How to start river fishing – beginner’s guide for parents and kids for June 16th when rivers open again

How to start coarse fishing on rivers: permissions, the river coarse fish close season, tackle, gear, safety, plus fun, fish and wildlife for beginner anglers to spot when the rivers open again for coarse fish species on June 16th 2025.

Taking a child or friend river fishing is step on from the kind of stillwater, canal or even sea fishing where the Get Fishing event you attended was likely to have been held! Rivers can take a while to get used to, and work out the right fishing tackle, skills and bait, but this is all part of the challenge and fun! There are so many river fishing venues in England, and some places will have free public access sections after you have checked the correct permission and the right rod fishing licence required.

Get permission and a rod licence

Before  you start fishing make sure you have permission, paid any charge and got your Environment Agency fishing licence. Most river fishing spots are controlled by angling clubs or landowners who might have day tickets or even free or reduced priced membership for juniors. The best way to find out is to go into your local fishing tackle shops, search online, ask your local Angling Direct Store, or ask your Regional Angling Trust Development Officer. When it comes to fishing licences under 13’s do not need a licence, and licences for children aged between 13 and 16 are free but you still need to register and receive a licence before you go fishing. You can get a licence for the full year, for 8 days (ideal for holidays!) or just a day’s fishing. Although young children who are under 13 year old do not need a licence to fish, the person supervising them needs to have the proper fishing licence before they take hold of the fishing rod or help the child fish with it. Get an Environment Agency rod licence, before you start fishing.

Adapt your tackle

Compared to the tackle you might have used at a Get Fishing  event river tackle might need to be bigger and heavier. The main difference is you will probably be using a rod and reel. You can get excellent quality beginner fishing tackle from your local Angling Direct Store and if you have been to a Get Fishing event and get our emails, you will get 25% off their DISCOVER range of fishing tackle – perfect for fishing rivers. Use stronger line – for chub go for 7lb+ and barbel 10lb+ or heavier if you are fishing big rivers like the Trent, Severn or Wye. Use larger hooks and bait like halibut pellets and bread for chub and barbel. Use maggots for smaller fish like dace and bleak. Get advice on what bait works best from a fishing shop or find a club, coach or fishery on our map.

Stick float for river fishing

Understand the river environment

Safety First! Parts of rivers like weirs and dams with fast, bubbling water should be avoided to begin with and watch out for slippery paths. At river venues the fishing is often just a part of everything else going on. Try different types of floats or feeders suited to running water. Keep it safe and simple – most stillwater rod and reel tackle can be used on rivers – again, go to check with your local fishing tackle shop before you set off.

Respect the fishing season

Unlike most stillwaters, rivers in England and Wales have a coarse fishing close season to protect spawning fish. Check out our beginner’s guide to the coarse fishing close season for more info.

Make It fun and safe – for the fish too!

Riverbanks can be uneven, so watch young anglers closely and stay within arm’s reach of them. Choose spots with safe access – many towns have flat fishing areas or platforms and some have mobility-friendly, flat access with toilets and facilities nearby. Take a hat, a drink, snacks, the right clothing and insect repellent. Going fishing with children and youngsters can spark a love for angling and nature, so try and make it as much about what’s going on around, above and beneath the water as well as the fish and the tackle. When you catch a fish make sure you give it long enough to recover. Avoid using keepnets or slings – leave this until you have lots of experience, or are fishing a match (competition).

Rivers are wild venues and you never know what might be in your swim!

Five river fish species

• Barbel: Strong, bottom-dwelling fish with whisker-like barbels, loving fast currents and gravel beds. Kids enjoy their fight! Make sure you use strong rods, hooks and lines and have a large, long handled landing net
• Chub: Big-mouthed fish often hiding under trees, eager for bread, sweetcorn or worms. Perfect for beginners!
• Dace: Small, silvery fish in fast shallows, great for practicing float fishing “trotting” with maggots and smaller hooks.
• Bleak: Tiny, shiny fish you can catch near the surface, ideal for kids learning to river fish because they are so easy to catch, are quick to catch and are beautiful to look at up-close! Use of barbless hooks when you are targeting bleak is important – it makes unhooking them so much simpler!
• Perch: Bold, striped predators that grab worms or lures, thrilling for young anglers – you might have already caught them on stillwaters or canals but in rivers they are often more brightly coloured, with vivid red fins and dark green and black stripes – watch out for the pointy gill covers and fins!

Chub are a great beginner species as they will feed confidently on large baits

Five things to look out for… Love Fishing. Love Nature too!

• Water vole: Furry swimmers munching plants along banks and plopping into the water when they see you. You might even spot their burrows!
• Mayfly: Large but delicate insects dancing over water. Recognisable by their black and cream striped bodies, and three branched tails. Fish love to eat them! Look out for them at the start of the coarse river season on June 15th and notice as you see fewer the further you get from the month of May
• Green woodpecker: Bright birds you might sometimes see flashing past using the river as a clear route through trees. Listen for their laugh-like call and look out for the colour.
• Caddis fly larvae: Large crawling invertebrates that you often see encased in their protective coat of twiggy shells mixed with shiny grit often found under small rock or scuttling about on gravel. They make up a huge amount of fish diets and are a sign of a healthy waterway.
• Ash tree: Tall trees with feathery leaves, shading the river. Look up because their catkins are really snaggy and will wrap round your line!

Look out for kingfishers on the river

Five Iconic River Fishing Venues with nearby Day-Ticket Access

1. River Wye, Hereford
   Contact Woody’s Angling Centre or The Angling Centre for fishing in Hereford
2. River Avon, Salisbury
   Contact: Salisbury & District Angling Club or Angling Direct Southampton for fishing in Salisbury
3. River Severn, Bewdley
   Contact: Bewdley Tackle & Leisure for fishing in Bewdley
4. River Trent, Nottingham
   Contact: Angling Direct Nottingham or Matchman Supplies for fishing in Nottingham
5. River Thames, Reading
   Contact: Reading and District Angling Association for info on membership/tickets or Angling Direct Reading for fishing in Reading

To have a go at fishing you can find hundreds of Get Fishing beginner events nationwide but please note that nearly all beginner coarse fishing events will not be held on running water. Instead you can find out more about where to go river fishing by asking your local fishing clubs, coaches, venues and tackle shops.

Events are added to our website and social media all the time and at the moment, during our popular Get Fishing programme, every single day! Please check our Get Fishing events diary for new events near to you.

The Get Fishing campaign is funded by

The Angling Trust’s Get Fishing campaign to get more people fishing more often is funded by the Environment Agency from fishing licence income as part of the National Angling Strategic Services contract with the Angling Trust, and Sport England. Children under 13 do not need a licence, and licences for children aged between 13 and 16 are free but you still need to register and receive a licence before you go fishing. You can get a licence for the full year, for 8 days (ideal for holidays!) or just a day’s fishing.

NOTE: Although young children who are under 13 year old do not need a licence to fish, the person supervising them needs to have the proper fishing licence before they take hold of the fishing rod or help the child fish with it.

Get Fishing is Proudly Supported by

The Angling Trust’s ‘Get Fishing’ campaign is proudly supported by
Shakespeare, Exclusive Tackle Partner and Angling Direct, Exclusive Retail Partner
as we all work towards getting more people fishing, more often.

If there’s something that you cannot find here to help you start fishing or return to angling, please contact your local Regional Angling Development Officer – you can find the nearest one to where you want to go fishing here.