Rib Valley Fishing Lakes | Coarse & Fly Fishing | Dallaswear

Rib Valley Fishing Lakes

Address: Westmill Farm, Westmill Road, Near Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0ES

Westmill Farm, situated in Hertfordshire near Ware and close to the A10, is home to a large selection of outdoor activities that may be of interest to our customers.

Westmill Farm is home to Rib Valley Fishing Lakes. There are three purpose-built lakes for coarse and fly fishing; Rib Lake, Westmill Lake and Millennium Lake. The lakes cater for all abilities. Millennium Lake, a registered TroutMasters water, is stocked with a minimum of 600 rainbow trout of about 2lbs. Larger fish up to about 6lbs are also stocked. There are also some brown trout in Millennium Lake but they need to be released when caught. The lake is approximately five acres in size and about fourteen feet at its deepest. At this size it accommodates around thirty rods. There is a season for fly fishing at Rib Valley which sees the lake close to fly fishers at the end of May. Increased water temperatures during the summer months are unsuitable for the stocking of trout. This year Millennium Lake will reopen to trout fishers on 2nd October following restocking on 27th September.

As a registered TroutMasters water, fly fishers are encouraged to fill in their returns cards and send them in. The fly fishers that catch the top three heaviest fish each month receive a TroutMasters badge to sew on to their fishing vest or cap. The fishers that catch the heaviest fish over the year will be invited to take part in the lake final and if successful to go on to compete in the TroutMasters grand final!

Rib Valley Fishing Lakes are set in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside within easy reach of London, if you are driving. There aren’t many fly fishing waters in this part of the country so it’s great to have the opportunity to fish at Rib Valley Fishing Lakes and it is quite magical if you can get there early. I’ve been there on cold mornings when the lake was covered in mist and ice, and frost covered the grass. Slowly as the mist began to rise, the wildlife emerged. It was a pleasure to watch the early morning forays of the kingfisher. I’ve been lucky enough to see herons, muntjac deer, kites, foxes and grebe while fishing there. It all adds to the experience. Of course, if you are there early you also have your choice of fishing spots!

Coarse fishing is also available at Rib Valley Fishing Lakes. Rib Lake covers an area of 12 acres and has a good stock of carp. Westmill Lake is the smallest of

the three at 2.75 acres. While Millennium Lake is closed to fly fishers during the summer months it is open for coarse fishing. Night fishing is permitted with 12 night fishing spots permitted on Rib Lake, 10 on Westmill and another 10 on Millennium. Types of carp in the lakes include Common, Mirror, Crucian and Ghost. Specimens can reach up to 30lbs. Other coarse species being Perch, Pike, Roach, Rudd, Tench, Bream and Chub. Pike fishing is permitted in winter months only with individual specimens of up to 25lbs.

New to Rib Valley Fishing Lakes is the Beginners Pond. An ideal addition to the complex to encourage an interest in the next generation of fishers. The fish are easy to catch and include small carp; Mirror, Common, and Crucian.

On site there is an extremely well stocked Angling shop that caters for both coarse and fly fishing. The staff are helpful and friendly and if they don’t have what you are looking for, they will happily order it in for you. Fishing tickets can be bought in the shop but if you arrive early you can buy them by the water from the baliff. The staff are very knowledgeable and are happy to let you know what’s catching and what conditions are like on the water. They also offer a repair service from broken rods and poles, whether for an antique piece or one of your favourites that has been damaged or broken. They also stock all the materials and tools needed to tie your own flies and can arrange fly fishing lessons for anybody that is interested.

For those new to the sport of fly fishing it is useful to know that Rib Valley has its own fly fishing club (Rib Valley Fly Fishers Club). The aim of the club is the promotion of the sport and to give all those taking part the best possible experience. This is achieved through a mixture of talks and arranged fishing days both non competitive and competitive at various locations. In this way the anglers can meet and make new friends, benefit from each other’s knowledge and experiences and get the most from this wonderful sport.

Westmill Farm is also home to a number of other outdoor activities including a nine hole golf course and footgolf, a camping and caravan site, glamping, zorbing and an aerial adventure park.

I am including some links at the end of this blog for anybody who may be interested in fishing at Rib Valley Fishing Lakes. If you do go “tight lines” from us at Dallaswear and thanks for taking the time to read our blog!

Postcode for Sat. Nav. – SG12 0ES Westmill Farm, Ware, Hertfordshire

Rib Valley Angling Tackle shop: https://www.ribvalleyangling.co.uk/

Rib Valley Fishing Lakes: