Disclosure

[Liamsm]

Hi Chris,

It’s nice to know that you are still around as well mate.

 

I never actually said anything in my post except to slap Steve on the wrist for becoming long winded in his old age.

Like Dave, I considered that "Open to all fishing" and the formation of the "RSSG" were one in the same.

The RSSG was the chance to actually do something about it.

As Peter has rightly said, that has gone now, the fight was abandoned and the towel thrown in by some at a time when there was something in place to actually do something about it.

Given that past situation, there is no point in spouting "open to all fishing" now.

It is too late. We might as well all shout "Remember the Alamo" Then the "RSSG" won't come up again.

......Liam

['eelfisher']

Dear Peter (Sharpe)

 

It ties up nicely on here just the same......can I just say that I have an article by you several pages long about your first experiences on the tidal Trent......awesomely funny.

 

Yours With Respect....

Steve.

[trent.barbeler]

Dear Steve and Open to All anglers everywhere,

 

Steve, you state as you are one of the anglers in the Hazelford Piscatorial Society you feel at ease to post a few comments on this thread. Few comments!!!?? At 4 pages long in a word document that’s some comment! Are you after my title for long winded posts Steve? Yes Steve, we did get round to it in the end. But I didn’t expect it to come so quickly and from your good self either. You see Steve; I actually wanted someone to state the “reason” why you took the fishery over. Thank you for announcing that reason. Now lets look a little closer at what you say concerning these “reasons” Steve.

 

You said Steve;

 

“ Fact.....Barnsley were happy for the particular stretch to be 'caretakered'....it came with their blessing”.

 

I have no reason to doubt the above as Barnsley do actually own the fishery and have tried to sell it off before. “Care Taker” Interesting.

 

You also said Steve;

 

“Fact.....Walkers, both dog and normal, made complaints to the angling club about the mess......bear in mind that the two fields below this stretch are also owned by the club but bear no resemblence to the wier stretch with regard to rubbish.....and the call from a large proportion of the locals to have angling banned from the site due to the rubbish left there. (I should know as I have family living in both nearby villages to this fishery who have informed me since of the growing calls against the place becoming another land filled refuse site.)”

 

This is the bit you wrote that interests not only me Steve, but many of the “locals” who have fished the venue for generations. Presumably, some of the anglers now accused of leaving rubbish?

 

Let’s go then to the “supposed” complainants. The “local” or none local walkers “both dog and normal”. Walkers that presumably use the public footpath that runs along the river?? You say that these members of the public have been complaining to the angling club about the mess in the “weir stretch”. General rubbish left no doubt in the pitches the angler’s fish which is normally the case?

 

Well, I’ve fished this particular venue over the years more than all of the Hazelford Piscatorial Society put together and I’m struggling with this part. So at this point it might be worth while taking the AN community unfamiliar with this stretch for a walk along the stretch in question.

 

The stretch begins at peg 114 which is the one nearest the iron foot bridge. Barnsely did not have the weir itself. There are two pegs here close to each other about 20 ft from the footpath to the waters edge. The access to these pegs is fairly steep. The pegs then go down from these via much steeper banks which in the summer are swathed in briars, nettles and hawthorn bushes which grow profusely along the entire stretch as do overhanging crack willows. All of the pegs aside from the first two 114 and 113 cannot be seen from the public footpath. In short, in the summer months the stretch concerned is akin to a riverside jungle. Seeing as the access bank is so steep, anglers have to watch their step as access can be dodgy especially if the ground is wet. The walking public certainly don’t venture down these overgrown slopes. Interestingly also, is the average length from footpath to rivers edge along this stretch. Actually between 50-70 ft via dense undergrowth. In short, the walking public “DON’T” go down into the pitches so how the hell do they manage to see all this supposed rubbish?? Plus the fact the venue off the footpath is private property so they have no access right in the pitches anyway. And if it’s a case of rubbish away from the Barnsley owned venue then I'm sorry Steve, Barnsley anglers cannot be held responsible for that if indeed there is any. So Steve, this “rubbish” excuse just doesn’t add up.

 

You go on to say;

 

“ Fact......Since the season ended there have been many clean up parties there sorting the whole mess out. The photos that I took of the place before the season ended bear no resemblence to the photos I now have of that stretch.”

 

Why on Earth would you want to take photographs Steve? Court case expected is there? And piles of rubbish prove nothing as anyone could have placed them there. One actually has to catch anglers in the act of leaving litter in order to implicate said offence as an angling one. For instance, I could take the appropriate items of rubbish along to the Derwent, scatter them along the pegs and claim that YOU had left it there!! Get my drift Steve? The taking of photographs implies alterior motives to me.

 

Then you said;

 

“Fact.....The angling PR this short term clean up plan has acheived is quite staggering. The comments from the locals who enjoy the walk along the river or take that route to exercise their dogs has taken a massive turn round. 'Responsible', 'caring' and 'environmentally friendly' are just three descriptive words spoken within long and productive conversations with those people both on the bankside and within the commmunity. (RSSG but on a smaller and more intimate scale.....but either way an example to us all to follow.)”

 

 

There’s those walking public again. Able to see into places they never go. How can they comment when they were actually unable to see any problem in the first place?

 

Steve, I have fished that venue for years. And in all those years the litter problem was never any worse than anywhere else. And if it were, it’s impossible to see virtually all the weir pegs through the jungle that “IS” this stretch. This whole litter business is a fudge isn’t it??

 

Interesting that you state that the downstream pegs are virtually litter free. Litter bugs must be prevented from fishing those downstream pegs then? I suppose then that next season’s scenario might see the weir stretch litter bugs moving down into these pegs as they can no longer fish the weir ones?? And I’d bet a gold clock that these pegs in turn will suddenly become awash with litter with members of the public once again walking along the footpath with x-ray eyes? Two gold clocks for guessing that someone else comes flying in with dust carts and black bin liners to save the venue from closure???

 

Steve, the angling community just aren’t that daft old son and can see through this kind of thing a mile off!!

 

You say you have relations in Bleasby and Fiskerton seeing as they are the nearest two villages. I know nothing about these but that’s your business. I too have ties in both villages but from a business perspective as I’ve built large houses in both which of course involved dealing with the local authority planners and of course local parish council officials.

 

But I’m a generous guy willing to give the benefit of the doubt Steve. So on Tuesday when I’m back at work I will get the office to write to both parish councils asking for details of any local campaigns to ban angling at Hazelford. And of course be only to happy to post these details on AN for all to read. Although I must say in advance, I can’t see how any ban on angling could take place on private land even if there were such a campaign orchestrated in the first place?

 

You said Steve;

 

“Those who do not know Lee personally will read these threads and be mesmerised by his skill with words......as I once was”.

 

Frankly Steve, I’m tired of reading this “mesmerising” twaddle. You have been in angling politics at the sharp end for years and are perhaps the sharpest guy in this sphere that I know. You and I both know that NO ONE could mesmerise you. This is your get out of jail card Steve and nothing more than that. Don’t worry about me old love, as I would NEVER reveal anything you might have said in private to me before either personally or via writing in email. Certainly not for any angling reason. As far as I’m concerned, our previous private matters remain that. PRIVATE. So for Gods sake cut the crap about being mesmerised by me because all who know you well know this is absolute nonsense. The only thing I manage to mesmerise is our Joey. And he’s a budgie!!

 

I won’t comment on anything else you mentioned in your post Steve as it’s not relevant to the issue.

 

No apology for my longish post everyone else as I’m passionate about keeping existing open to all fishing OPEN and think its well worth the effort.

 

This issue has NOTHING to do with the RSSG merely part of the fudge in my opinion.

 

To those who are genuinely interested in keeping open to all angling OPEN? Keep the faith. Your turn is coming shortly believe me.

 

So many against me. But I'm still standing, still fighting.

 

Regards,

 

Lee.

[Dave Wingfield]

Peter

 

Sorry did not make the connection, I have the same article myself and found it immensely intruiging. I could see visualise myself there as I read it....absolutely brilliant.

 

Best Regards

Dave

[Liamsm]

Dear Steve,

I hope that you can see that I was right now?.

The bit of your post that I quoted ,was definitely the best unquotable bit.

I would also like to set your mind to rest, that I would also never reveal anything that anyone has ever sent to me in a private e-mail, or said to me in private.

I am not sure, but I think that you might already know that though.

I hope that I have never done anything to make you think otherwise.

.......Liam.

['eelfisher']

Dear Liam

 

I have not considered using private exchanges from the past either.....or have done so.....just not cricket.

 

You are fine with me. I know you are a fine man.

 

Yes, a rod for my own back but I shall have one last crack at explaination tomorrow regards Lee's post......what a mix of words not used by myself.

 

Must learn to stay small.......thanks for the advice.

 

Yours With Respect.....

Steve.

 

PS.....Lee, I shall post tomorrow on parts of your post.....it does deserve a reply....if only to show where your guesswork went wrong.

 

[ 12. April 2004, 01:29 AM: Message edited by: 'eelfisher' ]

[Peter Waller]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh dear . Interesting, but where is it all taking us?

[Graham Elliott]

From Lee

 

"To those who are genuinely interested in keeping open to all angling OPEN? Keep the faith. Your turn is coming shortly believe me."

 

Maybe the answer is here Peter. He is going to run for Prime Minister.

 

Graham

[Peter Waller]

His new stretch, along with all rivers, will be nationalised! Perhaps the the 'Freedom to Roam' legislation is to apply to angling after all.

[poledark]

Why let the RSSG subject rest? Prime example of the almost total indifference shown by anglers........only £3 and they struggled to get 100 to join.

 

I heard and read all the fine words on AN and BFW and frankly most of them were wasted, so don't try to put the blame on Lee, most of you would not even have tried in the first place.

 

I also think it might be more productive if only those who actually paid up were to post on the subject.

 

I was accused of being a smartarse for a pretty harmless attempt at hunour but it rates nowhere compared to the stuff on this topic.

 

Re the disclosure topic, yes I do disclose and publish pics,thanks to others who do the same, that is how I found out where to fish.

 

Den