6 articles
Freshwater, fly and sea fishing: tackle, techniques, regulations and where to go.
At the water’s edge, the first question is not always the one you expect. Before choosing a lure or a fly, you need to know whether you may fish here, on this particular day, and what you are allowed to keep. This section often starts there, then takes you through the rest: planning a trip, choosing tackle, and understanding how fish behave with the season, the time of day and the weather.
On the rules side, we explain rod licences and permits, close seasons, size and bag limits, protected species and who owns the fishing rights on a stretch of bank. On the technique side, coarse fishing, fly fishing, carp fishing and sea fishing from the shore each get their own guides, with the tackle that goes with them and the basic rigs a beginner needs. You will also see how to match line, hook and bait without buying half the tackle shop.
Simple habits matter as much as technique: wetting your hands before handling a fish you plan to return, flattening the barb when you fish catch and release, and taking every scrap of line home with you. So does consideration for nesting birds along the bank, for other anglers and for everyone else who shares the water. The common mistakes get their turn, such as relying on last year’s dates, or on a spot found on a forum, without checking the local rules. To find your own spots, we show you how to read a map and a river, rather than sending everyone to the same peg.
Our way of working stays the same: practical guides, rules quoted from the official texts and dated, and a box for Scotland, England and Wales, Northern Ireland or Ireland when the law differs. When we compare tackle, it is on the specifications published by manufacturers and on criteria we explain, and a fishing trip described in these pages is always told by the person who was there. The section is for complete beginners, for those picking up a rod again after years away and for regular anglers tempted by fly or sea fishing. It is also for anyone whose tackle box already shuts only with a firm push.
FishingRules and regulations
To fish with a rod in England, you need three things: the Environment Agency rod licence from the age of 13, permission from whoever controls the water, and a close season that is open. The licence costs from £7.30 for a day, and the fine for fishing without one reaches £2,500. Here is what the official texts say, and where visitors trip up.
Arnaud Couderc··11 min
Why a hook’s number rises as its size falls, what one maker’s dimensions show, and which sizes public agencies suggest for each fish and bait.
Arnaud Couderc··9 min
What the number on a fly rod and line means, which weight suits trout, bass or salmon, and how to choose a first outfit, with the AFFTA table in grains.
Arnaud Couderc··8 min
Fishing in Germany: when a Fischereischein is required, which states let visitors fish without an exam, the fishing levy and the water permit.
Arnaud Couderc··9 min
Improved clinch, Palomar, uni, double uni and a simple loop: the five fishing knots to know, when to use them and how to tie them, with step-by-step diagrams.
Arnaud Couderc··8 min
Day, weekly, annual or interfederal: which French fishing card to buy for your trip, its 2026 price and what it allows in fresh water, rules included.
Nolwenn Bastide··9 min
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