“Give A Man A Fish And You’ll Feed Him For One Day”

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 in order 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 in order 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 are 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 whether you need to have a licence in order to fish certain spots. 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 areas 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, in order that you do not end up paying a fine and having to pay for a licence.