Coarse fishing singles: dating by the lake and canal

What coarse fishing actually is

Coarse fishing is freshwater fishing for anything that isn't salmon or trout. That covers carp, bream, tench, roach, rudd, perch, chub, barbel, pike and more. It happens on commercial lakes, club ponds, gravel pits, canals and rivers, usually with float or feeder tackle, from a fixed spot on the bank called a peg or swim.

It's one of the most widely practised kinds of angling in Britain, and coarse anglers come in every age and from every background. Most fish go back to the water. A lot of the skill is in reading the water, choosing the right bait and keeping fish feeding in your swim.

The coarse fishing crowd

Coarse anglers aren't all alike, and the type tells you how their weekends look. A few broad types, with the obvious caveat that real people mix and match:

Pleasure anglers

They fish for the fun of it: a few hours on a local lake or canal, a flask, a float and whatever's biting. Usually the most relaxed to date and the easiest to fit fishing around. A two-hour session on a Sunday morning is their idea of bliss.

Carp anglers

Carp fishing has its own culture, kit and language. Specimen carp anglers often fish long sessions, sometimes 24 or 48 hours, sleeping in a bivvy (a small fishing tent) next to their rods and waiting for one big fish. If you're dating one, ask how often they do overnighters. Many happily share a bivvy weekend with a curious partner once things are serious.

Match anglers

Match fishing is competitive: you draw a peg, fish for a set number of hours, and the heaviest total weight wins. Match anglers are often busy most weekends in the season, sociable at the weigh-in, and very organised. Our guide to meeting people through angling clubs and match days explains how matches work.

Predator anglers

Pike, perch and zander anglers tend to be mobile, walking a stretch of river or canal and casting lures or dead baits. Their season often peaks in the colder months, which is worth knowing if you were hoping for summer weekends together.

At a glance

Dates that suit coarse anglers

A short session at a busy day-ticket lake is the easiest coarse fishing date, because a stocked water gives a beginner quick bites and you sit side by side.

• A short session at a day-ticket lake with a café. The classic. Two or three hours, a spare rod set up with a simple float rig, then a hot drink. Our guide to fishing as a first date walks you through it.
• A canal towpath walk. Easy, public and free, with pubs at the locks. You'll end up looking at other people's swims, which gives a coarse angler plenty to talk about.
• A taster event. The Canal & River Trust runs Let's Fish! events for people who want to try fishing, and the Angling Trust's Get Fishing map lists beginner events and licensed coaches. Going together means neither of you has to be the teacher.
• A tackle shop or angling show. For a date who's keen to learn, wandering the aisles and laughing at the price of bait boats is surprisingly good fun.
• A nature reserve or country park with lakes. Wildlife, walking and somewhere to sit, with no rods needed.

Avoid, at least early on: night sessions, remote gravel pits and anything that means your date relies on you for a lift home.

Bank manners for a first visit

A few unwritten rules make a newcomer instantly welcome on a coarse fishery, and they're worth passing on to a date before you go.

• Keep your voice down and your footsteps light near the water's edge; fish feel vibration.
• Ask before walking behind someone's rods, and never step over their line.
• Don't set up right next to another angler on an otherwise empty bank.
• Take all litter home, especially old fishing line and hooks, which harm wildlife.
• Follow the fishery's rules on bait, nets and hooks, even if the regulars seem relaxed about them.

Questions to ask a coarse angler early on

A few friendly questions save a lot of guessing later. For example:

• "What do you mostly fish for, and where?"
• "How often do you get out, and do you ever stay overnight?"
• "Are you in a club or do you fish matches?"
• "Would you want company on the bank sometimes, or is it your time off?"

None of these are tests. They simply tell you whether their idea of a good weekend overlaps with yours.

Licences and seasons

Coarse anglers aged 13 or over in England and Wales need a rod licence and permission to fish the water, and rivers close for three months each spring.

• Licence: in England and Wales, anyone 13 or over needs a rod licence, and licences for 13 to 16-year-olds are free. Permission to fish is separate: a day ticket, club card or permit. The person sitting with you doesn't need a licence unless they fish.
• Close season: coarse fishing on rivers in England and Wales is closed from 15 March to 15 June. Most enclosed stillwaters and canals stay open all year, though private waters can set their own rules.
• Canals: many stretches are controlled by local clubs. The Canal & River Trust sells permits for some of its waters through its Waterway Wanderers scheme.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland: Scotland has no rod licence but most waters need a permit; Northern Ireland has its own licence. Our fishing first date guide has the full UK breakdown.

If you're planning a spring date on a river, check the dates first, or pick a stillwater.

Writing a profile that finds a coarse angler

Be specific. "I like fishing" says very little. "Mostly carp and tench on club lakes; I'll fish the canal for perch in winter; one overnighter a month in summer" tells another angler exactly who you are, and tells a non-angler what they'd be signing up for.

Mention whether you'd love to teach someone or would rather keep fishing as your own time. Both are fine; being clear saves everyone time. Our profile tips for anglers has more, and whether to post that photo holding a carp gets its own guide. If you're the one who doesn't fish, dating someone who fishes is written for you.