Almost 95 per cent of anglers had successfully renewed their licence in time for the new river season.
The Environment Agency organised a three-day blitz to check if people enjoying the first day of the season had the correct licences to fish.
Officers focused on rivers in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The areas targeted were ones with a reputation for having a high evasion rate. Officers checked 285 people and found 268 had renewed in time. The 17 who had not were given Offence Report Forms.