@ PhilB
Don't complain too much(though you surely have good cause for it) , I think , in Germany it's still worse than your described situation in the UK .
We are very familiar with those difficulties about boatfishing as well , that you mentioned
.
Most likely no gas-engine powered boats allowed , and if they are(most likely on very big waters or public waterways) , you'd have to register your boat and/or pay for a license annually .
You hardly find places to slip your boat from a trailer , even a lot of places are not easy accessible by car , so when fishing from bank , you often have to carry all your gear for a more or less distance to the chosen fishing spot .
In many waters boat fishing is forbidden entirely , where it is allowed , you must most likely row
.
Fishing restrictions are issued locally by the single German states(Bundesländer) , and differ in details , but that may cause you to have to appear at court
!
There are different legal sizes and closing times , so people like me , fishing waters in three different states , have to bear a lot in mind to avoid possible trouble with fishery inspectors and/or police .
Particulary in Bavaria and other places down south sonars are not allowed whilst fishing , also fishing all through the night is forbidden down there .
Here up north its rather liberal in that way , no problems about that
!
Before fishing over here at all one must do schooling and pass an exam , otherwise no federal fishing license is granted ! This is possible from the age of 12 or 14(not quite sure) and is done in several evening or weekend courses .
These courses would cost about 100 to 150 € , the license issue fee is different from state to state , but most likely you must also pay an annual "fishery fee" to local authorities , that is supposed to be used for fishing-related expenses(guess , in America such is covered by the excise tax on some tackle or components).
When you finally have this federal license , you're still not ready to go , you need a permission license for the water , that you intend to fish
.
Quality stocked waters are most likely in the hands of fishing clubs , so you need a membership there , which would cost from 20 € to several 100's € , depending on each single club and their waters .
Also these always charge an entry fee of about same sum like the previously mentioned annual fee !
But in those clubs you most likely have to face still more restrictions to your disadvantage
!
But in some places and regions of the country anglers are better off than elsewhere , since there are many waters to fish in with only one license , that also is reasonably cheap
.
Here in Hamburg we are extremly lucky in that way , since many waters here are in town council property , and it is an old legal claim , still preserved from the middle ages , that every citizen is allowed to catch fish for own consumption
, so you don't need no extra permission license to fish in those , but the federal fishing license still is essential
.
And if you come to visit Germany from abroad , even if you should be an EU citizen , its almost impossible for you , top spend your holiday fishing legally
!
Why that ?
Simply because you won't be able to do previously mentioned schooling within your short stay , if you should even speak the language sufficientl enough to follow the lessons
!
But since a few years the two northern states of "Schleswig-Holstein"(my home state)and "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" , both located along the German Baltic ,-and partly North Sea coast , started to issue a "Temporary Tourists License" , valuable for a few weeks
.
This license substitutes the "Federal Fishing License" , but is only valuable in the issuing state .
Off course an extra permission for the fishing waters must be obtained as well , most likely at higher prices than usual , since the tourists are obviously no member in a local club
!
Native anglers are already complaining , because they don't see point in it , that they must do schooling , and the tourists not , since this schooling was brought in many years ago , as the green party got more powerful , with the reason , that living creatures should not be handled by unexperienced hands
!
Obviously generated by same political stupidity we have a restriction over here , that every legal sized fish caught must be killed and taken home for kitchen(or the cat ?) , whereas accidentally hooked illegal sized ones must be released , but , if they should be injured too much to survive , we are ordered to chop them to pieces and throw them back into the lake
!
This "take home policy" was given reason not to misuse living creatures as a mean to do a fun sport !
This is the reason , why you can't catch as many fish over here as in our European neighbor countries , that don't have these most foolish restrictions , even partly made "CPR" a law for some species
!
I remember some years ago , I read in a magazine , that in the UK an angler was convicted or banned from the waters , because he killed a big carp , that he caught , same time in Germany another fella was convicted , because he had released a big carp
!
Many of us don't just bother about this restriction anymore and release the bigger share of our fish to grow and keep up the stock , only have to care about , who's watching
!
I was upset to read recently , that the Swiss parliament has recently given way for this foolish and ignorant "Kill Order" as well
!
I hope many of the fellow fishermen over there would ignore it as much as possible , since they would be surely aware about catching less fish in future
.
Ok , PhilB , don't complain too much , it could also be worse than that
!
Greetz , Dieter
