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Useful Facts to Know Before You Start to Fish in the UK - Closed days
For detailed information about the salmon, sea trout and brown trout fishing seasons in Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales click Here to go to the article.
Rod Licenses | Permits | Fishing Seasons | Eating Fish | Closed Days | Catch Limits | Midges | Gyrodactyis | Anisakis | Signal Crayfish
Except in Scotland and out with the fixed season dates there are no closed days for fishing, however in Scotland there is no fishing on Sundays for migratory fish. Your permit allows 6 days fishing only (except in a few places like Grantown on Spey where the club gives a 7 day ticket over an 8 day period to compensate for the loss of a Sunday. Think about your accommodation booking and holiday duration when visiting Grantown for many people book for seven days and miss a days fishing by leaving on Sunday).
Few rivers that hold migratory fish allow trout fishing on Sundays however rivers, lochs and fisheries that have no salmon and sea trout are open for business. I have been asked why this is so by so many people that I have taken on guided fishing trip. A friend of mine is of the opinion that it is a class issue dating back to when only the 'toffs' could fish for salmon and they could off course afford to take weeks off to go fishing, making little difference to them that they missed a day. Today off course when working stiffs can afford to go salmon fishing with unprecedented access to fishing beats it does seem to be a bit dumb to have a no fishing day on one of the two days a week that anglers can fish without using up annual leave. In the rest of the country people can fish on Sunday even on rivers where conservation is taken as a serious issue, why not in Scotland?
Two reasons are cited and the first, religious belief, was even in my early years so strongly held you could feel the animosity towards anyone fishing on Sunday in the North of Scotland - the reason being that Sunday is the Lords Day, a day of rest and you should hold that day special. Christ was a fisherman and I bet He would have agreed that there is nothing more restful than a days fishing. The second reason is to give the fish one day where they could run without harassment from rod or net. The salmon nets are gone and anglers no longer kill all they catch, it does seem to be a bit of an anachronism to maintain the traditions of our forefathers which bear little significance to modern society.
Today the restrictions on Sunday fishing have been relaxed for trout at least, you no longer have Wee Free Church Ministers in the Highlands informing you that you will be doooomed for breaking the Sabbath.
In Southern Ireland in response to the need to allow stock to recover after years of high sea drift net piracy they have had to take the enormous step of closing all or part of river systems indefinitely. For details of the closed rivers go to:
Strict Controls on Salmon and Sea Trout Fishing In Ireland See 106 Rivers Closed
