Tatts64

Well, I read it and can only assume that this "journalist" recommends we ban fishing (and shooting) because something needed "banning". Something noisy that is. All it sounded like to me, was that the bloke was complaining about the sound of shotguns going off. There was no arguement as to why hunting and coarsing should have stayed a legal sport and hunting and fishing should have been banned instead. It would appear very much to me, that the man was suffering from a hangover. Following too much christmas spirit and having to hear the guns making their racket on boxing day simply made it worse for him. Hence the reason it would have been better to ban shooting, and fishing? Just a selfishly motivated way of firing up the "Anti's" all over again with little or no sensible / reasonable motive. Andy

Cheers mate. I wasn't taking the P, I just truly didn't know and not having a dictionary, it left me kind of stumped but interested too in its meaning. Funny how our local and national govt is full of such people though. What amazes me is how they manage to talk others into voting for them! Andy

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what a mans politics is, its down to whether or not you feel that particular man / mp / local councillor is representing what you count as being important in your life. Any politician that will work for the true betterment of britain as a nation, whether it be in fishing, immigration, minimum wage, maximum hours (which has seriously decreased some peoples pay that they were happy enough earning), education or health service will get my vote. Not because of the label attached to the organisation they belong to, but because he is willing to stand and fight (so to speak) for the betterment of the whole country. Not just the rich, not just the poor. Not just the white and not just the coloured / migrant community, but EVERYONE! Andy

Hi Cranfield Sorry to sound stupid, thick or anything else, but what on earth are "self aggrandisement" people? I really should have attended school a little more often! Andy

Hi Bob Was this a message for all to read thru or just the ACA members? I'l assume you meant it for all, ok. To be honest with you, I cannot understand why there is not just one main body to represent the interests of ALL anglers. No matter what flavour of water they fish in or bait they use. Obviously, there would need to be subdivisions to handle issues within the various branches of the sport. But for so long now, the UK's anglers have all sat there shaking their own little rattles in the air instead of having one loud voice to air their views and issues, that I honestly believe its been counter-productive. Anyway, good luck with it all. ESPECIALLY the dreaded paperwork side of things Andy

Was it not us, the sea anglers that brought to the attention of the Govt, how many people enjoy and participate in the sport of sea fishing? Through organisations like the NFSA, we have been petitioning the govt for ages and ages for the so called rights of the leisure fisherman. To be honest, I am surprised that its taken ANY govt in this country so long to realise the extra taxation potential thats been quietly congregating on the beaches, piers, rocks and boats of the UK. Lets face it, when there's an opportunity to gain some extra revenue through taxation, our various govts over the years dont normally miss a beat! As such, I suppose we should be "grateful" that we, as anglers, have remained out of the govt's gaze for so long. Personally, I will NOT buy a sea fishing rod license. I will wait a couple of years and see what the govt is doing to help protect and police the rod and line anglers rights before deciding whether or not I buy a license and carry on fishing, or whether I pack it in all together. Deep down inside, I dont believe that the leisure fishermen will gain a thing out of this exploitation of themselves. Further more, I also believe that it may well follow along the same lines as the freshwater license. Where you are limitted to two fishing rods. More than enough some may say. But when, like me, I take along enough tackle for myself, my young son and one or two of his friends, then am I to stump up for them as well? I believe there will be those that pay and continue to fish in dessimated waters, those that don't pay and continue to fish (making a mockery of those that do pay) and those that give it up all together. Andy

Hi Tony. Was that Saturday 23rd? I only ask because my son still managed to make his trip out of Walton on the Naze that day. Nothing amazing was caught by any rods. Half a dozen small tope, some smooth hounds and a skate. Biggest catch of the day was the cable that became entangled with the anchor and took the skipper a while to get rid of. But, at the end of the day, its the skippers call as to whether or not to chance things with the weather and I dare say he feels worse about losing a days money than you do about losing a days fishing, so I can't and wouldn't knock him for it. Andy

Personally, I would freeze it. Always assuming I couldn't get it fresh that is. Why would you want to cure it? Purely out of interest Andy

Sorry Jabee. Would love to be able to go, but its a little far for me at the mo. No car and still bashed up from the accident I lost it in. Toerag - Well done mate!! On all accounts Andy

That aint fair, you got a bigger one than me, lol. Seriously though, both my friend John and myself were more than happy enough with our fish as they were also new species for us at the time and beat the hell out of our own personal best rays. Come to think of it, John's personal best fish was a cod of 10lb at the time, so he was most probably as chuffed as someones going to get Once I have recovered from my car crash I had on Monday along the my knee op that was done on Tuesday, i think it will be time to have a word with our skipper to go looking for those big eels. It will most likely be a succession of blanks, but like I said before, they have to be out there and sooner or later we WILL find them! I'm kind of in two minds as to how to go about it though. Personally, I favour just the skipper my son Jack and I taking out the boat and trying various wrecks and marks we both know of. But there is a line of logic that says, "More baits in the water = greater chance of a fish!". Not to mention the stumping up of the full cost of the boat on my own. Andy

This one was John's (Old bloke in photo) best of the day at 28lb. I had great fun watching him being dragged from where he was fishing just behind the wheelhouse all the way back to the transom. It was one of those silly days where only the two people on one side of the boat caught fish. They came in ever increasing sizes from about a 10lb starting fish. Andy

Thanks Barry. My first trip out of Folkestone was, as it happens, the best one! I'll try and upload some photo's of the blondes we pulled As for conger fishing, I have been trying to convince my local skippers to try for them for absolutely ages! We may not have the depths of water available here in the northern end of the Thames Estuary that they have along the English Channel, but they (conger) just have to be out there on the many wrecks that are within reach of the local boats. Andy

I did wonder when that most excellent of TV programmes, "Deadliest Catch" was going to be brought up. I am one of those sad people that enjoys seeing how ALL forms of fishing are carried out. Not just the rod and line fun that we all enjoy. But as someone else in this thread pointed out, this is an ANGLING forum, not a have a poke at the commercial fishermen forum. Live and let live. Who knows, it may be a commercial fishing boat that comes to the rescue of the anti's one day when the boat they are miles out to sea on, breaks down and needs a tow home! Andy

Careful John, don't want to go getting too sharp there mate. You'll end up slicing the screen in half. The good news being the fact you got yourself a new record!!! Go Da Man!!! "Crowd stands, roars and goes wild. Then trips falls over and knocks his cup of tea flying across the room and realises that he forgot to get his crutches before standing up", lol Andy