Coventry Canal – Coventry Stretch

The Coventry Canal – Coventry Stretch is a proper old-school canal venue near Coventry, running from Leicester Row Bridge No. 1 to Glebe Farm Bridge No. 34. That’s roughly 14 miles of controlled water, so you’re not boxed into a tiny lake with every peg taken before breakfast. It’s towpath fishing, bridge-to-bridge exploring and finding a swim that looks bang on for the day.

• 2 lakes: Leicester Row Bridge No. 1 to Glebe Farm Bridge No. 34, Coventry Basin to Hawkesbury Junction
• Fish: zander, perch, pike, chub, bream, roach, tench
• Tickets from: Tusses day membership — £5.00, valid for 24 hours from the selected date
• Find it: Coventry · CV6 6DF

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

The Coventry Canal – Coventry Stretch is a proper old-school canal venue near Coventry, running from Leicester Row Bridge No. 1 to Glebe Farm Bridge No. 34. That’s roughly 14 miles of controlled water, so you’re not boxed into a tiny lake with every peg taken before breakfast. It’s towpath fishing, bridge-to-bridge exploring and finding a swim that looks bang on for the day.

There isn’t one gated fishery entrance here. Access comes from towpaths and canal-road bridge locations, with the Coventry Basin end around CV1 4LH and the northern Hawkesbury Junction end around CV6 6DF. The Coventry Basin-to-Hawkesbury section is a designated conservation area too, so keep things tidy, respect the surroundings and check access details before lugging half the tackle shop along the towpath.

The water is associated with Tusses Angling Club. A £5 day membership gives 24-hour access from the selected date to the relevant Tusses-controlled waters, subject to club rules. You’ll also need an Environment Agency rod licence. That licence alone doesn’t give permission to fish a controlled canal stretch, so make sure both bits are sorted before you get settled in. The canal is also subject to access dates, bailiff instructions and local restrictions.

There’s a cracking mix of canal species on offer. Reported fish include roach, bream, skimmers, perch, pike, zander, chub and tench. Angling Times reports healthy stocks of skimmers and bream on the Coventry stretch, with possible bream catches of about 25 lb per net. That gives you a few different ways to attack it, whether you fancy a busy silver-fish session or sitting it out for a proper slab.

The swims near Shortridge Drive are reported as consistent for bream and skimmers, so that area is worth a look if you’re keen on building a net of silver fish. Elsewhere, treat the canal like a new water and have a good wander first. Look at bridge areas, the margins and any changes in the towpath or canal surroundings. Plumb around, watch for movement and don’t be afraid to keep things simple while you work out where the fish are sitting.

Pack light enough to move, but bring the usual canal bits: a sensible seatbox or chair, keepnet where permitted, plumbing gear, a landing net, and enough bait and rigs for a few options. A quick chat with the bailiff before fishing can save a load of faff, especially on access dates, local restrictions, current form and where you’re allowed to park. There’s no dedicated fishery car park, toilets or showers listed, and no separate night-fishing tariff or opening schedule is stated, so plan around daylight and sort the practical stuff beforehand.

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 canal stretch with around 14 miles of Tusses-controlled water, running from Leicester Row Bridge No. 1 to Glebe Farm Bridge No. 34. Expect a broad mix of canal species, with bream, skimmers, roach, perch, pike, zander, chub and tench all reported.”

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.