New to fishing? Not sure about the river close season? Other fisheries are still open – here’s how to find out where

The annual close season for coarse fish on rivers in England and Wales starts at the beginning of the 15th of March and runs right up until the end of the 15th of June. This means that you can fish for coarse fish on rivers up to midnight on the 14th March (but not on the 15th of March), and on the 16th June (but not on the 15th June)

Understanding about close seasons, is like having the right fishing licence, it’s an important and essential part of becoming an angler and is similar to learning the rules of any sport. ‘Close seasons’ in fishing are times of the year when you can’t fish for some types of fish on certain types of water.

For example, you cannot fish for coarse fish on any river in England and Wales on the 15th March right up until after 15th June. During the annual close season for coarse fish on rivers, you need to consider a canal or stillwater for your coarse fishing adventure in that period.

You might be able to fish for salmon, brown trout, sea trout and rainbow trout on some rivers during the coarse fish close season on rivers, using certain types of flies, lures and baits – look at local fishing byelaws to check what you can do in your area, and remember too that some privately owned bodies of water and sites of interest, or environmentally protected sites can have their own close seasons.

If you are new to fishing and want to try it during annual close season for coarse fish on rivers, but are confused by all of this, the best thing to do is ask in the local fishing tackle shop, contact your Angling Trust Regional Angling Development Officer to find a venue that is open, and welcomes newcomers, and make sure you understand what the close season on rivers mean – it’s all explained here on the Environment Agency website.

Please note that some fish might spawn outside of the close season dates depending on the fish, weather or other conditions – this happens on both running and stillwater. In these situations anglers are encouraged not to fish for spawning fish to protect the next generations of fish, and the spawning fish themselves which can be more susceptible to damage or predation. There is a useful blog about this on the Environment Agency website.

If you want to go fishing in the sea and most saltwater estuaries, there is no national annual close season but you will need to check local rules about protected areas or species at certain times of year and the Angling Trust will try to help if you drop us a line at [email protected]

*The annual close season for coarse fish on rivers in England and Wales runs from 15 March to 15 June inclusive – the word inclusive indicates that it starts at 00:00 on the 15th of March and runs right through the 15th of June when you can fish again at 00:01 on 16th June. The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by police forces and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.

Get Fishing is Proudly Supported by

The Angling Trust’s ‘Get Fishing’ campaign is proudly supported by
Shakespeare, Exclusive Tackle Partner and Angling Direct, Exclusive Retail Partner
as we all work towards getting more people fishing, more often.

Get Fishing is Funded by

The Get Fishing campaign to get more people fishing more often is funded by the Environment Agency from fishing licence income as part of the National Angling Strategic Services contract with the Angling Trust, and Sport England. Children under 13 do not need a licence, and licences for children aged between 13 and 16 are free but you still need to register and receive a licence before you go fishing. You can get a licence for the full year, for 8 days (ideal for holidays!) or just a day’s fishing.

NOTE: Although young children who are under 13 year old do not need a licence to fish, the person supervising them needs to have the proper fishing licence before they take hold of the fishing rod or help the child fish with it.

If there’s something that you cannot find here to help you start fishing or return to angling, please contact your local Regional Angling Development Officer – you can find the nearest one to where you want to go fishing here.