Seasons

Salmon & sea trout

Salmon and sea trout fishing in Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales starts and finishes at different times during the year.

England - The annual close season for salmon is 1st November to 31st January, except on the River Eden (including all tributaries and connected lakes and waters), where it is 15th October to 14th January.
England River rules from Government page are available here.

Wales - The salmon and sea trout season opens on the Wye and Usk on 1st February until 31st October. The River Dee March 3rd and closes on 17th October. All other Welsh rivers start March 20th and close October 17th. Sea trout commences on Dee April 1st to October 7th and all other rivers March 20th to October 17th. Natural resources Wales.

Ireland - Salmon fishing opens on January 1st on a handful of rivers and after that the remainder of rivers open on various dates in February, March, April and May. The majority of Irelands rivers close on September 30th but some rivers remain open for sea trout fishing to October 12th.
Angling in Ireland and Angling in Northern Ireland.

Scotland - The first river to open in Scotland is the Helmsdale, January 11th, and the first of the Scottish big four is the River Tay on January 15th. There is no fishing for salmon or sea trout on a Sunday. Below is a list of salmon seasons for Scottish Rivers. There are a number of other mandatory and voluntary conservation measures in place across Scotland. Importantly, this includes specific river categorisations in line with the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016. Please ensure that you are familiar with the broad statutory conservation measures for each district by consulting the list of rivers.
Fisheries Management Scotland list

*Click on links for specific regulations