A word to the wise

The close season for coarse fish still applies on all rivers - however, they are still open for salmon, trout and sea-trout fishing. BUT - only if they are known to have an indigenous stock of those species.

I have recently had reason to check this with the EA, and was told the following :-

Legal baits for salmonids (but not grayling - they are classed as a coarse fish, even though they do have the salmonid's adipose fin)during the coarse fishing close season on rivers are natural or artificial fly, worm, minnows, prawns or shrimps. No floats allowed, therefore either ledger or free-line only. And there is also the above-mentioned problem of the river having to be known to be supporting the species being fished for. If the river which you are fishing for game fish (trout, for instance), is not known by the EA to support a population of them, then you could face prosecution on the basis that you are effectively fishing for coarse fish out of season.

A call to your local EA office, Fisheries Section, is well worth-while.

I hate to labour a point but if you want to fish rivers in the close season get some fly gear and have some real fun! It isn't difficult to do it's a great way to fish and you will not risk prosecution.

True, Alan - but the point regarding the fact that the water must be known to have a population of game fish ( I suppose that we are really talking trout here ) still applies even if the angler is using fly gear. If the water is not known as having a trout population, then the EA could take the view that the angler was actually fishing for coarse fish.


Jonty

I'm confused John. Why would you want to fish a river for trout or salmon unless you knew it contained game fish?

John - some people just want to carry on fishing, full stop. They will continue to fish the rivers under the *pretence* of fishing for trout. And what I have been told by an EA Fisheries officer is that if the water is not known to have a trout population, then the angler could be liable to prosecution, as he will be deemed to be fishing for coarse fish out of season.

So.. you have a river that has an native trout population and the EA licence says you can fly fish for them. But the coarse rights on the river are owned by a club who adhere to the closed season.

Can you fly fish it during the closed seaon or not?

If the controlling club also retain the game fishing rights, and their rules allow trout fishing during the coarse-fish close season, then yes.

However, I do know of certain stretches of river - the Severn in particular - where one club leases the coarse fishing, but a different club leases the game (in this case, specifically salmon) fishing rights.

What happens in this situation is that ONLY members of the club which has the coarse fishing are allowed to fish the stretch during the coarse season, and ONLY members of the club which has the game fishing are allowed to fish it during the coarse-fish close.


Jonty

So it depends on who owns the game fishing rights - that figures.

And if no one explicitly owns the game fishing rights, then presumerably closed season fly fishing should be OK on the basis that the river holds native (non-migratory) trout.