RIVER THAMES,
DUXFORD

The specimen hunters amongst our members will enjoy awesome fishing here. This stretch of upper Thames has produced some excellent size Barbel, Carp, and Chub.

Top tip: If you go 200 yards below the ford, that’s a recognized hot spot to find barbel!

There is no boat traffic on the backwater.

If you plan to fish this water, we recommend that you take a preliminary walk along its full length. Trust us when we say it’ll prove to be time well spent.

Warning! This fishery is not suited to novice anglers as there are high banks in places with overhanging bushes and trees.

Parking

Parking: Parking is in a layby on the Left-Hand side of the road, opposite Fordwell Farm entrance.

Please note: Do not obstruct the entrances to the farm.

How to find us

Duxford Village is accessed via Hinton Waldrist.

Once you have parked, continue down the road for another 90meters and turn right into a lane.

Follow this lane until you arrive at the ford.

Our fishing starts from the first notice board below the ford at Duxford and ends above the Shifford lock. This is approximately 1.8km.

View it on Google Maps.

Species

The carp (Cyprinus carpio) comes in many different guises; The wildie, the leather, the mirror and the common carp.

Tench is a freshwater fish native to Europe. Thick and heavy, the tench has an olive green or darker back

The bream lives in schools and eats worms, mollusks, and other small animals. It is deep bodied, with flat sides and a small head, and is silvery with a bluish or brown back.

The northern pike gets its name from its resemblance to the pole-weapon known as the pike. Pike can grow to a relatively large size; with maximum recorded weights of 63 lb.

Perch are carnivorous fish found in small ponds, lakes, streams, or rivers. These fish feed on smaller fish, shellfish, or insect larvae, but can be caught with nearly any bait

A shoaling fish, dusky silver in colour often with a brown to bronze sheen. They are quite distinctive with a blunt snout, rounded body and very large mouth.

A high-backed, yellowish green fish with red eyes and reddish fins. It lives in small schools and eats aquatic plants, insects, and other small animals.

A group of small carp-like freshwater fish, almost all of the genus Barbus. They are usually found in gravel and rocky-bottomed slow-flowing waters with high dissolved oxygen content.

The dace is a slender fish, with a silvery body and brownish fins. It is more slender than the roach and smaller than the chub, with duller fins.

The brown trout is a golden-brown fish with a dark back and creamy-yellow belly. Its back and sides display dark, reddish spots with pale borders. It can be distinguished from the similar rainbow trout by its plain, dark tail fin and by the lack of a purple side-stripe.