Permits and Pricing
Buy tickets
Season permits ("Memberships") and day permits ("Activities") for fishing and bird watching are available through our online booking portal. Here you can also manage your bookings, membership plans and communication with us.
Single rod and half-day boat permits can only be booked the day before fishing, subject to availability, and by calling the Lakeside Team at Woodford Lodge. Please call Woodford Lodge to enquire about any other fishing activities and permit types not available through our booking portal, including use of vouchers and boat discounts for season permit holders.
A 50p admin fee is applied to prices as shown in displayed pricing on our booking portal.
All self-service kiosks remain closed. We remind all visiting anglers to abide by all current Covid-19 guidance. Current government guidance can be found HERE
We look forward to seeing you safely on the lakes and enjoying a good season!
If you haven't used our portal before, you will be required to register when first clicking in. You will be asked to set a password the next time you login after registering.
You can reach the Bristol Water Lakeside Team at Woodford Lodge by phone or email:
01275 332339
2023 boat fishing permits
Boat permits(Priced per person) |
Chew Valley |
Blagdon |
Litton *Unavailable until further notice* |
|
With Engine |
With engine |
Row Boat |
Row Boat |
|
Full |
£54.00 |
£56.00 |
£52.00 |
N/A |
Concession |
£52.00 |
£54.00 |
£50.00 |
N/A |
2 fish C+R (full)* |
£50.00 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
2 fish C+R (conc)* |
£47.50 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Half Day |
£38.00 |
£40.00 |
£35.50 |
N/A |
Junior (4 fish) |
£22.50 |
£22.50 |
£22.50 |
N/A |
Holiday Package |
4 or more boats in one week 10% discount on the fourth boat |
* Barbless flies only. Catch and release permitted before second fish dispatched
Boat fishing permits include the use of a boat for the purpose of fishing at our waters. All boats are fitted with anchors, bailers and oars. Some boats have engines fitted; this is dependent on which ticket you opt for.
Yes! Each price quoted above includes a limit of fish permitted to be taken per person. All prices are priced per person. A maximum of 2 anglers are permitted in each boat. 3 anglers per boat are occasionally permitted but this is at the discretion of BW staff and boat availability. Catch and release is permitted on all permit types. For more information on good practices of catch and release please see HERE.
The ticket price has been carefully considered amongst fishery management, angling bodies, local clubs and anglers just like yourselves! Bristol Water want to actively engage with key stakeholders and customers alike when it comes to managing change or creating new offerings. In season 2018 a support group was created in an attempt to help drive the department forward positively.
Attendees invited to participate included representatives from the B.R.F.F.A, the Angling Trust, the P.A.C, local guides and instructors and standout long term season ticket holders. The group known as the B.W.S.G (Bristol Water Support Group) meet on a near monthly basis to discuss changes made to our offerings. In this instance, there was a concern that offering a heavily reduced ticket could jeopardize the future financial stability of the department and that, aside from take-able fish, there were other costs to consider other than just ‘quota’ costs with each ticket offering. As with all tickets, a proportion of the ticket cost is associated towards other aspects of your visit. Boat and engine maintenance costs, staffing costs, fuel costs, insurance costs to name just a few all represent a portion of our ticket costs to the customer. These costs don’t essentially disappear when a fish limit is reduced.
Aside from this, there was also a concern surrounding perception. There are still lots of anglers who don’t choose to catch and release. Some asked ‘why should someone catching 40 fish in a day, pay any less than someone who comes, catches 8, and goes home?’. Irrelevant of whether fish are taken home, the lakes will always need to be stocked when offering a sport fishing offering. Fish don’t live for ever and predation plays its part too. These are all factors that must be considered when generating permit prices.
No, just like all of our ticket offerings, we only permit catch and release before your last fish is dispatched.
Whilst we have seen relatively good uptake of this ticket type during its trial, around 75% of our customers continued to opt for our standard full day ticket. We are planning to make our ticket offerings simpler in coming seasons. We will continue to review and make changes where appropriate.
We class juniors as youngsters 17 years of age or under and concessions as adults 65 years of age or older. Both ticket prices are reduced in price to encourage both generations to fish our waters. Juniors can fish for FREE when sharing a permit with a full paying adult. This is at the discretion of our staff.
We aim to get boats on the water by 9am at our waters. This is dependent on times of year, weather and staffing arrangements. Boats must return to the jetties by sunset at the latest at all of our waters.
Unfortunately we are unable to permit fishing any earlier and later than these times due to stringent health and safety policies. We must ensure we protect both our staff and customers. On occasions, boats may be delayed in going out or may be called in early. This is at the discretion of BW Fisheries.
Litton *Unavailable until further notice*
All Litton prices allow a maximum of 5 fish to be taken per permit. Note to all anglers: Anglers must provide an accurate catch return once fishing has ended.
2023 day bank permits
Bank Permits (Priced per person) |
All Waters | Barrow Tanks |
Full | £32.00 | £23.00 |
Concession | £30.00 | £21.00 |
Afternoon (3pm onwards) | £28.00 | £20.00 |
Junior (4 Fish) | £15.00 | £9.00 |
2 fish C+R (full) | £27.00 | N/A |
2 fish C+R (con) | £25.00 | N/A |
*Barbless flies only. C + R only permitted before second fish is dispatched
Permits must be purchased through our booking portal. We recommend booking in advance where available. For activities and permit types not available on our booking portal, please enquire by calling the Lakeside Team at Woodford Lodge.
The self-service kiosks situated in the main car parks around our lakes are no longer available for purchasing permits.
Proof of purchase, or season permits, must be produced on request if required by any Bristol Water staff.
No anglers are to fish without a permit, anyone found doing so may be prosecuted or reported to the police, EA and other fisheries for the offence of poaching.
All full day tickets permit a maximum of 8 fish to be taken (unless otherwise stated).
Afternoon tickets permit a maximum of 4 fish to be taken.
Only one brown trout can be dispatched per ticket.
Catch and release is welcomed on any ticket purchased.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Some bank areas have restricted access due to some of our sites being within SSSI’s. Please ask a member of staff or call 07741231991 out of hours for the combination. Anglers are required to lock gates behind them, failure to do so may result in exclusion from our waters.
Yes! We want to encourage youngsters into the sport of fly fishing. We permit juniors to share the limit with any full paying adult; please enquire by calling the Lakeside Team at Woodford Lodge if you'd like to book this option. The option of a junior ticket is there should a junior also wish to also have a limit of fish. The choice is yours!
Full day bank permits allow an angler to start fishing 1 hour before sunrise until 1 hour after sunset. Afternoon tickets start from 3pm.
2023 Season Permits
What is a season ticket?
A season ticket is an annual bank fishing permit. We offer a wide range of season tickets to meet the requirements of each individual angler. Some tickets permit fishing 7 days a week, others 5 days and some just weekends. All waters tickets offer fishing at Barrow tanks, Blagdon and Chew Valley lakes whilst other ticket types offer fishing on individual waters. Prices do vary, dependent on which ticket you choose to opt for. Season ticket applications and full terms and conditions can be found HERE
This is dependent on which ticket you purchase. Full (7 days a week) season tickets permit a maximum of 300 fish to be taken within the season. Other tickets have a reduced limit. Please see the pricing tables for information on allowances per ticket type.
An angler can take no more than 6 fish per day on any season ticket. This can include a maximum of 1 brown trout per day. At certain times of the year, anglers will not be able to take any brown trout. We operate a close season for brown trout which runs from 15thOctober until the 15th March.
Bank anglers are permitted to start fishing from 1 hour before sunrise until 1 hour after sunset.
Season opening dates can be found on our events page found HERE
YES! We encourage anglers to practice good catch and release. Fish caught and released do not count towards your annual allowance although they must be recorded on catch returns. For more information on good catch and release practices please see the link found HERE
NEW FOR 2021, season permit catch returns can be sent in via a catch return form HERE
Each season ticket holder is issued a number of season ticket catch returns. These must completed after every visit to our waters, even if you aren’t successful in catching a fish or two! Catch data provides important information for us here at BW Fisheries and helps us improve the fishing on offer to our visiting anglers.
Should a season ticket holder run out of return cards they are often available in the self-service kiosks found around our sites. They are also available during opening hours at our fisheries offices situated at Woodford and Blagdon lodges.
Alternatively, catch returns can be sent in electronically via email to woodford.lodge@bristolwater.co.uk
Unfortunately weed beds can be prolific on our waters at certain times of the year. This is a natural phenomenon and can be difficult for us to manage. We do have the use of a weed cutting boat at Blagdon reservoir and have made a conscious effort in recent seasons to cut key bank fishing areas at this site. Unfortunately it is impossible for us to manage the weed on all of our waters as much as many anglers would like to see. Before purchasing a season ticket, customers must recognise that at set times of the year, bank fishing will be limited to certain areas. No refunds or partial refunds will be issued at these times of year. We recognise that whilst there will be months where bank fishing is limited, there will also be months where banks are easily accessible and where fishing is exceptionally good.
A season ticket offers a reduction in boat price should you wish to give it a try. Please see the table below for details on these reductions. Discounts are only applicable on the days and lakes covered by your season ticket. Please speak to a member of our team for further details.
Many of our waters have SSSI statuses. This means that we have a responsibility to protect these areas and minimize disturbance to overwinter birds at certain times of the year. Some areas do have barriers/gates to restrict access. Many of these barriers have locks on them. Season ticket holders are given combinations to these locks for ease of access during the fishing season. Please respect our sites and ensure that all barriers are closed and locked behind you. Misuse of this system will mean that some access points will be locked completely if issues arise. It is in your interest to make sure that our sites are protected. For more information please see ask a member of our staff or inquire through our contact form found HERE.
Season tickets permit fishing during our fishing season. Season ticket start times are dependent on your ticket type. Please seek advice from a member of our team on 01275 332339 if you are unclear as to when your season ticket starts and ends.
Total allowance of fish in bold |
All waters |
Barrows |
Full (300) |
£995.00 |
£660.00 |
Five Day Mon-Fri (225) |
£790.00 |
£545.00 |
Weekend (125) |
£430.00 |
N/A |
Monthly (50) |
£195.00 |
N/A |
Concessions Mon-Fri (225) |
£695.00 |
£485.00 |
Junior (Under 18) 100 fish per season |
£275.00 |
N/A |
*Boat reductions for all season permit holders: |
||
|
Day |
Half Day |
Season Permit boat reductions* |
£20.00 |
£12.50 |
*Discount only applies for boats taken on days covered by the season permit
Season tickets are only valid during the season for which they are purchased.
*Discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Lower Limit Season Permits
Lower your annual limit of fish, lower your ticket price!
We recognize that not everyone wants to take home every fish they catch. Continued for season 2023, season ticket holders are offered the option of lowering their ticket price by reducing the annual allowance of take-able trout. See the table below for prices. Terms and conditions apply to all Season tickets, details can be found HERE
Total allowance of fish in bold |
All Waters | Barrows |
Full (200) | £895.00 | £610.00 |
Five Day Mon-Fri (125) |
£690.00 | £495.00 |
Concessions Mon-Fri (125) |
£595.00 | £435.00 |
2022 bird watching permits
Permit |
Day |
Season01/03/2022 - 28/02/2023 |
Half Year01/09/2022 - 28/02/2023 |
Adult |
£6.00 |
£35.00 |
£18.00 |
Joint (2x Adult, same household) |
N/A |
£65.00 |
£33.00 |
Juniors |
Free |
Free |
Free |
(Issued only to members of Ornithological and Natural History Clubs)
Please enquire with our office on 01275 332339 for more information on bird watching permits.