Freshwater fisheries

Services

Buy a rod fishing licence

How and where to buy or upgrade a rod fishing licence for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt and eels in England and Wales.
Freshwater rod fishing rules

Follow national and local rules (byelaws) when freshwater fishing with a rod and line in England and Wales
Report a catch return (England and Wales)

Report how many small sea trout, salmon and grilse you've caught if you have a migratory salmon and sea trout rod licence

National rod fishing byelaws for England: freshwater fishing with a rod and line
- Detailed guide
- 12 December 2023
- Environment Agency
Rod fishing byelaws: South East
- Detailed guide
- 12 October 2021
- Environment Agency
Rod fishing byelaws: Midlands
- Detailed guide
- 29 September 2021
- Environment Agency
Rod fishing byelaws: North West and Border Esk
- Detailed guide
- 8 February 2024
- Environment Agency
Rod fishing byelaws: Anglia
- Detailed guide
- 12 February 2021
- Environment Agency

Countdown to the close season begins for South East anglers
- 12 March 2025
- Environment Agency
- Press release
River Tame stocked with thousands of fish
- 12 February 2025
- Environment Agency
- Press release
Environment Agency casts its net out for fisheries improvement projects
- 16 December 2024
- Environment Agency
- Press release
Saltmarsh fish survey shows positive results in Teesside
- 5 December 2024
- Environment Agency
- Press release
EA partnerships drive £22.5m licence income further to enhance fisheries and promote angling
- 22 November 2024
- Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Press release

River Wear fish counts
- 16 May 2025
- Environment Agency
- Statistical data set
River Tyne fish counts
- 16 May 2025
- Environment Agency
- Statistical data set
River Tees fish counts
- 16 May 2025
- Environment Agency
- Statistical data set
Salmonid and freshwater fisheries statistics: 2023
- 19 December 2024
- Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales
- Research
Cypermethrin: challenges for the water environment
- 22 October 2021
- Environment Agency
- Research

Consultation on River Derwent Rod Fishery Byelaw Review 2022
- 23 September 2022
- Environment Agency
- Closed consultation
- Date closed 31 October 2022
Coarse fishing close season on English rivers
- 30 December 2019
- Environment Agency
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 11 March 2019
Howsham Weir fish passage consultation
- 22 June 2017
- Environment Agency
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 08 September 2016
Fisheries: review of the balance of competences
- 22 July 2014
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Closed organisation: Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 13 January 2014
2010 to 2015 government policy: freshwater fisheries
- 8 May 2015
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Environment Agency
- Policy paper

Fisheries annual report 2022 to 2023: how we spend fishing licence income
- 11 January 2024
- Environment Agency
- Corporate report
Fisheries annual report 2021 to 2022
- 24 January 2023
- Environment Agency
- Corporate report
Fisheries annual report 2018 to 2019
- 13 February 2020
- Environment Agency
- Corporate report
Fisheries annual report 2017 to 2018
- 5 April 2019
- Environment Agency
- Corporate report