In message
John wrote:

On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 20:01:06 +0100, A strange species called "Keith.M"
wrote:

Hi All
Just bought my licence and it has the words "Duty Paid" upon it.
Licence my ass
Its a tax.
No more, no less.
Keith M

As with everything these days especially under Labour government

Look at Ken Livingstone! Communist, Racist, Terror Supporter, Labour
Party Member and Lord Mayor of London!

ohhhh, please..... this is a fishing newsgroup, not a loony political rant
soapbox....



I guess it serves the London people right though for electing and
then re-electing a commie.

**** 'em....

Please keep your political ramblings for those newsgroups where it
is welcomed. Not here.

To get back to the topic....

To fish for freshwater fish anywhere in England or Wales you need a rod
licence from the EA. Available at Post Offices or online.

The basic licence allows you to fish for coarse fish with up to 2 rods,
but only one rod for trout and char. You may not fish for salmon or
sea trout on this licence, even if you do not intend to keep them. If
you catch such a fish accidentally, you are required to return it to the
water in as fine a state as possible.


If you wish to fish for sea trout or salmon, you need to pay more for a
'migratory' licence - which also covers the above.

Salmon and sea trout *are* indigenous to the UK - but are migratory.
Rainbow trout (and other variants, excluding browns) are not.

Once you have your EA licence (think of it as a gun licence) - you still
need permission of the owner to fish any water, be it lake or river.
This usually means buying a licence to fish - afaik, there is no 'free'
fishing to be had in England/Wales.

As for open / closed seasons: if the fishery is a private pond, stocked
with rainbow trout, you can fish it all year round, subject to the
conditions laid down by the owner. However, any waters holding brown trout
have a closed season which usually stretches from the end of September to
mid-March - although exact dates may vary depending upon the location.

The open season for sea trout and salmon may be different, again depending
upon the location - but any salmon caught before June 16 MUST be returned.

As for the cost of these licences..hmm.... well, nobody likes paying out -
but given the dosh that people spend on their interests these days, I
personally don't think that it's too bad for a year's sport. (heads for
cover...)


hth,

Dave



--

.... Street Fighter II. Four disk game of ultimate boredom.