Macclesfield Canal

This bit of the Macclesfield Canal is Prince Albert Angling Society’s stretch between bridges 37 and 61. No lake complex, no picking a pool from a venue map — this is canal fishing, with your ticket covering that numbered length. Fools Nook sits at bridge 49 and gives you a handy reference point when planning a session.

• 1 lake: Macclesfield Canal — PAAS bridges 37–61
• Fish: roach, rudd, perch, bream, carp, tench, pike
• Tickets from: Day ticket — £6 for over-16s, covering bridges 37–61.
• Find it: Macclesfield · SK11 0JF

Based on how each lake is set up — not a ranking.

This bit of the Macclesfield Canal is Prince Albert Angling Society’s stretch between bridges 37 and 61. No lake complex, no picking a pool from a venue map — this is canal fishing, with your ticket covering that numbered length. Fools Nook sits at bridge 49 and gives you a handy reference point when planning a session. Just don’t mistake it for the limits of the fishery: there’s more to the permitted stretch than that one access area.

The mixed-species line-up is the main draw here. Roach, rudd and gudgeon occur throughout, while perch and skimmer bream are described as plentiful. That puts everyday canal species firmly at the heart of the venue, rather than making it all about chasing lumps. There are occasional carp reaching double figures, though, and tench turn up occasionally in some areas. Those are welcome possibilities, not a promise that every swim holds a carp or a tench.

So, what sort of session does that suggest? Think mixed canal fishing first, with the occasional bigger-fish possibility alongside it. The published description gives you a useful steer on species, but it doesn’t identify productive pegs, depths, seasonal hotspots or particular features to target. There’s no need to dress it up as a guaranteed bagging water. The appeal is that spread of silvers, perch and skimmers, with something a bit chunkier potentially in the mix.

Getting the right ticket sorted is straightforward once you know where to go. Day tickets are sold at Pet Food Supplies on Moss Lane in Macclesfield and Smiths Bait & Tackle on Brook Street in Congleton. Season permits are available through the Society’s online application and run from January 1 to December 31. One small faff worth catching before you buy: the published day-ticket bands cover over-16s and under-16s, leaving anyone aged exactly 16 needing clarification.

Pike anglers need to pay particular attention to the rules. From March 15 to September 30 inclusive, pike fishing is lure-only, and pike hooks must be barbless or de-barbed. Prolonged high temperatures can also bring a suspension of all pike fishing. The published general rules require an unhooking mat when targeting carp, barbel or pike, and prohibit carp sacks and retaining carp in weigh slings. That mat rule isn’t a claim that barbel are stocked here.

Before heading out, keep the practical bits separate from the fishing appeal. Daily opening hours aren’t specified, and toilets, dedicated parking and accessible fishing platforms aren’t confirmed on the ticket page. The postcode points to the Fools Nook access area, rather than the whole stretch. Night fishing appears in the Society’s 2020 revised rules, but current permission and ticket coverage need checking. Get those bits bob on beforehand and you can focus on the canal session you actually want.

Good background reading. Most of it is a few years old, so treat it as a starting point and ask on the day.

Videos linked by the fishery

• Our read

  Checked Sept '26 — “Proper canal fishing on Prince Albert Angling Society’s bridges 37–61 stretch, with mixed silvers, plentiful perch and skimmers, plus the odd double-figure carp. Fools Nook at bridge 49 is an access point, not the whole venue.”

This is our own summary of recurring public feedback and the venue details we checked, not a copied customer review or a promise you’ll catch. Feedback changes, so we keep it separate from the Tackle Index score.