Can I Fish Here?

A licence is not permission. Permission is not a licence. To fish freshwater in England and Wales you need both.

You have a rod, a bait box and a free Saturday. Then the questions start. Do I need a licence? Is this lake private? Can I fish the river in April? Can I take that pike home? Is it different in Wales, in Scotland, at sea? This cheerful, exact guide answers them, with every rule checked at the official source.

• The rod licence. 2026 prices, who is exempt (under 13s), who fishes free (13 to 16), how many rods each licence allows, and what happens when you are checked. The Environment Agency checked 60,320 licences and prosecuted 769 anglers in 2024 to 2025.
• Permission. Clubs, day tickets, canal permits, Thames locks and weirs, and why the Theft Act 1968 covers private water.
• When you can fish. The river close season from 15 March to 15 June, stillwaters, salmon seasons and a season calendar.
• What you can keep. The 15 small fish, 1 pike and 2 grayling rule; eels and shad back; nothing from canals.
• Tackle rules. Rods, lead weights, crayfish, live bait, keepnets.
• Wales and Scotland. Every salmon goes back in Wales. Scotland needs no licence, but no salmon fishing on a Sunday.
• The sea. The 2026 bass rules and local minimum sizes.

With RNLI safety advice, twelve worked trips, a holiday checklist, worksheets, FAQs and a glossary.

England, Wales and Scotland. Nothing in this book is sold.