🎣 Scotland Sea Fishing Regulations (2025)
Scotland’s coastline and sea lochs offer abundant lure fishing opportunities. Regulations are set at the UK level for recreational anglers, and these apply fully in Scottish waters. Below are the current rules for Scotland.
🌤 Live Weather & Tide Times – Scotland
ScotlandWeather
Conditions now: Overcast clouds
Temperature: 9.39°C
Wind: 6.69 m/s
Upcoming Tides for Scotland :
For optimal results, it’s typical to fish from 1 to 2 hours before high tide and continue until the tide begins to ebb.
Other useful information
🌊 Current tide: Neap Tide – weaker currents
🌙 Moon Phase: 🌑 New Moon
🎣 Fishing Conditions: 😐 Fair (2/10)
🗝️ Key Fishing Rules
| Species | Minimum Size | Bag Limit | Season | 🎣 Lure Caught? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | 42 cm | 2 per angler/day | Catch & release Feb–Mar; retention allowed Jan & Dec, and Apr–Nov per UK rules | ✅ |
| Cod | 35 cm | None | Open, subject to juvenile real‑time closures | ✅ |
| Haddock | 30 cm | None | Open (subject to UK juvenile closures) | ❌ |
| Hake | 27 cm | None | Open | ❌ |
| Herring | 20 cm | None | Open | ❌ |
| Horse Mackerel | 15 cm | None | Open | ✅ |
| Ling | 63 cm | None | Open | ✅ |
| Mackerel | 20 cm | None | Open | ✅ |
| Plaice | 27 cm | None | Open | ❌ |
| Pollack | 30 cm | None | Open | ✅ |
| Saithe | 35 cm | None | Open (but juvenile closures may apply) | ✅ |
| Sardine | 11 cm | None | Open | ❌ |
| Sole | 24 cm | None | Open | ❌ |
| Whiting | 27 cm | None | Open (but juvenile closures may apply) | ✅ |
🐟 Protected Species
In Scotland, the following species are legally strictly protected and must be released immediately if caught:
- Tope
- Angel Shark (protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act)
- White Skate (protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act)
- Allis Shad
- Twaite Shad
- Giant Goby
- Couch’s Goby
- Bluefin Tuna
These are consistent with UK-Wales protected species lists and apply equally in Scottish waters.
📌 Local Restrictions
- No additional area-specific regulations are currently imposed beyond national UK measures.
- However, Scottish authorities have proposed establishing Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) by 2026, which may prohibit recreational fishing in designated zones.
- Additionally, juvenile real-time closures may intermittently apply to cod, haddock, saithe, and whiting to protect young stock Scottish Government.
- Anglers are advised to monitor Marine Scotland updates for changes.
⚠️ Disclaimer
Regulations are correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing. They may change at any time.
Always check the latest official updates before fishing.