Buy a rod fishing licence
Types of licences and rod limits
Trout, coarse fish and eel licence
This lets you fish non-migratory trout and all freshwater fish.
You must use your licence in one of the following ways. You can choose to fish with:
- 1 rod for non-migratory trout in rivers, streams, drains and canals
- up to 2 rods for non-migratory trout in reservoirs, lakes and ponds
- up to 2 rods for freshwater fish
You can also buy a 12-month licence that lets you use 3 rods for freshwater fish.
The place where you fish may have additional rules about how many rods you can use there.
Salmon and sea trout licence
This lets you fish salmon, sea trout, non-migratory trout and all freshwater fish.
You must use your licence in one of 3 ways. You can choose to fish with:
- 1 rod for salmon, sea trout and non-migratory trout in rivers, streams and canals
- up to 2 rods for salmon, sea trout and non-migratory trout in reservoirs, lakes and ponds
- up to 3 rods for freshwater fish
You must report a catch return every year even if you did not fish.
The place where you fish may have additional rules about how many rods you can use there.
Rods that are not affected by licence limits
The following rods are not affected by licence limits unless they have hooks attached:
- spod rods (used to propel bait into water)
- marker rods (used to mark out lines)