Overview

The water you choose matters more than the kit you bring. The right first venue is safe to get to, holds plenty of willing fish, and won't punish a beginner's cast. Get that right and the rest looks after itself.

Start at a commercial fishery

A stocked commercial fishery is the kindest place to begin. The pegs are built, flat and safe, the fish are present and feeding, there's parking and often a tackle shop or café, and most stay open the year round. You pay a day ticket on the bank or in the hut, and you'll catch — which, early on, is what keeps you coming back.

Canals: close to home

Canals run through most towns and are an easy, cheap day out — roach, perch, bream and the odd good carp, fished close in. Many stretches are controlled by an angling club with inexpensive membership or a day ticket; a few are free. The water's shallow and the fishing's forgiving, which makes a canal a fine place to practise.

Rivers, and the close season

Rivers reward watercraft and are worth growing into, but mind the dates: in England and Wales the coarse fishing close season runs 15 March to 15 June on rivers, streams and some other waters, when you cannot fish for coarse fish there. Stillwaters and most canals stay open through that spell. Always check the local byelaws and the controlling club's rules for the stretch you want.

Licence and permission

Two separate things, and you need both. First, a rod fishing licence: in England and Wales anyone aged 13 or over must have one to fish for coarse fish, trout, salmon and eels, even on a day-ticket fishery or club water. It's free for 13 to 16-year-olds, and under-13s don't need one. You buy a 1-day, 8-day or annual licence from GOV.UK. Second, permission to fish the actual water — the day ticket, club book or landowner's say-so. The licence lets you fish; the permission says where.