You’re only allowed to keep a certain amount of the fish you catch. You’re committing an offence and can be fined if you take too many fish or fish that aren’t the right size.

According to Ian Tokelove of the London Wildlife Trust, there are 125 types of fish in the Tidal Thames (from the estuary mouth to Teddington Lock). Ed Randall of the Thames Angler’s Conservancy names bream, perch, pike, roach, rudd, dace, ruffe, barbel, native and non-native carp, chub and gudgeon among them.

Where you can fish

• Buscot Lock, Buscot, Oxfordshire.
• Grafton Lock, Clanfield, Oxfordshire.
• Rushey Lock, Buckland Marsh, Oxfordshire.
• Shifford Lock, near Aston, Oxfordshire.
• Pinkhill Lock, near Eynsham, Oxfordshire.
• Eynsham Lock, Eynsham, Oxfordshire.
• Sandford Lock, Sandford-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

In the Thames byelaw area: the national coarse fish close season, from 15 March to 15 June, applies to rivers, streams and drains. the national coarse fish close season applies to fishing for eels in rivers, streams and drains, but there is no close season on the tidal River Thames downstream of the Thames Barrier.

Thames fish There is an incredible 125 species of fish that have been found living in the Thames, and this includes species of conservation and commercial importance. Some of these species you might recognise such as seabass, Dover sole and flounder and others, such as the cucumber smelling smelt, may be less familiar.

In the strict legal sense, the public only has a right to fish for free in the officially recognised fully tidal parts of rivers and in the sea, except where an individual owns a private right of fishery.

When you need a licence You must have a rod fishing licence for England and Wales if you’re fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel with a rod and line in: England (except the River Tweed) the Border Esk region, including the parts of the river that are in Scotland.

Buy a rod fishing licence for England and Wales

In England The government have confirmed that angling is a permitted form of exercise. You can fish alone, with up to six people, or in a larger group if everyone present is from the same two households. A ‘household’ can include the support bubble linked to that household (if eligable).

Fishing is allowed year-round in most canals and stillwaters, although you should still check the rules for the specific venue you’re visiting.

You must seek permission from the landowner to fish on private land and sort an additional licence to fish in locks or weirs on the River Thames. 2. You must follow national and local rules (byelaws) when freshwater fishing with a rod and line in England and Wales.

Fishing rods can vary in price from around $20 to hundreds of dollars. If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend that you stick to the lower end of the price range and look for combos. Combos will include the rod and reel for a better price than buying each part separately.

You sure can get a decent rod at Walmart. Most Walmarts carry the Berkley Lightning Rod and Berkley Lightning Shock. They are both under $50 and great rods for the money. The Lightning and Lightning Shock are nearly the equal of some rods I own that cost 3 times that.

My Quantum Signature Series Tour KVD 7-10 medium action rod allows me to load and launch a Strike King 6XD farther than conventional length rods. In addition, the longer rod moves more line when setting the hook or for catching up with fish that take my football jig off a ledge in deep water after a long cast.

A 7-foot rod is good for distance and for casting larger baits. A 6- to 6 1/2-foot rod is more accurate, so you have to adjust the rod length to the type of fishing you do. Crankbait and topwater rods should be made of fiberglass, which allows the fish time to inhale the bait before you set the hook.

The 7’6″ Medium Spinning Rod from our Salt Series is perfect for inshore anglers looking to throw popping corks or live bait rig.

The more power, the stiffer the backbone, the less likely to bend. You would want a rod with more power for fishing. Light or ultralight rods are geared more at smaller species like trout and panfish as they have more bend and you can more easily detect a bite.