London & Home Counties
Sixteen miles of the Thames, from Staines to Teddington, is free to fish with just a rod licence — genuinely remarkable for a stretch of river running this close to a capital city, and a fair reflection of how much London's fishing has recovered since the river was declared "biologically dead" in the 1950s. Barbel and chub are now the Thames's calling card in London, and pike from the bank or a boat, while further out the docks (once semi-derelict, now de facto free fishing) hold a bizarre mix of carp, bream, mullet, sea bass and even occasional sea trout, depending on which lock connects them to the tidal river.
The River Lea, running up through North London into Hertfordshire, has a genuinely remarkable claim: Amwell Magna Fishery, on the Lea at Great Amwell, has been fishing the same water continuously since 1831 — the oldest fly fishing club in the UK still doing so — and Izaak Walton himself fished this stretch in the 17th century. The Grand Union Canal, meanwhile, threading in from the west, has quietly become a serious carp venue, with fish approaching 40lb reported at its Tring end in recent seasons.
Rivers
River Thames (London)
Free fishing for 16 miles between Staines and Teddington. Barbel and chub are the Thames's headline species in London today, alongside roach, dace and pike — a genuine recovery story after the river was declared biologically dead through central London in 1957.
Barbel · Chub · PikeRiver Lea / Lee
Amwell Magna Fishery at Great Amwell, Hertfordshire — the oldest fly fishing club in the UK still fishing the same water, established 1831, fished by Izaak Walton in the 17th century. Further downstream, the Lee Navigation offers coarse fishing through North London and Essex.
Trout · CoarseRiver Wandle
A once heavily-polluted South London river, now cleaned up enough for genuine chalk-stream-style fly fishing for wild brown trout — a remarkable urban recovery story.
Wild troutCanals & reservoirs
Grand Union Canal
Now regarded as an established carp venue, with fish approaching 40lb reported at the Tring end in recent seasons — plus the occasional brown trout and catfish, and a slim chance of a big roach.
CarpWalthamstow Reservoirs
London's largest fishery — 10 reservoirs, six for coarse fishing, three dedicated to fly fishing for trout.
Coarse · TroutLondon docks
A genuinely unusual urban fishery — carp, bream, zander and perch in most docks, with mullet, sea bass and occasional sea trout where a dock connects to the tidal Thames via a lock.
Mixed · BassGeneral guide only — an Environment Agency rod licence is required everywhere in England and Wales, and many London stillwaters and club stretches also require a separate permit or Canal & River Trust waterways licence. Always confirm current permits and rules before fishing.
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