In short
Fish for Silver Singles is a dating site for over-50s who love the outdoors, mainly in the UK. Signing up, building a profile and browsing are free; reading and replying to messages needs a paid membership that renews until you cancel. Profiles are shared with partner sites in the same network, so their members can see and message you too.
| Free | Sign up, make a profile, browse, receive interest |
|---|---|
| Paid | Reading and replying to messages |
| Renewal | Automatic until you turn it off in Settings > Billing |
| Shared profiles | Visible to members of partner sites in the network |
| Minimum age | 18 |
Three steps, and the first two cost nothing
You can join, build a profile and look around for free; you only pay when you want to read and reply to messages. Here's the order things happen in.
- Sign up. You need an email address, a password and your date of birth. You must be 18 or over.
- Make your profile. Add at least one clear, recent photo of yourself (photos are reviewed) and write about what you like doing. You can also fill in details such as the age range and distance you're looking for, whether you have children, and whether you smoke or drink.
- Browse, then decide. Look through members and see who catches your eye. Other members can show interest in you for free. When you want to read and reply to messages, choose a paid membership.
There's no rush between steps two and three. A profile that mentions where you walk, what you grow or what you fish for gives people something easy to write back about.
The members' area accepts sign-ups from the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Portugal.
Free and paid, side by side
A paid membership is mainly what lets you have a conversation: reading messages and replying to them. This is how the two compare.
| What you can do | Free account | Paid membership |
|---|---|---|
| Sign up, make a profile, add photos | Yes | Yes |
| Browse members | Yes | Yes |
| Receive interest from other members | Yes | Yes |
| Read and reply to messages | No | Yes |
| Read receipts, see who viewed you or liked you | No | Yes |
| View members' photos in full | No | Yes |
Free accounts also show adverts. On top of a membership there are optional paid extras, such as profile boosts, priority messages and an ID verification badge. None of them is needed to use the site. The prices page shows the current plans, all charged in US dollars.
Every membership renews automatically at the end of its period until you turn renewal off in Settings > Billing. Your statement shows the billing name displayed at checkout, so make a note of it when you pay.
Your profile is seen beyond this site
Your profile isn't only seen on Fish for Silver Singles. This is the part people most often miss, so here it is plainly: the site shares one member database with partner sites in the same network. Members who joined through those sites can see your profile and message you, and you can see and message them. Each profile shows which site its owner joined through.
In practice that means more people to meet, but not all of them will have come looking for outdoor dating over 50. Read profiles properly before you reply.
What is checked, and what isn't
Photos are checked; words are not. Knowing the difference helps you decide how far to trust a profile.
- Photos are reviewed. Images that break the rules, such as nudity, are not allowed.
- Written details are not checked. Age, location, job and everything else a member writes about themselves is their own account. The member terms say plainly that profiles and conversations may not always be what they seem.
- ID verification is optional. Members can buy a badge by verifying their identity with photo ID and a selfie, through a provider called LEM Verify. It's required only in some cases, for example when someone signs up through a VPN or an account is flagged.
So treat the site like any other place you meet strangers: friendly, with your wits about you. Our safety guide explains the warning signs of a romance scam, and nobody genuine will ever ask you for money.
From first message to first meeting
There's no set timetable for moving from messages to a meeting, but a sensible order helps.
- Keep chatting through the site's messages until you feel you know the person a little.
- Suggest a short daytime meeting somewhere busy, such as a riverside walk with a café at the end. Our ten outdoor first dates has plenty of ideas.
- Make your own way there, tell a friend where you'll be, and see our checklist for meeting a date outdoors safely.
Stopping payments and leaving
You can stop paying at any time in Settings > Billing, and close your account from your avatar menu.
- Stop paying: Settings > Billing, then turn off renewal.
- Leave for good: open your avatar, then Settings > Delete Account. Turn off renewal first.
- Locked out? See log-in help.
Who runs the site, and how the network fits together, is on our About page.
Questions people ask
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. You can sign up, write a profile, add photos and browse members without paying anything, and other members can show interest in you. A paid membership only comes in when you want to read and reply to messages, so take as long as you like to see whether the people you find suit you first.
Will people on other sites see my profile?
Yes. Fish for Silver Singles shares one member database with partner sites in the same network, so members who joined through those sites can see your profile and message you, and you can contact them. Each profile shows which site its owner joined through, which helps when you're deciding who to reply to.
Are members checked?
Photos are reviewed against the image rules, but what members write about themselves, such as age, job or location, is not checked. Some members choose to verify their ID with photo ID and a selfie for an optional badge. Treat everything else as the member's own account until you've met in person.
Can I join from Ireland?
Yes. The members' area accepts sign-ups from the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, among other countries. Memberships are charged in US dollars wherever you live, so your bank converts the charge into pounds or euros and may add a fee for a foreign-currency payment.
Do I need to fish to join?
Not at all. The name has a fishing joke in it, but the site is for anyone over 50 who likes being outdoors: walkers, gardeners, sailors, birdwatchers and people who are happiest holding the flask while someone else holds the rod. Mention what you enjoy in your profile and let that do the introducing.
Keep reading
- Ten outdoor first dates for over-50s, plus a plan for rainTen easy outdoor first dates for over-50s, how to suggest one, a wet-weather plan, and how to keep it safe.
- Fishing and walking clubs for people over 50Finding and joining walking groups and angling clubs over 50, the licence rules, your first few weeks, and meeting people naturally.
- Dating over 50 in the UK if you love being outdoorsWhere outdoorsy over-50s meet in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, clubs versus online dating, and money and safety basics.
- Dating over 50 in IrelandUsing the site from Ireland, where over-50s meet outdoors, reporting romance fraud to the Gardaí, and fishing rules either side of the border.