Rod license fees - stirring it up!

[Steve Walker]

I remain of the position that it ain't fair in principle, but is the best option in practice - I just reserve the right to moan about it

[Worms]

I totally agree Steve, the EA have produced some ridiculous restrictions of late but, it's the best we have. The problem is that the constant whingeing from anglers about how nothing is done, or, they can't see where the money goes (when we are the majority actually using the facilities) is just more likely to see the EA and Govt. either upping prices or imposing more restrictive legislation to 'prove' that they are doing something!

 

Rods and backs etc.

[Tigger]

I totally agree Steve, the EA have produced some ridiculous restrictions of late but, it's the best we have. The problem is that the constant whingeing from anglers about how nothing is done, or, they can't see where the money goes (when we are the majority actually using the facilities) is just more likely to see the EA and Govt. either upping prices or imposing more restrictive legislation to 'prove' that they are doing something!

 

Rods and backs etc.

 

 

Hang on a minuite, as I've already said I live very near to a river that is treated like an open sewer (but could be fantastic) and been polluted more times than I can remember. Since the last major incident the ea have done ball all to help with fish stocks...or ewt else for that matter ! Why on earth should I have anything good to say about the plonkers ? A very close friend of mine who does the ecological studies for British waterways hasn't got a good word to say about them...unlike yourself of course.

They've never even had the decency to give me feed back on pollution incidents that i've reported to them. Maybe you get a bit more from them down your end of the country but up here they do sod all. They don't even check for licenses unless it's a commercial full of witnesses incase they get aggro and the one time they checked me I hadn't got one (never had one ever) and when I told them I hadn't they just buggerd off stating they would get the police next time if they saw me fishing without a license again.......wimps....three wimps actually !

Edited February 4, 2011 by Tigger

[Worms]

It wasn't a go at you Tigger, I understand your frustration if you've reported stuff and had no response.

 

I'm no fan of the EA myself, with 4rseholes like Adrian Taylor in charge of fisheries I'm not surprised that people get miffed but, as was mentioned by Steve, it's the best we have. I just don't resent paying for my pastime, especially when it's so cheap.

 

Earlier on in the thread I think it was Vagabond and Budgie (apolgies if I've got that incorrect) that were bemoaning the loss of the old local waterways licensing system. I totally agree with that. We had a local system pertinent to the rivers that we fished. Ok, a bit of a drag if you wanted to travel to fish but, mostly you didn't then!

 

I've been involved in quite a few EA licence discussions on fora in the last six months so my apologies to anybody I may have upset (Hopinc) but, bloody hell, we get a service, not perfect I admit but, we pay a tiny bit more than the rest of the public and in general we get an awful lot more back.

 

Don't get me started on bloody commercials though, they own 'em, they pay for 'em. Leave the rod licence duties to pay for public/natural waters!

 

 

Come on England, one down, four more to go

Edited February 4, 2011 by Worms

[RUDD]

All I can add is that whilst we have to but a licence to fish by law we at least have some representation in central government.

If we did not have licences to fish angling would leave itself in a more vulnerable position to get banned than it is already.

[Ed Matysiak]

I met a bayliff on the bank on Thursday! First time in 10+ years!

 

I was starting to think they didn't exist!

[Hopinc]

Hello Worms,

 

I've been involved in quite a few EA licence discussions on fora in the last six months so my apologies to anybody I may have upset (Hopinc) but, bloody hell, we get a service, not perfect I admit but, we pay a tiny bit more than the rest of the public and in general we get an awful lot more back.

 

You haven't really upset me, I just felt that we were going round in circles going over things that were not really relevant to what I wanted to know, i.e. how the license fee is actually spent. I never said that we did not get something in return for our money. I wasn't really suggesting it was a bad deal, just that we should not accept it at face value & question if we were getting the best for our money.

 

I did think that your comments about me wanting jam on it, or as your friend suggested marmite, weren't particularly helpful or warranted.

 

In retrospect I guess that the title of my original post was ill chosen, which I regret, and I would have changed it almost immediately after posting, if I could have edited it.

 

Since my last visit to this thread I have been pursuing an enquiry though the EA about last years accounts. So far I have had a couple of emails, but have not got any factual information. I am hoping that I will have an answer soon, but it could be up to 20 days according to the information sent to me.

 

If/when I recieve the data I will post it on this forum.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Hopinc

[Worms]

Hello Worms,

 

I just felt that we were going round in circles going over things that were not really relevant to what I wanted to know, i.e. how the license fee is actually spent. I never said that we did not get something in return for our money. I wasn't really suggesting it was a bad deal, just that we should not accept it at face value & question if we were getting the best for our money.

Hello Hopinc,

 

Therein lies the rub I fear. the rod licence money is not spent 'absolutely' on one thing. Many millions of pounds is contributed to it from other sources and, as such 'our' £25m or whatever is lost in a pile of other monies. The video link that John (Gozzer) put up was, I'm sure, done to answer questions such as yours without involving the greater detail......but not strictly accurate!

[Hopinc]

That's probably true. I don't need anything more detailed than that. The up to date information that I have asked for from the EA has been requested in a similar simplified manner.

[Dick Dastardly]

One of the EA's big problems is that they try to hard to keep anglers happy.................but without really knowing what the grass roots angler wants! They get their information from regional consultative committees.These are normally very unbalanced groups reflecting narrow spectrum's of angling. In the past for example they were often dominated by match anglers and now these days instant carp anglers! Another problem is that nearly all on them come from club committees..................and we know what dinosaurs a lot of club committee men are! So in a nut shell we see them only doing the things recommended to them by a rather dodgy few!

 

Also a lot of what they spend the money on is totally wasted on the average angler as he simply doesn't understand the need/importance.

 

We often base our opinion on them/the value for money of the licence on personal experience, best example being we never see a bailiff so we don't think the EA does anything.The

fishery manager has them help save his stock (if he's lucky and their fish rescue section aren't all in a meeting) whilst all his anglers are at home and thinks they are great and worth every penny!

 

Ive had experience from both sides of the fence and as Ive often said feel they could do a lot better and Ive been let down by them both as an angler and a fishery manager in the past..........but if this is simply down to them not having sufficient funds/resources then what do we/they do?

 

I wish it was as simple as paying them more money but once again as Ive said before I still doubt their ability to use that money!

 

I feel we need an EA type body and I feel we should pay more but we really need a big shake up in the way things are done. Ive several ideas of how this could be done but Ive gone on long enough here.

 

As it stands I have to agree with the "they are very poor but better than nothing" stance.