Fishing in London

[croyde]

A work colleague's dad is coming to the UK for a few weeks and she's just asked me how he can go fishing in or around London, preferably SW or W.

A quick look on line and it seems you need a rod licence and then a permit for the area you wish to fish from, although I see that it's free on the Thames up to Staines but not near a lock or a weir.

All seems rather complicated to a non fisherman such as myself.

Is there anywhere he could just pay and fish on the day without getting licences?

Cheers.

[Defcon5]

You can can get a day or week license I think for a tenner - you do it online

[croyde]

Cheers. Is that the rod licence bit before you actually decide where you want to go?

[Defcon5]

Yes, then you pay the venue on the day (assuming it allows non members to fish on a day ticket)

I only fish lakes so don’t know how it works with rivers that aren’t owned by someone

[Big Al.]

OK lets assume you have purchased your rod licence online and are covered for the period you wish to fish. I'd select an area of river I wished to fish, and then contact a local fishing tackle shop and enquire about fishing permits. You may find that there are a lot of stretches that don't need a fishing permit.

HTH.

Be AWARE go not try yo fish without rod licences, the fines can be pretty hefty!

[croyde]

Cheers all. I spoke to a chap at a day fishing place that confirmed what you've all said and that the fine is £2500

[Equus]

Big Al. said:

...I'd select an area of river I wished to fish, and then contact a local fishing tackle shop and enquire about fishing permits.

It might be worth enquiring what sort of fishing he prefers.

We're in the closed season for trout in rivers unfortunately (Hampshire, which I guess you could count as 'South West of London', contains what many regard as the finest trout fishing rivers in the world, though they aren't cheap to fish), but his peferred method and species may guide where he looks for permits... fishing tackle shops tend to focus on permits from local angling associations, which are basically the 'working men's clubs' of the angling world (cheap, lots of members, hence their waters are heavily fished). For privately run waters and the more up-market stuff, I'd be looking online in the first instance, these days.

Some species, like carp, will be less easy to catch at this time of year due to water temperature - they semi-hibernate - whereas it's coming into peak season for others (pike, grayling).

[Bonefish Blues]

Good grayling fishing in Hants during the trout fishing closed season. Plenty of small stillwater fishing for trout. Good carp and mixed fishing within the M25, but if you can find out what they want to fish for, then thread can do some legwork.

[otolith]

South West London contains the River Wandle, which is almost all free fishing (you just need your rod licence).

[LunarOne]

Don't know anything about fishing, but near me there's Thorpe lea Fishery in Egham, just inside the M25 SW London. Looking at their website it's carp.

https://www.thorpeleafishery.co.uk

[Mobile Chicane]

Tillingbourne Trout Farm near Dorking. Just book and turn up. All equipment provided.

[otolith]

Mobile Chicane said:

Tillingbourne Trout Farm near Dorking. Just book and turn up. All equipment provided.

I think that will depend on whether this visitor is someone who fishes. The experience there (catching farmed trout on bait) will be more pick-your-own than foraging.

[z4RRSchris]

can do it on Clapham common if your that way inclined.