🎉 Exciting New Partnership 🎉

We’re excited to announce that Haywards Heath & District Angling Society (HHDAS) has officially taken over the fishing rights at Ardingly Reservoir!

This new partnership ensures the reservoir remains a top spot for local and visiting anglers, with a focus on quality fishing, accessibility, and environmental care as well as encouraging new participants, and preserving the reservoir for future generations.

Day tickets are still available from the Activity Centre and will soon be online via HHDAS. Existing season ticket holders remain unaffected until renewal. New season tickets, including daytime coarse and night fishing options, are now available online from HHDAS.

Day Tickets

Coarse Fishing: 1st June – 31st May (7am – 7pm)

Pike Fishing: October – April (8:30am – 7pm)

Tickets: £15

Fishing tickets operate under a separate payment system, as the rights belong to HHDAS. Day tickets must be purchased in person at the Centre’s Reception – payment is cash only. We cannot accept payment online or by phone.

If you are launching your own sit-on-top kayak, you may purchase a launch pass online through our booking system or directly at Reception – card payments are accepted for the launch.

Please note: all fish must be returned to the water.

History of Fishing at Ardingly Reservoir

Ardingly Reservoir is a 198-acre drinking supply reservoir, completed and filled in 1978. It was initially managed as a trout fishery for the first 10 years and has since become a popular coarse fishery. While it’s long been famous for its excellent pike fishing, many anglers are pleasantly surprised by the quality of the coarse fishing once they give it a try.

Despite its size, Ardingly Reservoir is far from a difficult water. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned match angler, you’ll find the fishing both accessible and rewarding. For those who find the main body of water a little overwhelming, the Balcombe Arm – measuring up to 95 metres wide – offers a more manageable and equally productive starting point.

Whatever your style of fishing – pleasure, match or specimen – you’ll find plenty to enjoy at Ardingly.

Species present: Roach, Rudd, Carp, Tench, Bream, Pike, Eels, Gudgeon and Perch.

Fishing is not permitted from any of the following:

1. Activity Centre jetties
2. The Dam Wall
3. The Balcombe Estate Bank
4. The Causeway Road Bridge