Fish Catch and Size Limits in England & Wales: What You Can Keep

Size limits

Whether you can keep a fish depends on the species and where you're fishing, so check the local byelaws for your region.

Measure fish from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail.

Daily catch limits for coarse fish on rivers

Each day you can take from rivers:

• 1 pike up to 65cm
• 2 grayling between 30cm and 38cm
• 15 small fish up to 20cm, including barbel, chub, common bream, common carp, crucian carp, dace, perch, rudd, silver bream, roach, smelt and tench

Fish you can also take

• Minor or 'tiddler' species such as gudgeon
• Non-native species
• Ornamental varieties of native species, such as ghost or koi carp

Salmon and trout

Daily limits for salmon and trout are set in your local byelaws. Selling rod-caught salmon or sea trout in England and Wales is an offence.

Local byelaws for each Environment Agency region are listed at gov.uk/government/collections/local-fishing-byelaws. Wales is managed by Natural Resources Wales (naturalresourceswales.gov.uk). Private fisheries and clubs can add their own rules on top of the law.

Source: Environment Agency and GOV.UK, Freshwater rod fishing rules (gov.uk/freshwater-rod-fishing-rules), checked 13 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rules apply to England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate laws. Always check the current GOV.UK page and your local byelaws before fishing, because rules can change. This guide is general information, not legal advice.