Fishing the Bristol Avon

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

The Bristol Avon runs from Wiltshire through Chippenham and Bath to Bristol, and it holds chub, barbel, roach, bream, perch and pike. Almost all of the fishable bank is club water. For River Avon fishing near Bristol, you need an Environment Agency rod licence plus a club day ticket or membership.

Many Bristol Avon fishing write-ups stop there. They name one controlling body, hint at free stretches and leave you to sort out the rest on the bank.

This guide sticks to the three clubs whose water and tickets could be checked: Chippenham Angling Club, Bathampton Angling Association and Keynsham Angling Association. It works down the river stretch by stretch, then covers the rules, the barbel decline and how to read the river level before you go.

The Bristol Avon at a Glance: Course, Character and Species

The same river that offers shallow chub glides at Kellaways is 10-12ft deep and slow through Chippenham town, according to Chippenham Angling Club. Below Keynsham weir it turns tidal, and Keynsham AA says high spring tides can add as much as 8ft of water.

Pick the stretch first, then the method.

Stretch	Character	Main species	Who controls it
Chippenham town (Sections 1-2)	Slow and deep	Bream, perch, roach, pike, carp, chub in winter	Chippenham AC (day ticket)
Kellaways and Peckingell (Sections 6-7)	Shallow glides and runs	Chub, barbel	Chippenham AC (day ticket)
Bath: Newbridge to Saltford Marina	Non-member club water	Roach, chub, bream, pike	Bathampton AA (Clubmate ticket)
Keynsham: Swineford to Jack White’s	Non-tidal to the weir, tidal below	Not listed by the club	Keynsham AA (members only)

Don’t confuse it with the Hampshire Avon, which is a separate river with its own clubs and rules. If you are comparing waters, the full list sits in our UK river fishing guides.

The sections below run from upstream to downstream.

Chippenham and Kellaways: Chippenham Angling Club Water

Chippenham Angling Club sells day tickets on about six miles of the Bristol Avon, from Chippenham Weir to Kellaways Road Bridge, split into seven sections. That makes it the main day-ticket option for visiting chub and barbel anglers on the upper river. A short stretch of the east bank between Black Bridge and the mouth of the River Marden is not included (Chippenham AC).

At the time of writing (October 2026), a day ticket costs £7.50, bought online with your name and the date you plan to fish. The club’s membership licence runs from 16 June 2026 to 15 June 2027 (Chippenham AC memberships).

The two ends fish very differently:

Sections 1-2 (town): slow and 10-12ft deep, holding bream, perch, roach, carp, chub in winter and pike. The club lists its biggest pike at 33lb (about 15kg).
Sections 6-7 (Peckingell and Kellaways): shallow glides and runs with big chub and barbel. The club says double-figure barbel are not uncommon. Park only at the Peckingell car park, and on Section 6 fish the left bank looking downriver.

Angling Times puts the average Kellaways chub at around 3lb (1.4kg) and suggests bread, cheesepaste or worm on a light link leger. Our chub fishing guide covers the method.

Two club rules catch visitors out. Section 5, from Black Bridge to The Piggeries, is closed until access is re-established. River keepnets are limited to five hours at most, according to a notice on the club homepage in October 2026.

If you want chub and barbel on a day ticket, start at Peckingell. Check with the club before you travel.

Bath: Bathampton Angling Association Day Tickets and Members-Only Water

The easy mistake with River Avon fishing in Bath is setting up on a members-only bank. Bathampton Angling Association controls most of the river around the city, and only part of it is open to visitors.

Non-members can fish the Avon from Newbridge to Saltford Marina, plus the Kennet and Avon Canal from Bath to Avoncliffe. You buy the ticket through the Clubmate app before you start fishing (Bathampton AA day tickets).

The price is less clear. At the time of writing, the club’s River Avon venue page lists a £7 day ticket, while its Day Tickets page lists £9.50 temporary membership. Check the current price in the Clubmate app.

Long Meadow, Islands, Manor Field (Claverton) and Batheaston are for members only. Adult membership is £40 and junior (under 18) membership is £15, also through Clubmate, at the time of writing (Bathampton AA membership).

The club says Newbridge bream average 4-5lb (1.8-2.3kg) and that roach over 1lb (0.45kg) are numerous. Those figures are the club’s own description, not independent catch data.

The club rules that matter on the day:

Daylight fishing only, unless you hold a night permit
No live baiting, and no freshwater fish used as bait
Deadbaiting needs a minimum of 60lb braid or 15lb mono, a wire trace of at least 18in (45cm) and forceps of at least 10in (25cm)
Maximum of two rods
Micro-barbed or barbless hooks only

Best for: a one-off roach, bream or pike session close to the city. Skip if: you want to night fish without a permit. Check with the club before you travel.

Keynsham to Bristol: Members-Only Water and the Tidal Reach

The closest stretch of the Avon to Bristol is also the hardest to fish on a whim.

Keynsham Angling Association members fish Swineford (about a mile), The Crane (two miles) and Jack White’s, all on the right bank, through the club’s affiliation with the Bristol & West of England Federation of Anglers. There are no Avon day tickets. The club’s day tickets cover Century Ponds only (Keynsham AA river page).

Membership is open. At the time of writing, 2026 adult membership costs £34. For 2027, adult membership is £36 and junior, senior and disabled membership is £24, on sale from 1 December 2026 (Keynsham AA tickets).

The weir pool down to the lock gates at Keynsham is private. Below the weir the river is tidal, with up to 8ft of extra depth at Jack White’s on high spring tides and heavy boat traffic at weekends. Check tide times before you set up there.

Access on the Bristol side, around Hanham and Conham, could not be confirmed from an official or club source. Ask a local tackle shop or the landowner before you fish.

For regular River Avon fishing near Bristol, Keynsham AA membership is the verified route.

Bristol Avon Fishing Rules: Licence, Close Season and Byelaws

By byelaw, every salmon caught on the Bristol Avon must go back. That rule, the close season and a close-season bait ban all come from the Environment Agency’s South West rod fishing byelaws.

You need an Environment Agency rod licence to fish in England from age 13. Juniors aged 13 to 16 get a free licence, and under-13s don’t need one. Fishing without a licence can bring a fine of up to £2,500, and you still need permission from the club, fishery or landowner (GOV.UK).

At the time of writing, a coarse and trout licence for up to two rods costs £7.30 for one day, £14.70 for eight days and £36.80 for 12 months. The 12-month three-rod licence is £55.30, and the 12-month concession for anglers aged 66 and over or disabled is £24.50 (GOV.UK prices). Check GOV.UK before you buy.

Venues can set lower rod limits than the licence allows (rod limits), and Bathampton AA allows two. Our guide to how the rod licence works covers the details.

Rule	What it says
Coarse close season	15 March to 15 June inclusive on rivers, streams and drains
Close-season bait ban (Wessex)	Maggots and pupae, processed products, cereals and other vegetable matter are banned in rivers, drains and canals during the coarse close season
Salmon	All salmon must be released immediately; the Wessex salmon close season runs 1 September to 31 January

River coarse fishing reopens on 16 June. See the coarse close season explained.

Club rules on closed sections, keepnets, night fishing and live bait sit on top of the byelaws, as the Chippenham and Bath sections above show.

Bristol Avon Barbel: Declining Catches and the Blue-Bellied Fish

If you catch a barbel with a blue belly between Bath and Chippenham, the Environment Agency wants to hear about it.

On 23 January 2025 the EA released 1,500 dye-marked barbel into the river between Bathford and Christian Malford. Jim Flory, the EA’s area environment manager, said the number of barbel being caught in the Bristol Avon catchment appears to have declined in recent years (GOV.UK).

Report any blue-bellied barbel caught between Bath and Chippenham to sw_nwessexfrb@environment-agency.gov.uk, with the date, the location and a rough size. A quick photo on the mat before release makes the size estimate easier.

Whatever you catch, give a played-out barbel time to recover. Hold it in the margin, head upstream, until it swims off strongly.

While barbel numbers are down, chub are the more reliable bite at Kellaways. Our barbel fishing guide covers tactics if you still want to target them.

When to Fish: Reading the Bathford River Gauge

Bookmark the River Avon at Bathford gauge (station 3041) on GOV.UK Check for Flooding, and read the trend, not just the number.

A level that is falling and fining down after a rise is often a good time for chub and barbel. A fast-rising, coloured river makes many swims unfishable and unsafe. The same flow-watching applies on other rain-fed rivers such as the River Ribble.

In winter, Chippenham AC notes that chub show in its deeper town sections.

Before you go:

Buy an EA rod licence.
Buy your club ticket: online for Chippenham AC, the Clubmate app for Bathampton AA.
Check club notices for closed water and matches.
Check the Bathford gauge level and trend.
Remember the coarse close season, 15 March to 15 June.

Frequently asked questions

Is there free fishing on the Bristol Avon?

No free stretch could be verified from an official or club source. Treat the whole river as controlled water and get permission from the club, fishery or landowner before you fish. Day tickets from Chippenham AC (£7.50 at the time of writing) and Bathampton AA are the simplest legal option.

Can you night fish the Bristol Avon?

On Bathampton AA water, fishing is daylight only unless you hold a night permit. Other clubs set their own rules, so check with the club that controls the stretch before you plan an overnight session. Below Keynsham weir, check tide times as well.

Is live bait allowed on the Bristol Avon?

Not on Bathampton AA venues, where freshwater fish can't be used as bait either. Deadbaiting is allowed there with the tackle minimums set out in the Bath section, including a wire trace of at least 18in (45cm). Check each club's rules for other stretches.

Can you fish the Bristol Avon in the close season?

Not for coarse fish between 15 March and 15 June inclusive, and the close-season bait ban applies to rivers, drains and canals. Stillwaters such as Keynsham AA's Century Ponds are separate venues with their own rules, so check with the club.