rod licence check

xenon · Mar 31, 2017

just curious to know if my experience is shared by others-have fished pretty constantly and regularly for 40+ years. In that time I have been challenged to produce my rod licence, er, never. count them. Not once. I should add I am not fishing weird out of the way places either.

103841 · Mar 31, 2017

In the two years I've returned to fishing I've been asked once and that's by a bailiff that does ask everybody that fishes at Shorne Country Park near Gravesend, good on him.

binka · Mar 31, 2017

Five times in all, iirc.

Four times over the last four years, twice on the same popular river stretch and twice in the back of beyond where I would least have expected it.

All four recent checks occurred over a couple of years period, nothing over the last couple of years though.

Prior to that It was when I was a junior in a match at Collingham so well over thirty years ago.

thames mudlarker · Mar 31, 2017

s63 said:
In the two years I've returned to fishing I've been asked once and that's by a bailiff that does ask everybody that fishes at Shorne Country Park near Gravesend, good on him.

That'll probably be me mate John as yes they do check for yer license here, basically no license no fishing

this is me local little commercial type of water, used to fish it a few years back when teaching me kids to fish but not really my type of water,

However the Kentish stour now that's a different story

trotter2 · Mar 31, 2017

I have been checked 5 times in 40 yrs 3 times in the last two.

chrissh · Mar 31, 2017

Twice in 3 weeks last year and probably 6-8 times since the new card style licence came out never had the old style paper licence check

seth49 · Mar 31, 2017

As best as I can recall, five times in fifty years, would be about right.
Last time was with the new type licence, he wasn't impressed that I had laminated it to protect it, made it difficult to put his initials on.?

mikench · Mar 31, 2017

I was checked last week by the club bailiff who asked for licence and membership card!

mats · Mar 31, 2017

in 40 years its 5 times on the bank. Once about 35 years ago on the Severn, Then about 8 years ago the same EA bailiffs checked my license 4 Sundays on the trot whilst fishing winter league matches in Hythe. I suppose they got to say they checked a lot of licenses even if they were the same ones every week.
Had to show my license for entry to a few NFA run matches when they had a bit of a purge in the late 90's.

slaphead · Mar 31, 2017

I've been checked once by a club bailiff about 2 years ago. It must have taken him about 20 minutes to walk round the water from the other end.

Keith M · Mar 31, 2017

I've only had my licence checked around 5 or 6 times in 55 years, 3 times on the grand union canal near Watford and 2 or 3 times elsewhere.

That didn't bother me because I've always thought that I would rather be paying towards their fishing improvement project costs rather than paying someones wages just to walk around checking licences.

Our club has had them supply nets and boats and air pumps and 'know how' several times in the past when we have had serious pollutions, although we always got the ACA involved as well; as there were several times when we had to take our own water samples and get the ACA to do the same because the water authorities were too lax and let the polluters get away with it too often. I'm not so convinced that we always get our monies worth in this day and age with some of the other things we hear about them nowerdays.

Keith

nogoodboyo · Mar 31, 2017

I had my licence checked once.
By my uncle. I think it was 1978.

thecrow · Mar 31, 2017

Ha Ha never years ago a Severn Trent bailiff challenged me for mine, he didn't get to see it as he only asked after I had told him and his bloodworm scraping equipment to clear off, I suppose he thought it would impress me, yeah right!

rayner · Apr 1, 2017

I suppose I had my licence checked when I was a lad but I really don't recall.
I have a favourite saying that rod licence bailiffs are like Snow Leopards you know they exist but never see one.
I would recommend no one buys a licence as there are no checks, us in Yorkshire have no alternative, being all church goers we have to stick to rules.
OK they get checked down the M1 from here but we all know lower country types can't be trusted

Us up here are all law abiding.
Hence no bailiffs

jon atkinson · Apr 1, 2017

Personally, never - in fact I can't even think of anyone that I know who has been checked... must be a northern thing :wh

sam vimes · Apr 1, 2017

I can recall being checked by EA bailiffs five or six times in the last thirty odd years. Once on the Trent at Collingham by bailiffs traveling by boat. Once at a 48hr carp match (that I wasn't actually fishing). Once on the former Black Bull day ticket stretch of the Swale at Topcliffe. Any other instances have been at busy out and out commercials on bank holidays. If you avoid popular river stretches and commies, you are unlikely to ever see an EA bailiff.

theartist · Apr 1, 2017

I got checked once on the Thames many years ago, at least I think I did, seems a bit far fetched now come to think of it :wh

Windy · Apr 2, 2017

Never in over 46 years fishing.

103841 · Apr 2, 2017

thames mudlarker said:
That'll probably be me mate John as yes they do check for yer license here, basically no license no fishing this is me local little commercial type of water, used to fish it a few years back when teaching me kids to fish but not really my type of water,

However the Kentish stour now that's a different story

Was that you? A chap, tall, slim and in his fifties I'd say.

mikench · Apr 2, 2017

Once that I recall and that was two weeks ago

new club and rules!

The guy was alright about it but checked my club card as well. I reckon he thought who is this handsome stranger with all the gear but no idea

He knows now. I remember Bob Monkhouse saying " they laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian but they are not laughing now":wh

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