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In reply to Post #31
How do you purchase a single? I thought you had to purchase a second 2 rod licence
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In reply to Post #33
On the vodka situation yes it always is better for the owner if you buy 2 and rob a 3rd because he will have the profit of the 2 you purchase to off set his loses rather than you just steal one and buy none
My take is don’t even steal 1
Steal the 3 might as well get hung for a sheep than a lamb 😂
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In reply to Post #38
Agree, but some of the old school ea fisheries people thought they could come stomping in.
Told him straight, ask or get told to eff off and complain to head office.
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In reply to Post #35
If the land is owned by the fishery upon climbing fences to gain unauthorised access they can be prosecuted by the fishery owner on the grounds of unlawful entry onto private property which will likely include damage to the fences.
They have to seek permission to enter of which the owner has to provide reasonable access.
On some venues you have different gates to access different lakes, typically the fishery owner or his bailiffs have to be present.
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In reply to Post #36
That happens to me all the time!
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In reply to Post #33
It's more of a case of walking out of the shop after buying 2 bottles of vodkas, getting home and realising you had accidentally picked up 3.
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In reply to Post #27
They will climb fences at will...
When challenged they will state they have permissive power of entry, which may be true, but some manners will allow the gate to be opened when asked...
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In reply to Post #32
And if its just the odd time you use extra rod it might be worth considering a day license @ £7.30
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Aside from the Medway fine my heart goes out to all the other people listed as being fined. To have the shame hanging over then must be horrible, for people in the local post office or pub about the situation must really impact their mental health. If it was me I’d really struggle to venture out, I’m sure I would be shunned by friends and relatives alike. I just can’t imagine the pain, shame and embarrassment fishing those Day Ticket Watets 
On another note regarding having a two rod license and fishing with 3 ( and me stirring the pot) if you purchased 2 bottles of Smirnoff vodka and stole a 3rd is this less of a crime than just stealing 1?
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In reply to Post #31
Thanks will do
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In reply to Post #30
You'd just purchase a single, I get two 2 rods as a couple of venues I'm on your allowed to fish 4 rods
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Can you upgrade from a 2 to a 3 rod licence?
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In reply to Post #28
I read it as a nationwide thing lol
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In reply to Post #27
Yes. If its registered as a fishery. 
Framey. This info was provided by the Kent region of the EA apparently.
But yes your right. Kent does have more than it's fair share of Wronguns 
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Can to EA legally gain access to a fenced syndicate? asking for a friend......
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In reply to Post #25
Seems like Kent is the hot bed of no licenses…
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| | | Cam | | Posts: 6549 |  | | MODERATOR | |
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In reply to Post #24
This data is provided periodically by the Environment Agency, and only refers to prosecutions of anglers that were conducted by courts in England in the months stated.
It does not include resolutions by way of cautions, warning letters or advice and guidance letters.
May – July 2025
############ aged 58 of Herne Bay was fined £277 for unlicensed fishing on 5 October 2024 at Loggies Lake, Chilham.
############ aged 33 of Rochester was fined £193 for unlicensed fishing on 3 October 2024 at Elphicks Farm Lakes, Horsmonden.
############ aged 37 of Greenhithe was fined £355 for unlicensed fishing on 9 November 2024 at Monk Lakes, Maidstone.
############ aged 25 of Dartford was fined £355 for unlicensed fishing on 5 October 2024 at Orchard Place Farm, Paddock Wood.
############ aged 30 of Gravesend was fined £223 for unlicensed fishing on 27 September 2024 at Hartley Lands Farm, Cranbrook. He also received no separate penalty and was ordered to pay £70 for leaving a rod and line with its bait or hook in the water unattended.
############aged 35 of Greenhithe was fined £355 for unlicensed fishing on 9 November 2024 at Monk Lakes, Maidstone.
############ aged 52 of London was fined £335 for unlicensed fishing and £735 for removal of eels or shad by rod and line on 3 August 2024 at Porters Lock – River Medway, Tonbridge.
############ 39 of Etchingham was fined £281 Unlicensed Fishing on 15 February 2025 at Elphicks Farm Lakes, Horsmonden.
############ 30 of Maidstone was fined £355 Unlicensed Fishing on 29 March 2025 at Orchard Place Farm, Paddock Wood.
############ 52 of Bexhill-on-Sea was fined £355 Unlicensed Fishing on 09 November 2024 at Monk Lakes, Maidstone.
############ 59 of Snodland was fined £175 Unlicensed Fishing on 07 March 2025 at Monk Lakes, Maidstone
This text was copied and pasted from a recent Facebook post. Might give the OP some idea of a fine he facing. Obviously these people's names and addresses have been made publicl by the EA ( Mods please remove if not appropriate )
Monks lake was where my pal got collared. I said serves you right for fishing for Barbel in a stillwater..
Thought it was best to remove names and addresses Shane 
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Message Suppressed by Forum Moderator.
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He can have a use of mine as I bought a 3 rod in December and have only been once
lol
Year before that I bought a 3 rod and never went
Will I get a rebate on next years ??
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Just checked mine as I genuinely couldn't remember if I had bought one......... I had, 3 rod as well....phew!
I got caught years ago, early 90's. Hadn't been fishing for a few years and decided to have a dabble on a whim float fishing at a local pond close to where I lived at the time. Dusted the rod and reel down, bought a pint of maggots and off I went. Rod licence didn't even enter my head but as sods law would have it there was an EA bailiff patrolling and he copped me. Got a 7-day producer but that was in the day of hand-written licences and lucky for me a very nice friend who worked in a local tackle shop at the time happened to enter the wrong date in his book as he issued my 7-day ticket.... 
Only ever got checked once after that which was early 2000's, never been checked since although I have bought a ticket every year!
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Bubba Gump only got a warning.....
https://news.sky.com/story/david-lammy-given-formal-warning-over-lack-of-licence-during-fishing-trip-with-jd-vance-but-will-avoid-fine-13416213
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In reply to Post #1
Having never heard of anyone getting their license checked all of a sudden I've seen 4 mentions in the past month or so. The cynical part of my brain says the government needs the money and realised they can drive some income by checking. Certainly doesn't seem like it's being done to actually improve fishing all of a sudden.
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Over 20 years ago, i foolishly got caught fishing 2 on a 3 rod license. Pleaded guilty by post, £100 fine.
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i got a £70 fine back in 2003 for using 3 rods on a 2 rod licence. pleaded guilty by post to stop going to court, still saved a few quid as for years been using 3 rods but only purchasing a 2 rod licence
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This is the opinion of Chat GPT:
I did research in recent court reporting, government sources and angling-news sites. I did not find a case exactly matching “having a licence for two rods but not for a third rod”—but there is material on unlicensed fishing, prosecutions for multiple rods, and fines under rod licence legislation. Based on that, here is a reasoned estimate plus relevant precedents.
⸻
Legal framework / penalties
• Under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, fishing with an unlicensed rod or line (or without licence) is an offence.
• The upper statutory fine (magistrates’ court) for illegal freshwater fishing (without a licence) can go up to £2,500 in England & Wales. 
• Enforcement cases often also include payment of costs to the Environment Agency and a victim surcharge. 
• In practice, fines tend to be much lower than the statutory maximum for first or relatively minor offences. 
⸻
Precedents & reported cases
Here are some reported cases that shed light on how courts treat licence violations or fishing without licence:
Case / Report Facts or violation Fine / penalty (plus costs/surcharges)
Angler in Suffolk, no licence Court held breach of S. 27(1)(a) for unlicensed fishing Total fine £220 + costs + £88 victim surcharge (total “£443 fine”) 
Northampton cases, “licence dodgers” Fishing illegally, no licence Example: £220 fine + £135 costs + £88 surcharge 
Nottinghamshire anglers Fishing without licence or in closed season Fines of £220 + costs + surcharge in several cases 
Evesham angler (recent) Fishing without licence £220 fine + £135 costs + £88 surcharge 
Angling Trust prosecutions summary Multiple offences: unlicensed fishing, fishing with multiple rods etc. Example: Richard Todd fined £281 for “fishing with multiple rods more than three metres apart” 
Cornwall case Fishing with no licence Fine £40 + £16 victim surcharge 
From Angling Trust’s prosecutions page, they list cases where people were fined for “fishing with multiple rods more than three metres apart” as a separate offence, though often alongside unlicensed fishing offences. 
⸻
Likely fine for having a third rod without licence
Given the precedents:
• The court is likely to treat the extra rod (beyond licence) as part of the unlicensed activity (or an aggravating factor).
• If the person already holds a valid licence for two rods, that mitigates somewhat (this is not total non-licence).
• The fine would typically be in the same ballpark as existing illegal fishing fines: £200–£400 (plus costs & surcharge) for a first or mid-level offence.
• The total penalty (fine + costs + victim surcharge) can push it higher: in some reports, “fine” figure is just part of total.
• In more serious or repeated offences, or in aggravating circumstances, courts could push toward the maximum £2,500.
• If the case is minor and the offender shows cooperation, the court may lean lower.
Therefore, a realistic likely fine (just for the fine component) might be £150 to £300. When including costs and surcharge, the total might be £300 to £500 in many cases. In worse cases, it could exceed that.
⸻
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In reply to Post #1
He's always bought a licence every year since he first went fishing!
Like many of you said he did initially buy X2 2 rod licences until the 3 rod one came out.
It'll depend on their mood at the time i guess, He was very polite, very apologetic and hopefully came across as a genuine mistake...which it was!
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Back in 1993 I hadn't bought a rod licence as I hadn't been fishing that year. I was persuaded by mu boss to go pike fishing with him and his brother in law. I caught a 15lb pike on the last day of the season. I got caught by the EA
inspector and got a £90 fine.
I've always bought a 3 rod licence ever since even if I only fished 2 tod venues.
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In reply to Post #1
When I was a kid me and a mate were fishing a lake in winter. Usually it was a two rod water but in winter you could fish three. We were genuinely unaware that we needed a second license (the rules at the time). The rod license people turned up. There were several grown men on the water that had no license whatsoever and they got told to go to the post office and purchase one. We, however, had our details taken by the little weasel and got prosecuted. Cost us a few hundred quid each altogether from memory. The injustice still annoys me
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I remember the old paper ones back in the day of NRA licenses
I went in the tackle shop and bought one after I had been checked and changed the date as they were all done by pen back in the day.
Got away with it
I was probably about 16 or 17 and it was nearly 40 years ago.
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Maybe we all just need to buy two rod licences and plead ignorance if we get caught 😂😂😂.
Sadly, they need to get done, otherwise what's the point?
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Hopefully because your mate has a licence already they may see it as a genuine mistake and are more lenient.
A friend of mine got fined nearly £500 around 10 years ago for not having a licence but had never purchased one previously.
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Upto £600 I’d say , fine plus costs.
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2022/10/10/angler-lands-389-bill-for-fishing-with-one-road-too-many/
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It weren't that long ago that if you wanted to use three rods you had to but two. Two rod licences. So I suppose things have improved. But as most waters allow the use of three rods at certain times of the years. So Surely one coverall licence makes sense. 
As for the opos likely fine. A mate of mine got done for 400 notes about ten years back for having no licence. I believe he even got on the phone to his missus when he saw the bailiff checking licence to get him one online. Think she must of run out of time.. 
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He won't have to attend any hearing - write an apologetic letter, "I am mortified" etc etc and they'll hopefully not clobber him too much.
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Reading up on it, it can be up to £2500, but they will probably show a bit of leniency as he did have one for 2 rods and accept it was an error so it might just be a smack on the wrist, but googling people who have been fined, you can be assured it will probably be a bigger fine than using your mobile phone whilst driving which only has a max of £200.
But, if he fishes just "Singles", "plastic maize", "Mum's stuff" or digs some worms up etc for a year or two, he will probably recoup the money he paid on his fine for the error of his ways
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The last time I was checked was over a decade ago, it was like a scene from a movie. A black 4x4 drives up behind me with tinted windows, 2 men step out, suited & booted with stab vests, radios, cuffs, batons & even had the shades to match - matrix style. I thought the NCA had finally caught up with me for buying that 50g pouch of Golden Virginia from that dodgy lorry driver the previous week..
As Kells said, at least he had a license, that's got to be in his favour.
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Ouch, that’s unlucky! I’ve been fishing on and off for 30yrs and never been asked to show my rod license. Hopefully the penalty isn’t too harsh
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In reply to Post #3
We are still paying for Covid. So expect a heavy fine.. 
Got to be pretty unlucky to actually get checked these days. Used together checked regularly when the local water company's used to look after the licencing. Hopefully they go easy on your Pal. Its not as if he didn't have a licence at all..
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In reply to Post #2
Always bought one, but we fish club waters these days where a 2 rod rule is in place or has been. But this year they aloud 3 rods for this particular venue so we took advantage of it.
He just didn't think to check his license
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In reply to Post #1
it all depends on his history of rod licences I reckon....I was checked recently and I couldn't find my email with my licence confirmation on...they ea officer just said give us your address and name and said he could see I had a extensive history of rod licence history and recently the number of rods on the licence.
we got chatting about not receiving reminders and since the physical card stopped its easy to forget to renew...he said that if I was a week or so late without a licence and got checked but they seen historically that I was consistant purchaser of rod licences it would be unlikely I would be prosecuted and would more likely be a warning. he said he vmcouldnt garauntee that but as they just report the incidents and the rest is down to the ea admin legal department etc
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My friend got caught using 3 rods but only having a 2 rod licence last week.
Does any one know what fine he's likely to face?
He's gutted but genuinely didn't realise he didn't have a 3 rod one paid for and now he's worried.
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