Do I need a rod licence?

Yes. Anyone aged 13 or over fishing for coarse fish, trout, salmon or eels in England and Wales needs an Environment Agency rod licence, and it is separate from any ticket or membership the water itself needs. Buy it from the Post Office or on GOV.UK.

Is there free fishing near Oxfordshire?

We hold 4 waters near Oxfordshire reported as free to fish beyond a rod licence: Big Corner, Tank Traps, The Plough at Long Wittenham, and others. Free fishing is the hardest thing to be sure of, so each one says who reported it and when anybody last checked.

How much is a day ticket near Oxfordshire?

Day tickets we hold near Oxfordshire run from £5 to £20, across 8 waters. Prices change, so check with whoever controls the water before you travel.

Can I just turn up and fish near Oxfordshire?

Not at 36 of the 87 waters we hold near Oxfordshire: those need club membership or a permit bought in advance. The rest are listed above with what each one is reported to need.

Where to fish in Oxfordshire

The useful question is not where the water is, it is what you need before you can fish it. Everything below is grouped by that, and every line carries the date the claim was last checked rather than presenting itself as fact.

We hold 87 waters here: 50 lakes, 35 river stretches and two ponds.

By permission: 35 reported as club day ticket water, 33 as club membership water, ten as commercial day ticket water, four as free fishing, three as Environment Agency lock and weir water and one as council permit water. The four free waters are the hardest of these to establish and the most worth knowing.

One of these is reported as unknown or disputed — we do not yet know who controls it, and saying so is more useful than guessing.

35 of the 87 carry the river close season, 15 March to 15 June. The other 52 are reported fishable all year.

Species reported most often: rainbow trout at two, chub at one, perch at one and roach at one. Reported by anglers, not surveyed.

These were last checked between 4 September 2026 and 14 October 2026.

Map

Every line below is a report with a date on it, not permission to fish. Read the disclaimer.

87 waters

These are reports, not permission. Verify locally before fishing. This site grants no permission to fish.

Questions people ask

Do I need a rod licence?: Yes. Anyone aged 13 or over fishing for coarse fish, trout, salmon or eels in England and Wales needs an Environment Agency rod licence, and it is separate from any ticket or membership the water itself needs. Buy it from the Post Office or on GOV.UK.
Is there free fishing near Oxfordshire?: We hold 4 waters near Oxfordshire reported as free to fish beyond a rod licence: Big Corner, Tank Traps, The Plough at Long Wittenham, and others. Free fishing is the hardest thing to be sure of, so each one says who reported it and when anybody last checked.
How much is a day ticket near Oxfordshire?: Day tickets we hold near Oxfordshire run from £5 to £20, across 8 waters. Prices change, so check with whoever controls the water before you travel.
Can I just turn up and fish near Oxfordshire?: Not at 36 of the 87 waters we hold near Oxfordshire: those need club membership or a permit bought in advance. The rest are listed above with what each one is reported to need.

See these on the map Add one we are missing

Below 3 waters a page like this does not publish at all.