Salmon season 2027: river opening dates in the UK

The first salmon rivers open in January

Salmon seasons in the UK are set river by river, so the new season rolls out over four months. In Scotland the opening dates are the end of the annual close time written into the schedule of the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2014. The Helmsdale and the Thurso open first, on 11 January, followed by the Naver and Borgie on 12 January and the Tay and Ness on 15 January. In 2027, 11 January is a Monday and 15 January a Friday; remember that rod fishing for salmon is prohibited on Sundays everywhere in Scotland, so 17 January is not a fishing day.

February brings the next wave: the Aberdeenshire Dee, the Earn, the Forth and the Tweed on 1 February; the Spey, Don, Deveron, Findhorn, Clyde, Conon and Beauly on 11 February; the North and South Esk on 16 February; the Nith and Annan on 25 February. The Tweed follows its own Regulation Order, with fly only from 1 to 14 February. Wales opens its Severn on 1 February and the Dee, Usk and Wye on 3 March. Northern Ireland's DAERA waters open on 1 March (Lough Melvin on 1 February), and the Foyle and Carlingford catchments on 1 April for salmon.

Opening does not always mean keeping a fish

Many early-season openings are catch-and-release only. On the Tay, Ness, Dee, Spey, Don and Earn, fish caught before 31 March must be returned under the schedule. On top of that, Scotland grades every river each year: a river graded Poor has mandatory catch and release for all methods for the season. For 2026 the Earn, Don, Nith and Annan were graded Poor, while the Tay, Dee, Spey, Helmsdale and Thurso were graded Good. The 2027 gradings had not been published when we checked on 23 September 2026, so confirm the status of your river on the gov.scot gradings page before the opening.

Wales requires every salmon to be returned on all rivers, with barbless or de-barbed hooks for salmon and sea trout, and bans crayfish and fish eggs as bait. In England, national byelaws require fly or artificial lure only and the release of every salmon before 16 June, and all season on rivers classed At Risk (the Cumbrian Calder, Dorset Stour and Yealm). The Environment Agency's 2026 assessment projects 40 of England's 42 principal salmon rivers as at risk or probably at risk in 2030. In Northern Ireland, DAERA's Public Angling Estate is catch and release for salmon except on Lough Melvin and the Clady river, where carcass tags apply.

Licence and permission

England and Wales need a separate salmon and sea trout rod licence: £13.50 for a day, £30.50 for eight days or £93.10 for twelve months at 2026/27 rates on GOV.UK; the trout and coarse licence does not cover salmon. Scotland has no rod licence, but fishing for salmon without the right or the written permission of the owner is a criminal offence, and beats sell their own permits. Northern Ireland asks for a game rod licence and a permit, and in the Foyle and Carlingford catchments a Loughs Agency licence is needed at every age. See our pages for Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland.

Spring fish and cold water

The fish that run in spring are typically multi-sea-winter salmon, while grilse arrive in summer, and runs follow spates (Atlantic salmon). Salmon spawn in autumn and winter on river gravels, and the young spend one to six years in fresh water before going to sea (FishBase). In January and February rivers are often cold and can be high with snowmelt, so fish tend to lie deep and move slowly; heavy sinking lines or weighted flies are the usual response, but every river and every year is different.

Research on released salmon is directly relevant to these rules. Gargan and colleagues tracked the survival of wild salmon after catch and release in three Irish rivers (2015), and Havn and colleagues examined how release at high water temperatures affects behaviour and survival during the upstream migration (2015); Jensen and colleagues asked whether release alters migratory behaviour at all (2010). Keeping the fish in the water, using barbless hooks and releasing quickly are the practical conclusions.

Methods allowed early in the season

Fly fishing dominates on spring beats, and on the Tweed it is the only legal method during the first two weeks of February. Our fly fishing guide covers line choice and reading the water. Spinning with spoons, Devons or plugs is allowed on many Scottish beats, but restrictions are common: in Wales spinning on the Dee and Wye is only allowed from 1 June, and in England before 16 June only fly and artificial lures may be used. Our spoon and spinner guide explains single-hook conversions that make release easier.

Common mistakes on salmon opening days

Fishing on a Sunday in Scotland; keeping a fish on a river graded Poor or during a spring catch-and-release period; bringing a trout and coarse licence instead of a salmon licence to an English or Welsh river; using barbed trebles in Wales; and forgetting that a Northern Ireland licence does not cover Loughs Agency waters without the right endorsement. Check the table row for your river, then the beat's own rules, which can be stricter than the law.