Angling Trust supports Canal & River Trust to help more people get fishing

The Angling Trust is supporting Canal & River Trust’s 2026 “Let’s Fish” programme through Environment Agency rod licence funding, helping thousands more people take their first steps into angling.

The grant funding will help the Canal & River Trust deliver its 2026 Let’s Fish programme, which aims to engage 3,000 unique participants and introduce more people to the benefits of fishing.

Let’s Fish is delivered locally by Angling Trust licensed lead coaches, giving new and returning anglers access to safe, welcoming and professionally supported opportunities to get fishing.

The significant five figure funding is being provided as a grant, and forms part of the Angling Trust’s wider work with a broad mix of delivery partners to support different routes into angling, from first-time participants to lapsed anglers returning to the sport.

The 2026 programme will operate as a pilot year. If successful, it could help inform future support for partnership delivery that brings more people into angling and strengthens grassroots participation across England.

The Angling Trust said the support demonstrates the direct value of anglers buying rod licences, with Environment Agency rod licence income being reinvested back into grass roots projects that support the future of fishing.

Stuart Sharp, Head of Delivery at the Angling Trust, said:

“We are pleased to be supporting the Canal & River Trust’s Let’s Fish programme in 2026, helping more people discover the enjoyment, wellbeing benefits and community that angling can offer with the support of licensed Angling Trust National Governing Body coaches.

“This pilot is an important opportunity to work with an established delivery partner that has strong local reach and a proven ability to introduce people to fishing in a safe and supportive way. The Canal & River Trust join a range of other partners who provide opportunities for young and old, new and lapsed anglers to get into the sport. Our ambition is to make angling accessible and open for all, wherever you live and whatever type of fishing appeals. By working with key delivery partners, clubs, fisheries and the trade, we can do so much more to protect, promote and develop the sport we love for the benefit of anglers, clubs, fisheries, and the wider angling trade.

“None of this work would be possible without anglers buying their rod licences and the Environment Agency reinvesting that money back into grassroots angling. It is a clear example of rod licence income being used to help promote the future of our sport.”

John Ellis, National Fisheries and Angling Manager at Canal & River Trust, said:

“We are delighted to be working with the Angling Trust to deliver Let’s Fish in 2026 and help thousands of people experience angling, many for the first time.

“Our canals and waterways are fantastic places for people to learn to fish, connect with nature and enjoy time outdoors. With the support of Angling Trust licensed lead coaches, Let’s Fish provides a welcoming and accessible route into the sport.

“This funding will help us reach more people, support new anglers and continue building a stronger future for fishing on our waterways.”

Heidi Stone, Fisheries Partnership Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

“We fully support the use of rod licence income to enable the Angling Trust and Canal & River Trust to work together in partnership.

“Let’s Fish provides an excellent opportunity for new anglers to learn how to fish across the canal network. Our investment will help grow the programme; allowing more participants to obtain the necessary skills and begin the journey to becoming lifelong anglers.”

The Angling Trust works with a wide range of partners to deliver participation programmes and interventions that help new and lapsed anglers get into, or back into, fishing. This includes initiatives that support coaching, community engagement, family participation and access to local fishing opportunities.

• You need an Environment Agency rod licence to fish for salmon, trout and freshwater fish in England and Wales. Children aged between 13 and 16 must apply for a free junior fishing licence. Under 13s do not need a licence. You can find more details here

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