I received an email from the Environment Agency on Wednesday night that made my heart sing. If you live in England then fishing was now allowed under the change in government COVID19 movement restrictions this week (as of 13 May 2020). You still need to practice social distancing and common sense as we are still knee deep in a global viral pandemic. This has seen many fisheries respond quickly and open as of the weekend of the 16th May, some seem to be taking a few days to setup and will open during the week of the 18th May. The Canal and Rivers Trust have opened the canals for fishing again subject to using the towpath considerately and safely allowing social distancing.
This varies by country in the UK and there have been various clarifications made since then so please be sure to check the current situation before you head off fishing. In Wales, while the lockdown remains there was an acknowledgement that fishing is a form of exercise and essential to the mental health of many people so provided you walk to your local fishing spot it is now allowed in Wales. However, the fact that driving to exercise is not allowed means that English fisherfolk can’t cross the border to fish and the Welsh police have been clear that they will not tolerate cross border forays in any way.
In Northern Ireland DAERA fisheries will be open from Monday 18th May, however, associated car parks will not be for some time and fisherfolk are being asked to stay local and walk to their local fishery. Unfortunately, from what I see online our Scottish colleagues are still house bound.
We have waited for this and dreamt about it for months so enjoy it, and make the most of this window of opportunity as there is every possibility that if the transmission rate goes up again we will get benched again. If like me your fishing license expired during the lockdown be sure to buy a new one before you head out.
Tight Lines
Greg
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