Richard Seager/ Sea Angler Magazine

[sam-cox]

After hearing about the contraversial catches of some very large bass I whent and bough Sea Angler magerzine.

There inside is Richard Seager with a fine brace of masive bass. Also reported is an 18.1lb bass caught by one of his very happy customers.

 

Now I have a fairly extensive grape vine when it comes to my fishing and acording to my grape vine Richard Seager is not only a good charter skipper but is a lisenced commercial fisherman.

 

Can anyone verifie this?, also can anyone tell me if the anglers pay Mr Seager for the fishing trips? or more sinisterly does he keep the bass the anglers catch and sell them to earn his money?

 

If these fish are being sold then I feel quite strongly that Sea Angler and Boat Fishing Monthly should not print these glory photos as a matter of princable.

Edited March 22, 2006 by sam-cox

[Dan]

Hi Sam

Lets see if this thread keeps cool! I actaully dont think I see a problem, Yes I'd like big bass like that returned, esp as they dont even eat as well as the smaller ones, but if they were caught with rod and line then is he any different to any other charter skipper? The terms of the booking will confirm who gets to keep the catch, but lets face it if every commercial only fished with a rod and line then the bass stocks wouldnt be under the pressure they are.

So lets educate our fellow anglers and the angling press to enourage catch and release, only keeping the occasional fish for the table. Demanding all bass to returned will just polarise opinions. My opinion anyway!

 

Dan

[sam-cox]

Hi Dan I do agree with you there mate, my point is really that if these fish were sold then they were caught commercially and to my mind shouldnt be in a sports fishing magezine.

Those fish at Gurnsey are there for one thing and thats sex! they really should be left alone until they have finished and dispersed!

 

But your point about commercials using rod and line is a good one mate, the sea would be a better place if all commercials fished this way.

[Dan]

Hi Dan I do agree with you there mate, my point is really that if these fish were sold then they were caught commercially and to my mind shouldnt be in a sports fishing magezine.

Those fish at Gurnsey are there for one thing and thats sex! they really should be left alone until they have finished and dispersed!

 

But your point about commercials using rod and line is a good one mate, the sea would be a better place if all commercials fished this way.

 

Cant argue with that!

Dan

[Sharkbyte]

Hi Dan,

 

I have every respect for your opinions and see no need for a falling out.

 

I totally agree with your point about catch and release, contrary to popular opinion I'd never expect to see a 100% release rate amongst anglers. Fish is a great part of the human diet and should be responsibly enjoyed. The return of a good proportion of specimen fish is both a respectful and responsible act on the part of an angler. It's worth people bearing in mind that C+R doesn't mean you have to throw either the photos or the memories back into the briney along with the prize catch.

 

Your point concerning the seas being in better shape if all commercials adopted a rod and line has merit too, however the Guernsey boats in question are not just fishing any old mark, they have found quite possibly the most valuable mark to the future of quality Bass fishing around. It is an area Bass frequent in huge desities, big fish full of spawn and the most definitely the cream of the crop. They numbers are being plundered at an alarming rate not only removing them from the system but also the young that would inevitably result if they were allowed to go about their business.

 

I for one would be happy if the mark was closed to all interference whether rod and line, recreational or commercial.

 

The fact that people reliant on anglers money are doing some of the damage is in my opinion a disgrace and should be addressed, sending the pics in to angling magazines is merely adding insult to injury and quite honestlt taking the p1ss out of the readers.

 

I picked up a copy of Boat Fishing today and was amazed to see the brace of fine Guernsey Bass on one page and a new conservation section telling of how French anglers are actively campaigning to put and end to the slaughter of spawning fish on another. Is Mr Whippy aware of this contradiction?

 

[Dan]

What I find hard to understand is why anglers are going out there to join in, seems to me to be like the tourists fishing for mackerel off the SW beaches, they just cant help themselves. Sad state of affairs, do we have an email addy for Sea angler magazine?

 

 

Is Mr Whippy aware of this contradiction? ............... the icecream man?!

 

 

Dan

Edited March 22, 2006 by Dan

[FishingGuernsey]

After hearing about the contraversial catches of some very large bass I whent and bough Sea Angler magerzine.

There inside is Richard Seager with a fine brace of masive bass. Also reported is an 18.1lb bass caught by one of his very happy customers.

 

Now I have a fairly extensive grape vine when it comes to my fishing and acording to my grape vine Richard Seager is not only a good charter skipper but is a lisenced commercial fisherman.

 

Can anyone verifie this?, also can anyone tell me if the anglers pay Mr Seager for the fishing trips? or more sinisterly does he keep the bass the anglers catch and sell them to earn his money?

 

If these fish are being sold then I feel quite strongly that Sea Angler and Boat Fishing Monthly should not print these glory photos as a matter of princable.

 

Richard is a very good charter skipper and as I understand he is also licenced to sell fish commercially. Whether the anglers are paying customers and on that particular trip i don't know but I do know that it does happen that anglers "fish for the boat", do not keep any fish themselves and don't pay for their trip, the skipper who is commercially licenced cashing in on the catch.

 

Andy

[sam-cox]

It would be interesting to find out about the fish in the angling press! I wonder if those fish were sold and if so I dont feel they should be in the angling press.

 

Also what real angler would go out and fish like that!

[DoubleShotDamo]

Firstly, Sam, you say the bass are there for "sex"? Agreed, but lots of species migrate close to the shore for their anual "sex". For example, certain shore marks on the south coast throw up some superb bream in April, all full of roe. Lots are kept, pictured, and shown off in the mags, but nothing said about that. Secondly, are bass really that rare? There's loads off the south coast, more than cod, and an increasing number are being caught further north. Thirdly, I bet 90% of anglers on here would keep a decent bass if they landed one, but won't admit it!

Edited March 22, 2006 by DoubleShotDamo

[Steve Coppolo]

It would be interesting to find out about the fish in the angling press! I wonder if those fish were sold and if so I dont feel they should be in the angling press.

 

No one will ever know the truth regarding that Sam. I think a rod and line bass fishery is preferable to pair trawling and gill netting. Whether a new found mark like that can sustain even a rod and line fishery though is debatable. Personally I don't think it will continue for much longer, another few years maybe.

 

But that's not really the point of this thread. It's about whether the bass were sold and therefore caught commercially, whether the sea angling press were aware of it and whether they should print the pics if they were aware of it. In my opinion they shouldn't print pictures of commercially caught fish, no matter what the method of catching them was.

 

As an aside, I tend to believe that this shoal of bass contains all of Guernseys population of bass, and populations from a few other places too. I think they all congregate there to spawn before going back to where they came from. If my theory is right, not only are Guernseys population of bass being wiped out, but also Jerseys, sarks, alderneys and some of Frances populations of bass being fished into the ground. Given how slow bass are in reaching these grand sizes and given how the average size of those captured has fallen so much in just 3 years, once these are gone they will be gone for good. As I said in another thread, the channel islands will be no different from the thames estuary. All there will be left is plenty of just sizable and undersize bass and a handful lunkers. History repeating itself.