having to pay for fishing licence

fabgooner

where i live a few rivers combine and on each and every river you have to pay for a day pass to fish on the river. the rivers are not made accessible nor stocked with fish. does anyone else think this is a joke??

andrey

fabgooner wrote: »

where i live a few rivers combine and on each and every river you have to pay for a day pass to fish on the river. the rivers are not made accessible nor stocked with fish. does anyone else think this is a joke??

don't think it is.
I saw the same in Connemara.

stevenmu

I think it depends on the circumstances. I'm against the idea of licenses in general, and I think that fishing public water from public land should always be free. But in some cases clubs and organisations arrange access via private land which gives them the right to charge for passing on that access to others. If you don't like what the club/organisation does you could always either try to arrange your own access and fish for free, or join the club and try to prod them into changing.

fabgooner

no no theres no club or anything i wouldn't mind paying if the river was stocked by people charging for fishing there. it is annoying paying and then not getting one bite all day

riverbum

hey fabgooner,
who's charging the fee and how did you become aware of it?

fabgooner

em not sure, you have to pay it at a local pub on one river and have to pay it at a petrol station up the road from another river. theres cardboard signs up saying you have to pay

riverbum

sounds like a local club but i'd look into it further if I were you. If it is a club then they would have expenses associated with the water as mentioned by someone previously and if you can track down the secretary or chairman you may be able to join it for a small annual fee, a lot cheaper than day passes.

riverbum

whoops....didn't see your previous thread, well if there is no club then I would contact the local fisheries board to find out if you do actually have to pay. Can I ask what river it is?

Zzippy

Why should the river be stocked? If you want to fish for stocked fish go to an enclosed put-and-take fishery, where stocked fish will not threaten, predate on, outcompete, or interbreed with wild fish. It is now accepted scientific wisdom that stocking with captive fish is not good for fish stocks. Fishing for wild fish is what its about, pitting your wits against a wild animal. If you're not good enough for that do like I said above, go to a put-and-take fishery.

Re licences and permits, a licence for salmon fishing is mandatory. That money goes back into fisheries protection and habitat enhancement.
The permit goes to the club or fishery owner, who have to pay rates on their fishing, maintain stiles and access, pay for printing of permits, possibly pay private waterkeepers, etc. Why do you think you should be able to fish for free?

fabgooner

i think i should be able to fish for free because no one owns what little fish that is in the water. and i feel hard done by having to pay through the nose for a slim chance of catching something. sorry for thinking that

Zzippy

fabgooner wrote: »

i think i should be able to fish for free because no one owns what little fish that is in the water. and i feel hard done by having to pay through the nose for a slim chance of catching something. sorry for thinking that

No offence, but maybe you're not good enough at fishing yet to catch more fish, it is possible there are more fish there. Maybe its the wrong time of year when you're fishing, and there are more fish there at other times, especially if it is a salmon or sea trout fishery. And don't expect anything for free, you should know better in this country!
By the way, where are these rivers?

coolwings

fabgooner wrote: »

i think i should be able to fish for free because no one owns what little fish that is in the water.....

Free stuff is usually of the standard that matched it's price.

Preserved and protected fishing has a value ..... the cost of keeping polluters off, poachers off, cutting and maintaining river banks, paying fishery rates, labour time costs in maintaining gates, and the really good ones are out in the winter raking the spawning gravels and removing unwanted weeds or competitive species.

You can't compare protected preserved water with public neglected overfished water. And the fishing is certainly not worth the same in both sorts of place.

I sympathise with you, there have been many times in the past when I wished I could fish a special place where it was reserved for the owners friends or paying clients.
But there have also been other times when I have been the paying client, and I have been glad to arrive knowing that the fish have not been pestered by some eejit without a clue, and having been put off the feed before I even set up my gear.

Casting over fresh undisturbed fish ..... priceless. Low cost enjoyment too, compared with long distance travel holidays.

It sounds like you have a preserved place that has a wild look to it, and maintenance is low. Well you have to decide ... is the fishing worth the price? Maybe you should look to other places, or maybe you have already found your overgrown paradise. Fish and find out. Thats the enjoyment of angling.