Fishing the Shropshire Union Canal

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

You can hold a rod licence and a Canal & River Trust permit and still be fishing without permission on much of the Shroppie. Shropshire Union Canal fishing needs two things: an Environment Agency rod licence, plus permission from whoever controls the stretch you are standing on. On the few unleased lengths that means the Trust’s Waterway Wanderers permit. Elsewhere it usually means a club ticket.

The fish are the easy part. The Shroppie holds roach, perch, bream and gudgeon, with pike and the odd carp and tench.

This guide goes stretch by stretch using bridge numbers, then covers prices, rules and species. For other waterways, see our canal fishing guides.

Where the Shropshire Union Canal Runs (and Which Bits This Guide Covers)

Depending on who you ask, the Shropshire Union Canal is either 38.5 miles long or 66.

The shorter figure is the main line. It runs from Autherley Junction, near Wolverhampton, to Nantwich Basin: about 38.5 miles, 29 locks and bridges numbered 1 to 92, according to CanalPlan. Landmarks measured from Autherley:

Wheaton Aston area (bridges 17 to 23): roughly 7 to 10 miles
Norbury Junction: about 15.5 miles
Market Drayton: about 26 to 27 miles

The longer figure is the whole Shropshire Union system, which carries on north from Nantwich along the old Chester Canal and the Wirral line to Ellesmere Port. The Llangollen, Montgomery and Middlewich branches belong to the system too. The Llangollen and Montgomery have their own permit arrangements and are not covered here.

This guide covers the main line, plus the Middlewich Branch and the Chester end where the Trust publishes details.

Clubs and the Trust describe their water by bridge number, so read the number on the bridge plate before you set up. Everything below is keyed to it.

Who Controls Each Stretch: Bridge-by-Bridge Guide

Read the bridge number, find it in the table below, and you know which ticket to buy. Each row comes from the controlling body’s own published information.

Bridges	Area	Controlled by	Ticket	Notes
17 to 20 (Dirty Lane) and 21 to 23	Lapley Wood to Rye Hill Cutting, around Wheaton Aston	Canal & River Trust	Waterway Wanderers permit	On the Trust’s Waterway Wanderers list, updated 28 August 2026
51 to 53	Goldstone area	Hodnet AC jointly with Wyche AC	Club ticket	Check with Hodnet AC
53 to 61	Goldstone	Hodnet AC	Day ticket, bought in advance from the club’s Membership Secretary	120+ pegs; no price published
61 to 66	Tyrley to Betton Wood, Market Drayton	Hodnet AC	Members only, no day tickets	Towpath bank only; no fishing at any time in the small marina (bridges 62 to 63); no fishing 1 April to 30 September in the larger marina (bridges 63 to 64)
66 to 69	Adderley	Hodnet AC	Club rules apply	Limited free roadside parking; the club posted a July 2026 notice restricting access, so check first
90 to 93	Nantwich	Prince Albert Angling Society	Season permit	Bream in the basin; roadside parking on Marsh Lane and Taylor Drive
Middlewich Branch: marina entrance near Church Minshull aqueduct to bridge 13; bridges 15 to 22b; bridge 27 to Middlewich Junction	Church Minshull to Middlewich	Canal & River Trust	Waterway Wanderers permit	Same Trust list
Near bridge 135	Croughton, Chester side	Canal & River Trust (featured as a Waterway Wanderers venue in 2021)	Waterway Wanderers permit	Bridge 135 is on the Chester and Wirral numbering; confirm it is still on the current list

Sources: the Canal & River Trust Waterway Wanderers lengths list, Hodnet Angling Club, Prince Albert Angling Society and the Trust’s Croughton feature.

Hodnet AC’s water runs from bridge 48 to 69 in total, so any part of that length not detailed above follows club rules. Fisheries.co.uk names Norbury Junction to Market Drayton as a popular run, and Hodnet AC’s Goldstone pegs sit at its Market Drayton end.

For a length not in the table, check the Trust’s where-to-fish map and its Waterway Wanderers list, then ask the local tackle shop which club holds it. An empty towpath is not an open fishery.

If you only have a Waterway Wanderers permit, start at Wheaton Aston. Either way, check with the club or the Trust before you travel.

Tickets, Permits and Rod Licences: What You Will Pay

A rod licence on its own does not give you permission to fish a single peg on the Shroppie. You need two layers, and both are compulsory. The rod licence gives you the legal right to use a rod in England. It does not give you the right to fish any stretch, which is why you also need a permit or ticket from the rights holder, according to the Trust’s fishing FAQ.

Item	Price	Valid	Source
EA rod licence, 2 rods	£36.80	12 months	GOV.UK
EA rod licence, 2 rods	£14.70	8 days	GOV.UK
EA rod licence, 2 rods	£7.30	1 day	GOV.UK
EA rod licence, concession (66+ or disabled)	£24.50	12 months	GOV.UK
EA rod licence, 3 rods	£55.30	12 months	GOV.UK
EA rod licence, ages 13 to 16	Free	Check GOV.UK	GOV.UK
Waterway Wanderers, adult / concession / junior (16 or under)	£28 / £18 / £7	12 months from purchase	Canal & River Trust
Prince Albert AS season permit (Nantwich)	£25 as listed	Season	PAAS
Hodnet AC day ticket or membership	Not published	Ask the Membership Secretary	Hodnet AC

The Waterway Wanderers prices apply to permits bought from 1 April 2026. Rod licence prices change each April, so check GOV.UK before you buy, and confirm club prices with the club.

Waterway Wanderers covers unleased Trust lengths nationwide, so it earns its keep if you also fish waters such as the Grand Union Canal. For how canal permits fit together, see canal fishing permits explained.

On the Shroppie the trade-off is clear. £28 buys a roaming year on unleased Trust water across the country but only a few main-line bridges here. A club permit buys one club’s water, and Hodnet AC alone covers bridges 48 to 69.

Shropshire Union Canal Fishing Rules: Locks, Marinas, Boats and Seasons

The quickest way to end a session early is to set up on a lock landing. The rules that catch visitors out on the Shroppie are mostly about where you sit, not paperwork.

From the Trust’s FAQ and Waterway Wanderers rules:

Locks and bridges: no fishing in lock chambers or within 25m of a lock approach, water point, or swing or lifting bridge.
Powerlines: never fish near overhead powerlines; carbon poles and rods conduct electricity.
Moorings: most visitor moorings allow fishing unless signed otherwise.
Waterway Wanderers lengths: maximum two rods, keepnets pegged out, and never remove native fish. Non-native fish (the Trust gives zander as an example) must not be returned.
Night fishing and bait: set by the managing club. On Waterway Wanderers lengths, night fishing is allowed if you are considerate, and there are no bait bans.
Banned outright: magnet fishing and crayfish trapping are not permitted on Trust waterways.
Boats and kayaks: a boat licence does not include fishing, so from a moored boat you still need a day permit, club membership or Waterway Wanderers permit. A kayak needs a boat licence and permission, and must be moored to the bank. Some club insurance covers bank fishing only.
Club extras: Hodnet AC’s marina bans (see the table above). At Nantwich, Prince Albert AS makes pike fishing lures only from 15 March to 30 September inclusive, with barbless or de-barbed hooks, and may suspend it in prolonged heat.

On close seasons, GOV.UK says coarse fish can be fished on most canals all year. The 15 March to 15 June close season applies to rivers and to some canals that are canalised rivers. Check local byelaws and club rules, and see our fishing seasons guide.

What You Can Catch on the Shroppie and How to Fish It

Half a pint of maggots can be enough bait for four to five hours on a canal. That figure comes from Malcolm Parnell, writing for fisheries.co.uk, and it suits a water where roach, gudgeon and perch make up most bites.

Species	Where the clubs report them	Approach
Roach, gudgeon, perch	Goldstone (Hodnet AC) and Nantwich (Prince Albert AS)	Pole or waggler, maggot or pinkie
Bream and hybrids	Abundant in Nantwich basin, says Prince Albert AS; Hodnet AC reports bream to around 3lb (1.4kg) at Goldstone	Groundbait and caster on the far shelf
Chub	Hodnet AC reports chub to around 5lb (2.3kg) at Goldstone	Far-bank cover, bread or caster
Carp and tench	Odd fish at Nantwich (Prince Albert AS); Hodnet AC reports double-figure carp at Goldstone	Margins and far-bank features
Pike	On Prince Albert AS’s species list	Lures only at Nantwich from 15 March to 30 September
Rudd, eels	On Prince Albert AS’s species list	Incidental catches

Parnell’s method is to prime two lines: one at the near shelf and one trickle-fed across at the far shelf. Feed little and often, and fish light lines with size 18 to 20 hooks and maggot or pinkie for roach and gudgeon.

Fish the features. The Trust’s Croughton feature points anglers to weed beds and far-bank bushes, and moored-boat ends hold fish too. In summer, boat traffic colours the water and pushes fish about, so fish early morning and late evening.

On Windermere I’ve found perch hold tight to structure once the water cools. On a canal, that makes bridge holes and moored boats the first places to try in winter.

Unhook on a mat, use a keepnet only where the rules allow it, and return fish quickly.

Best for light float and pole anglers who want steady bites. Skip it if you want to target big carp.

Free Taster Sessions and Juniors on the Shropshire Union

If you want to try canal fishing before buying a permit, look for a Let’s Fish! session.

The Trust says there is no free fishing on its fisheries. Let’s Fish! taster events, run by the Trust with local clubs, are the nearest thing and have been listed around Christleton, Nantwich, Market Drayton and Norbury. Booking terms vary, so check the Canal & River Trust’s Let’s Fish! pages for current events.

Juniors have cheap routes in. The rod licence is free for ages 13 to 16, a junior Waterway Wanderers permit costs £7, and Prince Albert AS includes under-16s in its membership. Check with the organiser before you travel.

Planning another canal trip? Try our guides to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, the Kennet and Avon Canal, the Basingstoke Canal or the best fishing canals in the UK.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a licence to fish the Shropshire Union Canal?

Yes. Anyone aged 13 or over needs an Environment Agency rod licence (£36.80 for 12 months, two rods), plus a Canal & River Trust Waterway Wanderers permit or a club ticket for the stretch you fish. Rod licence prices change each April, so check GOV.UK before you buy.

Who controls the fishing on the Shropshire Union Canal?

It varies by stretch. The Canal & River Trust's Waterway Wanderers scheme covers bridges 17 to 23 around Wheaton Aston and several Middlewich Branch lengths, Hodnet AC controls bridges 48 to 69 including Goldstone and Market Drayton, and Prince Albert Angling Society holds bridges 90 to 93 at Nantwich. Read the bridge plate and check with the club or the Trust before you travel.

Is there free fishing on the Shropshire Union Canal?

No. The Canal & River Trust says none of its fisheries are free. Let's Fish! taster sessions run by the Trust with local clubs are the nearest thing, so check the Trust for current dates and booking terms.

Is there a closed season on the Shroppie?

Not on most canals under GOV.UK rules, so you can usually fish it all year. Some canals that are canalised rivers keep the 15 March to 15 June close season, so check club rules and local byelaws for the length you plan to fish.

Can I fish from my narrowboat on the Shropshire Union?

Only with a permit or club membership for that stretch. A boat licence is not fishing permission, and some club insurance covers bank fishing only.