There are thousands of fantastic places to go fishing this weekend so pack your rod, reel and bait – but don’t forget your rod licence!
If you forget to buy a £24.50 annual rod licence the trip could end costing up to £2,500 in fines.
This weekend the Environment Agency’s fisheries officers will be out on the riverbanks and lakes checking anglers have bought their rod licence and are fishing legally.
Skipping the rod licence fee is cheating fellow anglers because every penny raised from licence sales goes straight back into the sport.
Environment Agency’s Strategic Specialist for Fisheries Matt Carter said: “The river fishing season for coarse fish is about to start on the 16th of June and we expect there will be a lot of people planning to go fishing.
Matt explains “To go fishing, anyone of 12 years and older needs a valid rod licence as well as permission to fish from the fishery owner or angling club. We put the money received from rod licences back into improving and protecting fish stocks. Anyone caught fishing illegally is cheating other anglers and preventing us from doing our work.
“Fishing is a great pastime and we encourage people of all ages to give the sport a go this weekend. It is so easy to get a licence – from a post office, over the phone or from our website – and then you can get out and enjoy our rivers and lakes.”
Over the four-day operation, which runs from Thursday 14 June to Sunday 17 June, 15 bailiffs across the Thames region will be checking the licences of as many anglers as possible.
The officers aim to cover more than 100 still waters and river locations across the weekend, and check more than 1,000 anglers for a valid licence.
Anyone caught fishing without a rod licence is cheating other anglers and can face fines of up to £2,500. All the money raised from rod licence sales is put straight back into improving the environment such as restocking, improving habitats and improving access to fishing for all parts of the community.
Members of the public who see illegal fishing should immediately contact the Environment Agency free 24 hour hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
Thames Region E.A. News Release
