Kennet and Avon Canal

Fancy a canal session rather than a lake complex? This stretch of the Kennet and Avon gives you approximately 15 miles of Devizes Angling Association water to consider. It runs from Ladies Bridge at Wilcot to Semington road bridge, passing through Devizes, Horton, Honeystreet and Seend. That’s a proper length of canal, not one little pool with a single entrance.

• 1 lake: Kennet and Avon Canal — Ladies Bridge, Wilcot, to Semington road bridge
• Fish: carp, roach, tench, pike, bream
• Tickets from: Adult/senior canal-only day ticket — £6 online
• Find it: Devizes · SN10 1EB

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

Fancy a canal session rather than a lake complex? This stretch of the Kennet and Avon gives you approximately 15 miles of Devizes Angling Association water to consider. It runs from Ladies Bridge at Wilcot to Semington road bridge, passing through Devizes, Horton, Honeystreet and Seend. That’s a proper length of canal, not one little pool with a single entrance. Getting the boundaries straight is the first bit of trip planning worth doing.

The listed fish are carp, roach, tench, pike and bream, so there’s a decent mix for different interests. Roach and bream give the coarse angler something to focus on, while carp and tench add another reason to take a closer look. There are no published weights or stocking numbers in the details here, so this isn’t a venue to judge on promises of lumps. The appeal is that mixed canal fishing across a substantial club-controlled stretch.

Devizes Wharf is an access point, rather than shorthand for the whole fishery. The location pin and postcode refer to the wharf, so don’t assume they’ll land you beside every part of the association’s water. There’s a pay-and-display car park at the wharf, and the association advertises accessible fishing platforms. Those are useful starting points when planning a session, though the platform locations aren’t specified here. Pick your intended bit of canal before sorting the rest of the journey.

Tickets need sorting before you fish: there are no bankside sales. Canal-only day tickets and 14-day tickets are available online, with adult and junior options. Your online receipt serves as the e-ticket for either of those choices, which keeps that bit straightforward. Buying a day ticket ahead of time? Put the fishing date in the additional information. Club membership is another option and includes the separate Crookwood Lake, but that lake isn’t part of this canal guide.

There’s no closed season on the canal, but don’t read that as every style of fishing being available all year. Pike fishing is restricted to 1 October–31 March. Night fishing also needs more than a canal day ticket: you must have membership and an additional night permit. Applications go through the Club Secretary with two passport photographs. The wharf towpath being always open doesn’t change those fishing restrictions. Worth getting that bob on before planning a late one.

On the bank, fish from the towpath side and keep your setup within the rules. Day-ticket anglers may use two rods, but rods must stay attended and mustn’t cover more than ten yards of water. All fish go back, livebait is banned, and bloodworm and joker are out too. Keepnet retention is limited to five hours, and litter must leave with you. Bring the appropriate club permit and national rod licence, then keep the session tidy and straightforward.

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 across approximately 15 miles of the Kennet and Avon, with carp, roach, tench, pike and bream on the list. Sort your Devizes Angling Association ticket before heading out, and remember that pike and night fishing have their own restrictions.”

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.