Bass Fishing Rules and Regulations in the UK

Bass fishing rules and regulations in the UK have had to be amended over the last decade to protect the species from the brink of collapse. In 2013 French trawlers were banned from fishing for bass in the English Channel to protect their spawning grounds and recreational anglers were only allowed to keep three bass per day.

As these measures proved ineffective there were additional limits placed on UK bass fishing. From 2016 onwards recreational anglers could only fish for bass on a catch-and-release basis between January – June. In the period between July and December, only one bass per day could be kept.

The current regulations are the least stringent since 2015 as anglers can keep two bass per day for nine months of the year.

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When can I fish for bass in the UK?

You can fish for bass in the UK all year round. Whilst there are restrictions on the size of bass you can keep, how many you can keep and when you can keep them, bass fishing is legal all year.

The late spring to early autumn is the best time to fish for bass as the warmer waters and surplus of bait – peeler crabs, squid, mackerel and sand eels primarily – mean the bass’s predatory instincts are heightened.

Can you keep bass you catch in the UK?

Yes, you can keep bass you catch in the UK, but there are restrictions on what you can keep and what time of year it is:

How many bass can you keep in the UK?

From recreational bass fisheries – which include fishing from the shore – you can keep two bass per day between March 1st – November 30th. From December 1st – February 28th bass fishing in the UK is strictly catch and release only.

What size bass can you keep in the UK?

To keep a bass you catch in the UK it must be at least 42cm in length. There is no specific weight guidance, it just needs to be 42cm or longer in length.

This has been increased from 36cm in recent years to protect bass stocks in UK waters. Stocks had hit their lowest in 20 years in 2013 after an estimated 20% decline year on year.

Did Brexit affect UK bass fishing regulations?

As far as recreational bass fishing in the UK is concerned, Brexit has had no impact on the way and how we can fish. Regulations came into play in 2016 that only allowed catch-and-release fishing in the first half of the year and the size of the bass we can keep has continued to rise – from 36cm – 42cm.

But these measures began prior to Brexit. Which – given the relatively lax rules around commercial fishing where the majority of the damage is done – still rankles with a number of anglers. Our guide to how the UK fishing industry has changed post-Brexit and Coronavirus is a really good starting point to understand things for effectively.

In 2018 an agreement was reached that only allowed limited commercial fishing (with certain gears) in The Channel, Celtic Sea, southern North Sea and Irish Sea while creating a two-month closure to protect spawning aggregations. But as bass stocks were on the brink of collapse in the early 2010s, something had to give.

What rules are there for commercial bass fishing in the UK?

The rules for commercial bass fishing are substantially different to recreational fishing. These laws relate to three core components:

The authorisations required to catch and retain bass are only being given to ships with a track record of landing bass between 1st July 2015 to 30th September 2016. And these authorisations are gear-specific, so unless you have the correct permit for the gear you want to use, you could be breaching commercial bass fishing law.

What commercial fishing gear can I use for bass fishing?

Unless you have an additional authorisation by your fisheries administration allowing you to fish with otherwise unauthorised gear, you are permitted to use:

• Fixed gillnets
• Hooks and lines
• Demersal trawls and seines

You can’t use nets that drift with the current or with any other gear unless specifically authorised to do so. You can find out how many bass you can retain as a commercial vessel here.

FAQs