A modern rod licence on its way

BACK in our special Christmas issue I asked the Angling Times staff to come up with their wish list for fishing in 2016 and beyond.

My choice, echoing calls from thousands of specimen and carp anglers, was to have a rod licence that covered fishing with three rods, without having to buy two separate permits.

Most of us have suffered the non-arrival of at least one of our licences over the years, even when they were bought at the same time, and it left us concerned at the technical implications of fishing illegally should we cast out that third rod.

The problem arises due to the sheer volume of applications being processed in busy end of March/early April period when most anglers are renewing for the new season.

Well, I’m delighted to hear that it’s all going to change from next year. Not only will there be a new ‘carper’s’ licence covering three rods, but they will run for 12 months, irrespective of the time you buy them.

There’s going to be a huge change to the junior licence too. Surprisingly, the dropping of the £5 junior rod licence has divided opinion, some saying that £5 is affordable, given what kids spend on computer games and the like – but I don’t feel there should be any barrier to getting anyone into our sport.

Congratulations to the Angling Trust for championing the moves behind the scenes, and to the EA, whic has listened to anglers and acted. Next stop is the closed season…