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Fishing
questions and answers
Have you got a fishing question you would like answered?
Send your questions to
jim@fish-uk.com
Q. I have lost my licence what do I do?
Q. I'm from the USA and I'm planning a fishing holiday to
Southern Ireland. Can you recommend anywhere??
Q. Do I need a fishing licence to fish for carp?
Q. What is the close fishing season for carp?
Q. Im going on holiday with my parents to Warwick in England.
Where can I fish?
Q. Where can I purchase a fishing license?
Q. Can I buy a fishing license online for a disabled angler?
Q. Im 60 this year, can I get a cheaper fishing rod licence?
Q. Why is the close season for coarse fish in England?
Q. How do I find the best places to fish in a new area?
Q. Do I need a special licence to catch pike?
Q. What is the price of a licence in England?
Q. Is there any advantage or disadvantage in fishing barbless
hooks?
Q. Do I need a fishing license to fish my private pond located
entirely on my property?
Q. Do I need two fishing licences in England for fly fishing and
using bait?
Q. What is a the best
size hook to use?
Q I have bought a set of carp gear, what else do I need to catch a
very big fish?
Q. Does my child need a fishing license?
Q. When is the best time to fish for carp?
Q. What is the best time of year to fish for pike?
Q. Im going pike fishing for the first time with my mate who
always fishes for pike. If I catch one how can I make sure I don’t
get bitten when unhook it?
Q. What are the best baits to use?
Q. Do I need a coarse fishing licence in Northern Ireland?
Q. What carp rod should I buy?
Q. What is the best size fishing rod for casting?
Q. What is the advantage of being able to cast a long distance?
Q. On the side of my reel it says ratio 4:1what does this mean?
Q.
What is a hook length?
Q. How does a fisherman know what size fish hook to use?
Q. What is freshwater fishing and coarse fishing and why are they
called this?
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Q. I have lost my
licence what do I do?
A. If you have lost or damaged your rod
licence you need to send a letter explaining what has happened -
for example, 'it has been destroyed in the washing machine'
Make sure you quote your full name, address, date of birth and if
you have it, your licence number.
You will need to include a cheque or postal order for the
replacement fee. This should be payable to the 'Environment
Agency' for £5 if you have lost a full licence, or £1 for a junior
licence. After confirming your details you will be sent a
replacement licence by post.
Send your letter to:
Fisheries Administration Support Team (FAST)
PO Box 432
Warrington
WA4 1HH
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Q. I'm from the USA
and I'm planning a fishing holiday to Southern Ireland. Can you
recommend anywhere?
A. You haven't said where in Southern Ireland you plan to stay.
There are plenty of places to fish all over Southern Ireland. I
have stayed and fished around Cavan plenty of times and found the
fishing 'spot on'. There are 365 lakes around Cavan so you
shouldn't have a problem finding somewhere to fish. If you decide
on staying and fishing in Cavan I can personally recommend staying
at The Arches, run by Pearl and Wilson. I have stayed here
numerous times and always had a great welcome and never had any
problems. If you visit their website it may provide you with more
helpful information to assist you with your fishing holiday in
Southern Ireland. If you click on this link it will take you to
their website
http://www.farmhouseaccommodationireland.com/
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Q. Do I need a fishing licence to fish for carp?
A. If you are an angler
aged 12 years or over fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish
or eels in England (except the River Tweed), Wales or the Border
Esk and its tributaries in Scotland, you must have an Environment
Agency rod licence. Buy your fishing licence online here
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/399730/?version=1&lang=_e
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Q. What is the close fishing season for carp?
A. The carp is a coarse fish so it comes under the coarse fishing
season which is: Coarse fish close season - 15 March to 15 June
inclusive
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Q. Im going on holiday with my parents to Warwick in England.
Where can I fish?
A. There are rivers and canals to fish such as the river Avon.
river Stour, river Leam and the Grand Union Canal. These are
controlled by local clubs. For more places to fish in Warwickshire
and stillwater fishing venues in Warwickshire, click on the link
to check our list of places to fish in Warwickshire. We currently
have 36 Warwickshire listings.
http://www.fish-uk.com/fishing_in_warwickshire.htm
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Q. Where can I purchase a fishing license?
A. You can buy your fishing rod licence at any Post Office or you
can buy it online at:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/399730/?version=1&lang=_e
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Q. Can I buy a fishing license online for a disabled angler?
A. No. The Environment-Agency do not issue online licences to
eligible disabled or senior citizen (65 years and over)
concessions at present.
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Q. Im 60 this year, can I get a cheaper fishing rod licence?
A. No sorry. You are only eligible for a concessionary licence if:
1. You are aged 12 to 16 inclusive (Junior)
2. You are aged 65 years or over (Senior)
3. You have a Blue Badge parking concession, or are in receipt of
Disability Living Allowance
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Q. What is the close season for coarse fish in England?
A. Coarse fish close season - 15 March to 15 June inclusive
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Q. How do I find the best places to fish in a new area?
A. To find out about the best fishing available in a new area talk
to some of the local tackle shops. They hear all the gossip of
where's fishing and where isn't. Some of them are anglers
themselves and you will find they will be only too pleased to help
you. Click the link below to find a local fishing tackle shop
http://www.fish-uk.com/fishing_tackle_and_bait_shops.htm
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Q. Do I need a special licence to catch pike?
A. No. Your Environment Agency rod licence includes pike fishing.
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Q. What is the price of a licence in England?
A. 2008 Prices for Coarse and trout:
Full £25.00
Concession £16.75
Junior £5.00
8 day £9.00
1 day £3.50
2008 Prices for
Salmon and sea trout:
Full £68.00
Concession £45.00
Junior £5.00
8 day £22.00
1 day £7.50
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Q. Is there any advantage or disadvantage in fishing barbless
hooks?
A. The advantages of using a barbless hook are: It is easier to
unhook the fish without causing damage to the fish. There is no
disadvantage. As long as tension is maintained on the fish it is
just like using a barbed hook.
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Q. Do I need a fishing license to fish my private pond located
entirely on my property?
A. You haven't said where you are from! The short answer is
probably yes. If you are an angler (aged 12 years or over) fishing
for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels in England (except the
River Tweed), Wales or the Border Esk and its tributaries in
Scotland, must have an Environment Agency rod licence. Click the
link below to buy your fishing licence online
http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/399730/?version=1&lang=_e
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Q. Do I need two fishing licences in England for fly fishing and
using bait?
A. No. The bait is immaterial, it is the type of fish that you
will be fishing for that decides the type of fishing licence.
There are two types of fishing licences, one for Coarse fishing
(non-migratory trout and coarse fish )and the other Game fishing
(Salmon and sea trout). Salmon and sea trout licence covers
non-migratory trout and coarse fish as well. Click the link below
to buy your fishing licence online
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/399730/?version=1&lang=_e
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Q. What is a the best
size hook to use?
A. Unless I know what fish you are aiming to catch and what bait
you will be using this is impossible to answer.
As a general guide: For coarse fish such as rudd, roach and bream,
use a hook size 22 - 14 with 16 the average. If you write in and
tell me what fish you plan on catching I can be more specific.
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Q I have bought a set of carp gear, what else do I need to catch a
very big fish?
A. LUCK mate and plenty of it. (sorry hee hee) Ok you have the
right fishing gear, now you need a place to fish that actually
holds a very big fish. Not knowing where you are from I cannot say
where this will be. Browse through our fishing venue listings for
your area. When you have found a suitable place to fish, ask at
the fishery, or other anglers fishing there what bait is catching
the fish.
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Q. Does my child need a fishing license?
A. If your child is aged 12 years or over, fishing for salmon,
trout, freshwater fish or eels in England (except the River
Tweed), Wales or the Border Esk and its tributaries in Scotland,
he must have an Environment Agency rod licence.
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Q. When is the best time to fish for carp?
A. There isn't a best time as such for fishing for carp but the
first few hours of daybreak and last few hours of daylight is
usually a good time. Carp can feed at anytime, often feeding all
through the day.
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Q.
What is the best time of year to fish for pike?
A. Pike are normally fished for during Winter, but Pike fishing in
Autumn and early Spring can bring good results.
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Q. Im going pike fishing for the first time with my mate who
always fishes for pike. If I catch one how can I make sure I don’t
get bitten when unhook it?
A. The easy answer is 'let your mate do it'. Use a long disgorger
when you unhook a pike and just be careful.
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Q. What are the best baits to use?
A. Unless I know what fish you want to catch I cannot answer this
specifically. Most fish eat all baits but not all fish eat all
baits.
If you look at the fish species page
http://www.fish-uk.com/fish_species.htm you will get an idea.
If you write in and tell me what fish you plan on catching I can
be more specific.
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Q. Do I need a coarse fishing licence in Northern Ireland?
A. Yes. A coarse licence is required by law by anyone over 12
years of age fishing anywhere in Northern Ireland (except angling
for sea fish).
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Q. What carp rod should I buy?
A. It depends on if you will be fishing for carp close in or
fishing at a distance. A general carp rod will have a 2.25 to 2.5
test curve and be 11 or 12 feet long. As a guide the longer rods
with heavier test curves are more suited to long range fishing and
the shorter rods with lighter test curves are more suited for
fishing close in.
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Q. What
is the best size fishing rod for casting?
A. In general the longer the fishing rod the
longer it casts. The longer fishing rod is best for casting longer
distances as it allows you more leverage to cast. On saying that,
the best size fishing rod for casting depends on the person using
it and the experience he/she has in casting. A 10 year old may use
a 6 to 8 foot rod fairly easily to cast a bait a fair distance but
a 12 to 14 foot rod could be too awkward to handle.
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Q. What is the advantage of being able to cast a long distance?
A. The advantage of being able to cast a
long distance is, you can cover more water and reach the fish that
are that bit further from the river bank or shore
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Q. On the side of my reel it says ratio 4:1what does this mean?
A. The ratio numbers tell you how many
revolutions the spool makes during one complete turn of the reel
handle. On your fishing reel with a gear ratio of 4:1the line will
wind round the spool 4 times with one turn of the fishing reel
handle.
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Q.
What is a hook length?
A. A hook length is the length of line
that the hook is tied to. In typical cases it will be a length of
fishing line, usually of a lower breaking strain than the main
line, to which the hook is tied at one end, the other end being
joined to the main line off the reel. The hook length may also be
of a different material to the main line such as braid or wire (as
used when fishing for pike)
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Q. How does a fisherman know what size fish hook to use?
A. This come from experience but it
generally depends on two or three things; what species you are
fishing for, what bait you will be using and if the fish are
biting "shy". The concept is to present a bait as "natural" as
possible so that it looks natural to the fish. If the fish are
biting "shy" then smaller hooks may be needed but you can use the
following guide as a starting point. If you are using maggots,
size 16 to 20, for sweetcorn, pellets etc. size 12 to 14, for
bread flake/crust etc. size 8 to 10, for luncheon meat size 6 to
8.
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Q. What is freshwater fishing and coarse fishing and why are they
called this?
A. Freshwater fishing means fishing in
rivers, lakes or ponds that have fresh water not salt water. This
is why it is called 'freshwater fishing'. Coarse fishing is
fishing for fish other than game fish (salmon and trout). In the
early 19th century the English gentry fished for fish to eat and
classified fish into two categories. Salmon and trout were
considered more palatable than the other varieties of fish and
were classified as 'Game' fish. All other fish were classified as
'coarse' fish.
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Have you got a fishing question you would
like answered?
Send your questions to
jim@fish-uk.com
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