Biggest U.K. Fishing Rod Licence Changes Ever!

FloridaFishinFool · February 4, 2016

I'm glad Florida does not charge me by the rod! Yet! I think I prefer putting limits on the catch rather than putting limits on the tackle!

THE biggest rod licence upheaval ever is underway as the Environment Agency are going to advertise for massive changes this spring 2016. The changes are likely to start in 2017.

Proposals include making the licence valid for one year from date of purchase, allowing spessy anglers to pay for a third rod rather than for four, and scrapping the £5 juniors licence so all under 16s don’t have to pay.

In an answer to a parliamentary question, Fisheries Minister George Eustice confirmed proposed changes to the licence from April 2017, including “a full year rolling licence rather than a fixed single season; a licence for a maximum of three rods rather than the current two and a free junior licence for anglers under the age of 16.”

The Angling Trust welcomed these announcements because it has received a great deal of feedback from members that the current rod licence arrangements are not fair.

Anglers who fish three rods, but currently buy a pair of two-rod licences, will be better off.

Angling Trust campaigns chief Martin Salter, said: “Carpers will obviously be pleased but tench and bream anglers like myself, who usually fish large pits with two rods at a time, would sometimes like to use a third rod to switch quickly to a new method or to stalk a fish showing in the margins.

“Whilst many anglers I know won’t buy two separate licences at the moment, they would be happy to pay a fair price to use a third rod occasionally. We are particularly pleased that the EA have taken this forward and are prepared to forego the income from the £5 junior licence.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind paying a bit more for my own licence if it meant that more juniors under 16 could fish for free, because anything that attracts youngsters into our sport has to be good.”

(Full length story published in print magazine)

dave · February 4, 2016

You should have seen the S*** Storm here in MD a few years ago when the DNR changed the number of rods that could be fished at one time by a single angler. I think (and I could be mistaken) that while fishing from the bank or shore you could fish three rods per person. What the DNR did, thinking they were simplifying things, was to make the rule apply to fishing from a boat as well. O M G! did it ever storm here. On the Chesapeake Bay, stripers are king. The rule change meant the guys trolling would be limited to three per person. These guys are experts, trolling nine or more rods at one time all by themselves. In very short order, the rule was changed back to the way it was but, man you should have witnessed the internet fishing boards.