Merseyside offers 27 mapped fishing waters on PiscaMaps, including 18 rivers, 8 stillwaters and 1 canal. Species found across Merseyside's waters include Eel, Roach, Gudgeon, Perch, Chub, Dace, Trout, roach.
The North West EA region spans rivers draining the Lake District, Pennines and Cheshire Plain. Lake District rivers and lakes carry wild brown trout and salmon; the Ribble, Lune and Eden are outstanding mixed fisheries. Lowland rivers and canals hold roach, bream, perch, pike and chub.
A valid Environment Agency (EA) rod licence is required to fish all rivers, canals and most stillwaters in Merseyside. Licences are available from gov.uk. Club membership or a day ticket is required on most waters in addition to the rod licence.
Click a river for species information, close season dates, access notes and a location map.
30 species recorded across Merseyside's rivers, lakes and canals:
| Eel | 12 waters |
| Roach | 11 waters |
| Gudgeon | 7 waters |
| Perch | 6 waters |
| Chub | 6 waters |
| Dace | 5 waters |
| Trout | 4 waters |
| roach | 4 waters |
| chub | 4 waters |
| Bream | 3 waters |
| Brown trout | 3 waters |
| bream | 3 waters |
Carp are a popular target across Merseyside's waters — always use a landing net and unhooking mat and return fish promptly.
Barbel fishing is well regarded in Merseyside's rivers, particularly through summer and autumn when water temperatures are higher.
Brown trout are present in Merseyside's rivers — many are catch-and-release only and may be subject to game fishing close seasons (typically 1 October to 14 March).
Salmon are present in some of Merseyside's rivers. A migratory salmonid licence is required in addition to the standard rod licence.
View all rivers, stillwaters and canals across Merseyside on the interactive map. Filter by species, water type and access.