Leeds and Liverpool Canal – Burscough Stretch

The Burscough stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is canal fishing in the truest sense. No landscaped lake complex or fancy fishery office here — just towpath, bridges, passing boats and a chance of a tidy bag of silverfish.

• 1 lake: Burscough Stretch
• Fish: carp, tench, bream, roach, perch, pike
• Tickets from: Match line-up booking — £5 per peg; minimum five anglers; arranged in advance
• Find it: Burscough · L40 0SP

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

The Burscough stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is canal fishing in the truest sense. No landscaped lake complex or fancy fishery office here — just towpath, bridges, passing boats and a chance of a tidy bag of silverfish.

The usual target is roach, with perch, bream and skimmers also in the mix. Tench and carp add a bit of spice, while pike are reported from the wider Leeds & Liverpool Canal fishery. It’s mainly typical canal fishing, but there’s always the possibility of something a bit lumpier turning up.

The nearby section includes Burscough Bridge, with access generally coming from bridges, lanes and towpath entry points. The towpath is the normal fishing side, so a light setup and sensible amount of kit makes life much easier. Parking is limited, mind, so park considerately and don’t block local access.

For a straightforward session, a float rod or light feeder outfit should cover most options. Roach and perch are the bread-and-butter targets, while bream and skimmers can show when they move in. Tench and carp are the cheeky bonus fish, particularly if you find quieter cover or a neglected-looking margin.

The canal is used for both pleasure fishing and angling matches. That means some stretches can be busy, especially around organised events, and match line-ups need booking in advance. The published match arrangement was £5 per peg, with a minimum of five anglers — handy if you’re sorting a little club bash rather than just dropping in for a solo evening.

Ticketing needs a quick check before travelling. Wigan & District Angling Association says casual anglers can obtain day tickets from association bailiffs on eligible waters, but a 2024 match guide said day tickets were not available on Wigan AA Leeds & Liverpool Canal stretches. So don’t assume you can just turn up and fish; confirm the current position with the association or bailiff.

As with any canal, bring the basics and leave no trace. You’ll need an Environment Agency rod licence as well as any fishery ticket or membership. Night fishing was not confirmed for this Burscough stretch, and comparable Wigan AA canal rules prohibit it. Take all litter home, leave the bank tidy and check the tackle restrictions before clipping up.

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 — “A proper old-school canal venue around Burscough, with classic silverfish sport, odd bigger fish and plenty of towpath access. Sort the ticket position before setting off, as day-ticket availability on this exact stretch needs checking.”

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.