Fishing resources

Anyone aged 13 or over fishing freshwater in England or Wales needs an Environment Agency rod licence — separate from any fee the venue itself charges. For 2026 a standard 2-rod trout and coarse licence costs £36.80 a year, or £7.30 for a single day. Anglers aged 13-16 get one free (you still need to apply), and under-13s don't need one at all. Salmon and sea trout fishing needs its own licence category on top.

Sea fishing needs no rod licence at all — the EA licence only covers freshwater. Fishing from the shore, a pier or a boat around the UK coast, including wreck marks, is licence-free; most sites are free to fish too, though some piers charge a small access fee.

Scotland works differently. There's no national rod licence for coarse or trout fishing — you just need the landowner's or fishery's permission (a day ticket or club permit does this). Salmon and sea trout fishing needs written permission from whoever holds those rights, administered locally rather than through a single national licence.

Buy or check your England/Wales rod licence on GOV.UK →

Rivers, streams and drains in England and Wales are closed to coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June inclusive, protecting fish during their main spawning period. Canals and most stillwaters (lakes and reservoirs) stay open all year at the fishery's discretion — always check the individual venue's own rules rather than assuming river dates apply. Scotland has no statutory close season for coarse fish.

Carp

Deep-bodied, thick-shouldered, with a long dorsal fin and (usually) two pairs of barbels around the mouth. Common carp are golden-bronze; mirror and leather carp are the same species with different scale patterns. The most widely stocked species in UK still-water fisheries, often the main target at day-ticket and syndicate lakes.

Pike

Long, torpedo-shaped body with a flattened, duck-bill-like snout full of sharp teeth. Olive-green to yellowish with pale, bean-shaped spots along the flanks. A predatory species found in lakes, canals and slow rivers — a genuine bite risk when unhooking, always use a proper unhooking mat and forceps.

Roach

Silvery body with a blue-green back, red-orange fins (most noticeably the pelvic and anal fins), and a red eye. One of the most common coarse fish in UK rivers, canals and lakes, and often the species a beginner catches first.

Perch

Distinctive dark vertical stripes down a green-bronze body, with a spiky first dorsal fin and orange-red lower fins. A predatory species that often shoals in smaller sizes, found in most stillwaters and slower rivers across the UK.

Bream

Deep, flat-bodied and slimy-skinned, bronze to silver depending on age and water. Found in lakes, canals and slower stretches of river, often shoaling in numbers — catching one frequently means more are close behind.

Mackerel

Streamlined, torpedo-shaped body with distinctive dark, wavy vertical bars along a blue-green back and silver belly. A shoaling sea species, common from piers, breakwaters and boats around the UK coast, especially through summer.

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