How many new anglers learn about fishing before your started fishing?
So, you want to go freshwater fishing, do you? In the UK, there are a few essentials that you must have before you even think about going fishing.
A basic grasp of angling regulations should save you a lot of bother. Let’s look at each of these in turn, and then provide some basic advice about essential bits of tackle and safety that will make your first trip more likely to be legal, safe and successful.
It all comes down to the law. In England and Wales it is a legal requirement (for those aged 12 and over) to have an Environment Agency rod license to fish for salmon, sea trout, trout, freshwater fish or eels in any water, and this includes estuaries.
A few waters are covered by a general license. The easiest way to obtain a license is from any Post Office and the licenses run from the 1st April each year for annual ones. 1 day (£3) and 8 day (£8) licenses are also obtainable. For coarse fishing (including non-migratory trout), the annual cost is £23 (£5 for those aged 12-16 years), and covers the use of two rods.
There are a complex multitude of regulations to understand, but in a nutshell they are concerned with making angling a sport that recognises essential conservation measures. Vital ones are that foul hooking (deliberate hooking into the fish anywhere other than the mouth area) and leaving rods unattended to fish for themselves are illegal. There are regulations covering the use of keenest, movement of live fish (live baits may only be used in the water from where they were caught), seasons when you may fish, and restrictions on using lead weights.
