PDFAA Rules

PDFAA Club Rules

The following rules apply to all Club Members, Day Ticket holders and Guests.

Environment Agency Rules

Envirnment Agency (EA) Laws and Bylaws always apply. All members must hold a current EA rod licence which is relevant to their class of membership of the Association.


Where to Fish

The Association holds waters on the Plym, Meavy, Cad (Upper Plym), Erme and Tavy. Please check the beats page on this site for details.


Classes of Membership

The membership categories are as follows :-

  • Full members who may fish all waters for Brown Trout, Sea Trout and Salmon, as long as they hold an approriate Environment Agency licence.

  • Trout Members who may fish all waters for Brown Trout only, as they hold an approriate Environment Agency licence.

  • Junior, Life and Honorary Members, who hold the same fishing rights as full members, as long as they hold an appropriate Environment Agency licence. These classes of membership are described in more detail in the Constitution.

Salmon Fishing

  • Fishing for Salmon fishing is open to Full Members only.

  • Fishing for Salmon fishing is permitted on the fly or spinning with artificial lures.

  • Knotless nylon or rubberized mesh net must be carried

  • Rod, reel and line strong enough to land fish without overly tiring it (reel with a strong and adjustable drag, recommended main and leader line in excess of 20lbs breaking strain)

  • Observe best practice in the unhooking, handling, care and release of fish

  • Mandatory release of salmon as follows:

    • Catch and Release only at all times on National Trust water: Cad & Meavy and Plym between Plym Bridge and the G Spot (see maps for details of beats).

    • All fish before 16th June

    • All coloured / gravid fish

    • All hen fish

    • All fish over 10lbs (75cm or 30 inches)

    • Release first 2 salmon, and minimum 2 of 3 thereafter

Migratory Trout

  • Fishing for Sea Trout is open to Full Members only.

  • Fishing for Sea Trout is permitted on the fly or spinning with artificial lures.

  • Knotless nylon or rubberized mesh net must be carried

  • Any non-migratory trout caught as by catch when spinning must be released unharmed.

  • A bag limit of three fish a day applies.

  • Fishing for sea trout is normally on the fly only, but if the river is highly coloured spinning is permitted.

  • All coloured fish must be returned

  • Catch and release is encouraged at all times.

Non-Migratory Trout

  • Fishing for non-migratory trout is on the fly only.

  • All non-migratory trout smaller than 18cm are to be returned unharmed.

  • The use of barbless or debarbed hooks is mandatory.

  • Knotless nylon or rubberized mesh net must be carried

  • Catch and release is encouraged at all times.


Day Tickets

  • Day Tickets are available at a price of £20 for migratory fish and £15 for non-migratory fish.

  • The Secretary holds a "Secretary's Ticket" for issue to promote the interests of the Association.

  • The National Trust and other riparian owners each hold a rod to fish their respective water.


Guest Tickets

  • A guest ticket may be allocated by the Secretary to a member fishing with a guest at a cost of £10.00 per day for brown trout or £15 per day for migratory fish.

  • Guest tickets are limited to a maximum of five per year for each member.

  • A member and guest may share a rod at no charge.

  • Members may only be accompanied by a single guest per day. Additional guests will be required to purchase a day ticket.