Any angler, aged 12 years or over, fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels in England (except the River Tweed), Wales or the Border Esk and its tributaries in Scotland must have an Environment Agency rod licence.

A rod licence is a statutory requirement (in other words it is required by law) and entitles the licensee to use a rod and line to fish. Rod licences are issued by the Environment Agency. They differ from permits (often referred to as tickets or day tickets), which give permission to fish a particular water or waters and are issued by fishery owners, angling clubs and so on.

Rod licences can be purchased from any Post Office in England and Wales, or bought on-line from the Environment Agency website.