rodbender

Is this an Angling boat or a Fishing boat??? Surely if its an Angling boat then some sort of action needs to be taken against the skipper , in the form of a protest or buoycot! The angling world doesnt need saved from the LSD. Indeed, many like myself feel that in many parts of the country angling has been saved BY the LSD! Is this something that the appropriate Federation or SACN can get involved in?

An interesting thread, as is its counterpart over on the Federation site. Feelings obviously run deep on the subject of The SFSA itself and its lack of leadership in the promotion of conservation. A lot of great ideas have been put foreward, none more so than the alliance of SFSA and SACN. Knowing Barry Scholes (Bazza) as I do, I'm sure he'll take these concerns/suggestions foreward. However, a word of caution - he cant be expected to champion change on his own. He will be but one voice in a room of generally cynical, rather self interested "match" anglers, for whom conservation issues matter little. I'd suggest that everyone should be putting pressure on The Federation, either by writing to the chairman, or by going along to Region meetings, or through our affiliated clubs. We dont want lip service paid to this.

Come on guys, enough's enough eh. Iknow its just a bit of fun but any one of these posts taken out of context could do untold damage if they fall into the wrong hands. (and dont for one second think the anti's aint out there lookin for just this sort of thing)

At last....contribution on the subject from someone who has a brain! Really guys come on! I know you're havin a laugh but do you really believe that there are Animal Rights Activists out there who dont surf forums like this for evidence of anglers' "total disregard for the rights of the defenseless animal"? These groups are well organised, well financed, well supported organisations who truly believe in what theyre doing. Can the fishing world say the same ? We're next on their hit list following their fox-hunting success, and frankly we look like being a push over compared to the hunt. We cant even use the counter argument that angling improves the countryside, or that it cuts down vermin. Our only hope is a united front and the argument about the money that angling contributes to the economy. [ 22. August 2005, 11:12 PM: Message edited by: rodbender ]

Yes an excellent thread indeed Leon, and one which raises so many more questions than just simply "who decides who should kill a fish" The position with regard to Clubs and Open comps is a slightly different matter, and one which could easily occupy a thread of its own. For what its worth my opinion is that not enough is done at Club/Region/National level to put the fish first. The lack of trust thing is one area that frankly many people use as an excuse to continue killing fish unnecessarily. Badly thought out rules, often introduced to help conservation, actually make things worse. Examples of this are "measure & return" where size limits are reduced, leading to anglers targeting small fish with minute hooks. Another example is "Only your 2 biggest count", which involves killing each fish you catch and then chucking it away when you get a bigger one. Anyway I digress... Just like everything in life, EDUCATION is the only way of improving an individuals ability to make that "life or death" choice. Another point, concerning our friends the "anti's". If you look at this debate from their viewpoint, it would appear that putting fish through "Pain and distress", for purely human pleasure and sport. is even worse than killing for the table. A strange paradox, suggesting that the more we do as a sport to conserve and educate, the more "anti" the "anti's" are likely to become

Stan, You obviously know you're stuff. Maybe they should put you in charge of the Scottish Federation...... How is the Big Game Club doing these days anyway?

Gillies, As a previoue "die in the wool" Century man, I can say with confidence that if you choose a Grey's rod, you won't be dissapointed. There are a number of reasons why I've gone over to Greys in the past few years. 1. The quality of the blanks, whippings, rings and grips. Shaun's right about the early problems with tip breakage, when they moved production to the far east, but this has now been rectified. 2. What you get for your dosh. The ticket price includes fuji reel seat, reducer, velcro rod wraps and a rod bag. This would cost over £40 if you had to buy these separately. Try asking zziplex for a rod bag! 3. The unlimited warranty. Have used this when I broke the butt section of my Mercury, and they were brilliant. 4. The rods were designed by a real angler. Tony Anderson lives and fishes in Newcastle, and the type of fishing he does is very similar to us in Scotland. 5. Most importantly, you can actually go along to your local tackle shop and get a feel for the rod and make your own choice. Most decent shops stock Greys because they dont ask shops up front for the money. This is why you wont get a dealer in Scotland to stock the full range of Century, Conoflex or Zziplex. Dont be tempted to buy mail order or on the strength of a magazine review- could be an expensive mistake. The "Orion" is a very reasonably price rod, "Appollo" is a great kelp cod rod but very powerful and not easy to power cast with."PZ Match is a good match style rod with stiff butt and mid sections and a flexible tip. "Synchro" is a longer rod designed for using the reel down the butt, and "supro" is the a great all rounder.

I recently stareted a thread on this forum entitled "measure and release...the way foreward?", and this brought out the many opinions of anglers on the efforts made by angling and anglers to "put our house in order" Firstly I think we (and the general public) have to be able to distinguish between : ANGLING - A pleasurable pastime,practiced by many thousands of individuals, for many different reasons, on a daily basis, where a great deal of respect is held (by most) for the quarry, the environment, and the fellow angler. FISHING - An excersise designed for profit making, practiced by a select few, whether for "commercial" or "sport" purposes, where the fish, the environment and the fellow fisherman are all neglected in favour of short term gain, whether financial or glory. Can anglers really be seen to be putting their house in order when the people at the "top" represent a select few matchmen who, to me fall into the "fishing" rather than "angling" category? Is it any wonder that so few ordinary anglers belong to Federations, when all they seem to be interested in is International teams? Is it any wonder that attendances at most fishing competitions are falling when they're mostly run to 10,15,20cm size limits, for convenience rather than enjoyment?

I think the OHP plan has been shelved due to cost. Just our luck that another fishing mark has been targeted!

Many of you who fish Loch Ryan,near Stranraer, will be familiar with Lefnoll Beach, on the eastern side of the loch, adjacent to the Cairnryan Ferry Terminal. This beach is renowned for its consistent catches of mainly dogfish, and its suitability as a venue for matches. P&O have recently unveiled plans to extend the ferry terminal, and exploratory drilling has already started. Lefnoll will be lost to this expansion. I believe few oppose these plans as it means valuable jobs for the area. Local clubs have however been in dialogue with Ferry officials to advise them of the importance of angling for the area in terms of revenue, and the impact that Lefnoll's loss may have on this. As a result, it has been suggested that some consessions may be given for anglers, perhaps in the form of a special walkway to give anglers access to the fishing ground. This will obviously be influenced by public reaction.I would therefore ask any individual, group,or club to write and voice your desire for fishing at Lefnoll to continue.You can write to ; Eric McLean The Sports Shop 86, George Street Stranraer, DG9 7JS I would repeat that THIS IS NOT AN OPPOSITION TO THE PLANS FOR EXTENSION, merely an attempt to ensure anglers are taken into account. Thank You

Early 525's did have a minor problem with the spool release lever. The little retainer screw gradually loosened off after time, until eventually, the lot came off. A similar problem occured with early SLOSH's. The problem has been addressed with later models and in my view the 525mag has got to be the best reel in terms of both castability and raw power. I just hope with the introduction of "new" models (supermag, superdupermag, supersuperdupermag etc) that Penn dont try to fix what aint broken.

No idea Dan, but would appreciate some feedback from your trip, cos I've an outing planned there for late April. U headin anywhere near Abbey Burnfoot?

...there's a bar at the Auchenlarie caravan site, but i dont think they stock nearly enough for you John. FFS dont go doon that hill to auchenlarie wi a drink in ye or wi a hangover !

John, The mark at Auchenlarie is a swine to find, and difficult to get down to. Suggest you speak to Eric in The Sports Shop, before you go. Dont know about the huss mate but the area has produced good bass and starry/common smoothound. Travel as light as you can, and aim to fish over high.Stances at the mark are difficult to say the least, but pluggin can be dome a couple of hours either side of high, when the water is nice and clear.Down around the bottom of the tide produces fish but as the ground is muddy further out, the water clouds up, and is unsuitable for lures. Suggest you do get some crab together for the trip,for both bass and smoothhound, which fight hard as hell. Oh and some fresh mackerel for a bonus tope.

I agree that overwhipping can mummify the bait and can put off some species like eel. I now only tie hooks using a grinner knot, which leaves a tag pointing back up the snood, rather than a half blood knot, where the tag points outwards from the snood line. I find that if you leave this tag a bit longer than normal, you can pass the crab(or sandeel) up over it and then pull it the bait carefully back towards the hook, so the line tag protrudes out of the bait slightly. I then whip only above the tag which gives a good hold, but leaves the hook side looking as natural as possible.