Fishing forecast in Bristol

Bristol has two completely different sorts of fishing within a short drive. The Avon runs through the city and out into one of the largest tidal ranges in the world. South of it sit two big reservoirs, deep and open, which behave nothing like a river at all. The forecast below picks the day; which water you choose decides what the day means.

Get the FisHub fishing forecast for Bristol and prepare for your trip in advance. We factor in the weather and give you a forecast several days ahead, so you can plan your fishing.

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Where to fish in Bristol

The river through the city is the Avon, joined by the Frome. Below Bristol the Avon runs into the Severn estuary, which has one of the largest tidal ranges anywhere, and the lower river reflects that.

South of the city lie two large reservoirs: Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake. They are open water, deep, and managed as fisheries in their own right, which makes them a different proposition from anything on the river.

As everywhere in England, none of this is public fishing by default. There is no state register of fishing waters here; the right to fish sits with clubs, water companies and private fisheries. The waters above are named as geography. Permission from the fishery comes on top of the licence.

Rules and licences

A rod fishing licence is needed by everyone aged 13 and over, including on club waters and private lakes, and fishing without one carries a fine of up to £2,500. Under-13s need none, and junior licences for 13 to 16 are free. Source: Environment Agency freshwater rod fishing rules.

Rivers close to coarse fishing and eels from 15 March to 15 June, so both the Avon and the Frome are out for those three months. Enclosed stillwaters stay open all year, which is exactly why the reservoirs and the smaller day-ticket waters matter so much here in the spring.

One honest gap. The national rules list close season game baits for the Midlands, Yorkshire and the north, and separately for the south-east, but for Wales and the south-west they say to read the local byelaws instead. Bristol is in the south-west, so there is no national list to quote: check the byelaws for the water you intend to fish.

River daily limits are one pike up to 65 cm, two grayling of 30 to 38 cm and fifteen fish up to 20 cm from the coarse species. Eels except conger go back alive. On tackle: lead is legal only at 0.06 g or under, or above 28.35 g; crayfish may not be used as bait; foul-hooked fish must be returned; gaffs and tailers are banned; and a rod must never be left unattended.

What bites and on what

Carp around Bristol are a stillwater fish, which also makes them the answer to the closed river months. On smaller day-ticket waters a carp rod chosen for accuracy at short range beats one built for distance.

Bream shoal in the slower reaches of the Avon and in the reservoirs, and reward patient feeding on a feeder rod. Perch hold to structure: bridge footings, moorings and the harbour walls in the city.

Two notes the forecast table cannot carry. The big reservoirs here are best known as trout fisheries, and trout are not among the four species scored below, so a high score is no guide to a day on them; a fly rod is the tool there. And pike anywhere on the river are limited to one fish up to 65 cm per day. For lure work on the Avon a spinning rod with some length helps.

How to read the bite forecast

Zero to three, per species and part of the day. Pressure is the first input:

Pike	758–764 mm Hg	one fish up to 65 cm from rivers
Perch	758–762 mm Hg	harbour walls, footings, moorings
Bream	755–760 mm Hg	slower Avon and the reservoirs
Carp	755–765 mm Hg	stillwaters, open all year

Stability is second: over 2 mm Hg between parts of a day or 3 mm Hg between days cancels the settled-weather bonus. The third input differs by water. On the lower Avon it is the tide, and the Severn range is among the biggest in the world. On the reservoirs it is depth: a body of water that size takes days to respond to weather that changes in hours. See also the fishing forecast for today.

The pressure where you are, in one click:

Fishing through the seasons in Bristol

Spring. Rivers shut on 15 March. The stillwaters take the whole of the spring, and the reservoirs are at their most interesting as the water starts to warm.

Summer. The Avon reopens on 16 June. Low clear water in the city reaches, and long days on the reservoirs where depth keeps the temperature workable.

Autumn. The most balanced period: rivers open, reservoirs cooling and fish spread through the depths rather than pinned to one layer.

Winter. Deep water holds temperature better than the river does. Perch on structure and pike keep going when the carp have stopped.

What experienced anglers say

On big open reservoirs the habit that pays is covering water rather than committing to a swim. Depth changes slowly, fish move in bands, and an angler who walks and tries three spots usually beats one who baits heavily and waits.

On the tidal Avon the equivalent is to fish the tide rather than the clock. The productive window is tied to the state of the water, not to the hour, and it shifts by roughly an hour every day.

Questions and answers

What can I fish near Bristol when the rivers are closed? Enclosed stillwaters stay open all year under the national rules, so the big reservoirs south of the city and the smaller day-ticket waters carry the spring. The Bristol Avon and the Frome are shut to coarse fishing and eels from 15 March to 15 June like every other river in England.

Which close season baits are allowed around Bristol? The Environment Agency does not set a single national list here. Bristol falls in the south-west, and for that area the rules say to read the local byelaws rather than giving a fixed list, unlike the Midlands, Yorkshire and the south-east which each have one stated in the national rules.

Do I need a licence to fish a private lake near Bristol? Yes. The rod fishing licence is required in England and Wales even on angling club waters and private fishing lakes, with a fine of up to £2,500 for going without. You also need permission from whoever owns the fishery.

Can I trust the forecast literally? It reads pressure, not the water in front of you. Around Bristol that matters twice over: the Avon is tidal below the city and swings with the estuary, while the big reservoirs are deep enough that a day of weather barely reaches the fish.

More fishing nearby

Other towns with a forecast are listed on the fishing forecast in the United Kingdom page, and the way the score is worked out is explained under fishing forecast.