Can you fish rivers uk

Close seasons may differ across areas and by river. Area close season rules may affect catch limits, size limits, types of lures and bait, days of the week and hours of the day.

You can fish all year with a rod and line for brown trout in fully enclosed stillwaters. A fully enclosed stillwater is one which a fish cannot swim into or out of.

There are no national byelaws for fishing near weirs, but there are some area and local byelaws. They refer to places above or below specific weirs, or other obstacles, where fishing is not allowed.

For a list of places to fish in England and Wales, visit the Angling Trust website. You can fish with up to 4 rods and lines. It depends on what you are fishing for and where see use of rods. You must not use a gaff pictured , tailer pictured , firearm, otter lath, wire, snare, crossline, setline, spear, stroke-haul, snatch or light.

You must get authorisation from the Environment Agency to use any other fishing methods and instruments. You must immediately release any salmon, sea trout, trout or freshwater fish you catch by foul hook from a river, stream, drain or canal. A foul hook is when a hook catches in the body or fin of a fish, or anywhere other than the mouth or throat. When you fish with multiple rods and lines, you must place each rod close together so that the total distance between the outermost fishing rods does not exceed 3m.

It is illegal to leave a rod and line unattended with its bait or hook in the water. You must be in control of your rod and line at all times. You can use live bait using small fish to catch bigger fish providing you keep the bait fish at, and only use them in, the water you took them from.

Please note, some local byelaws do not allow this. You must get written agreement from the Environment Agency to transfer any fish or fish spawn from one water to another. You must keep to any conditions imposed in that written consent.

You must not use any form of lead weight attached to a fishing line, other than those of 0. Dispose of your tackle safely to avoid harm to wildlife. There are limits on the number, size and type of fish you can catch and keep. You must return fish you cannot keep to the water unharmed. The daily catch limit applies to all rivers, streams and drains. These limits also apply to the following canals and stillwaters:. You need a light rod and an ability to look on a 12oz fish as a specimen. One of the best all-rounder game rivers in England: record grayling, record sea-trout, record brown trout and, if not quite record salmon, then bloody big ones.

But for plain old sublime dry fl y-fi shing, for big hatches and game, free-rising wild trout, head upstream to the fat of the river between Dorchester and Maiden Newton on the 30th of May — give or take a fortnight. I love these Wessex chalkstreams because they are so scruffy and unpretentious. And there is a verdancy in the water-meadows of Dorset that is mirrored in their fat trout. A trout needs to be 4lb here before you bother to tell anyone about it.

But in mid May it is drop-dead fabulous. I love chalkstreams: constant, cool, fertile — they make the best of trout rivers. There are few that flow quite as they should, but of those that do the Itchen is the tops. I mean that in the sense that it is the ultimate expression of what a chalk river is all about: it has the clearest water, the biggest hatches, the fussiest fish.

And in the few miles between the Worthys and Alresford it is as perfect as perfect gets in that blousy valley of boggy, snipey meadows. It fishes well all season long, trout rise on the upper river all the time — it is phenomenal. It is not an easy river to get to fish, but keep an eye out for days in the Wild Trout Trust auction. The Usk rises on red sandstone but flows over limestone, too. It is a fertile river with big hatches and big fish. It is a great place to go in spring when march browns and large dark olives hatch in waves and the trout turn on and off like a disco ball.

And while it used to be a tricky river to get access to, a new passport scheme has opened huge tracts of the stream to easy day-ticket access: Wye Usk Foundation. Click here to view my recommended Feeder Rods. Skip to content. Post published: July 10, Post Category: Beginner. Can I keep fish that I catch? England - Regional Environment Agency Byelaws. All lengths are measured from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail.

The National Byelaws below still apply when no specific regional byelaws are stated. England - National Byelaws. These fish must also be of a certain size.

Each day you can only take from rivers: 1 pike up to 65cm 2 grayling 30cm to 38cm 15 small fish up to 20cm 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. Rules in Scotland. Rules in Wales. In Wales you do need to purchase a rod license in order to fish legally.

Rivers When fishing rivers anglers may take no more than: 15 small fish up to 20cm per day of native species listed below other than grayling. Stillwaters When fishing stillwaters including canals in Wales anglers may remove freshwater fish only with the written permission of the owner or occupier normally through fishery rules printed on permits or day tickets. Eel and shad Removal of eels and shads Twaite and Allis by rod and line from any water out to 6 nautical miles is prohibited.

Comment by Pat D'Arcy posted on on 21 March How can I confirm whether or not I am able to try fly fishing on the "free water". I have a 2 rod coarse license. Any advice would be welcomed. Comment by Dave simpson posted on on 21 March Is the nottingham canal between beeston and nottingham still open in the close season, cheers,dave.

Comment by eileenroffe posted on on 19 April Thanks - Joz. Comment by Matthew Murray posted on on 23 July Comment by Dennis Willis posted on on 10 April Can you come over to Norfolk and arrest Natural England officers who plan to prevent bream and pike from reaching their proven historic spawning grounds in Hoveton Great Broad? Comment by Petre posted on on 30 April Is a canal near Sibsey Station Road can be fished on it during this time? Who can tell me? Where to ask? I understand that some channels allow fishing all year round!

Comment by eileenroffe posted on on 23 July We also have this same issue. My local lake has lost most of its pike and carp sticks as the EU fisherman keep what they catch. Comment by Michal Galinski posted on on 15 May Still can't get it why closed season works for rivers only Memberships, bylaws, gates, private lands.

Fishing in UK is more stressful than relaxing. Before you go, check tens of club's rules etc. All I want to do is little bag with lures, spinning or fly rod and walk along the river, in this lovely English nature Comment by Adam posted on on 16 May I can imagine that fly tactics are green light to use but rest spinners, wobblers, plastic worms etc live baits maggots, earth worm.

Thank you for your time and respond. Comment by eileenroffe posted on on 17 May Comment by Adam posted on on 17 May Hi, Thank you for respond. Unfortunately this link didn't explain any of my issue in fact that was first website I did approach when searching for information,there is no clear info what so ever about type of lures or weights that can be use.

Regards Adam. Comment by eileenroffe posted on on 18 May Please call our contact center on: and they will be able to liaise with a local fisheries officer - Eileen. Yeah mate only a tackles of a certain type and certain live baits can be used. Cant remember which ones but it seems that maybe they just don't want people to fish in close seasons? Comment by John Court posted on on 11 June No look here, everyone. When I was a kid, it was impressed on me that tradition demanded a close season, such that a level of excitement built up, culminating on the 16th June when off I went to the Grand Union canal to catch 4oz roach, using the floats I had lovingly touched and admired for the previous 3 months.

Now I see most of you want to do away with it.