river fishing in the uk

[lofthouse31]

I am starting fishing soon, im hoping it will provide a veritable lada of rich goodies.
I was wondering how safe fresh water fish is to eat also crayfish and eels.
The river avon is the local place to go.
i have asked local fishermen but none of them fish for food they only do it for a hobby and relaxation.
is it legal to eat what you catch.
thanks for any help.

 

[leon-b]

will you be fishing freshwater or saltwater ?? it is legal to eat fish from saltwater but they have to be a certain size (not sure how big but it varies from fish to fish). if you want to fish freshwater you will need a fishing licence, i dont think you can eat freshwater fish but im not sure
leon

 

[ol smokey]

Your best source of information is either a Fishing Tackle shop , locally or most book shops have loads of books on fishing. Down in England as far as I know most fishing inland is done for sport only, and the fish are put back. in competitions even tiny fish are caught and I think counted but put back, having been kept safe in a keep net. in the river.
As mentioned you need a Fishing Licence in England. Up here in Scotland this is not required. But you do need a local Fishing Permit for the particular water you are fishing, and this may be just a particular streatch of water usually designated by notices on the river bank.This applies if you are fishing for GAME FISH i.e. Salmon, Sea Trout, or Rainbow Trout, Which are kept for eating. There may be a restriction on your permit as to how many you can keep. The rest must be put back to preserve stocks ,and avoid over fishing. If you are caught with a trout or Salmon In the closed season which varies from place to place and when you are not allowed to fish . You can have all your fishing tackle and anything connected to your fishing trip including you car confiscated by the police plus a heavy fine. But if you stick to the rules on your permit and keep within the law regarding closed season you should have no problems. Brown Trout are considered wild and have not been introduced to a particular area. So you usually get off with fishing for them as long as you are using very fine tackle. i.e.very small hooks and light weight line.
which would not be strong enough to take a seatrout or salmon. Good luck with your fishing

 

[lofthouse31]

thanks for info guys.
It seems a shame if it is illegal or unsafe to eat fresh water fish.
Also im hopeing to do a bit a of forageing on the river bank.
If it is illegal to eat my catch ( im only talking the odd fish now and the)
i will probably give it a miss.
Ive seen river cottage and he pulls allsorts out of the river for his lunch.

 

[big_daddy_merc]

off the top of my head i don't think there is any law to stop you taking the odd fish or two as long as it's done with rod an line, no net fishing, but from whats been posted i don't think that will be the case.
The only trouble you may encounter is if the waters are owned by a club, but even then they don't own the fish, just the right to fish it.
I would still doulbe check your local bylaws just in case theres a limit on what or how many you can take

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Fishing freshwater you need a rod licence, about £22.50 from March to March.

There is a close season on English rivers, this should've past by now.

As for fish that you might want to eat, you can eat all of them.
None of them are poisonous or bad.

But most are full of bones and not good eating.

If you want to eat river fish, how about Grayling.
They are part/similar to the trout family.

They will be caught up river in the fastish flowing water,
Float or feeder fish maggots or bread flake.
You could even fly fish for them.

Other fish that you could eat are big Perch and Pike.

Lure fishing would be a good way for these.

At least 8lb mono and wire trace.
Spinners,plugs, spinnerbaits, spoons, and rubber worm/fish baits work.

Fish around bridges, reed/weed/lilly beds etc.
Don't take big pike over 10lb.
The water needs them like the African plains need the lion.

Pollution will build up in the predators though.

Is the Avon clean.

If you feel yes, then eat away.

Lure fishing could also bring bonus trout and zander.

If you are lucky enough to catch a salmon then you will have to release it by law unless you have a salmon and migratory species licence.

Get some spinning tackle, you can use it for seabass.

I'm mad about fishing.

Any questions just pm me.

Tight lines as they say....

JC

 

[Mikey P]

I am starting fishing soon, im hoping it will provide a veritable lada of rich goodies.

An old communist car full of fish?

I was wondering how safe fresh water fish is to eat also crayfish and eels.

I've seen many-a-programme on TV (River Cottage and Cook on the Wildside, especially), where people (alright, mainly Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall) catch and eat freshwater fish, eels, crayfish, etc.

He reckoned they were pretty much all delicious and, other than a license and the permission of the landowner, he seemed to get away with it.

The best advice was given above - check with your local fishing shop. But I'd also add a quick trip to the Environment Agency website (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/399730/) as they issue rod licenses and would be the best people to check with if you are not sure of any legal aspects.

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

I forgot to say that I had a rod license.

I fished the Leeds/Liverpool canal and the river Aire, neither required a day ticket.

I never took fish.

My fishing buddy took a couple of brown trout from the Aire, they were all returned.

I was also a member of Boston Spa Angling Club. This covered the River Wharfe in that stretch.

It gave size limits for take able species.

I never took any of the fish.

Fish for me is about fooling the fish.
I normally fish with lures.
I took some trout when I was about 14yrs old.
Feeder fishing maggots.
I was fishing a free stretch near Ilkley on the river Wharfe.
I caught 6. Feeder fishing maggots.
I brought them home and gutted them.
My Step Mum (God bless her, she's such a good lady)
freaked out because some live maggots crawled out of their mouths.
Talk about fresh!!!!!
Even my Step Mum thought they tasted good.

Recently, I've only ever taken seabass.
Every member of my family loves these!!!!

My brother in-law lives near Tony.
My brother in-law (Giles) is a fishing God!

We climb down cliffs and lure fish with lightish tackle.
It's a real buzz.
We release anything below 4lb.
We won't take the really big ones either.

A 5~6lb bass will feed a family.

Don't over-exploit the resource.

Most rivers/and the sea, carry some level of pollution.
But imagine what goes into your factory meat?

Swings and round abouts.

Enjoy your fishing, anything to take home is a bonus.
You'll learn alot, see alot of nature.


JC.

 

[lofthouse31]

cheers for the tips guys.
I wouldnt take that many fish to be honest its just part of the process of learning ie learning to fish and learning how to deal with the skinning boning and the cooking of the fish.
I just wanted to make sure its aloud before i shelled out on some fishing kit that its legal that said im sure the river banks themselves will be containing lots of edible plants and such.
Ive got a bit of a catch my dinner and cook it thing at the moment, i think once the prep and cooking bit has been learned i will settle down and concentrate on fishing as a skill safe in the knowledge that if i ever needed to the fish i caught could feed me and would feed me well i always find it best to learn by doing,
thanks again for the info mates

 

[Aliwren]

To practice the skinning boning ect you can buy whole fish from the fishmongers. I recommend trying a salmon spread open on a stick frame cooked over an open fire Yum!!!

 

[ilan]

Please check and stick to any size limits that most fisheries have. eels are always a good bet as they dont stay to long in fresh water or as posted the predatory fish , bottom feeders tend to have a more muddy taste and also can pick up any heavy pollutants in the water Please also remember sea fish also have a minimum take size just look for your area but bass i think are now 40 cms and you can get a fine if you have undersized fish in your possesion (The bass you buy are farmed if they are under that )

 

[Miggers]

Hi

If you are looking for recipes for these fish you can't do better than this book... It has ways to cook every freshwater fish in the UK. It's a classic!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Freshwater-Fishing-Falkus-and-Buller_W0QQitemZ110137755716QQcmdZViewItem

As to the legalities... no idea... Try the Environment Agencies website, you can order your rod licence online too.

I stick to trout and salmon myself... but now 3 months into the season I have had enough!

Tight lines, Miggers

 

[Thijzzz]

Hi, just a quick reply from a Dutch guy, that's been fishing for the odd 15 years.

- Contact the local angling shops / fisheries for the rules. I could well imagine that many water have different rules and regulations. Nation wide rules, local rules, and then the rule of the angling club with fishing rights on that particular water. So that's why local knowledge is important.
Mind you: wouldn't say too loud that you want to take your fish with you. It can be a sensitive subject. Just ask in a "in case I can't get the hook out" style.

For eating:

Zander: excellent eating, especially on a BBQ. (I live in the North of Holland, county Friesland. It's eaten regularly here.)

Pike: never tried it but as I've heard they are fine to eat. Many bones though.

Perch: same as pike. Perch from Holland is exported to Switzerland as a delicatesse meal.

Trout, grayling etc: see the other posts.

Tench/rudd/roach/carp/other bottom feeders: from hearsay: muddy taste, but safe to eat.

Eel: fine ofcourse. Kill first, leave for at least 15 min. before you try to skin/fillet it. An eel is 1 bundle of muscles that will spasm after death, especially when you grip it to start working. You don't want that to happen when you have a knife in yer hands.