Most people will have heard the old saying “give a man a fish, and he’ll feed himself for a day; teach him to fish and he’ll feed himself and his family for life”.
Although not everyone who takes up angling does it to provide food, it is a good saying, demonstrating how fishing can be more than just a hobby and can have a real practical application for anyone who does it. it helps if you like to eat fish and have a nearby body of water with a ready supply of edible species, of course. Admittedly not everyone is so lucky.
However, for those who are, there is certainly a viable aspect to fishing to provide food. Not every species you can catch is edible – or to be more accurate, not every species is one that you would wish to eat. Those that do not occur naturally everywhere.
It is therefore a good idea to read up on the prevalent species in your area and find out whether you might enjoy dining on freshly caught fish regularly.
It is also worth being aware of whether you need to have a licence to fish certain sin pots. In some cases, local authorities deem it necessary that anyone who might fish for financial gain (and if you do not have to buy the fish, it could be argued that you are doing so) should pay for a licence to cover what they might take out of the area’s rivers and lakes.
The licence may not cost much, and you may not need one at all, but it is advisable to be sure of the situation before you go any further, so that you do not end up paying a fine and having to pay for a licence.
