game fish catch and release (mainly Scotland)

[myotis]

i recently heard an American on holiday in Scotland saying that after years of coming to Scotland for game fishing this would be his last year as the catch and release requirements meant there was no longer any point in fishing.

Its years since I fished and just wondered if this was now the "standard" for game fishing in Scotland, or indeed the UK. I am really thinking of wild brown trout, but comments on any game fishing would be interesting.

A search on google didn't really produce anything very useful, so any web links would also be useful.

Thanks,

Graham

 

[Silverhill]

Based upon personal experience when game fishing on rivers in England and Wales, catch and release (unless stated by the owner of the rights etc) is generally advised but not compulsory. On stillwaters, the EA have a byelaw which governs the removal of fish per day. Unless you're feeding the four-thousand, the byelaws with keep your appetite sated! I can't remember who it is on this forum, but their signature sum's it up:

"Take what you like, but make sure you eat what you take."

I'm not totally abreast of the current legislation in Scotland (having not fished up there for a little while) but catch and release is accepted as 'the right thing to do' as game fishing plays a big role in tourism etc. I think C&R is impressed upon tourist anglers to a greater extent than the locals because the majority of foreign visitors (and please forgive my stereotype here) like to have that photograph in front of the lodge with the 10b or so 15lb+ Salmon at the end of the day.

I can see where the Scots are coming from here, they're just protecting their assets. The downside being is that they may lose some revenue from tourists looking to Norway, Eastern Europe or Ireland for their fishing experience.

I got priced-out of fishing the likes of the Spey years ago, I can't afford to spend £30 for a days fishing when I can get it for free down here!

Edit: I forgot to mention that the EA website has a list of byelaws for England and Wales. Plus proposals for amendments to existing byelaws for coarse fish and grayling.

 

[myotis]

I got priced-out of fishing the likes of the Spey years ago, I can't afford to spend £30 for a days fishing when I can get it for free down here!

Thanks, for the info, but I am intrigued by the free fishing comment. I didn't there was free fishing anywhere (except on the coast).

Graham

 

[Silverhill]

A little research in terms of getting to know the old fellas' on the riverbank, maybe even making a habit of getting to know them or earn their trust. In my neck of the woods, the locals are very protective of their 'beats', therefore they need to know you;re not going to tell every Tom, Dick and Harry.

Plus, there's this site that I've consulted before;
www.dofreefishing.com
It's worth double checking or doing a recce first.

I hope this helps!

 

[myotis]

Plus, there's this site that I've consulted before;
www.dofreefishing.com
It's worth double checking or doing a recce first.

I hope this helps!

Thanks, very useful site. I had no idea such a thing existed.

Graham

 

[Silverhill]

No worries. Glad to be of help......Share the wealth and all that!