Fishing trip checklist
Built around a day at the bank or the shore, from the licence that's legally required before a line goes in the water to the kit that gets a fish back safely.
19 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Rod licenceLegally required for freshwater fishing in the UK — check before you set up, not after a bailiff asks.
- Rod and reel
- Line appropriate to the venue and species
- Tackle boxHooks, weights, floats and swivels — pack a core setup rather than everything you own.
- Bait or luresChecked against what the venue actually allows before you buy any.
- Landing net
- Unhooking matProtects a fish you're returning as much as it protects your hands.
- Forceps or disgorgerFor a hook set deep, so you're not fishing around with fingers.
- Bank stick and rod rest
- Chair or a seat box
- Umbrella or brolly for shelter
- Weather layersSitting still for hours feels colder than walking the same time in the same weather.
- Waterproof jacket
- Polarised sunglassesCut the glare off the water enough to actually see fish move.
- Sun cream and a hat
- Food and a flask
- First aid kit, with something for a hook caught in skin
- Bag for your own litter and any left by othersLine left behind is one of the most dangerous things on a bank for wildlife.
- Phone charged, for a photo and for the walk back
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- Do I need a rod licence?
- Yes, for freshwater fishing in the UK, regardless of age past a certain point. Bailiffs do check, and fishing without one is an offence, not just bad manners.
- What's the one thing that protects a fish you're returning?
- An unhooking mat and a wet hand before you touch it. Dry hands strip the protective layer off a fish's scales, which matters more to its survival than people expect.
- How much tackle actually gets used?
- Less than the box holds. Pack a core setup for the venue and species, and treat the rest of the box as options rather than a kit list you need to get through.