Fishing in Northern Ireland

By Alex Clayton · Updated 24 October 2026

Your Environment Agency rod licence is no use here. Neither is a Welsh, Scottish or Republic of Ireland one. For fishing in Northern Ireland you need a Northern Ireland rod licence and a permit or day ticket for the water, both from the right one of two authorities: DAERA or the Loughs Agency.

Get that right and the loughs and rivers are worth the ferry. This guide covers the rules first, then the big waters: Lough Erne, the River Bann, Lough Neagh and the Foyle in the north-west.

What You Need to Fish in Northern Ireland: Licence and Permit

The classic mistake is buying a rod licence and thinking the job is done. It only gets you halfway.

There are two separate documents, and one is no use without the other:

Rod licence: covers you and your rod for a type of fish, either coarse or game.
Permit or day ticket: covers the specific fishery. That is a DAERA Public Angling Estate permit, or a permit from the club or owner of a private water.

According to nidirect, licences issued in Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland do not allow you to fish in Northern Ireland.

DAERA will not sell you a permit without a rod licence, so the licence comes first. On the bank, carry it. A DAERA Fishery Protection Officer, a PSNI officer or a private water bailiff can ask to see it, and you can be prosecuted if you cannot show it.

Getting legal takes five steps:

Find out whether the water is in the DAERA or the Loughs Agency area.
Buy the matching coarse or game rod licence.
Buy the permit or day ticket for that water.
Add the £1 endorsement if you will fish both areas.
Carry the licence every time you fish.

The prices below are for annual DAERA licences and permits. If you only want a few days, check the current short-term options on nidirect before you travel.

For a side-by-side view, see how licences differ across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, or the England and Wales rod licence guide for the system you may already know. Coming from Great Britain, sort the NI licence and the permit before you book the ferry.

DAERA or Loughs Agency: Which Licensing Area Is Your Water In?

One small country, two licensing bodies. Which one you need depends on the river or lough you fish, not where you live.

DAERA (the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) and the Loughs Agency each sell rod licences for their own area, and the area you fish decides the licence. DAERA’s own advice is to check which body manages your water before you buy anything.

The Loughs Agency covers the Foyle and Carlingford catchments, including the river in our River Foyle fishing guide. Lough Erne and the Upper Bann are DAERA waters.

The age rules are the part that catches families out:

Licensing area	Who needs a rod licence
DAERA	Each rod used by anyone over 12
Loughs Agency	Anglers of all ages

So a 10-year-old needs no rod licence on a DAERA water, but does need one on a Loughs Agency water.

If your trip crosses both areas, you do not need two full licences. Holders of either a DAERA or a Loughs Agency licence can buy a £1 endorsement to fish the other area as well.

This guide does not list Loughs Agency licence types or prices, because they could not be verified from an official page. Check them with the Loughs Agency before you travel.

Coarse or Game Licence, and What It Costs in the DAERA Area

One question sorts the licence: are you after trout and salmon, or pike and bream? Pick the licence by the fish, not the water.

nidirect splits the species like this:

Game fish: brown trout, sea trout, salmon and arctic char.
Coarse fish: pike, bream, roach, perch, carp, tench and rudd.

The DAERA coarse licence covers two coarse rods, runs January to December, and covers coarse fish only: no salmon, brown trout or rainbow trout. The DAERA game licence covers one rod at a time, valid for the game season for game fish and January to December for coarse fish. So a game licence also covers coarse fishing, but on one rod only.

DAERA prices:

Angler	Coarse rod licence	Game rod licence	Coarse permit (Public Angling Estate, Jan to Dec)*
Under 12	Free	No licence needed in DAERA area	£2.00
12 to 18	£2.00	£2.00	£2.00
19 to 59	£17.00	£17.00	£28.50
60 and over	£5.00	£5.00	£17.50
Disabled anglers	£5.00	£5.00	£17.50

*The permit uses an “under 19” band, so £2.00 applies to anyone under 19.

Sources: coarse rod licence prices, game rod licence prices and coarse permit prices on nidirect, checked October 2026. Prices can change, so check nidirect before buying.

A year of adult coarse fishing on DAERA waters costs £45.50: £17.00 for the licence plus £28.50 for the permit. Game permits are priced separately, so check those with DAERA.

Buy the coarse licence for pike and bream on the loughs. If you plan to fish for trout or salmon at any point, buy the game licence instead.

Lough Erne: Coarse Fishing on the Upper Lough, Game on the Lower

Lough Erne is one system, but DAERA runs it as two fisheries: coarse on the upper lough, game on the lower. Which licence you need depends on where you fish.

Upper Lough Erne is a coarse fishery for bream, roach, perch and pike, open 1 January to 31 December. All lawful methods are allowed from boat and shore, with trolling limited to four rods for two or more anglers in a boat, or two rods alone.

The daily bag limit on Upper Erne (and the Upper Bann) is one pike up to 4kg (about 8lb 13oz) and four coarse fish up to 25cm. Anything bigger goes back. DAERA notes that pike gather on Upper Erne from November to March, which makes winter the time for a pike fishing trip, from a boat or the shore.

Lower Lough Erne is listed by DAERA as a game fishery for brown trout, salmon, perch, pike and roach. The season runs 1 March to 30 September. You can keep up to six brown trout of 30cm or more, salmon are catch and release only, and you need a game licence plus a permit.

One nuance: nidirect lists the coarse licence as valid on all of Upper Lough Erne, on Lower Lough Erne east of a line from Pollaginnive through Hare Island and Bess Island to Tully Point, on the Lower Erne shore and islands, on Lough Scolban and on the Colebrooke River. Beyond that zone, check permit cover with DAERA.

For venues, methods and access, see the full Lough Erne fishing guide. Choose Upper Erne for year-round coarse and winter pike, and Lower Erne for trout in season on a game licence.

The River Bann and Other DAERA Coarse Waters

The DAERA coarse licence works well beyond Fermanagh. The Bann is the obvious place to start.

The Upper Bann from Portadown to Lough Neagh holds pike, perch, roach, bream and hybrids. Boats are not allowed, but there are access paths and stands, and you should use the marked access points only. The same daily limit as Upper Erne applies: one pike up to 4kg and four coarse fish up to 25cm. The Bann also has salmon and trout water further down, which our River Bann fishing guide covers separately.

nidirect also lists these waters for the coarse licence:

Broadwater, Movanagher, Portna and Toome canals
River Lagan at Stranmillis
Loughgall Lake
River Bann from Knock Bridge to Lough Neagh
Lough Money
River Quoile
The Tyrone loughs

Loughgall Country Park suits a first visit. The local council describes a 37-acre lough with around 100 stands, holding roach, perch, tench, carp, bream and pike, and you need a coarse rod licence to fish it. Access and rules can change, so check with the fishery before you travel.

For bank fishing with paths and stands, start on the Upper Bann. Our guide to UK fishing rivers shows how it compares with rivers in Great Britain.

Lough Neagh Fishing: Kinnego Bay and the Rights Question

Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the UK, and yet who controls its coarse fishing is currently a question for the courts.

DAERA stated in a 2026 Freedom of Information response that ownership of the coarse and scale fishing rights is subject to High Court proceedings. No official page setting out open-lough permits was found when this guide was written. Before any Lough Neagh fishing on the open lough, check the current permit position with DAERA.

Start on the shore instead. Kinnego Bay is a sheltered bay at the southern tip of the lough, holding roach, bream, hybrids, perch, pike and eel, with free parking and free admission. The council also notes fishing platforms on the breakwaters.

The council’s local bag limits at Kinnego do not match the DAERA limits quoted above, so check the signs on site or ask Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council before you keep anything.

The Upper Bann runs into the lough, so a Bann trip can take in a shore session at Kinnego Bay.

Game and Sea Fishing: The Foyle, the North Coast and the Shore

Sea anglers get off lightly: you need no rod licence or permit for sea angling in Northern Ireland, unless you are fishing for salmon or sea trout.

Game rivers are a different matter. The Foyle system sits in the Loughs Agency area, and our guide to fishing the River Foyle for salmon and sea trout covers it in detail. Seasons, close dates, bag limits and ticket outlets vary by river across the Foyle, the Bush and the Bann, so check with DAERA or the Loughs Agency for that river before booking. Our fishing seasons page gives the wider UK picture.

Where the rules say catch and release, as with Lower Lough Erne salmon, every fish goes back.

Planning further afield? Browse our regional fishing guides or the full list of UK fishing locations.

Frequently asked questions

Does my English fishing licence work in Northern Ireland?

No. Licences from Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland do not allow fishing in Northern Ireland. You need a Northern Ireland rod licence from DAERA or the Loughs Agency, depending on where you fish, plus a permit or day ticket for the water. Buy the licence first, because DAERA will not sell a permit without one.

Do I need a licence for sea fishing in Northern Ireland?

No. Sea angling in Northern Ireland needs no rod licence and no permit. The exception is fishing for salmon or sea trout, which needs the correct game licence and permit.

Do children need a fishing licence in Northern Ireland?

It depends on the area. In the DAERA area, each rod used by anyone over 12 needs a licence; the coarse licence costs £2.00 for ages 12 to 18, and the coarse permit £2.00 for under-19s. In the Loughs Agency area, anglers of all ages need a licence, so check prices with the Agency.

How many pike can I keep on Lough Erne?

On Upper Lough Erne and the Upper Bann, DAERA allows one pike up to 4kg and four coarse fish up to 25cm per day. Larger pike go back. Other waters, including Lower Lough Erne and Kinnego Bay on Lough Neagh, have their own rules, so check before you keep any fish.