Get a licence to fish fresh water commercially

Fishing commercially in inland waters, such as rivers, streams, canals, lakes and ponds, with anything other than a rod and line needs written permission for the instruments, the site and the dates you plan to fish. Permission to fish does not give you the right to take fish from private water: you also need the owner's or angling club's permission.

Get permission for nets and traps

To apply, you need to know when you will fish, the instruments you will use, the name, location and grid reference of the water, its type and size, whether it has a conservation designation such as a site of special scientific interest, and which species you want to remove. A decision usually takes up to 25 working days, or longer at a protected site. Permission is free for most species, but there is a charge for eel, elver, lamprey and smelt.

Net licences for salmon and sea trout are offered only to people already licensed to fish them.

Get authorisation to fish for eels

Since 1 January 2026, the Environment Agency has stopped issuing standard authorisations for elver fishing. It considers an elver application only if you can show, with evidence, that it is for an approved stocking plan or permit, an approved scientific programme, an export market that Defra or the Animal and Plant Health Agency has confirmed, or another activity that does not harm eel stocks.

Send your catch returns

Send catch returns even if you catch nothing: within 30 days of your permission ending for eels and elvers, and within 14 days for salmon and sea trout. If you do not, you may not get permission next season.