West Midlands
Birmingham has more canal miles than Venice — over 35 of them — which makes the West Midlands one of England's genuine canal-fishing heartlands: the Grand Union, Birmingham, Birmingham & Fazeley, Dudley, Stourbridge, Tame Valley, Worcester & Birmingham, Walsall and Wyrley & Essington Canals between them offer a huge amount of accessible, free-with-permit coarse fishing right through the conurbation. The River Tame tells the region's real environmental success story: once the most polluted river basin in the UK given how heavily built-up its catchment is, it now supports a genuinely growing fish population, including barbel.
To the south west, the River Severn runs through Worcester and on to its confluence with the Teme — a designated SSSI along its entire length and one of the best barbel rivers in the country — making this corner of the region a serious destination for specimen coarse fishing in its own right.
Rivers
River Tame
Once the most polluted river in the country given its position draining the heavily built-up Birmingham conurbation — now recovered enough to support a growing fish population, fed by the Rea and Anker, with large chub, pike and an increasing population of barbel.
Chub · Barbel · PikeRiver Severn (Worcester area)
The Severn through Worcester and Kempsey is renowned coarse water — double-figure barbel, roach to over 2lb, bream to 9lb, pike to 20lb+ and huge zander all recorded on club stretches, plus the odd flatfish straying up from the estuary.
Barbel · ZanderRiver Blythe
A tributary between Birmingham and Coventry, supporting a good head of coarse fish and some trout.
CoarseCanals
Birmingham & Worcester Canal
One of the most popular canal venues locally, much of it controlled by the Birmingham Anglers Association.
CoarseStaffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
Links the Severn at Stourport to the Trent & Mersey Canal — a good connecting route for the canal-fishing enthusiast.
CoarseStillwaters
Earlswood Lakes
South of Solihull — three large, nationally renowned reservoirs popular with match and pleasure anglers, operated by the Canal & River Trust.
General guide only — most canal fishing requires a Canal & River Trust waterways licence in addition to your Environment Agency rod licence; river stretches are largely club-controlled. Always confirm current permits and rules before fishing.
Check today's conditions for the West Midlands →