Starting freshwater fishing: licences and permits

A first fishing trip needs a rod, a reel and some bait. In England and Wales, anyone aged 13 or over also needs a rod licence, and the water's owner has to say yes. The rules differ again in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Help for beginners in England

In England, the Environment Agency pays the Angling Trust to introduce more people to fishing. The money comes from rod licence income, under a four-year contract that began on 1 April 2024. The Trust works with hundreds of community clubs, coaches and fisheries.

The rod licence, in England and Wales

GOV.UK says you must have a rod fishing licence if you fish for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel with a rod and line in England (except the River Tweed), in Wales, or in the Border Esk region. That includes private land, such as angling club waters or private fishing lakes.

Children under 13 do not need a licence. Junior licences, for ages 13 to 16, are free, but a junior still has to get one. A carer with someone who is fishing does not need a licence unless they fish as well.

Anyone fishing in those areas without a valid licence to show when asked risks a fine of as much as £2,500, according to GOV.UK.

GOV.UK says the standard trout and coarse licence covers up to two rods for coarse fish, but only one rod for trout in rivers, streams, drains and canals. A 12-month licence for up to three rods is sold as well, for freshwater fish other than trout.

Permission to fish the water

On top of the licence, GOV.UK says, an angler needs the permission of whoever owns the land or the fishery. That permission usually comes as a fishing permit.

On the Canal & River Trust's waterways, the fishing rights on most stretches are rented to local angling clubs, so the permit comes from the club. Where no club controls a stretch, the Trust sells its own permit.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland you do not need a licence to fish with rod and line anywhere except the Border Esk region. You only need permission from the landowner or an angling club. The Border Esk flows into England, so you need a licence for England and Wales to fish any part of it, including the parts in Scotland.

In Northern Ireland, GOV.UK says you must have a rod licence and an angling permit from a Northern Irish agency.

When you can fish in England and Wales

Close seasons are times when you cannot fish for some kinds of fish on some kinds of water. In England and Wales, you cannot fish for coarse fish on any river from 15 March to 15 June. For salmon and trout on rivers, GOV.UK points to the local byelaws for the close season.

On most reservoirs, lakes, ponds and canals you can fish for coarse fish, eels, rainbow trout and brown trout all year. The local byelaws say which waters are the exceptions. Privately owned waters can have their own close seasons too.

What you can keep in England and Wales

You may keep only a certain number of the fish you catch, and they must be a certain size. GOV.UK says fish you cannot keep must be returned to the water unharmed. Taking too many, or fish of the wrong size, is an offence.

From rivers, the daily limit for coarse fish is 1 pike up to 65cm, 2 grayling of 30cm to 38cm, and 15 small fish up to 20cm. Any eels you catch, apart from conger eels, must be released alive. You can also take minor species such as gudgeon, non-native species, and ornamental varieties of native fish such as ghost or koi carp. For salmon and trout, the daily limit is in the local byelaws. Before 16 June, a salmon may be fished for only with an artificial lure or fly, and it must go back into the water unharmed. Size limits depend on the fish and where you are, and the local byelaws give them. A fish is measured from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail. GOV.UK says Wales has different regulations, set out in its own byelaws.

An angler can also be fined for removing fish from a private water without the owner's written permission.

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