It's easier than you think to go urban fishing
Recently, REUTERS interviewed our angling and fisheries manager, John Ellis, on the Regent's Canal about the rise of urban fishing. (Click the image to watch the video.)
The charity making life better by water
Making life better by water
As people look for healthy ways to de-stress after a busy day at work, we’re seeing a huge rise in questions about canal fishing in towns and cities. How easy is it? What do people need? Here are our tips for you budding urban anglers.
Recently, REUTERS interviewed our angling and fisheries manager, John Ellis, on the Regent's Canal about the rise of urban fishing. (Click the image to watch the video.)
Thank you to REUTERS for sharing this with us.
With over 2.5 million people working within 250 metres of one of our canals or rivers, there's every chance that your new favourite fishing spot is a stone's throw from your office. Find your nearest canal or search for a place to fish that's perfect for winding down after work.
You'll be surprised how many different species of freshwater fish are in our canals. But if you are using a lure kit then you're most likely catch:
Plus, as we said above, if you're using bread or various kinds of maggots you are most likely to catch roach, bream or gudgeon.
As the waterways and wellbeing charity, we own the fishing rights for much of the 2,000 miles of our canals and rivers. Our local waterways teams, towpath volunteers and fisheries and angling team, work to make sure each stretch of water is a healthy environment for fish to thrive.
We're supported by hundreds of local angling clubs who manage various stretches for us. You can check to see which area is managed by a local club using our fisheries list. Just add the postcode or town name of where you want to go fishing. The local club may issue day memberships, typically priced at around £5, but if you want to go fishing regularly it's better value to join the club.
Where a club doesn't yet manage the stretch you can still go fishing by buying a yearly Waterways Wanderers permit from us and it too will cover you for hundreds of miles of fish-filled waters.
Popular spots include:
You can't fish:
See our guide to good fishing with loads more information you need to know where ever you're fishing.
Why not share your urban catches with us on our Facebook group? You could win one of our catch of the month vouchers.
Last Edited: 14 July 2021
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