In Scotland to target sea trout and salmon in the sea?
I think that it depends where in the sea Fred.
" LEGAL PROTECTION
Under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003, sea trout have the same legal status as salmon. This means that written permission is required to fish for them both in inland waters and the sea up to 1.5 kilometres seaward from mean low water springs."
Source:
https://ness.dsfb.org.uk/files/2015/01/Sea-Trout-Guidelines-060115.pdf
I did wonder as there seems to be an ever growing number of YT channels with guys targeting and catching sea trout from the beach and in sea lochs.
The guys from the Doon have hunted a fair few folks away from Ayr beach around the mouth of the river in the last few years, using the police in some cases too.
Plenty of anglers spin for sea trout along the Black Isle coast. And they catch plenty of very decent fish too - but nothing like as many as the dolphins :)
I have never seen anyone challenge an angler here but when out at sea in my boat I have twice been "investigated" by bailiffs who suspected - wrongly - that I might have been netting salmon.
I was at Loch Fyne last weekend fishing for mackerel and had a few sea trout. There are signs from the Loch Fyne Fishery Board asking anglers to return any salmon and sea trout caught in the spirit of conservation. Both the sea trout and mackerel loved the Savage Gear line thru sandeels.
Sea trout are commonly fished from the shore in Orkney, but most locations are well away from the (few) freshwater outflows.
It i illegal to deliberately fish for sea trout in the sea without written permission. (Orkney and Shetland may be different).
If you fish in the sea and a sea trout jumps on by accident, you are fine as long as the fish is released.
But it is also perfectly legal for a bailiff to stand beside an angler (not) fishing for sea trout and repeatedly lash 10 rusty hooks over the (not a) sea trout anglers fly line. ie, do not take the piss.