Do you miss the old close season?

[Steve Burke]

I forgot to mention another reason for not having a closed season at Wingham that would apply to a lot of other waters. If members are fishing it's much less likely that they'll be any vandalism or poaching, whether for sport or the pot.

[wayne baker]

Thats a good point Steve. A lot of my club waters in north Essex That have a close seaon or some type of rest bite dont get a lot of attention from their bailiffs during the close season apart from the weekend work parties. Leaves them open for the less disireable attention.

[Alan Stubbs]

I saw, on the cover of the AT today, a bold headline which said that 78% of anglers support the abolition of the closed season.

 

That is typical of the reasons I despise the weeklies. It's inaccuracy verging on lies.

 

What they're saying is 78% of those who could be arsed to respond to a poorly worded and closed question regarding the abolition of the traditional closed season voted for it's abolition. Erm..forgive me for pointing out the arrogance and misrepresentation here, but 78% of the respondents to the poll doesn't mean 78% of anglers as a whole.

 

What it doesn't tell you is how many of the respondents were those with a vested interest for non-fishing reasons (magazine editors trying to get advertising revenues and even the advertisers themselves as a good start).

 

I am sorry, but 'ban the close season because we want it banned' isn't a good reason for doing it, hysterical headlines 'supported' by crap journalism doesn't really persuade people and the methodology of such sensationalist polls ought to be examined before it's given any credence. But I suppose if it sells rags then it must be OK.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Alan Stubbs

[Guest tigger]

I forgot to mention another reason for not having a closed season at Wingham that would apply to a lot of other waters. If members are fishing it's much less likely that they'll be any vandalism or poaching, whether for sport or the pot.

 

 

Exactly right and even more so on the long stretches of rivers........out of sight, out of mind for 3 month (for most people that is).

[Alan Roe]

Ger yer fly gear out Tigger and come and do some proper fishing!!

[Chris Plumb]

I saw, on the cover of the AT today, a bold headline which said that 78% of anglers support the abolition of the closed season.

 

That is typical of the reasons I despise the weeklies. It's inaccuracy verging on lies.

 

What they're saying is 78% of those who could be arsed to respond to a poorly worded and closed question regarding the abolition of the traditional closed season voted for it's abolition. Erm..forgive me for pointing out the arrogance and misrepresentation here, but 78% of the respondents to the poll doesn't mean 78% of anglers as a whole.

 

What it doesn't tell you is how many of the respondents were those with a vested interest for non-fishing reasons (magazine editors trying to get advertising revenues and even the advertisers themselves as a good start).

 

I am sorry, but 'ban the close season because we want it banned' isn't a good reason for doing it, hysterical headlines 'supported' by crap journalism doesn't really persuade people and the methodology of such sensationalist polls ought to be examined before it's given any credence. But I suppose if it sells rags then it must be OK.

 

 

Totally agree with you Alan - in fact most informal polls that I see - usually on forums such as this come out with 50/50 score or even a slight majority for keeping the closed season. There's one currently running on the CEMEX site which is at 64% in favour of keeping it....

 

 

C.

[Guest tigger]

Ger yer fly gear out Tigger and come and do some proper fishing!!

 

 

 

I waitin for my invite Alan.........

[Vagabond]

In theory I too agree with Dave, but it could get a bit too complicated.

 

The organisation, application, enforcement and cost would (I think) be a nightmare, if not nigh on impossible.

Each year would different. Each water, each area different, depending on that years weather, and the species present.

Clubs and individual anglers wouldn't know when or where they could fish with any certainty.

 

Not often I disagree with you John, but that is a load of cobblers

 

Australian, Canadian and USA waters have such a system as I described in my post. They have an active bunch of fishery enforcement officers who post the local rules and regs, and actually patrol waters to see it is carried out.

 

You are issued with a book on the regulations when you buy your licence. A rather thick one, but quite comprehensible.

 

Anglers in those countries seem to understand the different and complicated regs without much difficulty - there is even one stream in Colorado where on one stretch all brownies are to be removed, and on another stretch they all must be returned (good reasons for that which I won't go into).

 

Complicated - yes, but it works - or are you saying it won't work here because British anglers are more stupid than their "colonial" counterparts ?

 

(on second thoughts, don't answer that )

[gozzer]

I won't go into my thoughts on many of todays anglers Dave, I think you know them already.

 

I think it would be too difficult to enforce these regs, we have enough trouble trying to enforce the ones we have at present.

 

If the waters in the South warm up quicker than up here, and the spawning is earlier, so that the waters are open earlier. Would the Southern anglers take kindly to an invasion from oop North?

I know when Yorkshire had our 'stolen fortnight' and opened on June 1st, you could hardly move on some waters because of anglers from outside the area.

 

I don't think that any of the countries you mention have a match scene like we do, (correct me if I'm wrong). Many matches are booked a year or more in advance, this would be impossible if you didn't know which waters would be open.

 

Then there's the temperamental British weather. The whole angling scene would be entirely dependant on it. How many times have you seen fish getting ready to spawn, only for the weather to change for a couple of weeks, and the whole thing stops and then starts again?

 

No, sorry Dave, I couldn't see it working here, I think we have a different ethos when it comes to angling matters.

 

Oh, and if you want some shoes mending, just let me know.

 

 

John.

[Dick Dastardly]

I would like to see a system like this used but I simply dont have the confidence in the EA's ability to impliment and enforce it.