Boats return to the water at our fisheries

Following a review of boat fishing at our reservoirs, we are pleased to announce that we are reintroducing boat fishing at our fisheries from 3 June 2025.

Fisheries and Recreation Manager Philip Timings has provided an update about the review and shared important information people should know before they visit.

A review of boat fishing

In recent weeks, the team has implemented the recommendations from our fishing boat review, received further training and undertaken maintenance where needed.

We aim to provide a reasonable balance between allowing customers to fish at their own risk, while also minimising the likelihood of an incident.

We hope that the customer experience will not be hindered by these small changes, and we ask that you be patient with the team as we return the boats to the water, as things will be slightly different for them too.

We will continue to review boat fishing at our sites in the coming months. This includes exploring whether it is possible for anglers to safely use their own electric engines in the future.

Timeline and availability

Initially, there will be a slightly reduced fleet, but we will resume normal service as quickly as possible.

From 3 June, six boats (five with engines and one rowing boat) will be available at Clatworthy, two rowing boats will be available at Hawkridge, and two rowing boats will be available at Sutton Bingham.

From 4 June, an additional two boats with engines will be available at Sutton Bingham.

By the end of June, we anticipate normal operation with six boats available at each fishery.

What you need to know

While we will be providing customers with information on the day, there are some things you should know in advance to help you plan your day.

• Wessex Water Fisheries operate as unsupervised venues, without a permanent staff presence. Customers are required to make an informed decision about risk and take responsibility for their own safety.
• A boat handover briefing will be provided by a member of the team. This is not an assessment of your competency; customers must decide if they can safely use the boats in the current conditions. If at any time we have concerns over your safety or that of others, we reserve the right to end the hire immediately (a full refund will be provided).
• Fishing will begin as quickly as possible in the morning, but this is a very busy time for the team. Please remember that bank fishing is available from 8am, and we aim to provide boat handovers between 8.30am and 10am. If you know you will be arriving after this time, then a late handover must be mutually agreed upon with a Ranger in advance.
• It will not be possible for customers to book a boat on the day, unless this is booked directly through our Rangers. This is to help us ensure that the correct number of boats are available, and a member of the team is available to provide a handover.
• Customers using a boat must bring their own means of communication, such as a fully charged mobile phone, so that they can make an emergency call if needed. We provide whistles with our lifejackets, but these are only effective when others are nearby.
• Please check the weather forecast before you leave home. If our operating limits are exceeded, boats will not be available. Operating limits include an average wind speed of more than 25 mph (21 knots) gusts greater than 31 mph (27 knots), visibility of less than 250m, and thunder and lightning. We aim to let people with bookings know in advance if boats cannot go out, but we cannot guarantee this.
• A maximum of two people with a total weight of 225kg (35 stone) applies across our boats, including any equipment you bring. Please consider this carefully when selecting your equipment.
• Only Wessex Water-issued life jackets and engines may be used on our fishing boats (this is pending review). Customers may bring their own seats, so long as these attach directly to the boat seats and not the gunwales.
• Evening-only boats will not be available. This is because our team is required to provide a handover briefing and cannot always be available in the afternoon. We will look to offer evening-only boats in the future.

We thank you for your patience and look forward to seeing you at one of our fisheries soon.