UK’s tackle trade to repeat Christmas fishing recruitment drive

The Angling Trades Association’s popular Take a Friend Fishing (TAFF) initiative – designed to bring more people into fishing – is to be repeated over Christmas 2023.

Its ’12 days of Fishmas’ programme is supported by the tackle industry and, following last summer’s TAFF, makes this year’s campaign the most extensive yet.

The festive fishing opportunity runs from December 22nd to January 2nd and gives existing licence holders the chance to register for a free one-day licence worth £6.50 to take someone they know fishing.

Registration opens on December 9th, from when licence holders can register for the free licence, supplied by the Environment Agency, at www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk Applicants are required to select the date of their fishing trip along with some other simple information.

“The TAFF23 campaign has been a great success this year and we wanted to reward registrants with another opportunity to go fishing with a friend over the festive period,” said ATA Chairman Andrew Race.

“TAFF is capable of making such a difference, not only to the long-term development of angling recruitment, but also to people’s lives. Angling is a proven therapy both mentally and physically and it knows no boundaries in terms of ability, age, sex or background.”

TAFF is run in association with the Environment Agency, the Canal and River Trust and many other organisations and is structured to show people how easy it is to get into fishing.