Rod Licence

[Guest tigger]

This whole topic makes me laugh so much! If anyone is seriously telling me they can't afford £25 after you've paid for 2 rods reels, landing net, unhooking mat, hooks, lines, tickets, bait etc etc.

 

Tigger how much does your 3 rods, plus reels, line, bivvy, rod pod, alarms, net, unhooking mat, bedchair cost? How about your day/season ticket? How about the petrol in the car to get there? Take all this and compare it to 25 quid. If you can afford 3 rods 25 quid is nothing.

 

Finally if your water has a pollution/disease etc problem are you telling me you won't expect the EA to come and sort it out for free? Walkers don't care about the fish in the rivers just that they look pretty. Boaters have to pay a licence and correct me if I'm wrong that costs hundreds of pounds.

 

Moan all you like but if you ask me its day tickets and tackle prices which are a rip off not the rod licence.

 

I'm also sure as you feel so strongly about this you have written to your MP asking for the licence to be dropped? Perhaps you have considered running as an independent in an election to make you point? Or perhaps your are doing nothing at all but just moaning.

 

Right hard hat on! here we go!

 

 

 

You don't need your hard hat on mate, we all have our own opinions.

Personally I can afford a rod licence but there are those who are genuinely skint and unemployed and would struggle to get one.

It's not the price of the Licence it's the principle.

It's funny how every single person/angler apart from the few on here who argue about this topic evertime all disagree with the rod licence.

As for politics I'm not a good enough liar to get involved with that !!

[rarepleasures]

It's funny how every single person/angler apart from the few on here who argue about this topic evertime all disagree with the rod licence.

 

and you've asked them all have you ?

[Guest tigger]

and you've asked them all have you ?

 

 

Lets just say all the anglers I know and any I've spoken to on the bank.

[poledark]

I've asked this question before...."how many anglers would buy a license unless forced to by law? "

 

 

I assume those who answer Yes would make a voluntary contribution if licenses were abolished?

 

 

Biggest con trick going.

 

Den

[Paul_D]

Biggest con trick going.

 

Yep, makes about as much sense as the closed season......

[Guest tigger]

Yep, makes about as much sense as the closed season......

 

 

 

Your not wrong there cockle

[kleinboet]

Tigger - you're talking like a 5 year old!! These "skint" anglers you see that can't afford a licence.

Do they have rubbishy cheap gear when they are fishing? No? I thought not!

 

These people who "can't afford" a licence, will happily kit themselves out, even if it costs them a weeks dole money for end tackle! By the way, according to the government, unless they are disabled or on pension, they shouldn't be at the waterside fishing until they have gainful employment!

I am not employed now, but I would NOT go anywhere near the water without a licence. As I am 63 years old and disabled, I think I am entitled to fish!

 

When I was actively looking for work when I was younger, I took a sabbatical from fishing. I am afraid I am one of those people who are law abiding (who are rapidly dying out!) and wouldn't dream of taking dole money and spending my time next to the water!

[Anderoo]

Yep, makes about as much sense as the closed season......

 

Or keepnets...

 

Or commercial waters...

 

Or livebaiting...

 

Or treble hooks...

 

Or poisoning cats...

 

...etc...!

[ColinW]

Whether I should have to buy a licence or not should not be determined by whether I can afford to pay. It should be determined by whether the EA actually do anything for my benefit. In my view they don't. There is an old saying "He who pays the piper calls the tune." Well the tune I call for isn't the one my local EA are playing. I don't know any local angler who is bothered one way or another about salmon. In thirty odd years of fishing I have never caught one. I've only tried twice, and then on those occasions, to add insult to injury, I had to buy an extra licence; even though years of MY money had built all the weirs, fish ladders and monitoring equipment on that river (Lune) and are still paying for similar equipment all around the Mersey catchment! Sure, I've seen EA staff working on waters I fish. But all they were doing was cutting out all the fish supporting weed so that the fields would drain better!

[Steve Walker]

To be fair to the EA (and the salmon issue is one I agree with you on, Colin), they do spend money on habitat improvements which benefit coarse anglers. I've recently been in touch with my area fisheries officer to ask about the situation on the local river, and they are trying. They've an ongoing survey programme, they've recently spent 30k on building a lagoon to improve fry survival and reinstating gravel riffles, and they're concerned that barbel are struggling and are looking at further habitat improvements to help.

 

My beef is that I'll gladly hand over my 25 quid towards paying for this if the alternative is that it doesn't get done, but really that work should be funded out of general taxation because it will benefit many people besides anglers.