Fishing (Rod) Licence: Cost, Types and How to Buy

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

If you are 13 or over and fish with a rod and line for freshwater fish, trout, salmon, sea trout, smelt or eel in England or Wales, you need an Environment Agency rod licence. The standard 2-rod trout and coarse licence costs £7.30 for a day, £14.70 for 8 days or £36.80 for 12 months. You buy it on GOV.UK or by phone on 0344 800 5386.

A lot of fishing licence advice online is out of date. You can’t buy one at the Post Office any more, and the concession age is 66, not 65.

This guide covers who needs one, which type to buy, current prices (checked against GOV.UK on 23 October 2026), how the start time works and what happens if you are caught without one.

Who Needs a Rod Licence in England and Wales

The most common mistake is paying for a day ticket at a commercial lake and assuming that covers you. It doesn’t. GOV.UK states that the Environment Agency fishing licence applies on private land too, including angling club waters and private fishing lakes.

The requirement depends on your age and the fish you target, not on who owns the water. You need a rod licence if you are 13 or over and fish with a rod and line for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel in:

England, except the River Tweed
Wales
the whole Border Esk region, including the parts of the river that run through Scotland

Age decides which licence you need:

Under 13: no licence needed.
13 to 16: a free junior licence. It costs nothing, but it still has to be obtained before the child fishes.
17 and over: a full licence.

You don’t need one if you are:

a carer or parent who goes along but doesn’t fish
a sea angler targeting sea species (see the section on what a rod licence doesn’t cover)
fishing in Scotland outside the Border Esk

Take a parent with a 14-year-old and a 10-year-old. The 14-year-old needs the free junior licence and the 10-year-old needs nothing. The parent needs nothing too, unless they pick up a rod and fish.

If you are going to hold a rod, assume you need one.

Which Rod Licence Type Do You Need? 2-Rod, 3-Rod or Salmon

There are only three adult licence types, but the rod limits inside each one change with the species and with the water. River or stillwater makes a difference.

Licence	Covers	Rod limits	Lengths
Trout and coarse, up to 2 rods	Non-migratory trout and all freshwater fish, including smelt and eel	1 rod for trout on rivers, streams, drains and canals. Up to 2 rods for trout on reservoirs, lakes and ponds. Up to 2 rods for other freshwater fish	1 day, 8 days, 12 months
Trout and coarse, up to 3 rods	Freshwater fish, excluding non-migratory trout	Up to 3 rods	12 months only
Salmon and sea trout	Salmon, sea trout, non-migratory trout and all freshwater fish	1 rod for salmon, sea trout and trout on rivers, streams and canals. Up to 2 rods for them on stillwaters. Up to 3 rods for other freshwater fish	1 day, 8 days, 12 months

The GOV.UK service gives specialist carp fishing with three rods as the example for the 3-rod licence. The salmon licence carries a duty: an annual catch return, even if you didn’t fish or catch.

Spod and marker rods don’t count unless they have a hook attached. On a 2-rod licence you can cast an unhooked spod rod all day, but a third baited rod needs the 3-rod or salmon licence.

The number on your rod licence is the maximum. Venue rules and byelaws can set a lower one, and the lower one applies. With more than one rod, the outermost butts must be within 3 metres and rods must not be left unattended, under the GOV.UK freshwater rod fishing rules.

Most coarse, predator and stillwater trout anglers need the 2-rod licence. Only the salmon and sea trout licence covers migratory fish.

How Much Is a Fishing Licence? 2025 to 2026 Prices

Licence prices did not rise in April 2026. The GOV.UK fee table has been the same since spring 2025, so any page showing £35.80 for the annual coarse licence, or £90.40 for salmon, is quoting the old prices.

Licence	1 day	8 days	12 months	12 months, 66+ or disabled	Junior, 13 to 16
Trout and coarse, 2 rods	£7.30	£14.70	£36.80	£24.50	Free
Trout and coarse, 3 rods	Not available	Not available	£55.30	£36.80	Free
Salmon and sea trout	£13.50	£30.50	£93.10	£62.00	Free

Prices from GOV.UK, checked 23 October 2026.

Discounts apply to 12-month licences only. You qualify if you are 66 or over, or disabled, which means you have a Blue Badge or meet its criteria, get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) at any rate, or get Disability Living Allowance (DLA). The full rules are in our guide to fishing licence concessions.

The fishing licence cost table also shows when the annual pays for itself. On the 2-rod licence:

Five 1-day licences cost £36.50, so the annual is cheaper from your sixth day out.
Three 8-day licences cost £44.10, which is £7.30 more than the £36.80 annual.

A day fishing licence suits a one-off trip, and an 8-day licence covers a week’s holiday. Fish any more often than that and the 12-month licence wins, helped by the upgrade route covered in the section on start times below.

Licence income pays for fish stocking, habitat improvements and work against illegal fishing. The Environment Agency says it reinvests all rod licence income in fisheries.

If you fish more than five days a year, buy the annual.

How to Buy a Fishing Licence: Online, by Phone (Not the Post Office)

Turning up at a Post Office counter for a licence gets you nowhere. The Post Office stopped selling rod licences on 16 January 2023, after the Environment Agency ended counter sales as demand fell. Licences bought there before that date stayed valid until they expired.

There are two official ways to buy a fishing licence:

Online: the GOV.UK Buy a rod fishing licence service, for yourself or someone else.
By phone: 0344 800 5386, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, except public holidays, for adult or junior licences.

Without internet access at home, call 03708 506 506 and an Environment Agency adviser can talk you through buying online on your own device.

Here is how to get a fishing licence online:

Say who the licence is for and enter their date of birth. Juniors get the free licence through the same service.
Choose the type: trout and coarse up to 2 rods, up to 3 rods, or salmon and sea trout.
Choose the length: 1 day, 8 days or 12 months.
Choose the start: 30 minutes after payment, or a date in the next 30 days (see the next section).
On a 12-month licence, claim the concession if you are eligible. PIP or DLA claimants give their National Insurance number.
Choose email, text or post, then pay by debit or credit card. Email and text usually arrive within an hour. Post takes up to 10 working days.

Have a card ready, plus the other person’s details if you are buying for someone else. You only need a National Insurance number for the PIP or DLA concession. Start from GOV.UK so you know you are on the official rod licence service.

If you are buying on the day, choose email or text.

When Your Licence Starts and How Long Each One Lasts

Buy a 1-day licence for Saturday and it won’t run out at midnight. It lasts 24 hours from the start time you choose.

The GOV.UK service offers two start options: 30 minutes after payment, or any day in the next 30 days at an hourly start time, from the first minute of the day to 11pm.

How long each licence lasts:

1 day: 24 hours from the start time you chose.
8 days: 8 consecutive days from the start time you chose.
12 months: 12 months from the start date, not April to March. The rolling annual arrived in 2017, alongside the free junior and 3-rod licences.

The start hour matters for early sessions. Set it before you plan to be on the bank, rather than buying a day fishing licence for “30 minutes after payment” in the car park at first light. A 6am start covers you until 6am the next day.

With the annual, you pick the start date. I time mine to begin before the autumn pike fishing on Windermere, so it never runs out mid-season.

You can also upgrade. Call 0344 800 5386 no later than 14 days after a 1-day or 8-day licence expires, buy a 12-month licence, and the first one is refunded. The 14 days count from expiry, not purchase.

So a short rod licence costs an occasional angler nothing extra if one trip turns into a regular habit.

Showing Your Licence, Lost Licences and Renewals

When licences went digital, Environment Agency user research found some anglers worried about how they would produce one if an enforcement officer asked.

Physical licence cards are no longer issued. Your licence arrives by email, text or A4 letter, and Natural Resources Wales confirms you can show the digital licence on your phone or a printed copy. Digital licences have been available since July 2021.

Keep the email or text on your phone, or carry a printout. Phone signal can be poor on the bank, so save the licence somewhere you can open it offline. GOV.UK says you can be fined up to £2,500 if you cannot show a valid licence when asked (see the fines section below).

For a lost licence, a change of name or address, a licence that hasn’t arrived, or a licence holder who has died, contact the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 or enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

The Environment Agency sends expiry reminders before a licence runs out. Note the end date of a 12-month licence when you buy it, because that is when your cover stops.

Fishing Without a Licence: Fines and What Courts Actually Hand Out

The law allows a fine of up to £2,500. In practice, Environment Agency court data for November 2025 to January 2026, published by the Angling Trust, put the average fine at £300.

Fishing without a rod licence is an offence under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, tried in the magistrates’ court. Section 25 requires rod and line fishing to be licensed. Section 27 makes it an offence to fish for or take fish by a licensable method without a licence, or in breach of its conditions.

The maximum is a level 4 fine on the standard scale, £2,500, set out in Schedule 4. GOV.UK and Natural Resources Wales both give the same “up to £2,500” figure.

Over those three months, court fines totalled £12,018. That counts court cases only, so cautions and warning letters are excluded. Individual fines for unlicensed fishing mostly ran from about £75 to £701, often with a £15 victim surcharge on top.

Repeat offending carries a further risk. On a second or later conviction under the Act, a court can order the licence forfeited and disqualify the person from holding one.

The £300 average would buy more than eight annual 2-rod licences at £36.80 each. That is an expensive way to save £7.30 on a day licence.

If you see someone fishing without a licence, out of season or with illegal methods, report it to the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 (24 hours) or online through GOV.UK.

What a Rod Licence Doesn’t Cover: Permits, Scotland, NI and the Sea

A rod licence doesn’t give you the right to fish a particular water.

Permission to fish: you also need the owner’s or club’s permit or day ticket. The Canal & River Trust says its canals have no free fishing: you need a club permit or a Waterway Wanderers permit (see canal fishing permits).
Scotland: no rod licence is needed outside the Border Esk region, but you still need landowner or club permission.
Northern Ireland: you need a rod licence plus a permit or day ticket, from DAERA or the Loughs Agency depending on the area. More in fishing licences in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The sea: sea species need no rod licence. Salmon, sea trout, eels and smelt are licensable, so targeting them in tidal waters and estuaries needs the right licence; check the limits with the Environment Agency. See sea fishing licence.
Close season: rivers in England and Wales close to coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June. Most stillwaters and canals stay open, subject to byelaws. See fishing seasons.

For the rest of the law on the bank, start with our fishing rules guides.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a fishing licence at the Post Office?

No. The Post Office stopped selling rod licences on 16 January 2023. Buy online through the GOV.UK service or call the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Can I get a free fishing licence?

Yes, if you are 13 to 16. Newcomers can also get a free one-day licence through Take a Friend Fishing, run by the Angling Trades Association and the Environment Agency, when a licensed angler registers them during a campaign window. The next window runs 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Both people need an email address, and the same friend can go at most 3 days a year. Check takeafriendfishing.co.uk for current dates.

How long does it take to get a fishing licence?

Usually under an hour. Licences sent by email or text normally arrive within one hour of payment, while posted licences take up to 10 working days.

Do overseas visitors need a rod licence?

Yes, the same rules apply to visitors. Buy online on GOV.UK, give the address where you are staying, and keep the confirmation email as proof, as Natural Resources Wales advises.

Is a Welsh fishing licence different?

No. Wales uses the same Environment Agency licence, bought on GOV.UK. Natural Resources Wales does not issue its own, and the buying service is available in Welsh.

Does a spod or marker rod need a licence?

Only if it has a hook attached. An unhooked spod or marker rod doesn't count towards the rod limit on your licence. The licence types section above has the full rod limits.