Polish fish thieves

[Guest tigger]

I've just been on a river fishing it next to a small pond stocked to the hilt with fish. The pond does look in super fettle along with it's fish. Anyway I finnished up talking to the bailif as I walked past and he showed me some remaines the polish had left from last night. There were masses of fish scales all over a patch of the bank where they'd been de scaling them. He said they are a constant menace and usually come mob handed. If Polish are found to be fishing he has to get a few blokes together and go and give out some old fashioned punishment. As I was talking to him his friend phoned him to alert the EA as there was a group of Poles with nets out on the river about a mile up stream.

And people reckon the Polish thing is exagerrated ! They arn't eating them through hunger either as the bailif said some he chased off last week where in a expensive motor and the tackle he's confiscated is all top of the range, not cheap crappy gear. I knew it's going on but it really does seem to be more than we think.

[JV44]

When out on the Thames see them all the time with there spinning rods and sports holdalls thrown over there shoulder ,said holdall is often twiching and moving of its own accord cant think why!!.

Sometimes come across groups of them in the evening that are in the act of cooking there catch on dissposable bbq and downing vodka like its going out of fashion.

As has already been mentioned often in groups so unless local bailiff/fishermen can round up a posse what can you do??.

Went out to eastern Europe over a decade ago to visit a mate who was working there and although they have a lot of lakes/stock ponds stocked with carp for Christmas time a lot of the rivers and lakes are barren of fish due to there eat everything you catch custom,There is still good trout/grayling fishing to be had there in the chalk/mountain type streams any easy to reach lakes and rivers are hammered to the point where very little survives,trouble is they expect to be able and are doing the same here.

Some of the bailiffs on a local lake are old bill and flashing a warrant card works wonders when they have targeted said lake but the problem is they just go elsewhere to find easier pickings so a different water is hammered.

Spoke to an EA bailiff recently who was checking rod licences and he said that he catches far more brits without a rod licence than east europeans but they seldom buy a ticket for the water they are fishing and know full well that its not our custom to eat the catch.

Dont have a problem with someone taking the odd fish for the pot but they eat every one right rant over Steve.

[Guest Rabbit]

I remember Matt Hayes in one programme visiting Poland or lake pike, had just one Jack all week, he said he thought the lake would be better as the locals have eaten all the river fish

A local anger told me this week that a group of Poles had a BBQ on the W.Avon recently, the menu was foul hooked bream, chub and pike, and also mink!! There is a zero tolerance policy in Tewkesbury, We have a 'round robin' telephone contact list just in case help is needed to stop them taking our fish.

Edited July 6, 2008 by Rabbit

[cobra]

I remember Matt Hayes in one programme visiting Poland or lake pike, had just on Jack all week, he said he thought the lake would be better as the locals have eaten all the river fish

A local anger told me this week that a group of Poles had a BBQ on the W.Avon recently, the menu was foul hooked bream, chub and pike, and also mink!! Theer is a zero tolerance policy in Tewkesbury, We have a 'round robin' telephone contact list just in case help is needed to stop them taking our fish.

its a problem everywhere but the ea arnt willing to do enough i was fishing boddington recently and it took them 4 hrs to get anyone there so i think quicker action to be taken and make the punnishment imprisonment as it is poaching after all. they come here and think they can just do as they please it makes me so angry

[Ken L]

It's not happening and your all a load of horrible racists for even suggesting it.

[The Flying Tench]

As has already been mentioned often in groups so unless local bailiff/fishermen can round up a posse what can you do?

 

An obvious point perhaps, but many anglers carry a camera, so taking a photo would be better than nothing - for use in evidence, give to local paper to air the problem, etc. Can have a slight deterrent effect, too.

 

Certainly I find with youngsters vandalising that they push off quickly when you pull out a camera, though I've never tried it with adults, admittedly.

Edited July 6, 2008 by The Flying Tench

[JV44]

An obvious point perhaps, but many anglers carry a camera, so taking a photo would be better than nothing - for use in evidence, give to local paper to air the problem, etc. Can have a slight deterrent effect, too.

 

Certainly I find with youngsters vandalising that they push off quickly when you pull out a camera, though I've never tried it with adults, admittedly.

 

The camera is an excelent idea but because we often end up moored in the middle of nowhere on the river dont fancy a group of drunk East Europeans stumbling across a cruiser they remember taking photos of them.

The way foreward then must be sneaky picture taking to get candid shots of there activity without the danger of aggro at a later date .

The other thing that winds me up is the fact that when they have finished there drunken fish picnic they leave there dissposable bbqs behind but to be fair so do the general public and no doubt hire cruisers and even the odd fisherman.

Note to self remember to take camera Steve.

[Gary B]

I recently approached a group of eastern europeans at our local lake, when I asked them if they had a licence or a ticket they got nasty. When I called the Environment agency Incident Hotline - 0800 80 70 60 to report them the recorded message told me to wait as there was a que of callers...then five minutes later there was a message saying please call back later as all the operators were busy.

[maxaldo]

An obvious point perhaps, but many anglers carry a camera, so taking a photo would be better than nothing - for use in evidence, give to local paper to air the problem, etc. Can have a slight deterrent effect, too.

 

Certainly I find with youngsters vandalising that they push off quickly when you pull out a camera, though I've never tried it with adults, admittedly.

 

Yeh right, ******. If you did that the youngsters would just call you a paedo, I dont know what area or world u live in bud but it aint the same one most of us have to lol (i wudn't be caught doing that these days either myself as it's now against the law to take pics of kids without the parents consent.) Thats all thanks to the sicko's!

[fruitloopy]

Yeh right, ******. If you did that the youngsters would just call you a paedo, I dont know what area or world u live in bud but it aint the same one most of us have to lol (i wudn't be caught doing that these days either myself as it's now against the law to take pics of kids without the parents consent.) Thats all thanks to the sicko's!

 

It is not against the law to take pictures of children. There is a big enough debate raging about this with photographers at the moment as many of them are being stopped by the police and having their films, memory cards, etc confiscated. As long as you are not harassing a subject, trespassing or taking pictures of military installations you are entirely within the law if you want to take pictures.

The major problem is the publics perception, if you take a picture of a building they think you are a terrorist. If you take a picture of someones happy child with a colourful balloon then your a pedo.

 

If the Polish accuse you of being a pedo because you took a pic of them spit roasting a 20lb pike then anyone mature enough would be able to walk away laughing.

 

And no I am not a photographer, amatuer or otherwise. I just find the gradual lack of civil liberties that are disappearing in the country upsetting.