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Opening of the 2008 Fishing Season 14 March 2008 The 2008 fishing season commenced on Monday 10th March with the opening of the reservoirs for anglers with the river fishing season due to start on 1st April 2008. Due to low pH levels, only Cringle, Clypse and Kerrowdhoo reservoirs were stocked for the opening day. However feedback from the bankside indicates that anglers are achieving some success on all reservoirs, even Baldwin and Sulby which hold good stocks of overwintered fish. Anglers are reminded that they must be in possession of a valid fishing licence before going fishing, with licences available from all Post Offices, the DAFF offices at Rose House on Circular Road, Douglas, and various tackle shops. The Department is continuing this year with its very successful initiative to introduce young anglers to the sport by offering free licences to children under the age of 14 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult whilst fishing on a free licence - a good opportunity to enjoy a family day out during the school holidays. A new concessionary reservoir licence for senior citizens and disabled anglers at a cost of £90 for a season has also been introduced this year. These licences are available from DAFF, Rose House and Post Offices only, and allow fishing on all reservoirs with a reduced bag limit of 2 fish. Further details of the eligibility criteria for these concessionary licences can be obtained from the Fisheries Division. All anglers (river and reservoir) should be aware of a new Regulation relating to the sale of rod caught fish from 2008. It is now an offence for any person to sell, offer or expose for sale any freshwater fish to which a licence issued under the Inland Fisheries Regulations 1983 applies. The Government’s Cornaa Fish Hatchery will be open to the public on each Wednesday of the Easter school holidays between 10am and 4pm. A fantastic opportunity to observe the various stages of fish rearing before the final stocking to reservoirs, and to chat to knowledgeable Fisheries staff on all aspects of river management and fisheries development in a beautiful setting. Look out also for ‘Tales from the River Bank’, available from tackle shops in the very near future. This is a newsletter issued by DAFF especially for the freshwater angler with latest news of Inland Fisheries issues and forthcoming events. Within this there is a ‘guest spot’ for local anglers to contribute articles on any subject related to angling on the Island. A Manx Anglers Forum is to be established in the very near future to encourage a closer communication and understanding between the Department and anglers. The Inland Fisheries Customer Survey last year asked for volunteers to sit on this group and 48 anglers expressed an interest. It is likely the first meeting will be held at Knockaloe to establish membership and meetings perhaps twice per year thereafter. Anyone interested in this should contact the Department as soon as possible. More stories >>>
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