Do you need a licence for sea trout

[Norfolk and Goode]

Hi guys, hope you can help, :oops:

Do I need a licence to target sea trout?

If I do is the type I used to buy for trout fishing?

Also do I then need a rod licence also?

Do you need a licence to fish in an estuary, before the sea trout start heading up the rivers?

[lumpy]

yes you need a rod licence for sea trout even in the sea. the same as the one you use when fishing the river for sea-trout and salmon. this covers your rod as well.

[kieran]

Hi N&G

Yes on pretty much all counts.

You can get a national game licence or a regional one for your local area. You can even get it online with some of the more progressive FBs.

The lisence covers you for salmon, sea trout but not brown trout. (Thanks Viper my mistake) It also covers your for slob trout, a bizarre not quite a sea trout but not a fresh water trout variant.

Jeepers, don't mention a rod licence! :wink: verboten!

You can catch a sea trout at sea or in an estuary, but my information is that you must have a licence if you are to retain it. If you release it, no licence required. I have always assumed the same would apply for a similarly caught salmon - maybe someone could confirm or deny this?

[lumpy]

now that i think of it i'm sure that the licience is necessary to retain them, not to fish them. like yourself im not certain though

[Viper]

Licence is to fish for them 'OR' retain them. You'd be hard pushed to explain to a baliff that you are fishing for brown trout in a river, when he sees the size 4 Allies Shrimp on the end of your 15ft weight 11 fly rod...

[Viper]

Also this is not the first time this has been mentioned on this site before, but there is 'No' licence required for fishing for brown trout in Ireland. There may be permits required for certain fisheries, but no State Licence.

[Tanglerat]

Bradan who posts on this site would be able to give you the deffo ins and outs, though he is based in Galway.

[Bradan]

Viper's on the ball - better to be safe and have the licence than have to explain yourself to a fisheries officer (bailiff is a term from the distant past...). Say in an estuary where sea trout are regularly targeted and are the main species (e.g. Moy, Erne), and you go ledgering a sandeel, if you don't have a licence you're asking for trouble. Any genuine angler who is out to specifically target sea trout should have a licence, if he doesn't he's the same as any poacher.
If on the other hand you're fishing a surf beach somewhere with a chance of catching half a dozen species, flounder, bass, plaice, doggies etc, and the odd sea trout, then a fisheries officer would hardly say you're specifically targeting sea trout, and you're safe enough without a licence PROVIDED you return any sea trout you catch.
A licence is always required to kill any sea trout, and remember there are certain areas (Galway, south Mayo) where all sea trout must be returned by law, no exceptions.
I love a nice bit of trout myself, but would only kill about 1-2% of the fish I catch. They are a fantastic angling species but under enough threat as it is without people taking too many. Remember the finnock you catch this summer will give great sport, but imagine it as a 3-4lbs fish in 2 years time, AFTER it has spawned and contributed to the next generation....

[Norfolk and Goode]

Fantastic stuff lads, thanks for the help/info. 8)

Could be easily used for under hand tactics then if someone isn't honest :shock:

It's funny, different peoples understanding of the law/rules :?

Best advice is then: get a permit and cover all eventualities just incase I head home lighter than I arrived :cry:

[Bradan]

Norfolk
Just saw your location - I'm not sure of the situation in the north, I only know the law for the south. Might be different in the north for all I know, you might need a licence anywhere you might catch sea trout even if youre not targeting them!
Bradan