Is it possible to fish for free in the UK?

Hello everyone,

I recently bought all the necessary fishing gear and a one-year license. I haven't fished in over 30 years, and to be honest, I've forgotten a lot and am now refreshing my memory by watching videos on YouTube. I wanted to ask if there are any free places within a 2-hour drive from Wakefield where I can fish (rivers, lakes)? I am from Poland and am not very familiar with British laws. I would greatly appreciate any information.

Thank you and best regards!
Harry

 

[nottskev]

There's only a small chance that someone from the Wakefield area will read this and reply, so I'd suggest you find a local tackle shop and ask in there. There may be some free fishing, but you may also find there are local fishing clubs whose waters you can fish for a small annual cost. Cheap fishing locally will work out less expensive than travelling two hours for free fishing, plus you can go when you have only a short time available.

 

[Keith M]

As Kev said it would be best to ask about the fisheries in and around the Wakefield area at your local fishing tackle shop; and whether some of them have free fishing or sell day tickets; and it would be far cheaper and convenient for you to do this; instead of travelling for up to 2 hours to somewhere just because it’s free fishing

It would be even more advantageous if you joined a decent club as it would give you access to lots of different club waters in and around Wakefield; which you could fish as often as you wanted to; and you’ll also have lots of fellow members to get advice from.

After a quick search on the internet I found that one such club is WakefieldMetropolitanAnglingClub (WMAC) which has around five different fairly local waters and only costs £50 for a yearly permit; reduced to £25 if you are 65 or older. (see link below).

Club Waters

REGULATIONS FOR ALL CLUB WATERS 1. General Regulations for all Club Waters. 1.1. Members are required to abide by the terms of the leases granted to the Cl…

wakefieldmetropolitananglingclub.wordpress.com

Also there are lots of experienced anglers on this forum (FishingMagic) who would be able to help you with your fishing if and when it’s needed.

Im looking forward to reading your posts on here; tight lines.

Keith

 

[Hary]

There's only a small chance that someone from the Wakefield area will read this and reply, so I'd suggest you find a local tackle shop and ask in there. There may be some free fishing, but you may also find there are local fishing clubs whose waters you can fish for a small annual cost. Cheap fishing locally will work out less expensive than travelling two hours for free fishing, plus you can go when you have only a short time available.

Thank you very much for the advice. I will definitely follow your suggestion and visit a local tackle shop to ask for more information. The reason I’m looking for free fishing spots is also that I want to explore different places and not just fish in one location. Thanks again!

 

[mikench]

Good advice there Harry and welcome to the forum. I would join a few clubs locally. Look at potential clubs and their waters to check location and variety. I would give a local day ticket water a visit to practice rather than struggle on a deserted and out of the way river bank.

 

[no-one in particular]

I had a quick look at Google maps and couldn't see any rivers or canals in your area however, did come across something called Anglers Country Park and thought that might do, but it looks like you cannot fish there!!!
Tackle shops or if there is any local internet groups might be another place to ask; doesn't have to be a fishing group but you might find some anglers on there, my local internet town group has a few for example. I have found a few free fishing places locally to me but they don't advertise them, they never put a sign up "free fishing". So, yea, ask around and keep looking, sometimes you can come across a little gem where no one fishes. And have a good look at google maps, I only had a brief look, see where the blue spots are and check them out for fishing, good luck.

 

[@Clive]

There are many places where you can find free fishing within 2 hours from Wakefield. Trout rivers, coarse fishing rivers, canals, etc. There are barbel to over 15lb, carp into the 30lb class plus lots of specimens of other species. Just because a club doesn't own the water doesn't mean that it will be devoid of fish. They get on pretty well without the banks being mown and gates locked and unlocked. You just have to do what I used to and research them yourself. Find locations using google maps then it is a boots on the ground approach.

If you can't do that then I would suggest joining Leeds & District. For seventy quid they offer lots of quality venues.

Leeds and District ASA - The best fishing in the Yorkshire area

Leeds and District ASA

www.leedsdasa.co.uk

 

[Hary]

As Kev said it would be best to ask about the fisheries in and around the Wakefield area at your local fishing tackle shop; and whether some of them have free fishing or sell day tickets; and it would be far cheaper and convenient for you to do this; instead of travelling for up to 2 hours to somewhere just because it’s free fishing

It would be even more advantageous if you joined a decent club as it would give you access to lots of different club waters in and around Wakefield; which you could fish as often as you wanted to; and you’ll also have lots of fellow members to get advice from.

After a quick search on the internet I found that one such club is WakefieldMetropolitanAnglingClub (WMAC) which has around five different fairly local waters and only costs £50 for a yearly permit; reduced to £25 if you are 65 or older. (see link below).

Club Waters

REGULATIONS FOR ALL CLUB WATERS 1. General Regulations for all Club Waters. 1.1. Members are required to abide by the terms of the leases granted to the Cl…

wakefieldmetropolitananglingclub.wordpress.com

Also there are lots of experienced anglers on this forum (FishingMagic) who would be able to help you with your fishing if and when it’s needed.

Im looking forward to reading your posts on here; tight lines.

Keith

Thank you very much for the advice, Keith. I will definitely check out the recommended fishing clubs. I really appreciate the warm response and support from everyone. Thanks again and best wishes!

 

[Hary]

Good advice there Harry and welcome to the forum. I would join a few clubs locally. Look at potential clubs and their waters to check location and variety. I would give a local day ticket water a visit to practice rather than struggle on a deserted and out of the way river bank.

Thank you, Mikench, for the support and good advice. Much appreciated. Best regards, Harry.

 

[Hary]

I had a quick look at Google maps and couldn't see any rivers or canals in your area however, did come across something called Anglers Country Park and thought that might do, but it looks like you cannot fish there!!!
Tackle shops or if there is any local internet groups might be another place to ask; doesn't have to be a fishing group but you might find some anglers on there, my local internet town group has a few for example. I have found a few free fishing places locally to me but they don't advertise them, they never put a sign up "free fishing". So, yea, ask around and keep looking, sometimes you can come across a little gem where no one fishes. And have a good look at google maps, I only had a brief look, see where the blue spots are and check them out for fishing, good luck.

Thank you, No-one in particular, for the excellent advice. I managed to find two groups on Facebook where I’ll continue to learn about how things work in my area of Wakefield. Everything is slowly becoming clearer, thank you! Harry

 

[Hary]

There are many places where you can find free fishing within 2 hours from Wakefield. Trout rivers, coarse fishing rivers, canals, etc. There are barbel to over 15lb, carp into the 30lb class plus lots of specimens of other species. Just because a club doesn't own the water doesn't mean that it will be devoid of fish. They get on pretty well without the banks being mown and gates locked and unlocked. You just have to do what I used to and research them yourself. Find locations using google maps then it is a boots on the ground approach.

If you can't do that then I would suggest joining Leeds & District. For seventy quid they offer lots of quality venues.

Leeds and District ASA - The best fishing in the Yorkshire area

Leeds and District ASA

www.leedsdasa.co.uk

Thank you for the excellent advice, Clive. I would like to ask for more details on how exactly to find such places. How do I know if certain spots belong to clubs or not, and if they don't, can I just start fishing there without anyone's permission? I apologize if these questions seem childish, but I am completely unfamiliar with how this works in the UK. Best regards, Harry.

 

[@Clive]

Thank you for the excellent advice, Clive. I would like to ask for more details on how exactly to find such places. How do I know if certain spots belong to clubs or not, and if they don't, can I just start fishing there without anyone's permission? I apologize if these questions seem childish, but I am completely unfamiliar with how this works in the UK. Best regards, Harry.

Legally you should have the land owner's permission to fish. However, there are stretches of canals and rivers that are in derelict areas where the land owners do not enforce their rights. You just have to find the locations, ask around for the owner's details and contact them if possible. It might be a residuary body like estate agents, solicitors or banks in the case of insolvencies. If the stretches are owned by clubs or the local authority there will almost certainly be notice boards. The Land Registry has details of land owners that can be searched online.

Good places are often hard to find and easily spoiled so you won't usually get any information from local anglers. You have to do the hard work yourself.

 

[Hary]

Legally you should have the land owner's permission to fish. However, there are stretches of canals and rivers that are in derelict areas where the land owners do not enforce their rights. You just have to find the locations, ask around for the owner's details and contact them if possible. It might be a residuary body like estate agents, solicitors or banks in the case of insolvencies. If the stretches are owned by clubs or the local authority there will almost certainly be notice boards. The Land Registry has details of land owners that can be searched online.

Good places are often hard to find and easily spoiled so you won't usually get any information from local anglers. You have to do the hard work yourself.

Thank you Clive for the very useful information. I will definitely look around and ask about some good fishing spots.
Appreciate the guidance.
Cheers!

 

[Kevin aka Aethelbald]

Sorry, I don't get this. If you've forked out for gear, bought a licence and you're prepared to spend money on fuel to get you two hours from where you live, why not pay a little more to join a club that has waters within, say 30 minutes? The money you save on fuel will pay for your membership. And by joining a club, other members will be more than happy to help get you started.
.

 

[Hary]

Sorry, I don't get this. If you've forked out for gear, bought a licence and you're prepared to spend money on fuel to get you two hours from where you live, why not pay a little more to join a club that has waters within, say 30 minutes? The money you save on fuel will pay for your membership. And by joining a club, other members will be more than happy to help get you started.
.

Hi Kevin,

I'm new to the country and didn't really understand how the clubs work. I thought that if I joined a club, I would only be able to fish at one specific location. I didn't know that clubs have access to various rivers, ponds, lakes, etc. I recently purchased a membership with the Leeds and District Amalgamated Society of Anglers as it seemed to be the best option from what I reviewed. Thanks for the support and advice!

Best regards,
Harry

 

[Kevin aka Aethelbald]

Nice one, Harry. Good luck. And welcome to the country... for all its faults, there's no better place to live. IMHO.
.

 

[riverman]

hi harry.the river nidd at knaresborough is free fishing from mother shiptons up to scotton bridge.its just the parking you pay for. £4 for 10 hours.best to avoid at weekends as very busy with boats and swimmers.theres a good head of trout and grayling on this stretch.
steve.

 

[Hary]

hi harry.the river nidd at knaresborough is free fishing from mother shiptons up to scotton bridge.its just the parking you pay for. £4 for 10 hours.best to avoid at weekends as very busy with boats and swimmers.theres a good head of trout and grayling on this stretch.
steve.

Hi Steve,

Apologies for the late response, but I've been quite busy throughout the week. Thank you for the information about the free fishing on the River Nidd. I'm glad to hear about the trout and grayling there!

Could you also clarify the legal aspects for me? Do I need to ask the landowners for permission before I start fishing?
I'm not too familiar with the specifics of local fishing regulations.

Best regards,
Harry

 

[riverman]

No special regulations.its free to the public (stretch is free from the bridge where the world's end pub is and up through the picnic area to the bridge at Scotton).just stop at the machine and buy your parking ticket and display it in your car window.then drive through and park in the picnic area.

 

[mikench]

Whenever you fish Harry always have your licence and club membership card with you in case you are asked to produce it. That is rare by the way and most club bailiffs will do it once if they have’nt seen you before but remember you . Similarly if the club have a badge for your car stick it on the windscreen. Good luck and enjoy.