Free fishing
Winchester, Hampshire
Grayling are prolific along the stretch of the River Itchen between Wharf Mill and City Mill, and offer the best chance of a catch. To be able to fish the River Itchen for free is a gift; this is the same river that Frederic Halford and GEM Skues fished more than 100 years ago, starting fly-fishing as we know it today. Shrimp and caddis patterns work best for fly fishing here. It’s rare to see rising trout in these town waters except during the mayfly season so time your fishing trip appropriately if it’s trout you’re after. The mayfly season is not exact but it tends to run between late May and early June here.
winchester.gov.uk
Stroud, Gloucestershire
The stretch of the River Frome which snakes behind Dr Newton’s Way is recovering from an industrial past which saw its waters used to power corn mills, woollen mills and even the production of walking sticks and umbrellas. Today there is fly life present, encouraging brown trout and grayling. Trout tend to be small but there is potential for larger catches and it’s well worth having a go if you’re visiting Stroud. This is classic urban fishing; use a shorter rod to cast between trees and other obstacles but not so short that you can’t roll cast (a useful technique that allows you to flick the fly out without a back cast).
stroud.gov.uk
Llanidloes, Powys
Visitors flock to the small Welsh town of Llanidloes, with its picturesque high street, organic food shops and national collection of antique quilts. To the north of the town’s Long Bridge, however, the River Severn promises a very special (and free) half-mile of fishing. Blessed with brown trout and grayling, it has good hatches of fly. There are wooded and open sections; be prepared for the temperature to drop considerably as you enter the shadier sections. The trout can, at times, be free rising, but late evenings provide excellent angling opportunities during the summer months, or at times of low water. Salmon have been known to put in an appearance as well.
fishingwales.net
Fishing from a kayak
Rottingdean Cliffs, East Sussex
This is a splendid fishing area, with excellent spinning for pollack, mackerel, bass and garfish. It can be snaggy, with uneven ground and obstacles below the water threatening to ensnare your tackle, so you need to be philosophical about losses. Casting from the lovely shingle beach with Rottingdean Cliffs rearing up behind you is delightful. For kayak fishing, check the water at low tide to find a patch of clean ground to ensure trouble-free entering and exiting. You can lure fish, and float fishing with a prawn may draw up a bass or two, especially in the evening. Park up at the Marine Cliffs car park.
Polzeath Beach, Cornwall
This wide sandy beach at the mouth of the River Camelis an excellent bass fishery. If you have a sea kayak, it’s a great place to use it but do keep a careful eye on the tides. The beach is exposed to swell (hence its popularity with surfers), so launching is only advisable when the sea is relatively calm but, once out, expect to encounter bass and pollack towards and around Pentire Point. There is also the occasional gilthead bream at the entrance to the Camel. A great place for mackerel fishing in the summer months, park at Polzeath Beach car park. If you do launch a kayak here, expect a bit of a hike at low tide to reach the water’s edge.
Loch Ken, Dumfries & Galloway
Renowned for marvellous catches of pike, perch, roach, dace and bream, this long, ribbon-like loch stretches for nine miles through the gloriously wild scenery of the Galloway Hills in south-west Scotland. James Murray, a local gamekeeper, famously caught a 72lb pike here in 1774 that was seven feet long. To catch a seven-foot fish on a fly made of bits of peacock feather is a remarkable achievement. These days the loch is home to good-sized wild brown trout, and can be fished from shore or kayak. Alongside the trout, it’s possible to catch bream and perch too. There are a number of car parks around the loch but you can also stay and fish very inexpensively from the Loch Ken Holiday Park.
Fishing permit £5 a day from lochkenholidaypark.co.uk. Two-night camping pitches from £60
Fishing from campsites
Loch Awe, Argyll
Picturesque Loch Awe holds a lot of trout, and the mayfly hatch leads to a feeding frenzy, which is unforgettable. There are several places around the loch to cast from but, for ultimate simplicity, book a stay at Loch Awe Camping Pods and you can fish almost from the end of your bed. This cluster of six dog-friendly wooden pods (camping with walls that don’t move in the wind) sits right by the shore in the village of Dalavich, also home to a shop, cafe and a pub.
Fishing £7.50, lochawe.net. Pods from £102 for up to three people, pitchup.com
Old River Nene, Cambridgeshire
This is a delightful spot to camp, with the Old River Nene flowing placidly along at the bottom of the campsite. It’s all about coarse fishing here, and the coarse fishing season closes from the middle of March to the middle of June. However, the rest of the time you can fill your boots with bream, roach, rudd, tench or pike. This is a place for the kind of old school fishing you did as a kid – float fishing with worms or maggots work well, as do sweetcorn or bread pellets. Another place where you can kayak fish, the flow is gentle water means easy paddling.
Fishing is free for guests, tent camping from £22 for up to four people, fourwindsleisure.com
Monkstone Beach, Pembrokeshire
It may be well known among avid rock-poolers (there are beautifully formed pools at either end of the beach), but Monkstone Point is also very good for bass fishing; peeler crabs and fresh sand eels make excellent baits at this location. If you’re visiting for the day, it’s usually possible to park on the verge along the lane to Trevayne Farm campsite, but we recommend staying over. This lovely campsite, on a working farm just up from the beach, maintains a wonderfully simple, back-to-nature ethos but facilities stretch to a farm shop selling local, seasonal produce. The owners also make small-batch knitwear from yarn produced from their own native-breed sheep.
Fishing is free, camping from £10pp a night, trevaynefarm.co.uk
Buttermere, Cumbria
Book a pitch at Syke Farm Campsite and you have two stretches of water to take advantage of, as well as a tearoom serving home-cooked breakfasts and cakes; packed lunches can also be ordered. Sandwiched in a bucolic dip between Buttermere and Crummock Water, stroll a few minutes’ south-east to Buttermere to fish for trout, char, pike, and perch (there’s a bag limit of 20 char) amid classically rugged Lake District scenery. Or, wander in the opposite direction and you’ll find yourself on the shore of Crummock Water, a magnificent setting for fishing those same quarries. There are also plenty of buttery, yellow trout though they can be skittish and unobliging.
Fishing is free (nationaltrust.org.uk), camping from £10pp a night, sykefarmcampsite.com
Wild Fishing by Kevin & Jill Adams is published on 1 April (£18.99, wildthingspublishing.com). Guardian readers can buy the book with 20% off and free P&P with coupon code Guardian20 at wildthingspublishing.com
Anyone aged 13 or over fishing with a rod and line for freshwater fish (including coarse fish, salmon, trout, smelt, and eel) in England and Wales needs a rod fishing licence from the Environment Agency (gov.uk/fishing-licences)
