Anyone aged 12 years or over who fishes for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels in England and Wales must have an Environment Agency Rod Fishing Licence. Money from the sale of licences helps to fund the management of fisheries. If you are caught fishing without one, you are cheating other anglers and could be fined up to £2,500.
A rod licence is required by law and entitles the licensee to use a rod and line to fish. Rod licences are issued by the Environment Agency. They differ from permits (often referred to as tickets or day tickets) which give permission to fish a particular water or waters and are issued by fishery owners, angling clubs and so on.
Rod licences can be purchased from any Post Office or from the Environment Agency via the web on www.environment-agency.gov.uk/fish
Where to fish:
If you wish to fish in the borough, the Council has two ponds at Keston Common for which there is no charge although a licence will still be needed. There are also private lakes at
- Crystal Palace Park (not in the lake with the dinosaurs)
- Rookery Lake, Rookery Lane, Bromley Common
- Ruxley Gravel Pits, near Crittalls Corner
- Water Meadows, St Paul’s Cray
If you are interested in fresh water fishing, you may find the website at www.go-fish.co.uk useful as it lists locations where you can fish. There may be other fishing lakes in the borough and your local tackle shop will be able to advise you where they are. Alternatively contact details for local angling clubs are available here.
Costs
The cost of a rod licence depends on the age of the angler, the duration of the licence and the type of fish. The cost to use the private lakes will vary according to each fishing club.