Rapala

Unfortunately not from what I've seen Steve. Mile long gillnets being payed out of the back of open boats. Illegally caught bass being exported in freezer units hidden amongst legal fish. Dodgy laws that prevent a these commercial fisherman being prosecuted for the same offence twice in the same year. I could go on...suffice to say its a shambles. I shoulda used a shorter rope!

Unfortunately Ireland also has its share of commercial bass plundering. The gauling thing is the plundering is illegal but it still goes on at an unacceptable scale. They mave have the Restriction of Sale Order but they aint got the resources or the wherewithall to police it. Sad but True, think I'll go and hang myself....

Ahh, but does this Dr.Jeckle have another side to him that earns a living from being a suncream salesman....

Didnt the scientists say 37,5 is too small to be sustainable? 37.5 may be a step the right way but nowhere near far enough. The way I understand it I believe part of the BMP strategy is to push for the same restrictions to be adopted in EU states, thats why I wrote to my MP. I can sympathise with some of you commercials who feel at this stage the BMP is giving unfair advantage to the French, but isnt the plan to get them sorted in due course. Two wrongs dont make a right and if the BMP is the right most sensible way to protect and improve the resource - more valuable fish for commercials and more and bigger bass for anglers then why oppose it? Is it a temporary reduction of revenue thing? Or a total loss of revenue thing? Or are the scientists just plain wrong? Its got to start somewhere, get our own house in order then move it to the EU. Good plan?...Or just good in theory? With our commercials dead set against it theres no chance of getting the French to back it - didnt I read somewhere since joining the EU they havent paid a single euro in fishing fines. I dont care for the French very much. I know its a very far fetched thought but if they adopted similar measures first would our commercials be more supportive?

Thanks for your replies, I agree I think its down to a sporting thing like Steve C and Stavey said especially with bass mullet tope and smoothounds having respect for your adversary etc. But I havent caught any cod so cant vouch for their sporting qualities tho people who I know have and say they are strong fish. Never noticed the eye thing tho - I'll check that next time I can....interesting one. I didn't kill my 1st big bass infact I havent filled any big bass but killed a 5lb'er once a long time ago and although some of it was eaten with in 2 hours and tasted fantastic I regretted it because it should have gone back. Nowadays I know a lot more about it and I will only keep a fish if it wont go back, be it just a 1lb'er or a bigger fish, and it will definately get eaten and as quickly as poss. I suppose if someone catches a lot of bass then the law of averages says that he will get a few each year that cant go back so they should be the ones he keeps which is a good way to go. We hear of a fair proportion of big bass that get caught are by novices or lucky cast, classic pass the rod to the wife stuff, and in a lot of cases some people who catch a big bass for the 1st time kill it because its the biggest fish they ever saw and the hunting thing takes over. I suppose most of those that go on to become experienced and accomplished bass anglers get the same thoughts and develop a healthy respect for their quarry...and go a bit nuts.

My worst nightmare Scotty. I'd probably end up getting my head kicked in. Hence I avoid charter boats, in fact most boats...infact most anglers. !!

Please can anyone explain why this is? Am I a fish racist?...or perhaps a "fishist"? ! Is it a predator thingy? ? ?

I think if you return any fish you catch it doesnt matter whether you know the size limit of not, tho if you see other people indiscriminately killing undersize fish it would be handy to know whats what. Re 2 seperate size limits well its all down to the individual init? Theres them that keep fish for the table and them that chuck em back to keep them for the sport and for others. Each to there own. I think "advisory MLS" are a good idea for clubs and societys, but members need to be told why. Some people will always have the steadfast opinion of "Why should I chuck it back just so it can swim into a net or get caught by another angler" They will never change their minds on this, you may as well try tellin an ostrich to stop putting his head in the sand. Nobody should try and deny another angler his right to keep a legal sized fish, but unfortunately us seaanglers are a divided lot on issues such as this which is a bit of a shame. I certainly dont think an angler has to return all his fish to be considered conservation minded, and as long as our ideals are all the same - ie seas with more and bigger fish, isnt that what we all want at the end of the day...even the commercials? The enemy are the Dum anglers or commercials who flaunt MLS's and kill everything they catch are selfish and narrowminded and quite frankly arent worth having around.

Simon Everet - Well said that man! I'll tell you what, some of the tittle-tattle I see on these forums, (especially this one) makes me think theres theres defo only a few people who actually know what theyre on about and have anything worthwhile to say. As for some of the rest of you - Have you nothing better to do? Some of the sniping on this forum in particular is nothing short of pathetic, and some of you should be ashamed of yourselves. Some people on here obviously just like stiring it from the safety of their PC, I mean this is the internet, nobody knows you so why bother. And if you do know each other then why argue on here, sort it out elsewhere and stop screwing up these threads I'm sick of wading through all this cack. Anyway, rant over - like I was saying Well said that man...some sense at last.

Very well said that Dale. Top man.

Not very well balanced tho is it. So the mouths in the nice suits are still too worried about scottish votes to listen to the clever men in the white jackets???

Leon, Thanks for getting us the facts. As ever, you, and your approach are a credit to fishing. People can now make their own minds up about what mags they wish to buy...

I am not sure how wise a move it was for the B.A.S.S. secretary to try to make public the nitty-gritty behind the BMP advert deal, but atleast if it appears to have gotten M.Russ's attention on this then that cant be so bad. Members of the B.A.S.S. committee have been trying to get M.Russ to see the way forward for years, but have continually been exasperated by his poor attitude. He is either too thick-skinned to see that or he has a very different agenda? Now if this latest little contretemps has some affect on the future policies of SA and how much focus it can hold on conservation issues, BMP etc remains to be seen. We can but hope... Every sea angler I know and every other sea-angling poster who uses this forum would be absolutely delighted to see M.Russ and SA get right behind the BMP starting in the very next issue. It might be a little too late to have as much effect on the MLS45 consultation as it could have, but might serve as a great foundation to help hammer home the rest of the plan over the coming years. So Mr.Russ - its never too late! You are in the best position to help make a difference, sieze the moment and make a good name for yourself and for your magazine. Without wishing to sound too aloof or elitist, I think its important to consider that a vast amount of the SA readership could do with educating in down-to-earth laymans terms about how the future of their sport is currently in their own hands, and they need to get writing to their MP's. We need you very much on our side.

Sam, I agree 100% with you. BMP-related message threads are disappearing from this forum at a more alarming rate than sea angler subscribers!!! LoL All SA cares about is making profit. They are just a business selling mags. They need advertisers. As bizarre as it may seem tackle manufacturers will sell more gear if theres even less fish. ie "you aint catchin cos you need to buy one of these etc etc and thats the way it goes on... The really sad bit is SA, its writers, its advertisers and the tackle industry are in a deadly embrace that is totally unaffected by any lack of fish in our waters. Oops there goes another one!

When I looked at this thread before it got canned, I think everyone was in agreement about the morals and principles of the mag in question, so rather than moaning about this on a forum, I think the best thing is to; Write to the Editor explaining your views. If you get no reply, or an unsatisfactory reply, then write to the editors boss, (presumably the publisher), explaining exactly why you will never buy the magazine again, not being afraid to quote the editor if you ever got a reply off him. For what its worth I have written to them before complaining about their attidude towards bass/ BASS/ BMP and although my letter got printed in the mag a heavilly edited version, what I was really after was an answer, and not my name in print against something I didnt REALLY say. I never got one. Perhaps the owners of this forum could open up a poll (maybe they already have but I aint seen it) asking whether the mag in question should be more openly supportive of the BMP, and certainly to refund any charges they made to BASS for the advert. The results of the poll could then be sent on an official letter to the editor, just an idea...

You dont have to actually LIVE in Wales to respond to the Welsh version of this consultation. If you fish there, travel there, spend money and holidays there, etc etc all because you fish for bass there, then thats enough. After all the Welsh Tourist Board have this year been advertising Wales as having the best bass angling in the UK. If thats what they think, and they are obviously keen on advertising bass as a recreational sportfish to line the coffers of their tourist industry, then the W.A. ought to have no problems in supporting these recomendations. However, politicians being politicians, the more encouragement they get from the travelling angler, who can be bothered to put pen to paper to do his bit, the better.

Good news that Leon, Lets hope the continuing investigation bears fruit and the perpetrators are shown zero mercy. R

So do I. If Kaggers thinks his mates word is good enough then well-posted I say. There might be a few "look at me and look at what I caught" merchants on this forum but I think its important to remember we aint all bullshifters. As remarkable or unlikely as it may seem, a jumbo cod (Now theres a word from the past) like that could turn up anywhere at anytime, and I don't need a shed load of experience to state that FACT. I remember a 30lb plus getting caught off a shallow beach near Caenarfon a few years back and that was even more astounding. If you believe it... !! So yeah thanks Kagger for posting the report, sure it might mean more bait gets sold (bound to) but if the source is good, then confidence boosters like this should be welcomed by us all in these days of P-Poor fishing.

I splashed out on a set of titaniums for the bass rod I had built, and they look OK and dont show any signs of rusting. Guy who built it is a bit fanatical about balance and not sure what the specifics are re weight-saving, but he cuts about 5" off the but to get the balance point right. Being a layman, I'd have thought heavier rings would mean he wouldn't have to cut as much off the but to get the balance right but it probably aint as simple as that and to be honest I don't want to confuse myself trying and fathom it all out. The way I saw it - I was treating myself and paying a lot for a custom-built rod so thought I may aswell go for em because hopefully they'll last a bit longer. A mate has titaniums on his plugging rod (built by the same guy) and he's happy with em - but basically for the same reasons I'm happy with mine.

Hi Leon, Good to hear but yet again it really does seems another paltry sum to pay. Do you think a proper deterant would be to fine them, PLUS take their licences off them, or impound their boats for a period of time? I think that would make a lot more sense than these gentle slaps on the wrist we occasionally hear about, don't you? Tight Lines, R

Wow! MASSIVE fines! - not!! Every excuse in the book, and as for scallops being undersize because the edges of their shells had got chipped on the deck,...well I never! Pretty similar restrictions up our way - they can trawl as close as they like as long as the boat's under a certain size.

Got dragged round Sainsburys yesterday (under extreme duress) and out of interest had a look at what fish was available. Just some scabby sole on the ice bit, and the cod-like stuff in ready prepared foil boxes with sauce on it that you are supposed to bake in the oven looked dire. Pathetic sized portions, just like the chippy cod you get these days - looks like there must be f-all left out there to scrape up, its no wonder they need massive hooverships.

Hi Leon, No problem - if anyone knows, you know. Re fyke nets - I think all the nets where I fish are called fykin' nets ! ! ! ... or summit like that.

Call me paranoid, but apart from nets, the only thing thats worse than turning up at a mark to find someone already there, is when someone turns up at a spot I'm already at. ! ! ! !