River Anglers and Licences

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

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Ian's thread got me thinking...

Ian's Thread

To what extent are our rivers ignored by enforcement officers? I haven't been checked in 24 years, even at vogue venues such as Throop and Collingham.

So how many of you fellow river anglers have ever had your collar felt and where?
 
C

Chris Bishop

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Me, never. Got pulled over in a layby by a couple of EA guys a few years ago, who wanted to know if we had livebaits. Showed them the lures, that was it, never asked to see rod licences.

Saw an EA bailiff last winter, I was tied up in the boat. He checked the guys on the bank either side of me, walked past and never said a word.
 
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Bryan Baron 2

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Only ever been checked on the Ribble once. But he was only down to see if conditions were right for a bit of Salmon angling the following day. I stopped to talk to him and another salmon angler i had met previously. So he just checked our licences.

I have never seen a baliff club or EA out checking tickets on the rivers. I think its down to the walks involved covering the same ground twice. Where as a stillwater comercial fishery can usually be covered in a short time with a lot more hits as the angler per yard of bank is a lot higher.

Besides that everybody nows that us river anglers are a honest and lawabiding lot.
 
Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

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Alan,

That's the healthiest rate I've ever heard of. Amongst my 4 fishing buddies. We have 80-90 odd years of river fishing between us and not one check

Where was that Chris? The Broads?

Bryan,

Surely there is easy money to made on a daily basis on the Great Ouse (Adams etc), the Trent (Collingham, A1) etc and at weekends on regular match stretches eg Warwickshire Avon, middle Severn et al

In Worcestershire/ Warwickshire it's got to the point where I try to show my licence to any old random dogwalker, tramp, drunk, passer-by that happens by...

I want someone to know I've got one!
 
Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

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That's not a jealousy point by the way, about 'name' venues.

I love my annual pilgrimages to a number of trendy swims.

I'd like to think that regular checks at these river angling flagship waters (Broads, Royalty etc) may send out a wider 'licence-buying' message to our fishing community?
 
F

Fred Bonney

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Last season,Trent at Fiskerton and that holiday place near Worcester.
Before that,40odd years ago
Hatfield Forest Lake checked by Thames Water baliff,only had an Anglia Water licence!
 
C

Chris Bishop

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Fens ****y. First time was on the River Wissey, second nearby.
 
Mark Wintle

Mark Wintle

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My four times in one day must be an all time record then (1982). Been checked at least 15 times apart from that, the last time was last weekend of season in last March on Throop. That was the first check on a river for many years though. Wessex region used to check the New Year's day open match when the new licence came in on 1st Jan (20 years ago).
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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Thats because you have a dishonest face Mark .....
 
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Sgt Bash

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Me, never, although I have seen the ea workteams on several occasions actually working.
 
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jon helyer

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3 times in 11 years, the bailiffs in my area (Somerset) seem to go to the same areas, so the dodgers just fish elsewhere!

Not enough of them in my opinion, and fines not big enough either, at least not what the courts are handing out....
 
Phil Adams

Phil Adams

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Ive met 3 balifs on different waters in the 14yrs that I've fished. Its not enough.
 
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Michael Howson

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I was approached last season on the river Idle by what must have been the E-As version of apprentices as not one of the group of four looked over twenty. The main topic of conversasion centred round wether i had seen any otters. I cant recall the last time I had to produce my licence.
 
Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)

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Well I can't comment on Mark's guilty face...;-0

But i do find the amount of NO's worrying.

Between us that must add up to thousands and thousands of hours on the bank with no enforcement in sight.
 
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