The Best UK Carp Lakes of 2025 (Ranked by Heaviest Fish)
Every year, the same conversations crop up on the bank and in tackle shops: where are the biggest carp actually being caught in the UK right now?
For 2025, the picture is clearer than ever. This list cuts through rumours, recycled stories and social media exaggeration, and focuses on one thing only confirmed weight.
These are the best UK carp lakes of 2025, ranked by the heaviest carp known to have come from each water
1. Kingfisher Lake, Waterside Fishery (Buckinghamshire)
Heaviest recorded carp: 66lb 8oz
Kingfisher Lake remains the benchmark for British carp fishing. Home to the heaviest common carp ever landed in the UK, it continues to define what “big” really means on home soil.
This is not a runs water and never has been. The carp here are old, wise and heavily pressured, which only adds to their mystique and their weight.
Why it ranks number one in 2025: No other UK lake has officially produced a heavier carp.
2. Swan Lake, Bluebell Lakes (Northamptonshire)
Heaviest recorded carp: 58lb+
Swan Lake is a true modern classic. Its carp stock is among the most famous in the country, with multiple fish pushing well into the fifty-pound bracket.
Pressure is constant, bites are earned, and every capture feels significant. Few waters combine history, challenge and sheer weight like Swan Lake
3. Grenville Lake (Cambridgeshire – Syndicate Water)
Heaviest recorded carp: 57lb+
Grenville is spoken about quietly and with good reason. It’s a large, demanding syndicate water that has been producing huge carp for years without the fanfare.
While exact weights aren’t always made public, credible captures place Grenville firmly among the UK’s heaviest carp waters going into 2025.
4. St George’s Lake, Shepperton
Heaviest recorded carp: 57lb 4oz (Grass Carp)
The fish that puts St George’s Lake on this list is a grass carp weighing 57lb 4oz the heaviest carp species officially recorded in the UK.
Grass carp are rarely targeted and even more rarely caught, making this capture all the more remarkable.
One fish alone secures the lake’s place among Britain’s heavyweight venues.
5. Oxlease Lake, Linear Fisheries (Oxfordshire)
Heaviest recorded carp: 52lb+
Oxlease continues to stand out as one of the few UK day-ticket waters where a 50lb carp is a genuine possibility.
Well managed and heavily pressured, the lake still produces big fish year after year. For many anglers in 2025, it represents the most realistic chance of a true UK heavyweight without joining a syndicate.
6. The Avenue, RH Fisheries (Shropshire)
Heaviest recorded carp: 50lb+
The Avenue has steadily developed into a serious big-fish venue. Several carp have now crossed the 50lb threshold, and the overall stock suggests even bigger weights are not far away.
It’s a water that rewards accuracy, restraint and time on the bank.
7. Brasenose 1, Linear Fisheries
Heaviest recorded carp: 52lb
Brasenose 1 is often associated with numbers, but its top end is impossible to ignore. The lake record sits over 52lb, and several other carp aren’t far behind.
Busy and challenging, it remains capable of producing exceptional fish for anglers who get things right.
8. Elphicks Fisheries (Kent)
Heaviest recorded carp: 50lb+
Elphicks earns its place through consistency rather than hype. With multiple lakes holding carp into the forties and fifties, it remains one of the most reliable southern venues for big fish in 2025.
Strong management and careful stock control continue to pay dividends.
9. Cromwell Lake (Nottinghamshire)
Heaviest recorded carp: 40lb+
Cromwell Lake may not headline national records, but it consistently produces proper UK forties still a major milestone for most carp anglers.
In 2025, it remains a solid and respected big-carp option.
10. Berners Hall – The Reservoir (Essex)
Heaviest recorded carp: 50lb+
Berners Hall Reservoir is old-school, demanding and unforgiving. It’s also home to some seriously big carp. Not a venue for quick wins, but one that continues to reward dedication with fish that truly matter.
Final Thoughts
While overseas venues may dominate world records, the UK still produces carp that command real respect.
These lakes represent the true upper end of British carp fishing in 2025, places where weight is earned, not gifted.
If your focus this year is a new personal best, this is where the ceiling really lies.
Have you fished any of these lakes or do you plan on fishing them next year, then let us know in the comments.
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