Taking Children Fishing

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Cold hands, a float that never moves, and a child asking to go home after twenty minutes. That is how a lot of first trips end, and it is rarely the fish’s fault.

Fishing with kids works best as a short session of one to two hours at a stocked commercial fishery, using a whip and float, with snacks, warm clothes and the child doing the jobs. Children under 13 in England and Wales need no rod licence at all.

This guide is for parents and carers who may never have fished themselves. Taking kids fishing is mostly planning, and the seven steps below take you from checking the rules to putting the first fish back.

Step 1: Check Whether Your Child (and You) Need a Licence

A child under 13 fishing in England or Wales needs no rod licence. You don’t need one either if you are only there to help.

The rules differ by nation:

Nation	Under 13	13 to 16	Adult helping only
England and Wales	No licence needed	Free 12-month junior licence	No licence, unless you fish yourself
Scotland	No rod licence, except the Border Esk region	No rod licence, except the Border Esk region	No rod licence, except the Border Esk region
Northern Ireland	Check with DAERA	Check with DAERA	Licence and permit needed if you fish

Private water counts. In England and Wales the licence rule applies on private land, so commercial fisheries are included (GOV.UK). A day ticket is permission to fish that water, not a licence.
Carers. If you pick up the rod to show them how, you need your own adult licence. Check the current price on GOV.UK.
Buying. Buy online through GOV.UK or call the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).
Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Scotland you need permission from the landowner or angling club (GOV.UK). Northern Ireland requires a rod licence and an angling permit, so check the rules for children with DAERA, or the Loughs Agency in its areas.

See how to get a free junior licence and our fishing licence guide. If your child is 13 to 16, buy the junior licence before the day.

Step 2: Choose an Easy First Venue

Why is the prettiest river usually the worst place for a first go? Few small fish, steep banks and nowhere to warm up.

A commercial fishery fixes all three: level banks, toilets close by and plenty of smaller fish, so a bite usually comes before boredom does. Before you book, ring and ask:

Which lake or pond suits beginners and children?
Does my child need their own day ticket, and is there a junior price?
Which baits are allowed, and are there hook rules such as barbless only?
Do you require a landing net, unhooking mat or disgorger?
Are there toilets, a café or shelter, and can we park close to the pegs?

Rules and prices vary between venues, so check with the fishery before you travel.

Softer first steps exist too. The Angling Trust’s Get Fishing events are entry-level sessions for the whole family, with tackle and instruction included on the day (Angling Trust). They are funded by the Environment Agency from licence income and by Sport England. Dates and venues change, so check the Angling Trust’s Get Fishing pages for sessions near you.

For younger children, a crabbing trip from a harbour wall or pier needs very little kit and no rod licence, which covers salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt and eel (GOV.UK). Our crabbing guide covers how to do it.

Pick a commercial fishery if you want to choose the day. Pick a Get Fishing event if you want kit and a coach provided on a fixed date.

Step 3: Keep the Kit Simple With a Whip and Float

No reel means no tangled bird’s nest of line. A whip turns the first session from untangling into watching a float.

A whip is a pole with the line tied straight to the tip, so there is no reel and no casting. A whip of 3 to 5m is usually plenty for a beginner, according to UK Fishing School. Starter kits come with float, line, weights and hook already set up, which keeps the cost down.

Option	Tangles	Setup	Range	Best for
Whip	Few, no reel	Simplest	Limited	First sessions
Short pole	Few	Slightly more	A little longer	The next step up from a whip
Rod and reel	Most	Most	Longest	Older children who want to fish further out

Add a small seat, a bait box, a landing net and a disgorger. A disgorger is a cheap plastic tool that slides down the line to take the hook out of a fish’s mouth without fingers.

Maggots, sweetcorn or small pieces of bread all work as bait. Check the fishery’s bait rules first.

On Windermere, I’ve found small perch take a worm under a float readily, and a float sliding under is a bite anyone can see.

When you’re ready to upgrade, see our pick of kids’ fishing rods, or the beginner’s guide to fishing for the basics. Leave the rod and reel until your child is asking to fish further out.

Step 4: Pack for Comfort, Not for Fishing

Once a child gets cold, the session is over. Cold, hunger and sunburn end more first trips than a lack of fish, so the bag matters more than the tackle box. Assume you will carry most of it yourself, and pack light:

Warm layers and a waterproof, even in summer, plus spare socks and wellies or boots that grip on a wet bank.
Sun hat, sunglasses and sun cream. Water reflects UV, so cover up on bright days.
Snacks and drinks, more than you think you’ll need.
Hand wipes or a towel for after handling bait and fish.
Something to do between bites, such as a wildlife spotting list or a simple game (see Step 6).
A folding seat for each child, because damp grass gets cold quickly.

Family fishing days fall apart on comfort long before they fall apart on fish. If you only remember one thing, pack an extra layer and twice the snacks.

Step 5: Set Water and Hook Safety Rules Before the First Cast

The riskiest moment of the day isn’t the fish. It’s a child leaning over the edge to look at the float or reach for the net.

Agree the rules in the car park, before anyone opens the tackle. The RLSS UK Water Safety Code is a good base: Stop and think, Stay together, Call 999, Float, Throw. It also advises keeping young children within arm’s reach near water.

The code is written mainly for swimmers, so add fishing rules of your own. Choose a level peg, stay back from steep or crumbling banks, and never wade. The adult does all the netting and leaning. On deep or steep banks, a buoyancy aid is your call as a parent.

Hooks are the other risk. Use small hooks, and ask whether the fishery is barbless only, because barbless hooks come out of fish and fingers more easily. Bait the hook yourself for younger children.

Bank rules to read out to your child:

Stay within arm’s reach of a grown-up near the water.
Never lean over the edge. Shout and a grown-up will help.
Look behind you before you swing the line out.
Hold the line, not the hook.
Wipe your hands before snacks.

Sunglasses double as eye protection. See our full fishing safety guide for more. The rules take two minutes to agree and leave the rest of the day relaxed.

Step 6: Keep the First Session Short and Hands-On

The best first session ends while the child still wants more. Stopping early is the plan, not a failure.

One to two hours is enough for a first go, UK Fishing School advises. Use that time to give them the real jobs:

Plumb the depth of the swim, so the float sits with just its tip showing.
Throw in a few maggots to draw fish to the peg.
Watch the float and lift the whip when it dips.
Land their own fish, with you holding the net.

Break things up with snacks, wildlife spotting and simple games between bites. Fishing with kids is about small, regular bites, so don’t chase bigger fish early.

Not every child takes to it. Don’t push. Leave it on a good note and offer another go another day, and if they want a photo, take it quickly and put the fish straight back.

If the bites dry up and attention goes, pack up and call it a win.

Step 7: Teach Them to Handle and Return Fish Gently

Three habits keep every fish safe: wet hands, the landing net and an unhooking mat close to the ground.

Wet your hands, and your child’s, before anyone touches a fish. Land it in the net, unhook it over the mat, low down, with the disgorger, then return it to the water quickly. Keeping everything at knee height means a wriggling fish drops onto the mat, not onto a hard bank.

Praise concentration and gentle handling rather than the size or number of fish caught, even on a day with one small roach. That is the habit that makes a careful angler, and our guide to unhooking and handling fish goes into more detail.

The trip is done when the first fish swims away.

Frequently asked questions

Do kids need a fishing licence in the UK?

It depends on the nation. In England and Wales, children under 13 need no licence, and 13 to 16-year-olds need a junior licence, which is free. Scotland has no rod licence except in the Border Esk region. Northern Ireland needs a licence and permit, so check child rules with DAERA. See Step 1 above for the full table.

Do I need a licence if I'm just helping my child fish?

Not in England and Wales, unless you fish yourself. GOV.UK says carers going along with someone fishing don't need a licence. If you hold the rod, cast or play a fish, you need your own adult licence, so buy one if you plan to join in.

How long should a child's first fishing trip be?

One to two hours is enough for a first trip. That is advice from UK Fishing School rather than a rule, and stopping while your child is still enjoying it leaves them wanting a second go. See Step 6 above for how to run the session.

Where can kids try fishing without buying kit?

The Angling Trust's Get Fishing events are family beginner sessions with tackle and instruction included on the day. Dates and venues change each year, so check the Angling Trust's Get Fishing pages for current sessions. Crabbing from a harbour wall or pier is another low-cost taster that needs no rod licence.