Ed, That is an interesting quote about the 3 guys caught using fixed lines. They also did not have licences and had not turned up to 2 previous court appearances so obviously they were not on the right side of the law.
But one quote from the same report says:
After the case an Agency spokesperson said: " These men appear to have had little regard for the law or for other peoples property. The only legal way to fish in freshwater is by the use of a rod and line, to be in possession of a valid Agency rod licence and by obtaining the fishery owners permission to fish."
source:
http://www.ogmoreriver.com/info/River_pollution.php
However this is incorrect. It is perfectly legal to fish for eels by other means apart from using 'a rod and line', such as with a licenced fyke net or other form of eel trap. I think this just shows why clear, unambiguous information is required.
Realgar said:
One thing I haven't managed to find yet is what legal constitues a rod - as poles and whips are allowed, the definition can't involve reels so it must come down to a legal minimum length, the EA site search engine is next to useless. Anyone got any guesses?
Realgar
Same problem I had and which brought on the general rant about hard to find byelaws/ regulations in a easy to read/ access form.
Rob, I see you point about asking club or bailiff but there can be confusion from different people saying different things and perhaps it is a query about some nuance, like rod definition. The Environment Agency web site has a section for licences with some info here:
EA- Rod Fishing Licences
There for example they have a section on:
EA - National Fisheries Byelaws for Anglers
Which sounds promising
but when you look it has only 10 items and the detail is only basic. Sure, it should be easy to understand without confusing legalise, but really this scanty info.
They also then have a section on:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.u...=_e]EA - Regional Fisheries Byelaws link page
Which seems to only cover some regions, no easy way to see which region you are in and all are in PDF format without a easy to view html page onsite. I found that each byelaw was not standardised which made it hard to read and even the documents confusing. This does not help present the regulations in a clear and easy to understand manner IMHO.
Thee is another section of the EA web site I found ( not an easy task as no link from Licence section) called:
EA -NetRegs - Angling Guidelines
Again this gives some general rules but it is rather confusing. It gives some info for obtaining leaflets by phone.
It gives the folowing advice on relevant legislation:
Relevant Legislation
The legislation listed below is specific to fish and fishing. If you require any further details of this legislation, a hard copy can be obtained from HMSO by telephoning 0870 600 5522. The copy you you view on that site will be the version which was passed at that time.*It will not incorporate any subsequent amendments, and may not therefore represent the current legal position.*However, we are currently updating the website so that where there have been subsequent amendments this is indicated by an asterisk.
The Statutory Publications Office is currently developing a database which will show legislation in its amended form.* We hope to be able to link to this site when it is available. In the meantime, specific information on changes to legislation may be obtained from your legal adviser, environmental consultant or local reference library.
Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 This act details the licensing of fishing and activities which are prohibited.
So it looks like it is either some general advice on some issues or applying to HMSO for the full version.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse but there needs to be better information available at the point of purchase ( for instance when you order your fishing licence online, why don't they send you a .pdf format byelaw document, or when you buy it from a tackle shop or post office, they give you a printed version? Then no one has excuses and it would help to avoid misunderstandings etc. Really these days a web site offers the perfect place for this, but it is not there now.
Rather than this, in the South West if I want to read about the byelaws the web site points you have to buy a publication called 'Get Hooked' at a cost of £4.99 :roll:
EA - A guide to angling in the South West'
There may be other ways but it is not obvious from the info provided.
Their web site is not bad as such and has some interesting info but it is difficult to find stuff and missing parts as described.
I am still trying to find out the legal definition of a fishing rod too.
BTW Did you know that the is no national rod licence for fishing in Scotland? In areas covered by a 'Protection Order' you require a permit or written permission from the land owner and these are indicated by signs. If there is no Protection order required then you can fish without one.
source: [
http://www.fishingnet.com/misc/law.htm]Fishing Law in Scotand[/url]. As with all things legal best to check most up to date byelaws etc.
