Fishing the Basingstoke Canal

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

An adult day permit for the whole Basingstoke Canal costs £5, and under-12s fish free. The catch is that you cannot fish within 20 metres of any lock, bridge or aqueduct, which rules out the bridge holes most canal anglers head for first.

For Basingstoke Canal fishing you need an Environment Agency rod licence plus a Basingstoke Canal Authority permit. Fishing is catch and release only, from the towpath side only, and the whole canal is closed from 15 March to 15 June.

Below: who sells the permits, the 2026/27 prices, how the rules change your swim choice, where the canal runs across its 31 to 32 miles from New Haw to Greywell, and perch tactics that work within the rules.

Who Runs the Fishing on the Basingstoke Canal

If you usually fish the Kennet and Avon Canal, the Shropshire Union Canal or the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, you might reach for a Canal & River Trust licence or a club book. Neither is what you need here.

The Basingstoke Canal is owned by Surrey and Hampshire county councils and managed by the Basingstoke Canal Authority (BCA). It is not a Canal & River Trust waterway, so CRT licences and CRT angling byelaws do not apply. The canal has its own Bylaws and angling rules, and you accept them when you buy a permit.

There is no patchwork of club stretches to work out either. The BCA issues every angling permit, sold online through the Hampshire County Council shop, and one permit covers all Basingstoke Canal fishing. The BCA says its angling rules are “closely aligned” with those of the BCAA and Farnham Angling Association, but the BCA permit is the one that makes you legal on the canal.

BCA staff and volunteers carry out permit checks on the bank, so have yours on you. Buy it from the official Hampshire County Council shop rather than a third party. For how other waterways compare, see our canal fishing guides.

Basingstoke Canal Tickets: 2026/27 Permit Prices

The whole canal costs less for the day than a coffee and a bacon roll. The official angling page does not list prices, so the table below pulls them together from the shop.

Permit	Adult	Concession	Junior (12 to 15)	Under 12
Day	£5.00	£3.00	£3.00	Free
Annual (2026/27)	£37.00	£26.00	£26.00	Free

Concessions cover anglers aged 65 and over, Blue Badge holders, Military ID holders and Armed Forces veterans.

Basingstoke Canal tickets for 2026/27 run from 16 June 2026 to 14 March 2027, and you pick the date of a day permit when you buy it. Permits are digital and arrive by email. They are personal, non-transferable and non-refundable.

On the bank, carry three things:

Your BCA permit
Your Environment Agency rod licence
Photo ID (juniors do not need it)

Seven adult day permits cost £35, so the £37 annual pays for itself on your eighth session. If you plan eight or more trips in the season, buy the annual.

Our fishing licence guide explains who needs a rod licence, and the GOV.UK rod licence page lists current prices. Licences for 13 to 16 year olds are free.

Match organisers must register matches as events with the BCA, and every competitor needs an annual permit or a valid day permit.

Prices checked October 2026 against the day permit and annual permit pages. Confirm on the Hampshire County Council shop before you buy.

Basingstoke Canal Fishing Rules and What They Mean on the Bank

You walk to the obvious swim by the road bridge, set up, and then realise you are a few metres from the arch. On this canal that swim is off limits.

The rules come from the Basingstoke Canal angling page. Each one changes how you fish.

Rule	What it means in practice
Catch and release only	No fish leave the canal. Bring an unhooking mat, wet your hands before handling, use forceps and return fish quickly.
Towpath side only	You cannot fish from the far bank, so the far bank, often the overgrown side, becomes your target. Cast across to it.
Rod and line, two rods maximum	One rod is plenty for a mobile session.
No fishing within 20 metres of any lock, bridge or aqueduct	Pace it out: about 25 long strides puts you clear. Bridge holes and lock tails are not options.
No fishing from floating craft or public wharves	Wharf edges are out, however comfortable they look.

The towpath is shared with walkers and cyclists. Keeping it clear is courtesy rather than a written rule: keep tackle tight to the hedge side and lay rods along the bank, not across the path.

For night fishing, keepnets, bait and hooks, read the BCA angling rules document linked from the canal’s angling page, along with the Canal Bylaws. Basingstoke Canal fishing has its own conditions, and you agree to them when you buy a permit.

Close Season: When You Can Fish the Canal

Many English canals can be fished all year. The Basingstoke Canal closes for three months.

The close season runs from 15 March to 15 June inclusive across the entire canal. The canal is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the closure protects fish while they spawn.

That is why permits run from 16 June to 14 March. For 2026/27, that means 16 June 2026 to 14 March 2027, and the shop will not sell a day permit for a date outside it.

Rules differ between rivers, stillwaters and canals, so check any other water you plan to fish in spring separately. Our guide to fishing seasons explains the general rules in England.

Put 16 June in the diary: it is the first day you can fish the Basingstoke Canal each season.

Where You Can Fish: New Haw to Greywell

One permit covers about 31 to 32 miles of water, so the practical choice is the stretch nearest to you.

The canal runs from its junction with the River Wey at New Haw in Surrey to Greywell in Hampshire. The Basingstoke Canal Society gives the length as about 32 miles, while Wikipedia gives 31. It was restored and reopened in 1991.

Along the way it passes through or close to Woking, Mytchett, Fleet and Odiham. Pick your starting point, then see our Surrey fishing guide or Hampshire fishing guide for other waters nearby.

Two sections of the canal, totalling 101.3 hectares, are designated as SSSI:

Greywell to Brookwood Lye
Monument Bridge to Scotland Bridge in Woking

The canal is described as one of the most botanically rich aquatic sites in England. Weedy water like this rewards a quiet, mobile approach, and the 20 metre exclusions mean your swims are the open stretches of towpath between structures, not the bridges.

Access, parking and towpath closures change with works and stoppages. Check with the Basingstoke Canal Authority before you travel.

Perch on the Basingstoke Canal: Tactics That Fit the Rules

Most canal perch advice says to fish the bridge. Here you cannot, so you need a different map.

The BCA does not publish a species list we could verify, so this guide promises no particular fish or sizes. Basingstoke Canal perch have a reputation among anglers, but ask the BCA or a local tackle shop what is showing before you go. Our perch guide covers the species in depth.

Where to look between the structures

Work the cover outside the 20 metre zones:

Overhanging trees and cover on the far bank
Reed edges and marginal weed beds
Gaps between moored boats
Any change in depth toward the middle channel

Drop-shot

Use a light rod, a 0.12mm to 0.16mm (roughly 4lb to 6lb) fluorocarbon leader, a size 8 to 10 drop-shot hook and a 5g to 7g weight. Fish a 2in to 3in worm or minnow-pattern soft lure. Our drop-shot rig guide covers the set-up step by step.

In late summer, work the lure more actively. In winter, hold it almost still beside cover: on Windermere I’ve found a slow drop-shot beside cover outfishes faster lures in the cold.

Float fishing

Fish a waggler or small pole float with lobworm or red maggot on a size 12 to 14 hook, over a little chopped worm. Some anglers argue that perch on quiet canals are less wary than those on busier waters, which suits a stalking approach.

Every fish goes back, so strike promptly with worms to avoid deep hooking.

Best for: mobile lure anglers who like to keep moving between features. Skip if: you want a static session behind bite alarms.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a rod licence to fish the Basingstoke Canal?

Yes. You need an Environment Agency rod licence and a Basingstoke Canal Authority permit, and fishing without both is an offence. Licences for 13 to 16 year olds are free. Carry both on the bank, plus photo ID unless you are a junior. See our fishing licence guide for who needs one.

How much is a Basingstoke Canal fishing permit?

An adult day permit costs £5 and an adult annual permit costs £37 for 2026/27. Concessions and juniors aged 12 to 15 pay £3 a day or £26 a year, and under-12s fish free. Check current prices on the Hampshire County Council shop before you buy.

Is the Basingstoke Canal a Canal & River Trust canal?

No. It is managed by the Basingstoke Canal Authority and owned by Surrey and Hampshire county councils, so CRT licences and byelaws do not apply. The BCA issues every angling permit through the Hampshire County Council shop.

Can I fish the Basingstoke Canal at night or use a keepnet?

Fishing is catch and release only, so no fish can be kept. For night fishing and keepnet use, read the BCA angling rules document, linked from the canal's angling page, before you go. You accept its conditions when you buy a permit.