You must follow national and local rules (byelaws) when freshwater fishing with a rod and line in England and Wales. The byelaws outlined are legally enforceable rules for freshwater fishing with a rod and line across England.

These rules are aimed at protecting fish stocks and making fisheries sustainable. Freshwater fish include salmon, trout, coarse fish, and eels. You must have a rod licence to fish in England and Wales if you’re aged 13 or older. England and Wales are broken down into regions that each have their own rules. National rules are included in each set of local rules. There may also be rules for privately owned bodies of water, such as private fishing lakes. • Read the local byelaws, see above link, for your area to find out the areas in your region where you’re not allowed to fish. • closed seasons (when you can’t fish) which apply to particular types of water and fish within your region. • sort of tackle you can use for certain fish in your region. • size of fish you can keep. Updates can be found at; https://www.gov.uk/freshwater-rod-fishing-rules or National rod fishing byelaws for England: freshwater fishing with a rod and line - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You must have a rod fishing licence for England and Wales, different rules for Scotland and Northern Ireland, if you’re fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel with a rod and line in: • England (except the River Tweed) • Wales • the Border Esk region, including the parts of the river that are in Scotland. Children under 13 do not need a licence. Licences for children aged between 13 and 16 are free but you’ll still need to get a junior licence. You may also need: • permission from the landowner to fish on private land • an additional licence to fish in locks or weirs on the River Thames You can get a fine of up to £2,500 if you’re fishing in these areas and cannot show a valid rod fishing licence when asked.

‘Close seasons’ are seasons when you can’t fish for some types of fish on certain types of water. In rivers, streams, drains or waterways (other than canals), you can’t fish for coarse fish and eels on rivers from the 15 March to 15 June, You can fish for eel in some areas dependant on the local byelaws. You need to read the local byelaws for close seasons for salmon, brown trout, and rainbow trout on rivers. Privately owned bodies of water can also have their own close seasons. In reservoirs, lakes, and ponds (‘enclosed still waters’) and canals you can fish for coarse fish, eels, rainbow trout and brown trout on most enclosed still waters and canals all year. Read the local byelaws to check your area.

Lock and weir fishing on the Thames You must have an additional permit to fish locks and weirs on the Thames. Game fishing during the coarse fish close season You can fish for salmon, trout, and other game fish during the coarse fish close season. You have to use certain types of lures and baits in some areas, however. Midlands, Yorkshire, and the north-east and north-west of England You can only use natural or artificial fly, minnow, worm, shrimp, prawn, sand eel or artificial lures during close season. South-east of England You can only use artificial fly. In the Thames area, you can apply for permission from the Environment Agency to also use minnow caught in a minnow trap if used on the same waters. Wales or the south-west of England Read the local byelaws for Wales or the south-west of England.

Fish caught must be of a certain size. You must measure fish from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail. You must return fish you can’t keep to the water unharmed. Whether you can keep a fish depends on • the type of fish • where you’re fishing Read the local byelaws for your region. You’re committing an offence and can be fined if you take fish that aren’t the right size.

You’re only allowed to keep a certain amount of the fish you catch. There’s a daily limit on the number of fish you can take. You’re committing an offence and can be fined if you take too many fish. Each day you can only take from rivers: • 1 pike (up to 65 cm) • 2 grayling (30 cm to 38 cm) • 15 small fish (up to 20 cm) including barbel, chub, common bream, common carp, crucian carp, dace, perch, rudd, silver bream, roach, smelt and tench. Any eels you catch (except conger eels) must be released alive. You can also take: • minor or ‘tiddler’ species, such as Gatehouse. • non-native species • ornamental varieties of native species like ghost or koi carp Salmon and trout Read your local byelaws for the local daily limit of salmon and trout you can take. Read the local byelaws for your region. You can be fined for selling rod-caught salmon or sea trout in England and Wales. You can be fined if you remove fish from privately-owned waters without written permission from the owner.

There are rules on how many rods you can use at a time, and the types of lures, bait, nets, and weights. Read the local byelaws for your region.

The number of rods you can use at the same time depends on the water you’re fishing in and the fish you’re trying to catch. You must make sure that the distance between the butts of the outermost rods isn’t more than 3 metres when fishing with multiple rods and lines. It’s illegal to leave a rod and line in the water unattended or over which you don’t have sufficient control.

In England and Wales, you must not: • use crayfish as bait. • use another fish you’ve taken as bait unless you’re doing so on the same waters where you caught it. • keep fish you’ve foul hooked (caught with a hook puncturing anywhere but the fish’s mouth or throat) - these must be returned alive. • use a gaff (a pole with a large hook at the end) or a tailer (a loop of cable or wire at the end of a pole)

Before 16 June you can only use artificial lure and artificial fly to fish for salmon, which must be returned unharmed to the water. Dispose of your tackle safely to avoid harm to wildlife.

You can only use lead weights if they’re .06 grams or less or more than 28.35 grams. This means lead shot weights from size 14 to size 8 and lead weights over 1 ounce. Lead is toxic to birds, so if you’re using lead dust shot make sure the containers are spill proof.

Keepnets must: • have no knotted meshes or meshes of metallic material. • have holes smaller than 25 mm • be more than 2 metres long. • have supporting rings or frames less than 40 cm apart and more than 120 cm in circumference.

A keep-sack must be: • made from a soft, dark coloured, non-abrasive and water permeable fabric. • at least 120 cm by 90 cm if rectangular • at least 150 cm by 30 cm by 40 cm if used with a frame. • used to hold no more than one fish at a time.

You can’t use a landing net with any meshes that are knotted or made of metallic material.

A State Licence is required to fish for both salmon and sea trout. You usually need to buy a local permit in addition to your State Licence before fishing. In the Republic of Ireland State Salmon and Sea Trout Licences are available as a National Licence or a District Licence. A National Licence covers all Fishery Board Districts while a District Licence covers only the Fishery District in which the licence is purchased. For trout, pike and coarse fishing, a licence is not required (but you may need to purchase a local permit). You can fish in the sea for almost all species without the need for a licence or permit. Anglers in the Shannon catchment must have a Permit Home   - IFI    Permit    Shop    (fishinginireland.info)  fish for trout, pike or coarse fish in the Midland Fisheries Group of controlled waters. This area comprises the following river catchments; River Suck, River Inny, River Brosna, Little Brosna River and Camlin River. This permit is not required to fish the main River Shannon or other fisheries whose fishing rights are NOT under the control of the Inland Fisheries Ireland. There is a 9 page guide to fishing in the Republic available by downloading a PDF from https://fishinginireland.info/wp- content/uploads/2022/01/Regulations-Booklet-2022.pdf. For up-to-date information on all licence and permit regulations in the Republic of Ireland go to https://fishinginireland.info/regulations/

You need a licence for all freshwater fishing but not for sea fishing. To fish legally you will need the following two items: • a rod licence plus • a permit or day ticket The rod licence is for the fishing rod and the game or coarse fish you're allowed to catch. A permit or day ticket gives you the right to fish in a particular fishery. A Great Britain (English, Scottish, Welsh) or Republic of Ireland fishing licence does not allow you to fish in Northern Ireland. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and Loughs Agency e ach sell angling licences for their specific a reas (see map) so the type of licence you n eed, will depend on the area you choose to f ish in. The fisheries managed by DAERA are known as the Public Angling Estate (PAE). These fisheries are open to the public and are listed at the following link where you'll also find private fisheries that are not managed by DAERA.

Private fisheries are known as 'fisheries outside the Public Angling Estate' - they're also open to the public and include Loughs Agency managed fisheries: For up-to-date information on all licence and permit regulations in Northern Ireland go to Discover    Northern    Ireland    |    Visit Northern Ireland | Tourism NI

National fisheries byelaws apply to all waters in England. They also apply to the Border Esk and those tributaries that are in Scotland but exclude the River Tweed and its tributaries. England is divided into 6 byelaw areas for angling purposes. National byelaws apply to all of these areas. Each byelaw area has its own set of supplementary byelaws.

To see the latest rules check out. https://anglingtrust.net/