Coarse fishing in NRW

Hi, I have living in Troisdorf (nr Bonn) for approx 1 year and am finding it very difficult to understand the rules & regulations surrounding fishing.

Here is what I know so far:

1) To fish anywhere in Germany it is mandatory to get a licence
2) To get forementioned licence you must first attend a course for approx 6 weeks
3) At the end of the course there is an exam which you must pass in order to get a licence.
4) These courses are in German language only

Point 4 is my biggest problem - having only been here for 1 year, my German language skills are "Nicht so gut" so I was wondering if anyone knows of an organisation or an "Amt" where they will do the course in English?

OR, does anyone know of any Coarse fishing lakes that are in the NRW area that dont require you to have the license?

any help or direction would be much appreciated!

Nick

apologies, I think this post should have gone into the Sports & Activities forum!

Check this out... OK, not coarse fishing, but it seems that you can make your life a lot easier by getting a 'foreigners' temporary license... of course, you'll need to get another temp license to give you 'permanent' coverage every time one expires...

Cheers Adi! I'll be in the cellar tonight checking through my fishing tackle and off to the Amt tomorrow!!

Here are all the requirements. Just make sure you realise that they make it as difficult as possible for you to have any sort of enjoyment in life. Don't forget, we are in Germany!!!

http://www.bonn.de/rat_verwaltung_buergerd.../00153/?lang=de

Hi Nick
I did the Fischerprüfung some 6 years back and my German was not too good at the time. You have to do an exam and the way I got round it was to learn the answers only. It´s a "vote for Joe type exam" i.e. select answer a, b, or c. Can`t think right now what this type of exam is called! as my kids are yelling in the background.

I just did as I was told and when I got the certificate, I forgot most things they taught me!

Once you have the cert its just a case of going down to the Rathaus with 2 photos and getting a licence.

I can send you a copy of all the questins with the correct answers if you wish.
best wishes
Terry

Take a look here...

off topic: hairdressers

But does the licence have a photo on so you can also use it as ID

As if the fish are gonna ask for ID Rebecca

The law does require a policeman to identify himself to his catch, so why should it be different for fishers?

Anyway, why are fishermen always so keen on course fishing? Isn't here any polite fishing?

Course fishing ? So the fish have to complete a training course too ?
Polite fishing is where you say sorry before you throw the fish back in.

Unfortunately you're not allowed to throw the fish back in , according to the ever-so-eco-friendly course you have to first smack it on the head, then slit its throat before finally removing the hook even if you have no intent to eat the fish.

Just small fish are sanctioned to be return to the water I rarely obey this pathetic bylaw.

So, let me get this right. Only smaller fish are allowed to be returned to lakes, rivers & seas once they have been caught? I dont see how killing every 20lb carp that I hopefully will catch being much fun! Especially if I plan on taking my son when he is old enough to fish. It kind of takes the enjoyment out of fishing.

Also the wife will get really fed up of carp fish fingers, not to mention the stench of the freezer!

So, does anyone know what the penalty is for catching "larger" fish, taking a photo of it and returning it back to where it came?

Maybe take your licence away