Bass Fishing Regulations (Updated Each Year)

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Yes, you can keep sea bass as a recreational angler in UK waters. Under current bass fishing regulations, you can keep up to three per angler per day, from 1 April to 31 January only, and every fish must measure at least 42cm.

That bass bag limit rose from two to three on 27 February 2026, so plenty of pages online still quote older figures. This page sets out each rule with its legal source, then covers nursery areas, local byelaws and a five-step check to run before you keep a fish.

Rules last checked: October 2026 against the MMO bass guidance (updated 27 February 2026).

UK Bass Rules for Anglers at a Glance (2026)

This table covers the recreational bass fishing rules UK boat and shore anglers must follow in 2026.

Rule	What it means	Source
1 February to 31 March	Catch and release only, rod and handline. No bass kept or landed.	Art 10(5)(a); MMO guidance 6.1
1 to 31 January and 1 April to 31 December	Up to three bass per angler per day	Art 10(5)(b), as amended by SI 2026/105
Minimum size	42cm. Anything smaller goes back.	MMO guidance 6.3
Fixed nets	Bass cannot be taken with them	MMO guidance 6.4
Nursery areas	Extra closures under the Bass (Specified Areas) (Prohibition of Fishing) Order 1990	MMO guidance 6.2; the 1990 Order
Local byelaws	Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) may add restrictions	MMO guidance section 7

The MMO guidance states that these rules apply whether you fish from a boat or from the shore.

Catch and Release Only: 1 February to 31 March

Catching a bass in February is legal. Keeping it is not, whatever its size.

From 1 February to 31 March each year, recreational bass fishing is limited to catch and release, using rod and handline only. The law rules out retaining, relocating, transhipping or landing bass in that period. Landing here means bringing a fish ashore rather than returning it, so no bass comes home with you.

Unhook quickly and get the fish back in the water fast. The guide on how to release fish safely covers handling in more detail.

If you fish in February or March, treat every bass as a release fish and leave the cool bag at home.

Bass Bag Limit: Three Fish per Angler per Day

The bass bag limit went up in 2026, not down: on 27 February 2026 it rose from two to three fish per angler per day.

Article 10(5)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2020/123, as amended by SI 2026/105, says not more than three European seabass may be caught and retained per fisherman per day. It applies in the retention months: 1 to 31 January and 1 April to 31 December.

The wording is per fisherman, so it is a personal limit: on a boat or charter, each angler has their own three. For any other question on how fish are counted, check the MMO guidance.

Older pages quote two, and some still say one; neither is current. Separately, bass cannot be taken with fixed nets.

Expect more change. The Bass Fisheries Management Plan (December 2023) puts recreational anglers at about 27% of bass removals and proposes reviewing closed-season timing and size limits. Until then, the limit is three per angler per day.

Bass Minimum Size: 42cm

A bass that looks big enough on the rocks can easily be a centimetre or two short.

The bass minimum size is 42cm, and the MMO guidance says all fish below it must be released. A 41cm fish goes back.

Carry a measure or mat and check any bass you plan to keep. If it is borderline, put it back, and ask your local IFCA if you are unsure how size is measured.

For other species, see the minimum sizes for other UK sea fish.

42cm is the size limit and three fish is the count limit. Both apply together.

Bass Nursery Areas: Where You Cannot Fish for Bass

You can follow the bag limit and size limit to the letter and still break the rules, depending on which estuary you are standing beside.

The Bass (Specified Areas) (Prohibition of Fishing) Order 1990 sets bass nursery areas, and the MMO states that these restrictions apply to commercial and recreational fishers. The Order’s own text refers to fishing boats, so if you fish from the shore, check with your local IFCA how it applies to you.

Closure period	Examples from the Order
All year	Plymouth Rivers; The Fleet (inside Ferry Bridge); areas around Grain and Kingsnorth power stations; Aberthaw Power Station area
30 April to 1 November	Chichester, Langstone and Portsmouth Harbours; Southampton Water; Poole Harbour; Rivers Exe, Teign, Taw and Torridge; Burry Inlet; Milford Haven; Conwy Estuary
30 April to 1 December	River Camel
30 April to 1 January	River Dart; Salcombe Harbour; River Avon (Devon); River Yealm; Fowey; Fal; Percuil; Helford

These are examples, not the full schedule. Read the schedule in the 1990 Order on legislation.gov.uk or ask your IFCA before you fish an estuary.

If you fish a harbour or estuary in the south or west, check the Order first.

Where the Rules Apply: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

The three-fish limit is set in UK-wide law, but it may not be the only bass rule on your stretch of coast.

The recreational rules cover boat and shore fishing in ICES divisions 4b, 4c, 6a, 7a and 7d to 7j. ICES divisions are the numbered sea areas used to set fishing rules. SI 2026/105, which raised the bag limit, extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In England, IFCAs can set extra local restrictions, so check your local IFCA’s byelaws before you fish. Elsewhere, check with the devolved authority below.

Nation	Who to check with
England	Your local IFCA
Wales	Welsh Government
Scotland	Scottish Government
Northern Ireland	DAERA

For paperwork, see whether you need a licence for sea fishing, or browse the full set of UK fishing rules.

Can I Keep This Bass? A Five-Step Check

Run these checks in order before a bass goes in the bag.

Is it between 1 February and 31 March? If yes, release it.
Is it under 42cm? If yes, release it.
Are you in a nursery area closed on that date? If yes, you should not be fishing for bass there.
Have you already kept three today? If yes, release it.
Have you checked local IFCA byelaws, or your devolved authority? If not, check before you keep it.

A 45cm bass caught from the shore in July, outside a closed nursery area and before you have kept three, passes all five unless a local byelaw says otherwise. For other species you might meet on the same mark, see our guide to UK sea fish species.

Frequently asked questions

Can you keep bass in the UK?

Yes. You can keep up to three bass per day from 1 April to 31 January, each at least 42cm, outside closed nursery areas and subject to IFCA byelaws.

What is the bass bag limit in 2026?

Three bass per angler per day since 27 February 2026, under SI 2026/105. Before that date the limit was two.

What is the minimum size for bass?

42cm. Any bass smaller than that must be released, even in the months when you can keep fish.

When is bass fishing catch and release only?

From 1 February to 31 March every year. During those months you can fish for bass with rod and handline only, and every fish must go back.