obe1

But your not putting the hedgehog in a position to be run over where as when you hook a fish you are stopping it from escaping a pike or whatever, OK it's not exactly the same but you are still putting the fish in a position of danger. I do see where your coming from though. Joe

Has anyone caught a fish and had that fish taken by a pike? although not intentional it is the same thing, every time you catch a fish where pike or any other predatory fish may be present you are putting that fish at risk and let's be honest every time you hook a fish there is no garuantee that that fish will survive so if you care about the fish that much the answers simple - don't go fishing. Joe

trouble is he won't understand what your saying. Joe

Barry it used to be more than a 3rd but it keeps dropping, at the moment it's down to 29%. Just shows how much the government is commited to angling when it keeps cutting funding. Joe

Although it was originaly optional the federal government now say all states have to have a licence by 2012. There may be better fish but that is because in the states they control there own fishery policies and have decreased commercial fishing, this will not happen here. If the fishing is so good then why is the Recreational Fishing Alliance introducing "freedom to fish bills" in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, it's alright having better fish but if you've lost up to half of your fishing ground then how does that benefit the average RSA? Joe

Tut, all that money and they still use an outside bog. Joe

Hmm tuffy, it would have to be either when the pyramids were built, when Stonehenge was built or when the Incas disappeared, failing that when man first discovered fire just to see the look on his face. Joe

Sorry mate but yours wasn't in there this month but there is always next month I have a feeling this subject might run in the letters pages for a while yet, Mel Russ did say that they had been inundated with letters concerning the article. On a brighter note I was a star letter although it was quite edited but most of my points were made so I'm not really bothered, just waiting for my shiny new luggage now Joe

--> QUOTE(Norm B @ Sep 12 2007, 02:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It will be in the October edition of the SAN, it deserves more coverage. It certainly does deserve more and I think It should be brought to the attention of the government, that's my afternoon sorted. Joe

Don't think I'll bother with it, even if it doesn't work somebody will probably stick a tax on it soon anyway. Joe

Technically that depends on whether you benefit from the EA licence or not, I know anglers who only fish small farm ponds etc so it wouldn't make a difference if a concessionary licence was free they'd still be paying for sod all anyway. Joe

I most certainly do not think that I deserve a discount on everything I take part in and I not receive a discount on everything I take part in, in fact the concessionary licence is the ONLY discount that I receive in everything that I take part in. Joe No one has come up with a valid explanation as to why they should pay as much. Joe

Firstly not everyone with a disability receives disability benefits and if you bother to read the posts some disabled anglers do not get a years fishing, some are lucky to get a weeks fishing in a year. Secondly yes there may be fakes but why should the genuine cases be made to suffer because of them. We are talking about people who have layed their life on the line to serve their country and people who have supported this country throught taxes there whole working life, I find it unbelievable that some of you begrudge them a small concession. I myself am elegable for a concessionary rod licence but I would gladly give that up if it meant that the likes of budgie, Kleinboet or any other disabled angler or pensioner can have that concession. Joe

Yes but it is the word choice that is the point. I am only able to fish half a dozen times or less a year because of my disability so I do not fish any where near as much as most able bodied anglers. my concession does not enable me to fish more than anyone else. I know very well who qualifies for a concessionary licence, I use the wheelchair example not because every disabled angler has one but because it highlights the problems faced by some anglers. I do not fish more and I do not require any costly access solutions. It definitely isn't the best way of working it out but I can't really think of a better way. Joe

It's quite simple really, an able bodied angler pays more because he/she is ABLE to fish in more places and more often than a disabled angler, wether they choose to or not (and by that I also mean wether they can because of work etc) is irrelevant because the licence is compulsory. An angler in a wheelchair cannot access over 90% of the waters in England and Wales so why should they have to pay fully for a licence that they forcibly need to fish those waters which they cannot access, the point is they cannot access those waters even if they wanted to whereas an able bodied angler can access those waters even if they don't want to. Joe

Totally agree mate, it's amazing it isn't worse than it is. What they are doing in Cornwall does seem a bit harsh but if it cuts down on the fraud then I suppose it has to be done but as usual the innocent have to suffer. Joe

Just got a website up and running, it can be a bit slow so just bear with it, you can download the leaflet and the poster from the downloads page. http://anglers.50webs.com/ Joe

Very well said mate Joe

The thing is we already do in a way. Coarse anglers contribute an estimated £1.3 billion into the UK economy, that's over 50 times the money raised by the rod licence, admittedly the majority of that will come from able bodied anglers but disabled anglers do contribute to that amount. Joe

LOL that's OK then A blue badge is issued by your local county council and in no way is it dependant on benefits, in fact all you need is a reference from your doctor. I don't know anything about DLA so I won't comment. I know the EA have worded it wrongly but you need to be in receipt of DLA OR have a blue badge to qualify for a concessionary rod licence. Joe

Budgie, it isn't worded very well but the rules are that if you are in receipt of DLA or are entitled to a blue badge then you qualify for a concessionary licence. you don't need both. Joe

Er NO my disability only allows me to fish no more than half a dozen times a year (4 times last season), granted some disabled anglers do seem to be able to do as much as able bodied anglers but that certainly is not the case for all of us, it annoys me when people assume that just because you are disabled that you have sod all to do all day and can do whatever you want whenever you want. The situation is not ideal but a concession is needed for those that cannot access most of the waters in the UK and cannot fish most of the time. Joe

I'm sorry but that is complete and utter C**P Firstly a concessionary licences is available for Blue Badge holders and/or people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance. Secondly you do not need to be receiving the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA infact you do not need to be receiving any benefit whatsoever, a blue badge is issued on the grounds of disability and nothing else, it has nothing to do with benefits. Joe

Yeah I see your point there. Joe

I know they don't that was my point, your argument of there should be no concessions would mean that they would have to pay for a full TV livence. A rod licence is a lawful document that allows you to fish with rod and line on any inland water so long as you have permission, now if can not access a lot of that water through a disability then why should you have to pay the full amount. The argument that there would be no money left for the upkeep of waters is rediculouse, most of the waters in the UK receive no money from the EA at all. Privately owned waters such as commercials have to pay for their own upkeep including most of their restocking and their own disabled access although there are grants avaliable but they are from the government and the EU. I can think of no other tax wherby you would have to pay the full amount of that tax but only be able to access a small percentage of the service. I can see your point about the water is there and the fish are there but that isn't really much use if a disabled angler can't get to them. Joe