On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 at 21:21:19 in rec.outdoors.fishing.fly pmfpa wrote:
My understanding is that in the UK, the land and the fish are private.

Not quite... It's complicated..! And the position is not the same
throughout the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland). And the
Republic of Ireland is completely different.

In England and Wales the fishing rights in most waters are privately
owned - usually as a result of a grant by the crown to some ******* who
trampled over the land and subdued the natives almost a thousand years
ago [1].

There are exceptions, such as some tidal waters, where there's a public
right to fish. But normally the presumption is that the owner of the
bank owns the fishing rights to the middle line. But fishing rights can
be (and often are) separated from ownership of land. In many areas the
fishing rights have been acquired by clubs for their members. Fishing
is usually available in most areas for a modest fee, but it's necessary
to make enquiries and get permission. It's not a good idea to fish
without seeking permission.

The fish themselves (in running water) belong to no-one. But it's an
offence to fish in private waters.

As noted below, everywhere you fish requires a permit.

"Permit" is the word usually used to describe the permission obtained
from the owner of the fishing rights. It's different from and
additional to the "rod licence" which everyone has to obtain from the
Environment Agency before fishing anywhere.

While this may seem quite a hassle, there are many instances where
you can buy a week long permit for a river of some size for not too
much money.

Yes. Seek and ye shall find. Google the area and ask in
uk.rec.fishing.game


The legal position in Scotland is explained at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/?pageID=99


[1] The rights on my local river can be traced back to a grant by King
John in 1203 to one of his Norman cronies. :-(

--
Nogood Boyo