waterman1013

Leon I also included your statement in the FACT response. Mike

Happy Birthday, Elton and our thanks for this wonderful site. Mike

Nick Just send Elton the money. You know it makes sense. Mike

And I thought they only lived under bridges!! Nice one Matthew, thanks Mike

Not biting today Jim. Mike

No Jim, not block voting. A board of directors does not operate that way. We each have one vote as directors so all the members of the board have equality in voting. After all each of our organisations paid the same subscription to found FACT. Mike

"can we now assume "who" the FACT honchos might be voting for at the election" No, Lee, you can't! "And what’s going to happen to FACT if labour loose?" FACT will continue to represent the interests of its members, regardless of who wins on May 5th.

hermes No, unfortunately I'm not but they are members of the Colne Valley Consultative which I run, so I have them logged on one of my databases. Mike

Tom You have a PM with telephone and address. Mike

Enlighten me slodger, what in my post is "disgusting". My stand against racism? My view of where it leads? Nowhere in that post do I name anyone or sink to personal abuse. But I do speak from personal experience of being on the recieving end of racism and religious bigotry in this country and through a reasonably long life have known many friends who no longer had their families around them because of it. I find it interesting that such a posting should lead to such a response. And does being a servant of SAA prevent me from holding personal viewpoints on matters outside angling? yours in wonder Mike

Terry, most of the people who post hateful comments here have no understanding of where they lead. They do not see the gas chambers that murdered millions of Romani, Jews, Catholics, Gays, disabled as a direct result of their views! They do not see the excluded in our society suffering everyday! They do not see the security needed at every synagogue, whilst people worship. They do not see that their views give comfort to those who would take us down the path of murder and death to others! They do not see because they are blind. Unfortunately they are not blind to difference. One day someone may put them on their hate list and then they will see. But by then it might be too late for them and their kind! Racism, in any form, is an anathema. We should all be doing all we can to fight it. Much of what has been posted on this thread should have no part in any civilised society. If you have a problem with individuals, deal with them. If you have a problem with your own hatred, deal with it. If you have a problem understanding where hatred leads, go back to your history books. Too often on bulletin boards, including this one, I see racist slurs. Like you, Terry, I find it abhorrent. Mike

Perhaps, once you have read the document, some of you may start to appreciate why some of us support Martin, regardless of his political allegiance or the party he votes for. Surprisingly in a democracy the government can deliver a lot of what angling needs and wants, somehow I don't see my old allies amongst the Conservatives doing the same. This document was, for a large part, written by those in FACT, who apparently cannot get on together. For organisations, which do not get on together, they seem to have a very joined up view! No doubt the document will now proceed to be dissected by those who have an axe to grind. It does not contain all that we wanted but it goes a long way down the road for us as anglers. The content offered to New Labour has also been offered to the other main parties, with no response to date. In announcing this bout I should like to introduce the audience to the contestants...... In the red corner.............PW In the blue corner.............LF Touch gloves and come out fighting!!! Mike

"Secondly; Why (given the massive decline of Eels ) don't the EA get a new byelaw in place as quickly as possible to stop the netting of the few Eels that do exist, to protect them ?" Bob I don't think these licences are covered by by- laws. I think the Agency have a legislated obligation to issue licences under the terms of the legislation and it is that which needs changing. We have been waiting since SAFFA (Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review) for new fisheries legislation and hope to see it in the next parliament. I know that the Agency want changes in this area. Mike

And people say there is no money in angling! If only anglers had control of those funds to promote the sport and sponsor our national teams. Mike

Just to insert some truth into this endless debate and assertion of "facts". NAA did not collapse or fall over or even fall out, NAA joined with many of the members of the Moran Committee to form FACT. So NAA was a step towards unity, which is what we always said it was. FACT now brings NAA, Moran and JADB together as never before. Some here may not like that message, as it will not fit with their view of the world. While some here rant about it others are simply getting on with the task. As for the CA there are major changes going on there and they might be seen as positive in the longer term. Excuse me if I leave now, I need to fall out with one of my colleagues in FACT. Only 69 days to the opening of the rivers..... Mike

Just wish I owned it but it belongs to a really good friend of mine, who is looking after it for future generations. I was truly amazed at how light spanish reed was, never having fished with one before. Seemed as light as modern carbon, without all that weight in the butt. Mike

When I first came back to angling, after the children had grown up, I picked up Carp World, not because I was a carp angler but because Jim G was writing in it then, as he is occasionally now, and was flashed on the cover. The quality of the writing was good then but now it can be patchy. I still find something of interest in it, even though I would still not call myself a carp angler, although I do fish for them sometimes, when I can't get to the river. Any publication is only as good as the writers they use. Jim, it is a shame you stopped for so long.

Be there Friday on the SAA stand and walking around to meet people. Mike

Anything that does not treat every story as the Sun would! Anything that reported the news. Anything that covered all aspects of angling, coarse, game and sea. Anything that helped anglers further than reviewing the latest tackle and educated about structure, water habitats, etc. Anything like I remember AT used to be in the fifties, when writers could write, when journalists hunted out the story and did not expect a press release to tell them all, when Tom Williams enthralled me with his Tales of a River, when Walker and Taylor could transport me to the river bank with their writing. Blimey, I must be getting old!! When commentators did not just shoot from the hip but actually asked questions before writing c**p. Oh, yes, and I would like a FACT page and the people, with time available, to brief fully the media to tell them and the angling world just how much work goes on in the background. We may yet get there, in spite of the adverse comments I have been reading on AnglersNet. Mike

Fished with a spanish reed designed and built for RW a couple of weeks ago. MAGIC!!! Not heavy, perfectly balanced with a pin, a joy to fish with. Built cane heavier and not so responsive, but then gudgeon tend not to fight back that much. What a privilege to use one of the great man's own rods. Mike

Dave All instances of illegal fishing should be reported to the Environment Agency Fisheries team using the emergency number on your licence. They may not do much but the report must show up in their annual reports to RFERACS on enforcement and like everyone they play the percentages game on resource and action. Generally you can guarantee that the police will do nothing about fishery laws! Mike

Hi Guys Sorry off line yesterday so just catching back up with this thread. "Mike Heylin is a good egg who when born nearly a century ago, came out not as a human being, but an 8lb angling politician!" Well Lee there are days when it feels like a century ago but I would like to assure you all that I am no older than anyone else born in '46. I was not born an angling politician. I was involved in party politics, from an early age, but gave that up to do something useful!! Slodger, your initial response was not taken as a criticism. It made me realise that my message had not got across. My failure, not yours. You say you don't know what is needed or wanted. What I want is to hear what anglers want, then perhaps we can move forward along some of those lines. Already this thread is developing arguments which can be used elsewhere to get us moving forward. Remember the NAC? It fell down because of the move towards "individual membership". Times are different now and I hope that others will see the benefits to FACT of having a strong membership amongst anglers, but it won't happen overnight. It does however remain an aim of SAA, working within FACT, and of some of the others around the table. Lyn JAGB, now the JADB (Joint Angling Development Bodies), was never set up to be a political voice for angling. It has responsibilities for development and coaching and continues to carry those within FACT. What everyone needs to realise is that we have a number of organisations working together for the future of the sport. Not all of them see things the way you and I may. So there will be discussion and debate about these issues and all the members of FACT need to be persuaded that the big picture is one that is worth pursuing for the benefit to angling, rather than protecting the institutions we now represent. That is a big task and will need big men/women to carry the flag for anglers. The fact that all those groups have joined FACT indicates to me that a wind of change is blowing and we can achieve what anglers want, maybe not tomorrow but sooner rather than later. The problem we have, in many walks of life, not just in angling, is committees. FACT is effectively a committee. And like all committees it is in danger of simply being a debating chamber with nothing getting done. The best organisations function well and effectively because one man/woman leads from the front. That man or woman is still to be found for FACT, recognised for the strengths they have and enabled/allowed to get on with the job. Whoever does it will find it a thankless task because of the internal pressures of committee structures. It will need tact and diplomacy to bring differing views together, to persuade, not only group leaders but also group memberships, that change is needed, desired and can be fruitful. It needs a vision of what could be rather than what is. It needs faith that anglers will join an organisation which delivers for anglers and the sport. It needs someone who can devote themselves 24/7/365 to the task. And to do that it needs to pay that person well. No volunteer can be expected to commit that amount of time and energy, if his bills are not getting paid. There was a comment here about the members of FACT paying for the new organisation. Well we did. All the subscribing members of FACT have contributed, some beyond their means, to get FACT up and running. But none of the members of FACT have strong bank balances, so they are not a long term solution to funding for FACT. We see the first task of an executive officer as developing funding sources, perhaps even anglers, supporting the structures within FACT and developing a PR campaign outwith FACT, aimed not just at anglers but at the whole community, to influence those who might take decisions affecting our sport and to encourage parents to allow their children to participate. Any volunteers? There was a small piece in both AT and AM last week regarding the search for this individual. The silence has been deafening. Contact me by email if you are interested, all my details are in my profile. Thanks for listening Mike

From slodger "Mike Heylin's piece in the SAA mag and in one paragraph he states that FACT is now up and running, yet later in the piece he talks about the need for anglers to send him their ideas for the organisation, and then goes on to mention an idea from someone suggesting that individuals might fund a seperate FACT supporters club" From kleinboet "Let them send a referendum form (neutrally designed by FACT)to the rank and file asking THEM what they want." Sorry, that is what I thought I was attempting to do for SAA members in the piece quoted by slodger from New Specialist Angler. Still that is alright because there is loads of comment here but NONE in my mail box. Just about sums it all up really. OH, I know - it must be the closed season. Does no one here realise that constructive ideas from anglers are what will make the difference and give ammunition to those seeking real change? Slagging off the first step of the Long March would not have helped the Chinese, yet it all started with that first step. The formation of FACT is that first step for angling along the path to a unified body representing all anglers, but if you would rather spend your time debating here than contributing ideas to FACT then maybe, just maybe, you should all be looking inwards rather than at FACT, where we have real debate and try to address these issues, without falling out. Falling out has become an urban myth within angling. Bruno is correct. In NAA we had many quite heated discussions but we never once fell out, we could all see the bigger picture and that is how FACT came about. FACT is larger than NAA, encompasses more organisations, agendas and aims and has the potential to be what you all seem to want it to be. Why don't you develop a manifesto of what you want and let me have it by email? It won't happen overnight but at least you will have put your ideas on the table. And you might just be surprised when FACT listens. Mike

"We "should" be keeping a neutral stance in the domestic political arena and certainly NOT getting ourselves embroiled in dodgy dealings" Quite right Lee, but look at the quotes carefully and you will see no reference to "party" or "politics" simply support for a friend of angling in his hour of need. Surely that is what you do for friends, even when you don't agree with them or their views? Unlike Peter I do not support New Labour, too right wing for me, but I would want to see Martin back after May. He gets doors opened for us and makes what has been acheived recently possible. I do not see anyone like him in the other two main parties and that is bad for angling. Mike

Chris There will shortly be a European Directive against lead in the environment. Talks are proceeding about anglers leads through EAA. I suggest you do not invest in too much stock of lead products. Mike