Northamptonshire is a sprawling expanse of glorious English countryside in the east midlands of England, and it is where Mercedes manufactures its engines. However, these aren’t the only things of note the county has to offer. It’s also full of stunning lakes, boasting huge carp and fishing records you can beat!
So, are you looking to find carp of up to 40 lb but don’t know where to start? We’ve curated a list of some of the nicest lakes for carp fishing in Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire Carp Fishing Lake Near Me
Billing Aquadrome
Located in Great Billing, roughly 7 miles from Northampton, Billing Aquadrome is a well-known recreational center set in the beautiful plains of Northamptonshire’s countryside. Covering a span of 235 acres, it sports a caravan site, a park, and a marina.
It also has several fishing spots like the stretch of River Nene and different lakes such as Lily Lake, a 4-acre specimen lake with carp sizes occurring in the mid-upper double figures.
While Lily Lake has only 10 pegs, Kingfisher Lake, which is slightly larger, has a total of 28. However, the carp in Kingfisher Lake are more in the low double-figures range as the larger ones were moved to Lily Lake.
Billing Aquadrome at a Glance:
| Name | Billing Aquadrome |
| Lake Size | According to Lake |
| Location | Northampton, NN3 9DA |
| Pricing | £10 upwards |
| Phone Number | 01604 414 428 |
| Record Carp | 35 lb |
Castle Ashby Fisheries
Image Courtesy of Castle Ashby Fisheries
Castle Ashby Fisheries is situated in the middle of Castle Ashby village and Grendon. It holds 3 lakes with a good amount of carp.
Scotland Pond is a 9-acre lake with most of the larger carp on this site. It has 40 pegs as it’s heavily stocked, and there are several specimens over 20 lb. Grendon Lake (8 acres) is the next best spot to catch carp as you can get several fish that are up to 18 lb. Lastly, Brickyard (2 acres) is a club match venue with smaller carp of up to 9 lb.
Castle Ashby Fisheries at a Glance:
| Name | Castle Ashby Fisheries |
| Lake Size | According to Lake |
| Location | Castle Ashby NN7 1LQ. |
| Pricing | £10 upwards |
| Phone Number | 01604 712346 |
| Record Carp | 20+ lb |
Bluebell Lakes
Located in Tansor, about 4 miles from Oundle, Bluebell Lakes is one of the most well-known day ticket fisheries in the country. Its sprawling complex includes 5 lakes, a creek, and a bit of the River Nene.
Kingfisher Lake stretches approximately 7 acres and is stocked with 30+ lb carp. It’s where the famous day-ticket catch of carp in the country, Benson, was found. The lake is constantly combed for smaller fish, moving them so that the larger ones continue to grow. Now, the lake record is a catch that just went over the 50 lb barrier.
Another lake of note here is Swan Lake, which stretches over 12 acres. Four different carp over 50 lb have already been spotted there. It’s also home to monster catfish of up to 100 lb in weight.
Bluebell Lakes at a Glance:
| Name | Bluebell Lakes |
| Lake Size | According to Lake |
| Location | Oundle, PE8 5HP |
| Pricing | £15 upwards |
| Phone Number | 01832 226 042 |
| Record Carp | 50+ lb |
Barnwell Country Park Lakes
The Barnwell Country Park Lakes are willow-fringed lakes with a combined span of over 14 acres. The Backwater, along with North Lake (6 acres) and Mill Lake (3.5 acres), makes up the waters of the Barnwell Country Park.
Although these waters are mostly home to tench, rudd, and perch, some carp are said to have made their way out from other Nene valley fisheries. Despite having a natural head of fish and not being stocked, the carp there reach 25 + lb.
Barnwell Country Park Lakes at a Glance:
| Name | Barnwell Country Park Lakes |
| Lake Size | 14 acres |
| Location | Oundle PE8 5PB |
| Pricing | £3 upwards |
| Phone Number | 0300 126 5931 |
| Record Carp | 25+ lb |
Pitsford Fishery
Pitsford Fishery can be found 6 miles from Northampton, in Pitsford. This gorgeous lake spans about 2 acres and is nestled in the middle of some of the loveliest countryside plains Northamptonshire has to offer.
It sports 20 pegs for fishing along with several features, such as gravel bars, reed-lined margins, and deep holes. Although the shallow areas only come up to 2 ft, the deep holes are up to 10 ft in depth, and the average depth is about 7 ft.
Although most of the fish there are on the smaller side, there’s a good selection of large carp in the mid-upper 20 lb bracket, and the lake record was up to 40 lb.
Pitsford Fishery at a Glance:
| Name | Pitsford Fishery |
| Lake Size | 2 acres |
| Location | Northampton, NN6 9BB |
| Pricing | £10 upwards |
| Phone Number | 07743 966 286 |
| Record Carp | 40 lb |
Naseby Reservoir
Naseby Reservoir, 13 miles from Northampton, has a long history, dating back to the 1700s. It was closed for a while before being reopened in 2003 to continue feeding the Grand Union Canal.
It’s easily one of the largest fisheries in the area, spanning 93 acres. Despite its massive body of water, the reservoir only has 80 pegs, giving each angler generous amounts of water to themselves.
It’s also full of fish to match its expanse, so the content isn’t sparse, and fishing isn’t too difficult. The carp’s size is in the low-mid double-figures, but few exceed 30 lb.
Naseby Reservoir at a Glance:
| Name | Naseby Reservoir |
| Lake Size | 93 acres |
| Location | Northampton, NN6 6JF |
| Pricing | £10 upwards |
| Phone Number | 07904 493 417 |
| Record Carp | 30+ lb |
Lakeside Fisheries
Home to 3 small lakes, Lakeside Fisheries can be found near Duncote, 3 miles from Towcester. Its lakes cover a total of 3 acres altogether, and each one is scenic, with trees lining the banks. Large Lake is the one with carp, while Top Lake and Bottom Lake only house silverfish.
Large Lake spans a little over 2 acres in size and sports 24 pegs. However, only 8 anglers can fish at the same time on this lake since fishing is restricted. Night fishing is also not allowed at this spot, but the prices go down as low as £7.50 in the winter.
Lakeside Fisheries at a Glance:
| Name | Lakeside Fisheries |
| Lake Size | 2 acres (Large Lake) |
| Location | Towcester, NN12 8AL |
| Pricing | £10 upwards |
| Phone Number | 01327 351 439 |
| Record Carp | 30+ lb |
Spinney Lakes
Spinney Lakes can be found south of the Wellingborough train station. It’s on a floodplain, with the River Nene running through it, making it possible for the waters to merge with the river when it floods. As a result, there usually isn’t that much fish, but some anglers have found 40+ lb fish in the bigger main lake.
The area is now restricted on behalf of the Land Trust in a bid to preserve it. So you can’t fish in certain waters after the 31st of October every year, and there are areas where you can’t fish at all.
Spinney Lakes at a Glance:
| Name | Spinney Lake |
| Lake Size | 17 acres |
| Location | Wellingborough |
| Pricing | Free |
| Phone Number | – |
| Record Carp | 40+ lb |
Stanwick Lakes Fisheries
Stanwick Lakes Fisheries is set in the delightful Northamptonshire countryside, about 7 miles from Wellingborough in Stanwick. It consists of 5 lakes, but out of the 5, only 3 are for carp fishing.
Elsons Lake is a gorgeous specimen lake that spans across 6 acres and has a depth range of 5 ft to 9 ft. It sports 15 pegs, with 2 out of the 15 being doubles. It holds an impressive record of over 100 fish larger than 20 lb and 20 fish larger than 30 lb. It also holds about 5 carp that are over 40 lb. Advanced booking is necessary for this site.
Mallard Lake is the second specimen lake, spanning 4 acres. It holds almost 400 carp, with most of them being larger than 20 lb. The carp’s average is almost 25 lb, and its lake record is 33 lb.
The last carp lake is Swan Lake, and it’s runs water that spans about 3 acres. It’s heavily stocked with carp in the low double-digits, and although the fish aren’t growing as big as the other lakes, its lake record is 27 lb.
Stanwick Lakes Fisheries at a Glance:
| Name | Stanwick Lakes Fisheries |
| Lake Size | According to Lake |
| Location | Wellingborough, NN9 6GD |
| Pricing | £10 upwards |
| Phone Number | 07974 300 015 |
| Record Carp | 40 lb |
Big Pit Pond
The Big Pit Pond is a small, water-filled clay pit formed due to sand quarrying on the grounds of the Fermyn Woods Country Park. It has now been made into a fishing spot for a variety of fish, including carp.
It’s a nice spot for beginner anglers who are just learning to fish, as it’s a small and sheltered site that’s a good spot for float fishing. Night fishing isn’t allowed at this spot.
Big Pit Pond at a Glance:
| Name | Big Pit Pond |
| Lake Size | – |
| Location | Kettering, NN14 3HS |
| Pricing | £2.50 upwards |
| Phone Number | 01536 373 625 |
| Record Carp | 30 lb |
Conclusion
With this, we’ve covered the gorgeous carp fishing lakes that Northamptonshire has to offer. Our list was carefully curated, keeping in mind the scenery, facilities, stock, and carp lake records that you might be interested in beating.
Let us know which lake has drawn your interest the most. And if you like our article, don’t hesitate to share it with all your fishing buddies and let them know which lake was your favorite.
