As the close season begins, the Environment Agency has urged anglers to make sure they have a valid licence or they may face a £2,500 fine.
The Agency said licence fees help to maintain fish stocks and fund work to detect and treat diseases in fish.
Rod licences can be bought from Post Offices and also from the Agency via its phone and website.
Anglers planning to fish through the close season, which runs from 15 March until 15 June, on still-waters and canals will need to purchase a new licence.
Fisheries Development Manager, Martin Cooper, said: "Technology is making it much easier to catch people fishing without a licence and our patrols will be out there checking.
"People who don't get rod licences are cheating their fellow anglers as well as risking heavy fines themselves."
