rivers close season

[chesters1]

being "out" of fishing for a year ,i understood that there was still a close season on rivers ,streams etc

(correct me if i`m wrong ) i saw 4 people fishing the Wey today ,is the close season regional???????? (chesters1 ,too lazy to look it up)or is it not mandatory now?

[lyn]

Hi chesters, 1st find out if they are trout fishing then being the nice sort of person that I am, :confused: I would phone the EA

 

When I have taken Liam jam jar fishing in Farnham I have seen people fishing in the closed season. To date I have not phoned the EA but I think I may just do it in future.

 

Now, I wonder if Liam should be jam jar fishing during this period, could we too be breaking the rules???? What do you think??

 

lyn

[Dave Hill]

I haven't checked recently but you used to be able to fish rivers during the closed season as long as the river held trout (I think there are criteria for this that would disqualify a river stretch that had a solitary fish stocked simply to get around the laws)

 

The other criteria is, I think, that you can only use worms and you should be fishing for Trout.

 

I am aware of several small streams in the Midlands with a natural head of brownies. There are day ticket stretches on these streams that allow fishing with worms on the lead during the closed season. Of course plenty of Chub are also accidently caught... I am not condoning this, but I know it goes on...

[chesters1]

there (at one time)used to be a way round the close season ,we used to fish for eels in the military canal in kent using all the fishing gear but no hooks ,we used to use red wool and "jig" it very slowly along the bottom ,the eels would think it was a writhing mass of redworms? and grab it the wool would catch in their teeth and you could pull them gently out ,works for pike ,perch etc ...erhem so ive been told

when approached by bailiff (you saw them then) the looked in the byelaws and went away.

[chesters1]

lyn ,have you been after that 35lb cat out of the lea, had a walk round there last week ,everybody fishing at the deeps , my guess that where it was caught

[poledark]

Lyn, believe it or not it is illegal to use a net to catch fish with at anytime of the year

 

Den

 

You don't mind if I give you a wink do you?

[Peter Waller]

There is clear evidence that some folk are Fly Fishing for trout when, in reality, they are after other species. Why though? We are all within reach of legal still waters. Is it the thrill of bending the rules?

[lyn]

poledark:

Lyn, believe it or not it is illegal to use a net to catch fish with at anytime of the year

 

Den

 

You don't mind if I give you a wink do you?

Hi Den, I have to confess that we have been known to catch 'Bullheads' with a net but we do use 'jam jars' and not nets for minnows. Any laws on that???

 

Oh! and where do trawler men stand with this net law???

 

lyn

[Jym Martini]

Up to this year rivers in the southern area of the old Northumbria region had no bait restrictions imposed on them during the coarse close season, with "anglers fishing for trout" with any bait and method, at times they would struggle to carry the buckets of hemp that they intended to use for the trout. However they were never very happy when they caught trout. Fortunately from the start of this close season the only bait that is allowed is worm and shrimp, although I would have been happier with a total bait ban then there would be no argument for anyone caught "trout" fishing.

But, as they say, one step at a time. As it has taken over 20 years to get so far, I suppose that I should be happy that the EA now recognize that coarse fish do exist in the regions rivers.

[Peter Sharpe]

The ball of wool trick used to be done by threading about a hundred lobworms lengthways onto a long piece of coarse wool,(yeeughhh!), then knotting the whole lot up into a big ball. The old chaps I used to watch used to tie this ball to a length of strong twine on a thick bamboo pole, then keep dunking the revolting mess into a dyke during an eel run. When they felt the tugging on the end they would swing them into a tin bath moored in the edge, often two or three at a time.

It's about the right time of year now, and it's amazing how many eels will run up a ditch that you can almost jump across, and which is empty for most of the year. Look for one that is about ten feet across and about two feet deep. It will probably now be muddy, whereas most of the year it is probably crystal clear. I once saw an old chap have an eel drop off that was probably about three pounds.

It works on larger watercourses, if you can find a suitable vantage point. There used to be an old railway bridge over the Bourne Eau that was a favourite place to try this, although I once saw somebody trying to catch one with a strong mousetrap on a string!