Ways to Fish in the UK

Over the years, fishing in the UK has evolved from a purely commercial and subsistence venture to involve recreational fishing. This mainly takes place in rivers and fresh water lakes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, or lochs in Scotland. However, due to the changes in weather fishing has been limited to seasons owing primarily to the migration patterns of the fish. The peak season runs from June to March. Several destinations are common with freshwater fishing along the British Isles, including the River Tamar, Horseshoe Lake in Gloucestershire, Chew Valley Reservoir, and the River Tweed in Scotland. Two of the most popular fish species that are caught are salmon and trout. However, there are other types of fresh water fish that are known as coarse fish, and examples include chub, barbel, carp, perch, roach, bream and tench. Freshwater fish not belonging to the salmon species are often referred to as coarse fish.

The main method of fishing used is called angling. This involves the use of fishing rod and line with a hook attached to the end. To attract the fish, bait is attached to the hook. Bait can be natural or artificial and the most commonly used bait is worms, maggots, bread and other live bait. The fisherman will know if he has a bite when he feels a tug in the line. Alternatively, a bite indicator can be employed such as float or electronic bite alarm. You can find more on this website on the different types of fishing rods, tackle and bait there is available.

Most sport fishermen prefer angling as a method of recreational fishing but there are legislations involved. There are laws that limit the size of the fish that can be kept. Fish below a certain size must be unhooked and returned. This prevents overfishing and depletion of the lakes. In UK waters it would be against the rules to kill coarse fish, except in some lakes where you can use smaller fish for live bait. Catch and release has been practiced for many centuries hence the culture is what it is today. Carp are one of the most popular species among coarse anglers in UK as they prove challenging to catch. Once they get caught once on a particular bait, they are shy to eat that bait again. This is brought about by the catch and release policies.

Fishing tournaments have also developed as a common recreational activity. Contestants compete for prizes based on the overall weight, size or length of the fish that they have caught in an allocated time. The contestants can also be limited to a particular species of fish. Any dead fish or of a different species caught would lead to a deduction in points. Such facts make freshwater fishing in the UK unique and admirable.

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