UK migratory fish laws

[Charlie_Thompson]

I\'ve had a brief shufty on tinternet but haven\'t come up with an answer.

If you are fishing tidal water do you need a salmon and sea trout licence to use salmon and sea trout tactics there? I think I\'m right in saying these fish must be returned if you catch them by accident from salt water where the licencing system doesn\'t apply but what is the crack in rivers? Do they take flies and lures anyway in this type of water?

TIA

[mark]

one I\'ve wondered about myslef for a while.

If you fish the tyne, even right out past the piers any salmon/sea trout belong to Lord Allendale and the Bywell syndicate

must be a grey area as per licencing, I\'d argue that if fly fishing at newburn for example, you shouldn\'t need a licence, otherwise any one else that fishes there ought to have one as well, can\'t see the EA policing the tyne for rod licence though.

but what if you went over to the solway and fished the tidal Eden??

people fish it for flatties etc with sea gear and don\'t need a licence, wonder what would happen if you started to chucking bits of fluff??

won\'t be long before all anglers need a rod licence, which I suppose would put a definative answer to it.

[Grommit]

Basically, if you catch a salmon or sea trout in any water without a valid EA rod licence then it must be returned to the water alive (all salmon must be returned before June 16th anyway)

If you are sea fishing, targetting say flatties, and you inadvertently catch a salmon or sea trout, you have to put it back. The type of tackle it is caught on is irrelevant. Many methods are used for salmon and sea trout such as worm, shrimp, spinner and fly.

If you are fly fishing the Tyne at Newburn for any freshawater species then you have to be in possesion of a valid EA licence to fish for that species.

The licence doesn\'t cover the methods of fishing, but the species being targetted and caught so you could fish the tidal Eden without a rod licence provided you were targetting sea fish and not freshwater

And belive me, the EA DO police the Tyne on a regular basis, and also the Wear and Coquet and all the tributaries.

[Edited on 8/9/2005 by Grommit]

[mark]

only in England and Wales

In scotland the only people tthat might get huffy are those that \'own\' the fish

the targetting bit is always amusing, not sure whether the fish have read the rules, but whose to say you were targetting migratory fish or sal****er species?? Ok you have to put em back, but would the EA believe you if you claimed to be targetting Sal****er Species in the tyne and not feshwater. Its the grey area of intertidal waters that makes a mockery of the whole rod licence scheme. for me you either need one...or you don\'t.

So does anyone know why you need a licence in England & Wales but not Scotland, the Enviroment agency are responsible for it all.

And what if you fish a cross border river and target only fish that were born in Scotland and may of strayed without their passports

[TC]

\".......all salmon must be returned before June 16th anyway\"

So....can you just borrow one and promise to return it by the due date - bit like library books

[willywetegg]

Lmfao Tony, How is the captain lol.

Jim.

[TC]

Lol Jim......the worrying thing is...I haven\'t touched a drop all night...............Oh dear - think I need a break.......lo l