Fishing License

[brandenjg]

Hi guys, i was talking to my friends brother who turns 16 in a few days about going on a fishing trip before the season closes. He mentioned that he only pays £5 a year currently but has to fork out about £72 when the next season rolls around after his birthday. I was wondering why on earth the price increases so much when you get older (until retirement age that is ) ?

I think i pay around £30 a year for mine.

My second question is, is there a way to license a boat for fishing so that all occupants of the boat can fish with the same license. I go out alot when the weathers nice with mates fishing and they normally buy a day pass but when i get my friends down from my home town they throw caution to the wind and go license free. That's their choice but when they're on my boat it reflects badly on me, hence if there was a license to fish for everyone on my boat it would save a lot of hassle.

[Guest]

Theres two basic types of rod license - normal course, and course and game fishing.

The fees for each vary for adults, OAPs, and Children.

They're all listed on http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ho ... 31497.aspx

The most expensive (course and game - adult), is £72, and the normal course fishing license for an adult is £27.

There are no schemes for group licensing, each person must be licensed according to their age, but they can use two rods at a time.

[BroadAmbition]

but when they're on my boat it reflects badly on me

Good of you to say so, and I agree with you.

For exactly the same reason I deal with it that if they have no license then none of their fishing gear comes onboard. And yes I have even asked to see their licenses.

I've even had one or two in the past assuming they can fish out of season when afloat with me - Not on my watch, they soon got 'put right'

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I may be wrong, but if you allow someone to break the law while on your property, be it car boat house etc etc, YOU can be found guilty of "Aiding and abbetting"?.

 

As for the fishing license, i`m going to go out on a limb here and say the licensing law need a radical shake up.

 

While speaking to a local stillwater fishery owner down here in VERY sunny Dorset, i offered to show him my license receipt, as i`d only got it at the post office an hour before, he said he was`nt interrested, as he saw it as a tax on fishing. I asked why he said it, and he told me a few surprising facts. As a private stillwater venue owner, he gets NOTHING from the EA, but if he had some form of problem with the water at his venue, and he requested the intervention of the EA, he would have to pay for everything they do. As a result, he came to the conclusion that the current rod licensing laws were an unfair tax on fishing.  if that IS the case, then i tend to agree with him, and think that the EA rod license should NOT be required for fishing in private stillwater venues.

 

I also think the current close season is totally out of date, and should be abolished immediately.

 

Regards to all .......................... Neil.

[brandenjg]

Ah Neil, that's a pot of worms you've opened there. I very much agree with alot of what you've posted. I've been to a few private fisheries in the area and although they ask for a fishing license, if you don't have one, they don't really care. Most fisheries seem to keep the same dates as the main waterways when it comes to fishing seasons, even though they breed fish year round.

As someone who grew up by the coast, i'm used to being able to just cast a rod with no license required, but with the river/estuary/broads a heck of a lot of research goes into the conservation and general study of our fish to ensure the best environment and health, so us fisherman won't ruin the fish stocks.

Obviously none of this affects private lakes as they control the fish, water quality etc themselves so licenses shouldn't be required for them.

The close season is inline (supposedly) with the breeding season but as far as i personally can tell the weather/ water saltyness(if that's a word) greatly affect whenz the fish mate, so the dates for the closed season would differ each year, making the current closed season pointless.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Hi Branden, The close season WAS supposed to be related to fish spawning, but in all honesty, it`s really related to the climatic conditions. In recent years, we`ve had some very mild winters, and i`ve seen fish spawning as early as late Jan early Feb, whereas in the last 2-3 years where we`ve had long cold winters, i`ve seen fish spawn as late as late July, early Aughust, so the closed season is largely ineffective or irrelavent.

 

My last gripe is the cost, and duration of the license itself. For any agler who has the luxury of a wide selection of stillwater venues to choose from, (like me) the close season is of no bother, and i can fish year round, but for those who live in the middle of a built up area, with no stillwater venues, but 2 good local rivers, the local anglers have no chance of going fishing for a 3 month period, BUT they have paid for the same 12 month license.

 

I think the time is right for a radical shake up of the licensing laws, AND the costs of short term licensing.

 

Regards to all ..................... Neil.

[Hockham Admiral]

Hi Branden,

 

I think the time is right for a radical shake up of the licensing laws, AND the costs of short term licensing.

 

Regards to all ..................... Neil.

 

And that, Neil, is as likely as the BA spending all the licence fees on what we pay for! (Such as river maintenance and moorings).

[VetChugger]

I fish a lot and, maybe surprisingly, I don't mind the closed season! Unfortunately not all anglers are angels and the banks and fishing holes take some hammer. This is especially noticable on the Broads.  At least they get a chance to recover. As for closed season fishing, the canals are open all year around and, nowadays, provide some superb fishing. Built up industrial areas invariably have a canal!

 

Trevor