UK Fish Spawning Calendar: When Each Species Spawns

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

The fish spawning season in the UK runs from February to August, with most coarse species peaking in April, May and June, according to the Environment Agency. Pike, dace, perch and grayling go first. Roach, bream, chub and barbel follow through late spring, and carp and tench bring up the rear into summer.

Water temperature, not the date, triggers coarse fish spawning, so treat every month below as a guide rather than a deadline.

The calendar table covers 17 species. After it you’ll find what each group needs to spawn, how the river close season fits around it in each nation, and how to fish when spawning fish turn up in your swim.

UK Fish Spawning Calendar: Species by Month

Spawning across UK freshwater species stretches over seven months, so on almost any day from late winter to high summer, something is spawning somewhere.

The table below uses FishBase spawning data for western European fish populations, reproduced by the Environment Agency in its close season literature review. It is a European picture, not a survey of UK waters, so read it alongside the UK species notes further down.

Species	Peak months	Occasional months
Pike	Mar, Apr	Feb, May
Dace	Mar, Apr	Feb, May
Grayling	Mar, Apr, May	Jun
Barbel	Apr, May	Mar, Jun, Jul
Perch	Apr, May	Mar, Jun (rare: Feb, Jul)
Ruffe	Apr, May	Mar, Jun (rare: Jul)
Roach	Apr, May	Mar, Jun
Zander	Apr, May	Mar, Jun
Rudd	Apr, May	Mar, Jun
Chub	Apr, May, Jun	Mar, Jul
Gudgeon	May, Jun	Apr, Jul
Bream	May, Jun	Apr, Jul
Bleak	May, Jun	Jul
Silver bream	May, Jun	Jul
Crucian carp	May, Jun	Apr, Jul
Common carp	May, Jun	Jul
Tench	May, Jun, Jul	Apr, Aug

Peak months are when most fish of that species spawn in a typical year. Occasional months catch the early and late fish, and “rare” means it happens, but don’t plan around it.

Grayling are game fish, yet they sit in this table because they spawn in spring alongside the coarse species. The EA’s grayling review puts UK spawning between the end of March and the first half of June.

Why the dates move

Spawning follows conditions, not the calendar. Stable water temperature, daylight, depth and weather all play a part, and Angling Times points out that a shallow, sheltered commercial can be weeks ahead of a deep gravel pit nearby.

A cold spring can shift the whole season. The Environment Agency reported that an unseasonably cool April and May in 2015 pushed spawning back by up to three weeks in some rivers.

Latitude matters too. Angling Times reports that spawning can run up to a month later in the north than in the south, though the order of species stays the same. Treat that as an angling-press observation rather than published science.

So a thermometer in the margins tells you more than the calendar. For the habits of each fish outside spawning time, see our UK species guides.

Early Spawners: Pike, Perch, Dace and Grayling (February to April)

If the river close season starts on 15 March, why are some fish spawning in February? The EA’s own consultation notes that dace, pike, perch and grayling can all start before it.

Pike

Pike peak in March and April. Published spawning temperatures vary: the EA literature review gives 4 to 14°C, an EA blog says around 9°C, and the Canal & River Trust 2 to 12°C, so take roughly 4 to 12°C as a working guide.

Angling Times describes pike laying on grasses and reeds in weedy shallows under about 2m (6ft 6in), with several smaller males to each female. The eggs stick to plants and hatch in 10 to 15 days (Canal & River Trust).

Perch

Perch peak in April and May, at roughly 7 to 10°C: FishBase gives 7 to 8°C, and a Lake Constance study found spawning above 10°C. According to Angling Times, they are the only UK coarse fish to lay their eggs in long strands, draped over submerged plants and branches, and they gather near weed from mid-April.

In my experience on Windermere, spring pike and perch sit shallower and closer to weed than in winter, and I leave fish that are obviously spawning alone.

Dace and grayling

Dace spawn on gravel over a two to three week spell in March or early April, according to EA review evidence from the River Frome. Spent dace drop into deeper water and feed little afterwards, and the review suggests (not a rule) avoiding wading near weir pools from 15 March to 15 April. Grayling run from late March into June.

On stillwaters, give the pike shallows a wide berth in March and April and come back in May. Rivers in England and Wales stay shut to coarse fishing until 16 June.

Mid-Season Spawners: Roach, Rudd, Bream, Chub, Barbel and Zander (April to June)

The swim that was full of bream last week goes dead, or fizzes with fish crashing about and nothing feeding. In late May, spawning is often the reason. This is the main wave, and the one the river close season was set around.

Roach and rudd

Roach peak in April and May in the table, and the Canal & River Trust says they spawn from April to June depending on water temperature, in shallow water over stones or dense weed. On rivers, Angling Times notes that roach and gudgeon often spawn together around the third week of May.

Rudd spawn in May and June (Canal & River Trust), and their eggs stick to plants and hatch in 3 to 10 days, depending on temperature.

Bream

Bream spawn in May and June in dense, shallow weed once the water is over 12°C (Canal & River Trust), and males grow white or yellow tubercles. Roach and bream spawn close together and hybridise. I’ve found that big bream shoals on Windermere become hard to predict around spawning time.

Chub and barbel

Both need clean gravel and flow, so they rarely breed successfully in stillwaters. Chub spawn once the water reaches about 14°C (Canal & River Trust) and peak from April to June. Barbel peak in April and May in the table (May to June on stones and gravel, says the Canal & River Trust), and cut into the gravel with their tails to bury the eggs.

Zander

Zander peak in April and May. No zander spawning temperature could be verified for this page, so go by the water.

By mid-June most of these fish are finished or finishing, the logic behind the 16 June river reopening. For tactics while you wait, see our spring fishing tactics.

Late Spawners: Carp, Crucians and Tench (May to August)

Tench often haven’t spawned by the time the river season reopens. In the table they peak from May to July and can still be going in August.

Tench

The Canal & River Trust says tench spawn once water reaches around 19 to 20°C, the highest sourced figure on this page. Angling Times describes them as often the last to spawn, near the end of June even in the south. They cope with low oxygen in weedy shallows, and they show spawning tubercles (see How to Tell Fish Are Spawning below).

Common carp and crucians

Common carp peak in May and June, occasionally July. Crucians peak in May and June, occasionally April and July. The Canal & River Trust gives no spawning temperature for carp, only “spring as temperatures rise”, so don’t fish to a single figure.

Angling Times notes that carp can spawn more than once in exceptionally warm summers, and that carp will eat roach eggs, which can explain odd feeding in May. For the full picture on carp, see spring carp fishing and carp spawning.

Late spring into early summer is also the mayfly season on many waters, so expect activity on the surface as well as in the margins.

On carp and tench waters, the window to watch is early summer, not March.

Spawning and the Close Season in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

The close season is a compromise, and the calendar shows why: early spawners start before it and tench finish after it. The Environment Agency says 15 March to 15 June fits most species in most rivers in most years.

The EA consulted on it from 14 January to 11 March 2019, drew 13,680 responses, and kept the river close season.

Nation	Rivers	Stillwaters and canals	Source
England	Closed 15 March to 15 June inclusive	No close season on most lakes, ponds, reservoirs and canals, subject to local byelaws. Private waters can set their own	GOV.UK
Wales	Closed 15 March to 15 June (open 16 June to 14 March)	No close season, except certain SSSIs	Natural Resources Wales
Scotland	No weekly or annual close times for coarse fish. Check local arrangements	Same	Scottish Government
Northern Ireland	Generally no close season for pike, bream, roach, perch, tench, rudd and carp, but follow game open seasons when fishing for coarse	Same	nidirect

In England and Wales, spawning fish are protected all year. Section 2 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 makes it an offence to knowingly take, kill or injure fish that are about to spawn, or have recently spawned and not recovered, and to wilfully disturb spawning fish or spawning grounds, whatever the close season says.

Individual fisheries may also rest certain species or close in spring, so check with the fishery before you travel. For the detail, see our full close season rules by nation.

How to Tell Fish Are Spawning and What to Do

Spawning fish rarely hide it. Look for:

tight groups of fish working the margins, pushing into reeds and weed
splashing, thrashing and coloured water in the shallows
tubercles, small white or yellow lumps, on bream and tench
females that look noticeably fuller in the body
bites that feel wrong, such as liners and false runs from fish crashing through, plus other fish gorging on the eggs

If you see those signs:

Wind in and move away from the spawning fish.
Target another species or another part of the water.
Tell the fishery owner or bailiff.
If you do land a fish, handle it with wet hands and return it quickly. The EA review notes that survival after release can fall in warm water, though most of that evidence comes from salmon and trout studies.

To report illegal river fishing in the close season, or someone taking spawning fish in England, call the Environment Agency incident line on 0800 807060, which the EA says runs 24 hours a day. In Wales, report it to Natural Resources Wales.

Skip the session if the only fish showing are the ones spawning.

Frequently asked questions

When do fish spawn in the UK?

UK coarse fish spawn between February and August, with most species peaking in April, May and June, according to the Environment Agency. Pike, dace and perch spawn first and tench last. The calendar table on this page covers every species.

Can I fish for pike in March and April on a lake?

Usually, yes. Most stillwaters in England and Wales have no statutory close season, though certain Welsh SSSIs do. But pike are likely to be spawning in the shallows then, the venue may have its own rules, and knowingly taking or wilfully disturbing spawning fish is an offence under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. Check with the fishery first.

Is there a close season for coarse fish in Scotland or Northern Ireland?

Scotland has no weekly or annual close times for coarse fish, according to the Scottish Government, but check local arrangements. In Northern Ireland, nidirect says there is generally no close season for coarse species, though you must follow game fishing open seasons when fishing for coarse fish.

What water temperature do fish spawn at?

It varies by species and source. As a guide: pike at roughly 4 to 12°C, perch 7 to 10°C, bream over 12°C, chub about 14°C and tench 19 to 20°C. No figure for roach or carp could be verified, so go by the water. The species sections on this page give the detail.