What's the situation when fishing from a boat?

murv · Mar 17, 2012

Just wondering really, I'm seriously thinking of buying a little fishing dingy from a friend.
I'm fairly sure that you can fish off a boat, pretty much where you like, as long as you're not moored to the bank but it all seems a bit of a Grey area.
Anyone have any more definitive info?

Eric Edwards · Mar 17, 2012

No you're wrong I'm afraid. In waters controlled by an angling club in non-tidal waters you need to be a member to fish there whether you're fishing from the bank or boat and whether you're moored or not.
In tidal waters then I think you're right and you can fish where you like.

Mark Wintle · Mar 17, 2012

Eric Edwards said:
No you're wrong I'm afraid. In waters controlled by an angling club in non-tidal waters you need to be a member to fish there whether you're fishing from the bank or boat and whether you're moored or not.
In tidal waters then I think you're right and you can fish where you like.

In tidal waters that applies UNLESS it's a private fishery ie such as the tidal Dorset Stour and Avon at Christchurch, or the tidal Piddle.

Jeff Woodhouse · Mar 17, 2012

It all hangs on the fact that in most cases, the person who owns the land, owns the river bed to half way across the river and the accompanying fishing rights. He doesn't own the water and the fish are feral, no one owns them (except in lakes where its a bit different). So then the person who owns the land leases (or licences) off the fishing rights to a club or other individual/body and they can then control who fishes there.

In cases where the Environment Agency own the land and the river bed and the fishing from the bank is deemed to be free fishing, then fishing from a boat also would be allowable. You're right about tidal stretches, but ask around as some funny rights and laws exist from the writing of the Magna Carta*. It's worth checking about the bits of river you intend to fish, a lot of land owners don't mind, many don't care, but I know one person who is very funny about it and it now transpires that he may not have the rights anyway.

It's very confusing...

* Mark beat me to it, I think it's something about the first bridge in some cases as well.

murv · Mar 17, 2012

Superb, many thanks all.

frothy · Mar 18, 2012

On the subject of tidal waters how do anglers stand fishing these in closed season when they are in brackish water where fresh and sea species coexist?

thx1138 · Mar 21, 2012

to the original question - a lot of clubs / fishery owners prohibit fishing using boats where there is no navigation, for the following reasons:

1. to prevent setting precedent or encouraging other boat users to use the stretch
2. to prevent poaching / setting of illegal nets by boat.. i.e. if there is no legitimate use of a boat, then anyone seen in a boat must be poaching and would more likely be noticed and reported.

frothy said:
On the subject of tidal waters how do anglers stand fishing these in closed season when they are in brackish water where fresh and sea species coexist?

It doesnt matter where you are fishing, be it in fresh / brackish water or even 3 miles out to sea... if you are fishing for freshwater fish, the various byelaws (including close seasons) apply.

murv · Mar 21, 2012

Thanks James, I think I'm going to just use a bit of common sense.
A lot of anglers fish the river by boat but a lot of it is club owned (I'm joining the club anyway but more to fish from the bank)
Although they own nearly 10 miles of it, the banks are SSSI so a lot of it isn't accessible from the bank.
If I'm moored up well out of everybody's way in an otherwise inaccessible spot then I imagine I'd be OK but I'll see how it goes.

Cheers,

Chris

dezza · Mar 21, 2012

And don't you have to have a skipper's ticket, even for quite a small craft?

I know you have to have one in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. And in some parts of the USA too.

A skipper's ticket is much the same as a drivers licence, in that you have to answer questions on sailing and boating safety as well as show you can competently handle the craft. Then you get a licence disc which goes on the boat, and your name is printed across the boat's hull.

If this doesn't apply I think it should do. It would stop a lot of idiots getting out on the water.

Jeff Woodhouse · Mar 21, 2012

Where does skippers tickets come into it?

If you're in your own boat with a friend (so long as he isn't paying you for your time) then you don't need anything, just experience which comes with time. A mate can go with you so long as he's only paying towards the fuel or slipway fees etc., anything else and you'll need extra insurance.

Your boat may need to be registered, check with the EA for that and if you want insurance for the boat, check craftinsure.com, they're pretty cheap. You might consider using some sort of life preserver too, it's the law on the Shannon in Ireland, but not required here in UK - it really should be.

murv · Mar 22, 2012

Thanks both, appreciated.

No, you don't need a skippers ticket in the UK, not for rivers anyway. In fact (not that it affects me) I don't even think you need one at sea if you're not chartering.

Insurance and registration is not required on the river it's on, but is required on another river that I'd like to trailer it to occasionally and the day license is payable on a day ticket basis there.

I have life preservers (buoyancy aids actually I believe) from my canoeing days and although not full life jackets, I won't be going out alone and the river is less than 100yards across at it's widest point and for the most of it, under 50.

I'm buying it from a good friend of mine and he's offered to take me out for a couple of days to show me the ropes (no pun intended) which will be useful as although I've spent a fair bit of time fishing from small boats, I've never "skippered" one.

jameswest · Mar 22, 2012

Hi...
This is James. Really nice post. Thanks.

keora · Mar 26, 2012

murv said:
Just wondering really, I'm seriously thinking of buying a little fishing dingy from a friend.
I'm fairly sure that you can fish off a boat, pretty much where you like, as long as you're not moored to the bank but it all seems a bit of a Grey area.
Anyone have any more definitive info?

You may fish from a boat, without having to get permission from the riparian owner, provided you are fishing in tidal rivers which are connected to the sea without any intervening weirs.

If you are fishing from a non tidal river, the riparian owner controls both the fishing rights and boating rights, although he will often lease or licence the fishing to clubs etc. You need permission from either the owner or the fishing club to fish from a boat on a non tidal river.

---------- Post added at 07:09 ---------- Previous post was at 06:54 ----------

This is a useful link to the laws relating to navigation on rivers. Click on Water Law, then Fact Sheet 2 Navigation.

Simon Jackson Solicitors - Fishing Law, Angling Law & Water Law Specialists

murv · Mar 26, 2012

That's very useful, thank you

Cheers,

Chris

Mark Wintle · Mar 26, 2012

Keith2 said:
You may fish from a boat, without having to get permission from the riparian owner, provided you are fishing in tidal rivers which are connected to the sea without any intervening weirs.

This part (in bold) does not apply to private fisheries such as the Royalty fisheries at Wareham and Christchurch where the public rights were severed from the normal usage.

Jeff Woodhouse · Mar 26, 2012

murv said:
Insurance and registration is not required on the river it's on,

I should get yourself some insurance anyway for a) in case someone nicks your boat or it gets damaged somehow and b) in case you have the misfortune to damage someone elses. A big Broom 45 cost a bit to repair these days.

Insurance on a small powered dingy might only cost you about £50, so worth it.

murv · Mar 26, 2012

Jeff Woodhouse said:
I should get yourself some insurance anyway for a) in case someone nicks your boat or it gets damaged somehow and b) in case you have the misfortune to damage someone elses. A big Broom 45 cost a bit to repair these days.

Insurance on a small powered dingy might only cost you about £50, so worth it.

Noted, thank you.
I must admit I wasn't going to insure it as it's only an old cheapie but, the thought of running into a big flashy yacht (which i hadn't considered) doesn't fill me with warm fuzzy feelings!

What's the situation when fishing from a boat?

murv

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Eric Edwards

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