Pocklington Canal

Pocklington Canal is a cracking bit of Yorkshire canal fishing, stretching roughly 9.5 miles from Canal Head near Pocklington to the River Derwent at East Cottingwith. Completed in 1818, it now runs through a mix of canal scenery and protected habitat, with much of the water sitting within a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

• 1 lake: Pocklington Canal
• Fish: tench, roach, pike, bream, carp, perch, eel
• Tickets from: YDAA day ticket — £6.00
• Find it: Pocklington · YO42 1NW

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

Pocklington Canal is a cracking bit of Yorkshire canal fishing, stretching roughly 9.5 miles from Canal Head near Pocklington to the River Derwent at East Cottingwith. Completed in 1818, it now runs through a mix of canal scenery and protected habitat, with much of the water sitting within a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

This is relatively broad canal water, but don’t expect a tidy, featureless trench. Much of it is shallow, silty and affected by weed and reeds, so finding a clear line or a fishable margin can be the main job. There are nine locks along the length too, giving the canal plenty of character and some natural changes in the water.

Tench and roach are the main draw. Both are among the most common species and can reach reasonable sizes, making this a solid venue for float fishing and light tackle. Warm, settled weather is the time to target tench, especially early and late in the day when they’re more likely to be on the munch.

Pike are plentiful, although most are jacks, with occasional fish reportedly reaching double figures. Bream are present but locally distributed, while carp have been stocked by YDAA. Perch and eels add a bit more variety, so there’s always scope for a cheeky change of plan if the tench aren’t playing ball.

Access is controlled by YDAA, with day-ticket fishing available on eligible sections. Canal Head is the easiest access point and has postcode YO42 1NW, while other access points include Coates Bridge, Bielby, Church Bridge, Walbut Bridge and East Cottingwith. The towpath is publicly accessible, but fishing still needs the correct YDAA authority.

There’s no fixed daily opening time published, and fishing is available throughout the year subject to the applicable rules and byelaws. Night fishing is not allowed. Booking isn’t needed for ordinary day fishing, but you must have the right ticket before you set up.

Facilities are basic rather than bells and whistles: no listed on-site parking, platforms, toilets or disabled access. It isn’t gated or locked, and the canal isn’t listed as a match venue. For a proper day on natural-feeling canal water, though, the £6.00 day ticket is bob on.

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 — “Pocklington Canal is a broad, 9.5-mile YDAA-controlled canal fishery running from Canal Head near Pocklington to the River Derwent at East Cottingwith. It’s a proper all-rounder for tench, roach and pike, with day tickets from £6.00.”

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.