you need. Chew splits cleanly into a fly outfit for the trout and a stronger lure-and-bait outfit with a wire trace for the winter pike. The full list is below, grouped, with no brands and no prices.

That is the whole list. For a trout trip: a #7 fly outfit, a floating and a sinking line, leaders and tippet, and a box of flies. For a winter pike trip: a strong rod, heavy line, wire traces, sea deadbaits and big lures, and the full welfare kit the rules demand. Buy generic sizes and types; you do not need a named brand to catch a Chew fish.

A trip checklist

Before you go: decide pike or trout (they want different dates and kit), book the right permit (and the winter pike day early, it sells out), buy your EA rod licence, pack the matching kit (the welfare kit is compulsory for pike), and note the rules. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Decide pike or trout. They are two different trips on two clocks. Pike is deep winter, booked from 10 January and gone fast. Trout is early March to the end of November, best spring and autumn. Pick one and plan its dates.
2. Book the Bristol Water permit. Trout: book a day or season permit online at Bristol Water Fisheries (the eight-fish day, or a sporting catch-and-release permit), or call the lodge for a day-before or half-day boat. Pike: book the winter day online through the Bristol Water Fisheries TicketSource page (£79 a bank angler, £200 a boat for two) as soon as tickets go on sale.
3. Buy your EA rod licence. A Trout, Coarse Fish and Eel licence (about £36.80 for the year in 2026) at GOV.UK or a Post Office. Carry it while you fish. Anyone 13 or over needs it.
4. Pack the matching kit. Trout: a #7 fly outfit, a floating and a sinking line, leaders, tippet and a box of flies. Pike: a strong rod, heavy line, wire traces, sea deadbaits and 4-in-plus de-barbed lures, and the compulsory welfare kit (forceps, gloves, mat, big knotless net). The shopping list above (trimmed by the kit builder) is your packing list.
5. Note the rules. Pike: sea deadbaits and lures only, wire trace always, pike returned, welfare kit compulsory, record attempts from the bank. Trout: keep to your permit's bag limit or take a sporting permit. Boats: lifejacket always, sign the briefing, 50 m from other boats. Wet hands, release carefully.
6. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the box. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: leaving the winter pike day too late to book, turning up expecting freshwater pike baits (banned), arriving without the compulsory pike welfare kit, forgetting the EA rod licence on top of the permit, mixing up the two seasons, and fishing the bright middle of a summer day. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Leaving the pike day too late. The winter pike tickets go on sale online from 10 January and sell out within days. If you want a pike day, book the moment they open. There is no walk-up pike fishing.
• Bringing freshwater baits for pike. Chew bans all freshwater fish, alive or dead, for pike. Sea deadbaits (mackerel, herring, sardine) and artificial lures only. Bring the wrong bait and you will be turned away; the bait rules are zero-tolerance.
• Arriving without the welfare kit. The pike rules require long-nosed forceps, gloves, an unhooking mat and a big knotless net (36-in arms or 30-in round, 15 mm mesh). They are checked. These are exceptional fish and the rules exist to protect them.
• Forgetting the EA rod licence. The Bristol Water permit is not the rod licence. You need both: the permit to fish Chew, and the Environment Agency licence (about £36.80 a year) that every angler in England needs. Buy it at GOV.UK before you go.
• Mixing up the two seasons. Trout is spring to autumn; pike is deep winter. There is a gap between them. Check both calendars rather than assuming the lake is open on your dates.
• Fishing the bright middle of the day. Chew is shallow and open. A sunny summer midday is slow for trout. Fish the first and last hours and rest in between.
• Skipping the boat safety step. Every boat angler signs the safety briefing on every visit and wears a lifejacket at all times. Build it into your timing; boats are got ready for around 9am.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about Chew Valley Lake: what is here, the two licences you need, prices and booking, when you can fish for pike, the strict pike rules, the pike size question, the trout season and bag limits, bank versus boat, the trout methods, and the kit.