It is expensive to get caught fishing without a licence - $308 per offence and this would certainly take away the enjoyment from a day’s fishing.  Over the past seven weeks IFS Fisheries Officers have detected 29 offences for fishing without an angling licence or being in possession of an assembled rod, reel and line without an angling licence.

Fisheries Officers intend to check at least 5,000 angling licences this year and patrol waters across the state.

A current angling licence is required to fish with a rod, reel and line at any inland water in Tasmania, including farm dams on private property, during the angling season that applies to that water. A separate licence is required for whitebait fishing.

You can only use one rod and line at a time unless you have purchased a licence for the use of two rods which is an additional $15 for adult licence or $7.00 for all other licence types.

An angling licence is not required to fish:

• at a Registered Private Fishery
• for bream in the specified bream (indigenous fish) waters listed in the Inland Fisheries (Recreational Fishing) Regulations 2009
• with a single rod at an open inland water if the person is under the age of 14 years.

If you suspect or witnesses what you think is unlawful fishing please contact Stephen Hepworth, Manager (Compliance and Operations) at the Inland Fisheries Service on 0438 338 530.

We thank all those anglers who do the right thing and purchase a licence as all licence fees go directly back into making our world class fishery even better.