With knife crime a major issue throughout Britain today there has been a great deal of attention on the legalities of carrying a knife. High-profile incidents have created public concern and led to the police clamping down on knife crime amid claims that there is a knife crime epidemic. All of this has led to some confusion and uncertainty about where anglers stand when it comes to carrying a knife for fishing purposes.

UK law currently states that it is illegal to:

The maximum penalty for carrying a knife or weapon is a four-year prison sentence and/or an unlimited fine. However, it is legal to carry a folding pocket knife with a blade of less than 3-inches/7.6cm (as long as it is not a lock knife).

Source: gov.uk website

While it is ordinarily illegal to carry a knife it is not illegal if there is good reason to have the knife. For example, a chef carrying knives to and from a place of work would have a good reason, as would someone taking knives to be displayed in a museum. Knives can also be carried for religious reasons (i.e. the Sikh Kirpan).

While the law is vague it could therefore be assumed that taking a knife fishing for the purposes of cutting bait and filleting fish is a good reason for carrying a knife. If the police stopped an angler who was carrying a rod and reel along with a tackle box containing hooks, weights, rigs and a whole range of other fishing equipment including a knife they would almost certainly accept that the angler had good reason to have the knife in their possession.

Related article: Sea Fishing Knives

It is good practice to keep the knife packed away in a fishing box or bag when travelling to a fishing mark as this makes it clear that it is a fishing tool and not something that is being carried for any other purpose. Similarly, when fishing a knife should be kept stored away in a closed box or bag and only taken out and used as needed – again proving that it is simply a fishing tool. Anglers keeping a knife in a jacket pocket or around a belt where it is easily accessible may have more difficulty in using the good reason argument to the police, as would anglers keeping their knife separate from the rest of their fishing gear (i.e. in the car glovebox when the rest of their fishing gear was packed away in the boot).

Anglers should be careful taking unconventional types of knives with them when fishing, as possessing these types of knives may be an offence even if there is a good reason for having a knife. These include any types of knives which have a concealed blade or a blade which can be extended and then locked in place, meaning that flick knives and butterfly knives are illegal under current British law. It is an arrestable offence to be in public with any knife on the banned list, and using them for fishing purposes is no excuse as the official UK government web page on buying and carrying weapons states that it is illegal to “carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife.”

The law is incredibly vague when it comes to the legality of people aged under eighteen years old using the good reason approach to carrying a knife. The government websites are unclear on whether this applies to under 18s, and since it is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase any kind of knife (including cutlery and kitchen knives in England, the law is different in Scotland) it could be argued that it is illegal for them to carry one under any circumstances. If people aged under 18 are going fishing with a group of people which includes older people it makes sense for the older members of the group to carry any knives which are needed.

Please note – While it is generally accepted that going fishing provides a good reason for carrying a knife there is no guarantee that the police will always agree with this. The law is ambiguous and with knife crime becoming an increasingly significant issue throughout the country it may well be the case that the criteria for having a good reason for possessing will change and become more stringent as time moves on. All information on this page is therefore included for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice in any way. Anglers who are unsure about any aspect of the legalities of carrying a knife should consult a legal professional or law enforcement agency for clarification before purchasing a knife or using a knife when fishing.