There’s no need to holiday abroad if you’re looking to enjoy a great fishing holiday. The UK is home to rivers, lakes, and hundreds of miles of coastline, all providing access to fishable resources with stocked waters and opportunity to catch a great variety of fish. Whether you prefer to camp, stay in your touring caravan, or you want the warmth of a hotel room and the benefit of hotel luxuries, you can enjoy a great family holiday or a solo fishing trip. Below are 7 places in the UK where you can enjoy a top quality fishing holiday.
1. Loch Fishing in Scotland
Scotland is home to hundreds of lochs and rivers, many of which are located in a relatively small area. Similarly, there are many genus and species of fish, too. Obviously, you can head for the coast but Loch fishing in Scotland not only offers the possibility of catching salmon and trout, but it also provides some of the most tranquil and beautiful surroundings.
Take a tent, prepare yourself for a real battle and take on the monster pike that the country has become known for. Alternatively, consider Loch fishing to be the ideal family fishing holiday. There are fishing opportunities for all skill and experience levels, there are plenty of other outdoor activities to try, and there are numerous whiskey distilleries where the adults can sample some of the local drink that Scotland is famed for.
2. Lough Fishing in Ireland
Similarly, Ireland is home to many a lake or lough where you can try your hand at angling. Lake Corrib has an annual festival, in May. Local schools shut, and children attempt to catch live mayfly that are used for dapping.
Dapping requires dangling the flies on the surface of the water in order to attract Trout. The dapping and the local festival make this a truly unique experience, although if you prefer to fish a lake by yourself, then you should look elsewhere because it gets incredibly busy at Lough Corrib around this time of year.
3. Accessible Fishing on the Norfolk Broads
The Norfolk Broads offers a decent amount of fishing opportunities for all, and they also have dedicated wheelchair fishing spots. As well as private fishing lakes, there are stretches of river that have been converted or modified so that they offer accessibility for users.
Whether you’re looking for accessible fishing or other fishing options, you do need to ensure that the area you want to fish allows fishing and that you have the appropriate license and permits. There are different contacts for different regions and different spots, so do your homework before you go.
4. River Fishing at the River Wye in Derbyshire
The River Wye is arguably the best UK destination for salmon fishing outside Scotland but it also offers plenty of coarse fishing as well as trout fishing. This is another area where the scenery and surroundings are as appealing as the fishing itself (well, almost).
Another benefit of the River Wye is that there are limitations in place. These are set to reduce the impact of fishing on the local river, but restrictions on the number of rods and the amount of fishing that can be done on each stretch of the water means that you shouldn’t be fishing in an overcrowded area. Barbel fishing is also commonplace here, offering a serious challenge for anglers of all skill levels.
5. Night Fishing in Wales
Wales’ rivers still have a bad reputation for being black with mud and pollution, but this reputation is no longer valid or fair. The River Teifi is home to plenty of decent sized sea trout. The real challenge comes because the best opportunity to catch the sea trout is to fish at night, and casting in the dark requires a different set of skills to fishing in the daytime when you can target cast.
Head around Lampeter, and you might as well camp out or spend the night out, because you will find the best results in the evening.
6. Sea Fishing in Morecambe
Obviously, there are plenty of locations around the country where you can try your hand at sea fishing, but there are numerous marks across Morecambe Bay as well as some additional spots nearby. As long as you use the right tackle and bait, you should expect to catch at least half a dozen decent fish during a session.
Morecambe fishing is a lot like fishing any spot. If the weather is bad, then the fishing will be bad too. If conditions are right and you are using the right bait then you will find that it is a great opportunity to catch a good variety of fish.
7. Boat Fishing in the Lakes
In the same way that there is an abundance of coastline, there are also numerous lakes and bodies of water in which we can fish. The Lake District is obviously home to a lot of these, and while there are plenty of spots where you can fish the banks, you can also hire a boat, or take your own, and try your hand at boat fishing.
One of the benefits of boat fishing is that you are mobile so you can move to a different spot if you’re not getting any bites. Brown trout, salmon, and sea trout can be fished in many of the waters and you can fish for free on some of the bigger lakes – Coniston, Ullswater, and Windermere.
8. Fishery Fishing in Cheshire
Fishery fishing is arguably the best option for families. Accommodation is located at the site of some fisheries, and there is usually a range of other activities to enjoy, albeit the majority of which are outdoors. Some fishers have lodges or cabins, others offer camping pitches, and yet more provide super pitches for your caravans and other mobile accommodation.
The cost of fishing may be included in the price of accommodation, and areas like Cheshire where there is a wide green belt, offer numerous fisheries, some of which include multiple lakes.
Gerry’s Fishing is located on Marine Road West, Morecambe, and as well as providing a wide range of fishing tackle and fishing supplies, they provide bait and can offer advice on the best sea fishing spots on the Morecambe Bay coast and surrounding area.