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"Fishing knives" and the law re knives in public places

W

wobert

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I'm a newbie considering my kit and it occurs to me that using a common type of "fishing knife" for, say, bleeding a fish at catch-site would actually be illegal (blade over 3" in a public place). Any thoughts/advice please ?
 
Cobblers.

It is perfectly acceptable to have such a knife with you when its purpose is one for which you can say is reasonable.
As a hobby catching fish for the table is what we (at least some of us ) do. You could just as easily say that Butchers or Chefs shouldnt carry knives to and from work, when they had been sharpened at home.

Easily found ….. https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

Dave
 
Hi 👋
My guess is, that you are not walking the streets with a knife in your hand. It should be kept in its sheath in with your fishing gear and using it for this purpose. I’m a chef by trade and sometimes I carry 10-15 different knives in a proper knife case to different jobs. If I were to get pulled over by the police I have a valid reason to carry the knives and they are safely stored.

It would be the same if you had a shotgun and you were going clay pigeon shooting. You would have gun and shells in different bags and a shotgun license. Just for your information, I am not a solicitor.
 
The Third Earl said:
Cobblers.

It is perfectly acceptable to have such a knife with you when its purpose is one for which you can say is reasonable.
As a hobby catching fish for the table is what we (at least some of us ) do. You could just as easily say that Butchers or Chefs shouldnt carry knives to and from work, when they had been sharpened at home.

Easily found ….. https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

Dave
Click to expand...
Thanks for the useful link.
 
As with many laws the key is in the wording ‘reasonable’.
If you’re cutting up bait or gutting a fish while fishing, or at the coast, and transporting your knife to and from fishing in a rucksack in your car etc, that would be a valid and reasonable case for possessing one.

If you stop cutting up bait and wander off down the pier or into another public place carrying your knife, that’s hardly reasonable and questions would quite rightly be asked.
Same as if you walked into a pub or cafe with the knife on your belt.
Saying that I’ve seen people do exactly that going to and from boat trips, but imo that’s probably not really wise. Yes technically they’re transporting it to fishing but there’s no good reason to have it on your belt when it can be in a bag or box.
It’s something I’ve see a few old boys do, not sure why 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
Welcome to the Madhouse wobert & The Nerdler.

The lads have pretty much summed it up correctly above. I often take two knives with me when fishing, but never carry them on my person.
They are always in my tackle box in the boot of the car, and stay there until I arrive at the mark I am fishing.
Carrying a knife on your person or belt is a no-no, especially if you were to go into, say, a tackle shop en route to the mark.
 
Welcome Wobert. ;)
 
Frow him to the floor Centurion!

 
Bob Marly's brother ;)
 
It’s all been said but just remembered I did ask a police inspector about this once.

He basically said if it’s in a tackle box etc and you’re clearly engaged in or going to fishing, obviously fine.

I asked (hypothetically) what if a butcher walked along the high street carrying his knives in the middle of his working day and he said ‘technically’ if he could prove he was working as a butcher and going from A to B for work purposes then yes it would be legal. Technically.
But we went on to discuss that obviously if he had half a brain he’d have them in a case or container.

Miss those chats. Sometimes we even got some work done between coffees 🙄
 
Mr Fish said:
It’s all been said but just remembered I did ask a police inspector about this once.

He basically said if it’s in a tackle box etc and you’re clearly engaged in or going to fishing, obviously fine.

I asked (hypothetically) what if a butcher walked along the high street carrying his knives in the middle of his working day and he said ‘technically’ if he could prove he was working as a butcher and going from A to B for work purposes then yes it would be legal. Technically.
But we went on to discuss that obviously if he had half a brain he’d have them in a case or container.

Miss those chats. Sometimes we even got some work done between coffees 🙄
Click to expand...
What about a bank robber walking along with a sawn off? Surly if he’s on his way to a bank job it’s fine
 
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