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In the Midlands region, the use of a float in conjunction with any bait or lure is illegal (under byelaw 11) when deliberatly targetting trout or salmon.

Specific rules for other regions can be found here and I've copied my local rules below. Fly fishing and spinning are both legal but only if you are targetting trout or (if you have the appropriate licence) salmon and sea trout.

No person shall -
i) in fishing with rod and line for salmon in the Severn area use
any float in conjunction with any lure or bait.
ii) in fishing with rod and line for trout or any fish other than
freshwater fish during the annual close season for freshwater
fish, use any float or bait (which term includes ground bait)
other than artificial or natural fly (which term excludes
bloodworms, jokers and other midge larvae), spinners,
minnows, worms, prawns or shrimps.
NB. “any fish other than freshwater fish” excludes salmon for the
purpose of this byelaw (see section 3).
This only applies to those waters which have a close season, ie. rivers,
streams, drains and canals. There are no statutory bait restrictions on
stillwaters. So, if you wish to fish for eels on rivers during the coarse fish
close season, you may do so providing that you use the above baits, do
not use a float and use a hook with a gape of at least 0.5 inch
(12.7mm).
iii) in fishing with rod and line for freshwater fish and eels between
8th October and 31st December (both dates inclusive) use live
or dead fish baits, worms, prawns, spinners or other artificial
lures (except artificial flies) in the following rivers:
- the River Vyrnwy, upstream of Meifod Bridge (SJ156128)
- all tributaries of the River Vyrnwy upstream of Llanymynech
(SJ268205)
6. LURES AND BAITS
(Byelaw 11)
Byelaws
Byelaws
117
- the River Severn, upstream of Penstrowed railway bridge
(SO074911)
- all tributaries of the River Severn upstream of Cilcewydd bridge
(SJ228041)

This post has been edited by Ken L: May 4 2008, 07:50 AM

Different regions have different byelaws, in my region the following applies.

7. Prohibited Modes of Fishing
During the annual Close Season for freshwater fish (the period between March 14th and June 16th) no person shall fish with rod and line for salmon, migratory trout or non-migratory trout (including rainbow trout), other than with an artificial fly or lure, without the previous consent of the Agency in writing.

This suggests you could swap your worm for a fly and carry on doing what you were doing, however, I don't think that's the intention behind the byelaw and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it.

umm Thats a good one.

Because realy thats what you are doing when using a strike indicator when buzzer fishing or a large bushy fly coverd in mucalin serving the same purpose from the bank or drifting on a boat, taking it to extreems that what a floating line does by definition, in Alaska they use a bubble float in front of a flesh fly for sockeye salmon. So the method works, The real awnser is Trout regardless of what poeple tell you are pritty easy to catch and a bait will out fish a fly, with this in mind it would be easy to clobber the trout in closed season when they are spawning when fly fishing is prohibited, Negating the use of the closed season its just better to rest the whole stretch of water and have no fishing at all.



This post has been edited by five bellies: May 5 2008, 03:17 PM

Simple answer, perfectly legal if you are fishing for trout...not legal for any coarse fish during the close season.......Do you have a rod licence? You show a surprising amount of ignorance of the close season regulations.

Den

I read it as useing coarse fishing methods on a fly only Trout river in the closed season either way in the cold light of day you are right Den



This post has been edited by five bellies: May 5 2008, 04:09 PM

I fished a trout water today and it was very hard due to the heat.
Most anglers blanked, or had one or two fish, however one angler was very successful.
From the bank he fished a team of three black buzzers, 3ft apart, under a large pink floating fly/lure (it had a hook in it).
All he did was cast out and leave it there, no attempt to retrieve, just the occasional mending of the line.

There was nothing in the Fishery Rules on the back of the ticket that covered this situation and I have no idea what our "Regions" byelaws state.
It could be classed as adapting to the conditions, showing invention and initiative, or something else, but it did not seem like sporting trout fishing to me.

Static buzzers fished in a team under a strike indicator of some sort can be deadly in high summer and oddly late winter
when ice crystals form in your line guides. The main thing you need is Ripple this imparts a very Nataural action to the buzzers that will induce a take when a Dog Nobbler stipped back at Mach 2 wont. Works with Blood worm as well.