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Nope! Disgusting ain't it! An E.Mail to the EA wouldn't go amiss.

I'll do it tonight. Anyone in particular ? and an email address if you have it would be helpful !

there was something on the pike and predators website...ill have a look when ive got a mo see what i can find.

Leon,Mark any news from your organisations yet?

For God's sake grow up.... you're acting like a lynch mob.

What's more, your bloodthirsty postings have ensured that Peter Collins will never be prosecuted, because the prejudicial nature of the views expressed mean he could never get a fair trial.

It's a classic own goal. Don't be surprised if his solicitor sends you a thank-you note.

Can't you guys get this into perspective: an elderly man did something very stupid. He's extremely unlikely to offend again. The EA have got better things to do. The lynch mob mentality has made their job impossible even if they wanted to...

What he did was deplorable. But let's get it into perspective - even his best efforts couldn't do the same damage to predator stocks as the gut-hooking morons who purport to be caring predator anglers.

C'mon, let's have a debate about this. Those who bivvy up on the bankside to be woken by the sound of a buzzer in the night when a zander or pike takes your bait... and get round to striking as much as a minute later... do you realise what impact your actions are having on predator stocks in the Fens? Do you care?

Rather than prosecuting a solitary misguided pensioner, I would prefer to see the EA make sleeping while fishing illegal.

Any takers?

Agree that sleeping whilst predator fishing is extremely bad practice.But surely it is the way the EA has handled this that is the issue here? If the practice of sleeping whilst predator fishing was out lawed would the EA bother to police it and prosecute any offenders? If Collins has been "let off" due to him being a "mis guided old fool" have the (or should the) cases re distance between rod butts been dropped to? If I was to refuse to buy an EA licence next season and tell everyone on the net would all the subsequent"prejudicial" comments that would be made about me stop me from being prosecuted?

Also for me my real interest is not so much in seeing the guy hung drawn and quartered but more how all of the organisations that claim to represent us handle the matter.

I agree, Budgie. Let's see what they do. But I really doubt whether they'd be capable of getting their own house in order with regard to outlawing predator anglers from "sleeping on the job" as it were.
It's difficult to argue about the biggest danger to predator stocks is predator anglers - they're not that keen on the truth - but it will get through one day, as the truth always does.
The reason top predator venues go downhill so quickly is the actions of the people who fish them. That's why it's always best to stay one step ahead of the competition. Never mind unhooking mats and "I'm a member of the PAC so I'm a conservationist" .... it's sticking treble hooks in the soft tissue beyond the mouth that does the damage.
Even big waters like Rutland and Grafham, and some Irish loughs, have been screwed up by pikers.
It's been known for at least a couple of decades that the pike's worst enemy is the successul pike angler. I think it was Jim Gibbinson in the 1970s who coined the term that "pike thrive on neglect".
So, instead of getting on their high horses about a misguided old bloke doing a pretty ineffectual job on reducing predator populations on one small corner of the Fens, I'd be a lot happier to see the national organisations sorting out their own members with aview to prevent deep hooking, etc.
Incidentally, I resigned from the PAC when John Watson was booted out for politically-correct reasons. And that must have been 20 year ago. I'd join again tomnorrow - and pay up 20 years of back subs - if I thought they could take us forward.
Go on, convince me...

Re the PAC you echo my thoughts.As you quite rightly say it is very difficult to convince pikers of the damage caused.In my assosiation with a large Southertn trout reservoir I have caught plenty of pike,hooked in a variety of ways on both baits and lures,singles and trebles,barbed and barbless etc etc.These have been placed in holding pens to be transfered to other waters.Lets not go in to the rights or wrongs of this here as it warrents a thread of its own.The point I am making is that many of these fish regardless of the dertails of their capture swim strongly off when placed in the pen seemingly unharmed but later turn belly up.It has long made me wonder how many pike we hook,land,unhook and pat our selves on the back for a job well done later die whilst we are not at the water? Tell your average piker this and he will poo poo you.It doesnt stop me from piking but it is a fact that I have to accept.Just wish others would and stopped being so blind.A bit of subject but I know what you are saying and would dearly love to see this over riding problem of pike conservation addressed.As the pikes worst enemy surely we as pikers should do every thing in our power to minimise the damage we cause to pike stocks? Facing the cold facts would be a good starting point but no matter how much I would like to see protective legislation brought in like a Predator licence issued only after competence was proved etc etc who would administer it and more to the point who would police it? Certainly not the likes of the EA they still havnt the time/manpower/inclination(?) to police existing matters.Yes sadly I feel the only way would be at club/fishery manager level which would as is often the case mean that "public" waters would still get abused.
Another problem is that most who would and are properly experienced are not the people who need policing any way!The people who do the bulk of the damage are the ones who "dont need to learn" or wouldnt bother with a licence any way,see back to policing again.