GovWire

Where you can fish

With a current lock and weir fishing permit you may be able to fish during the open fishing season from the allocated fishing sites below, numbers permitting.

Please note that many lock and weir fishing sites are only available for fishing outside of the boating season. Please check the maps carefully to find out when the site is available for fishing.

• 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
• Abingdon Lock, Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Culham Lock, Culham, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Clifton Lock, Clifton Hampden, Oxfordshire
• Days Lock, Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire
• Benson Lock, Preston Crowmarsh, Oxfordshire
• Goring Lock, Goring, Oxfordshire
• Shiplake Lock, Shiplake-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
• Hurley Lock, Hurley, Berkshire
• Cookham Lock, Cookham, Berkshire
• Bell Weir Lock, Egham, Surrey
• Penton Hook Lock, Staines, Middlesex - please note the wheelchair accessible platform here is closed until further notice
• Molesey Lock, East Molesey, Surrey

Lock and weir fishing is not available at Shepperton (Middlesex) or Sunbury (Surrey) until further notice.

Only Cookham Lock is currently wheelchair accessible. You need to book to fish at Cookham Lock. Call 03708 506 506 and ask for Cookham Lock Office. Please leave a message stating the date you are interested in and your contact details. You will need to give at least 48 hours notice. We will contact you to confirm your booking.

Find out about call charges.

You must only fish from the areas of each lock that are identified as fishing sites on the Thames lock and weir fishing maps.

The maps also include directions and parking details for each lock or weir.

Fishing at each location is on a first come first serve basis.

Permits and licences

You must buy a lock and weir fishing permit before you fish at a lock and weir site.

Once you have a permit, you can use 2 rods and lines per permit at any one time.

You must follow the terms and conditions on the back of your permit. You cannot transfer your permit to anyone else (for example you cannot give it to a friend so they can go fishing).

You also need to buy a UK fishing rod licence.

If you are younger than 16, you can only enter a fishing site if you are with an adult. You, and the adult you are with, must have separate permits and rod licences.

When you can fish

The Environment Agency lock and weir fishing permit allows you to fish between the 16 June and the 14 March inclusive to align with the coarse fish river fishing season.

No fishing at any of the lock and weir permit fishing sites will be permitted between the 15 March and the 15 June inclusive to align with the river closed season for coarse fish.

More information on the closed season can be found here fishing with a line and rod.

Opening hours

You can fish from dawn until dusk at the following locks:

• Buscot
• Culham
• Clifton
• Hurley
• Penton Hook

You can only fish during the lock keepers hours of duty at the other locks.

To find out whether there will be a lock keeper on duty at the lock you are visiting check our River Thames lock keeper service page.

Report to the lock keeper

You must show the lock keeper your permit when you arrive at a site.

The lock keeper will let you in to the fishing site if its locked.

Fishing restrictions

You must not fish from banks upstream of weir structures or from bullnoses (concrete islands separating sections of a weir).

You cannot use keepnets at any of the locations. (Keepnets are large nets suspended in the water to keep caught fish alive).

You will need a drop net or landing net with very long handles to fish at Eynsham or Bell Weir, because the weir walkways are high above the river.

It is illegal to use lead weights between 0.06g (dust shot) and 28.35g (1 ounce).

Taking guests or buddies fishing

You can bring a guest fishing for free on your permit up to 3 times a year.

Your buddy must have their own rod licence. They can buy short-term (1 or 8 day) licences.

You must show your permit to the lock keeper when you arrive at the site, and he or she will sign one of the 3 boxes on the buddy card section of your permit.

Report salmon and sea trout catches

If you catch salmon or sea trout you should report this to the lock keepers office or call 03708 506 506 to help track populations.

You must return any salmon or sea trout to the river if you have a coarse fishing licence.