Environment Agency
Overview of national and local angling byelaws
The byelaws outlined in this guide are legally enforceable rules for freshwater fishing with a rod and line across England. 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.
Within these byelaw areas, some byelaws apply to the whole area, whereas others apply to one specific water or location.
You must also have permission from the fishery owner to fish and remove fish from angling club waters, private fisheries or waters on privately owned land. Be aware, fisheries may have additional rules.
If you are aged 13 or older, you must have a valid rod fishing licence to fish in England, Wales and the Border Esk. This rule also applies at private fisheries.
The supplementary byelaws for your area will tell you:
- if there are waters where you are not allowed to fish
- if start and end dates of close seasons (when you must not fish) differ from national byelaws
- which waters and species are covered by a close season
- about extra restrictions on rods and nets
- about extra restrictions on tackle, lures and bait
- about extra restrictions on size limits and catch limits
- about restrictions on fishing near specific obstacles, like weirs
If you would like more information, contact the Environment Agency helpline on 03708 506 506 (open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday).
Byelaw areas
See the 6 sets of area byelaws and the locations they cover.
Anglia
The Anglia byelaw area covers all waters within river catchments flowing into the North Sea from (but not including) the River Thames catchment, to (but not including) the River Humber catchment.
Midlands
The Midlands byelaw area covers all waters within the catchments of the River Severn and River Trent, but excludes the River Little Avon (Gloucestershire) and the River Wye (Herefordshire and Gloucestershire) catchments.
North East
The North East is divided into the Northumbria byelaw area and the Yorkshire byelaw area.
The Northumbria area covers all waters within river catchments in England that flow into the North Sea northwards from Boulby Craggs (Whitestones), but does not include the River Tweed or any of its tributaries.
The Yorkshire area covers all waters which drain into, or are within the catchment, of the rivers Swale, Ure, Nidd, Wharfe, Derwent, Hull, Esk, Aire, Calder, Don, Rother and Ouse. It also includes waters to the north of the River Humber and all other waters which drain directly into the North Sea between Staithes (near Whitby) and Spurn Head.
North West and the Border Esk
The North West and the Border Esk byelaw area covers all waters within river catchments flowing into the Irish Sea northwards, from and including the River Mersey catchment (including the River Weaver and River Gowy catchments), to and including the Border Esk catchment.
South East
The South East byelaw area is divided into the Thames byelaw area and the Southern byelaw area.
The Thames area covers all waters within the River Thames catchment. It includes the River Darent and River Cray catchments, but excludes the River Medway catchment.
The Southern area covers all waters within river catchments that flow into the English Channel, from Highcliffe in Dorset in the west, eastwards to the Thames Estuary. It includes the Isle of Wight and River Medway catchments, but excludes the River Darent and River Cray catchments.
South West
The South West byelaw area is divided into the Wessex byelaw area and the Devon and Cornwall byelaw area.
The Wessex area covers waters within river catchments that flow into the:
- Bristol Channel or Severn Estuary from Foreland Point, eastwards to Newtown (Sharpness)
- sea along the south coast from Lyme Regis (excluding the River Lim), eastwards to Highcliffe, Dorset
The Devon and Cornwall area covers all waters within river catchments that flow into the sea on the south coast from Lyme Regis (including the River Lim) to Lands End, and from Lands End to Foreland Point on the north coast.
There are also specific byelaws for:
- Wales which also cover the parts of the River Dee and River Wye in England
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
Why we have byelaws
These byelaws protect and improve freshwater fish and their habitats. If you do not comply with them, you could face prosecution and be fined up to 50,000.
If you see people fishing illegally, pollution incidents, or dead or distressed fish, call our 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60.
Before you can fish
Before you go fishing in England and Wales, you must buy a rod fishing licence. Licences for children between 13 and 16 years old are free. Children under 13 do not need a licence.
You can buy 1-day, 8-day and 12-month licences for:
- trout and coarse fish using 1, 2 or 3 rods
- salmon and sea trout using 1 rod
See use of rods for restrictions on the number of rods you can use at any one time in different waters.
When and where you can fish
Close seasons
A close season is the period each year when certain types of fishing must stop to allow fish to breed.
Close seasons apply to rivers, streams, canals, drains and stillwaters.
All close season dates in these byelaws are inclusive. This means a stated period, such as 15 March to 15 June, includes the full day of 15 March and the full day of 15 June.
Some angling clubs and private fisheries may make their own close season rules, for example to:
- put one in where there is no statutory close season
- extend the statutory close season
They cannot remove or shorten the statutory close season.
Coarse fishing close season
The annual close season for coarse fishing is 15 March to 15 June. It applies to:
- all rivers, streams and drains
- most stillwaters that are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
- some canals
- most waters in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads
See each byelaw area for more detail.
There is no close season in the majority of stillwaters (lakes, reservoirs and ponds and mostcanals). Some canals are canalised rivers, so a close season will be in place. The 5 byelaw areas that have canalised rivers or stillwater SSSIs (or both) are: