Sentimental Angling

[sam-cox]

This topic will mean different things to all of us, I’m just going to a out line my own thoughts as they are right at this moment in time.

 

Although we moan like hell about decreasing fish stocks, and the general damaged coursed by the commercial fishing fleet things could get a lot worse.

 

Instead of yet again just looking over the normal bad things lets just take a moment to notice the things that are going well.

 

I can only really speak for my own area the Thames Estuary, here over the last 10 years there has been a steady decline in general commercial pressure. Due to this the thornback rays and smooth hound have made a good recovery. Ten years ago one or two thornbacks per angler on a charter boat would have been a good spring times days fishing. Now charter boats often catch 30 to 40 thornies in a day. The tope that were caught as a by catch and sold for 50p per pound are making a fair come back under a bit less pressure.

One fish that has remained constant through the years due to its zero commercial value is the sting ray, and many large fish come from the Thames Estuary each year.

 

We now have zillions of small bass; these brave little fish will be the first sea fish caught by many new first time sea anglers. If one were to go back in time 25 years I would guess that not many anglers would have caught a bass as their first sea fish!

 

There have always been the odd shoal of mackerel in the Thames Estuary, but now come mid may the shoals start building up, by mid June there can be plenty for any boats fishing offshore. I guess this is down to climate change.

 

So I have out lined the good things that I have noticed happen over the past ten years, now for the flip side of the coin. This is where I get sentimental, and I suppose many an angler would, as most done their first angling with their fathers.

 

When I was a very young little lad my farther was taking anglers well offshore on a lot of trips. He was targeting bass, and boy did they catch some bass, these catches were well documented in the then angling press like the late Angling Magazine and the then very young Sea Angler Magazine. Most bass were over 5lb with many 8 to 12lb. Even then in the very early 70s three quarters of these fish were returned.

By the mid to late 70s the fact that our tope have a liking for eel was discovered, this led to many very good fish coming from Bradwell with the record fish of 82lb being caught from Kevin Benhams boat the Val Kerry.

Inshore angling to was of a very high quality and I saw many very large smooth hounds to over 20lb landed and returned from so close inshore one could read the number plates on the cars in the marina car park, along with plenty of bass and thornback rays.

 

I am very sentimental about these times of very good angling, also about the good times spent with my farther on his charter boats.

 

My Dad packed up chartering in mid June 1996, he was getting very depressed at the lack of fish, and the fact that the commercial fleet had hit the stocks so hard that his parties were then lucky to get a couple of thornbacks each. Now with a decreased commercial fleet the pressure on fish like the thornback has dropped and the numbers of fish available to anglers has increased.

 

These are very important times for us anglers, if we act now to protect our stocks the good thornback, smoothound and tope fishing many of us are having each summer will only get better. If we look after the zillions of small bass and let them grow big enough to of at least spawned twice then the bass fishing looks set to be very good over the next ten years.

 

The bottom line for me is that I would like to be sentimental about my angling for the right reasons. I would like to be looking back at good times had angling with my friends and family. In years to come I would like to remember my Dad catching his beloved bass on fly out fits from his favorite shore mark.

 

What I don’t want to happen is for me to be looking back sentimentally at the fish we once caught due to the event of them all being gone!

[Steve Coppolo]

That's it, you've said it now. Now we'll probably have a **** year!

[sam-cox]

What Steve like last years bassing?

[dillydangler]

i`m looking forward to EVERY fishing trip this year.

 

an estuary full of young bass and big flounder,small eyes on the beaches dabs small turbot and of course the best eating fish in the sea,,, doggies

 

and wrasse,pollock,gars,mackies,and the best of them all conger to name a few.

 

to be honest things are looking good.

Edited April 14, 2006 by dillydangler

[five bellies]

Brought a tear to my eye that did sam !

 

A good post and very true mate,

[glennk]

I watched the posts of you southern guys last year. My opinion from reading most things you all said was that bar the odd good fish you had a very bad year bass fishing. I hope this year is an improvement for you.

[sam-cox]

So do I Glennk! the are as I said plenty of small bass about but due the the 36cm MLS they get creamed off at this size leaving just a few bigger ones.