mattdent

On the frequency of licences checked. Bailiffs being as they are few in number do tend to cover a large area and licence checking is only one of many responsibilities. If a bailiff checks a water once a week on a different day each week if you fish the same water on the same day each week it could be upto nearly a month before you could be checked. If which is more likely he patrols that water once a month I hate to think what the odds are of one person being apprehended are. If you add the variables of different times off day and fishing varying days of the week then the figures could be mind blowing. The bottom line is if you expect to have your licence checked more frequently then be prepared to shoulder a huge hike in licence prices to civer the wages of extera bailiffs!!! Fish for long enough without a licence and you will eventualy be caught either today tommorow or in 70yrs time!

there are several routes a bailiff can go through to check a correct name and address has been given. One is check the electoral roll over his mobile , ask for proof of I.D e.g drving licence passport etc, phone up a relative or friend (obvoiusly on a number given to him by the angler) and ask for a description of the angler and confirmation of the address given. failing all these, if the bailiff believes an offence has been commited he can seize any tackle being used. or if this is opposed, again if he believes an offence has been committed and can not confirm any name and address details given he does have the powers of arrest and can summon the police for assistance.

try etang de soustons. 30-35 miles south up the coast. beautiful lake. failing that find a large tackle shop, and if your lucky they'll have some pictures of carp, caught by the locals on the wall. Point to them and ask " where the bloody hell did that come from" and I'm sure they'll know what you want!

yawn