Have a go.
Bring a mate.
Taster sessions and coaching across the Midlands, run by qualified coaches, with tackle and bait provided. It's the easiest way to catch your first fish.
Find this year's dates
Taster sessions mostly run from March to October, and new dates are usually announced in spring. The official finders below always have the latest dates and booking links. The places further down run sessions year after year, so they're a good place to start.
- Angling Trust — Get Fishing event finder Search beginner events by postcode or town across England.
- Get Fishing — West Midlands events Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton and Worcester.
- Get Fishing — East Midlands events Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Mansfield, Northampton, Nottingham and more.
- Canal & River Trust — Let's Fish! Canal taster sessions every year, usually March to October. Book a slot online.
- Angling Trust — Get Fishing map (coaches & venues) Licensed coaches and beginner-friendly venues on a map.
Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
One-hour canal taster sessions with licensed coaches. Tackle, bait, permit and licence all provided. Ages 6+.
Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Have-a-go events at fisheries and rivers, funded by the Environment Agency and Sport England. Tackle and bait included.
Coaching & wellbeing
Qualified coaches running regular lessons, courses and wellbeing sessions.
Club junior sections
Clubs that run academies, junior days and coaching for young anglers.
Where sessions run across the Midlands
- Coaching & wellbeing
Angling School Warwick
Warwick · Warwickshire
- Run by:
- Angling School Warwick
- For:
- Children and adults: Get Fishing sessions, courses, one-day intensives, home-education groups
- Cost:
- Contact the school
- Last seen running:
- 2024 listing (twice-weekly sessions year-round)
All sessions are run by Angling Trust Level 2 coaches.
- Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Get Fishing — Abington Park
Abington Park, Northampton · NN3 3HX · Northamptonshire
- Run by:
- Angling Trust Get Fishing
- For:
- Beginners and families
- Cost:
- Free when last listed
- Last seen running:
- 2020–2024 listings
- Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Get Fishing — Aldercar Lane Fishery
Langley Mill · NG16 4HJ · Derbyshire
- Run by:
- Aldercar Lane Fishery
- For:
- Beginners — coarse fishing
- Cost:
- Paid event
- Last seen running:
- Listed on the East Midlands Get Fishing page
- Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Get Fishing — Bess of Hardwick Lakes
Near Chesterfield · Derbyshire
- Run by:
- Angling Trust Get Fishing
- For:
- Beginners
- Cost:
- See listing
- Last seen running:
- Listed on the East Midlands Get Fishing page
- Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Get Fishing — fly tying at Pitsford Water
Pitsford Water Fishing Lodge · NN6 9TF · Northamptonshire
- Run by:
- Northampton Fly Dressers Guild
- For:
- Anyone curious about fly fishing
- Cost:
- See listing
- Last seen running:
- Listed by the Angling Trust
- Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Get Fishing — River Trent, Victoria Embankment
Victoria Embankment, Nottingham · NG2 7TA · Nottinghamshire
- Run by:
- Angling Trust Get Fishing
- For:
- Beginners and families
- Cost:
- Free when last listed
- Last seen running:
- 2020–2024 listings
- Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Get Fishing — Sherwood Forest Fishery
Near Mansfield · Nottinghamshire
- Run by:
- Angling Trust Get Fishing
- For:
- Beginners
- Cost:
- See listing
- Last seen running:
- Listed on the East Midlands Get Fishing page
- Get Fishing (Angling Trust)
Get Fishing — Tunnel Barn Farm (Mike's Minnows juniors)
Shrewley, near Warwick · CV35 7AN · Warwickshire
- Run by:
- Tunnel Barn Farm
- For:
- Juniors — includes Get Fishing Award sessions
- Cost:
- £10 a session; £10 a year to join the junior club (members get discounts)
- Last seen running:
- 2025
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Bromsgrove, Worcester & Birmingham Canal
Bromsgrove · Worcestershire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Low cost — 2026 sessions we saw were £5 per one-hour slot
- Last seen running:
- June 2026
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Coventry Canal Basin
Coventry Canal Basin · CV1 4LN · West Midlands
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Low cost — 2026 sessions we saw were £5 per one-hour slot
- Last seen running:
- July 2026
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Foxton Locks with WDNAC
Foxton Locks, Market Harborough · LE16 7RA · Leicestershire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust with Wellingborough & District Nene AC
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- See listing
- Last seen running:
- Listed by the Angling Trust
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Grand Union Canal, Glen Parva
Westminster Drive, Glen Parva, Leicester · LE2 9UJ · Leicestershire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Free when last listed
- Last seen running:
- 2023
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Lichfield, Trent & Mersey Canal
Lichfield · Staffordshire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Low cost — 2026 sessions we saw were £5 per one-hour slot
- Last seen running:
- August 2026
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Middleport, Trent & Mersey Canal
Middleport Park, Stoke-on-Trent · ST6 3NB · Staffordshire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust with Stoke-on-Trent Angling Society
- For:
- Ages 6+, complete beginners and returners
- Cost:
- Low cost — 2026 sessions we saw were £5 per one-hour slot
- Last seen running:
- July & August 2026
Stoke-on-Trent AS also runs a young people's competition here each summer.
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Nottingham & Beeston Canal
Nottingham city centre · NG2 1EE · Nottinghamshire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust with the Nottingham Federation
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Low cost — 2026 sessions we saw were £5 per one-hour slot
- Last seen running:
- August 2026
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Pendeford & Wombourne canals
Pendeford, Wolverhampton · West Midlands
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Families and beginners
- Cost:
- Free in 2024 (funded series)
- Last seen running:
- 2024
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Port Loop, Birmingham
Port Loop, Birmingham Old Line Canal · B16 0AF · West Midlands
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Free when last listed
- Last seen running:
- 2023
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Sandwell
Sandwell · West Midlands
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Free when last listed
- Last seen running:
- October 2025
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Shrewsbury with Rowley & Fenemere AA
Shrewsbury · Shropshire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust with Rowley & Fenemere AA
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Free when last listed
- Last seen running:
- October 2025
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — St Margaret's Pastures, Leicester
St Margaret's Pastures, Leicester · LE1 3EA · Leicestershire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Free when last listed
- Last seen running:
- 2023
- Let's Fish! (Canal & River Trust)
Let's Fish! — Swindon, Staffs & Worcs Canal
Swindon, near Wombourne · Staffordshire
- Run by:
- Canal & River Trust
- For:
- Ages 6+
- Cost:
- Low cost — 2026 sessions we saw were £5 per one-hour slot
- Last seen running:
- July 2026
- Coaching & wellbeing
Mark Daffern — Lead Coach, Warwickshire
Nuneaton (covers Warwickshire & the West Midlands) · Warwickshire
- Run by:
- Angling Trust licensed coach
- For:
- Beginners, families and groups
- Cost:
- Contact the coach
- Last seen running:
- 2024 listing
- Coaching & wellbeing
Reel Time
West Midlands & south Staffordshire · West Midlands
- Run by:
- Reel Time (Angling Trust Get Fishing for Wellbeing partner)
- For:
- Everyone — tuition, coaching, and fun or therapeutic group sessions
- Cost:
- Contact Reel Time
- Last seen running:
- 2024 listing
- Club junior sections
Stoke-on-Trent Angling Society Academy
Stoke-on-Trent · Staffordshire
- Run by:
- Stoke-on-Trent Angling Society
- For:
- Juniors and new anglers
- Cost:
- See the society website
- Last seen running:
- 2025 events calendar
- Club junior sections
WDNAC coaching & junior events
Wellingborough · Northamptonshire
- Run by:
- Wellingborough & District Nene Angling Club
- For:
- Juniors and beginners
- Cost:
- See the club website
- Last seen running:
- Club website
Already fish? Help someone start
- 🤝 Help at a sessionLet's Fish! and Get Fishing events rely on local clubs and volunteers. Ask your club if it hosts one.
- 🧑🏫 Become a coachThe Angling Trust runs coaching qualifications. Its Get Into Fishing pages are a good place to start.
- 🏠 Bring them into your clubMany clubs let juniors join free or for a few pounds. Find a club and pass it on.
Run sessions in the Midlands, or spotted one we've missed? Tell us and we'll list it.
Listings come from the Angling Trust, Canal & River Trust, clubs and event pages, and show when we last saw each one running. Always check the organiser's booking page for current dates and prices. Under-13s don't need a rod licence, and Let's Fish! sessions include one for the day.