Rod Licence

Hi All
A couple of days ago I received a reminder from The Environment Agency that my rod licence is due for renewal. I don't wish to grumble, but how the heck did it get to reach the figure of £27. I know they do some good fishery work, but are anglers subsidising the the rest of their activities? And are the number of anglers who are dodging the rod licence fee increasing faster than the revenues that are collected by the agency?

Anyway, when I received my rod licence reminder it made wonder if I should bother to buy one this year. My life at the moment is rather complicated and fishing unfortunately is low on the agenda. If I manage to get out half a dozen times and add the bait and day ticket cost to my rod licence fee, each day out will cost me about £18. I know some people might think that isn't a bad price for a day's pleasure, especially those who attend football matches, but to me and a lot of others it's a lot of money. River Sow at Little Bridgeford
So, will I buy a rod licence this year? The answer is probably, but not because I want to help the environment agency with their good works, but because I don't want to get caught and pay a £2,500 fine. Actually, I don't think the chances of being caught are that great.
Those who live around Stafford will probably know the back road through Little Bridgeford, where you go over the badly designed railway bridge before crossing the river Sow. It's only a bit of a ditch now, but in my younger days it was much wider and stuffed with fish. Even when I wasn't going fishing I would often stop to look over into the clear waters and admire the view of the big torpedo shaped chub. I fished it often and I would start on one of the deep bends by the bridge and slowly worked my way downstream.

One day in the mid-seventies I parked my motorcycle in the lay by next to the bridge and began a fishing session. As usual, I slowly worked my way down the river and was well on my way towards Great Bridgeford, when I noticed a van pull up next to my bike. The occupant got out, looked across the fields in my direction, and then began walking towards me. I carried on fishing but at the same time wondered what this bloke could want. Perhaps he was interested in who'd got the fishing rights. I was shocked when he reached me. "Can I see your rod licence please sir?" he asked.

Of course,I produced mine, but it left me wondering (the fact that the world's gone mad obviously isn't a new phenomena) if the licence checkers worked on a commission basis, how many would be wondering across lonely fields to try and catch a dodger. If I was doing the job I'd go to places were there were lots on anglers. And here's the rub, I've been an angler for over fifty years and the incident I have just told you about is the only time I have ever been asked to show my rod licence. However, before you go running off with the notion of not buying a rod licence because the chances of getting caught are slim. Let me remind you of a thing called Sod's Law, the very first time you cast a line without a licence will be the day the agency man turns up. Even if he doesn't, you will probably shudder every time you hear a vehicle pull up, or the clunk of a van door shutting.

In my next post I'll tell you about my experience with Sod's Laws and if you have any tales about the rod licence I'd be please to hear them.

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