Thanks for the E-Mails.

[Yakity - Yak - u.k.]

Hi All.

 

WITHOUT PREJUDICES.

 

I have had a few E-mails from people asking me why I havnt been around.

To clear the fog, and prevent repeating myself Ive come hear to explain.

 

The interest in Kayak Fishing is growing now at a rapid pace.

The Sport is attracting more and more people.

Most of those people have come via Anglers Net, and have enjoyed the benefits of some ongoing advice and guidence from the forum, with regards to the approach to the sport, equiptment choices and uses, and the most important safety issues.

Most of you have had that help.

 

Recently Kayak Fishing has made the Headlines in a popular Fishing magazine.

IT IS JUST MY OPPINION, that the release into the media, outside the forum, should have been handled a lot better, with more thought and consideration to safety being the priority.

 

An article introducing the sport, and its progress in the u.k. would have been more benificial to us, and our sport.

With a detailed account of whats required to Kayak Fish safely, the equipment we use etc.

 

Reference should have been made to Anglers Net, And Kayak Fishing u.k. in the FIRST article, two active and informative sites that people can visit for help and guidence on equipment choices and safety issues when entering the sport.

Also, for the benefit of people who have no access to the internet, a contact number or two could have been added.

 

Sadly, IN MY OPPINION, the release has been rushed and not thought about.

People reading these articles are going to get excited by the idea, buy a Kayak and go for it,possibly without a clue of whats involved.

 

I read the latest article, and there was a VERY brief mention of safety.

It appears that "Scotty Products" are in favour where safety is concerned.

 

I understand that safety may not make exciting reading,and that lots of pictures sell the Magazine, but if its at the cost of safety and possibly the loss of LIFE of people entering our sport,IT ISNT FOR ME,

If the publishers can only print so much, then they need to prioritise the content, and search their soles for the correct release and order of information thats printed.

 

For the benefit of those who think my post hostile, I say it as I see it, look back at the previous threads Ive made, I have ALWAYS felt this strongly on the way forward for Kayak Fishing, and the SAFETY AND LIVES of the people taking part.

 

I wont loose sight of that to get a picture in a mag, or promote sponsors.

 

Yakity

[guernseybass]

sorry to hear that YY.

 

without taking sides, i hear where you're coming from - UKSWFF is developing commercially too, and theres grumbling afoot also as people try to make a few quid from it.

 

i am resigned that fact and i guess its part of the growing pains of a new sport - particularly one that captures the imaginations of the public pretty quickly.

 

on my part i hope you continue to be an active promoter of your chosen discipline, and that in my eyes your epitaph on AN ( should it come to that) is that when i was looking at a yak earlier this week - the first thing i did was to look at your pages and budget for the necessary safety kit.

 

Mark.

[Mad Yakka]

Well I for one think it's big of you to come back & say your piece Bill but I'd like to make one thing clear!

Kayak fishing in the UK has been around as long as I can remember over here & where I go fishing the local lifeguards have given me detailed accounts of their experiences dating back to the 70's so all this "new to the UK" stuff should really be aimed at sit-on-tops & not canoes/kayaks in general.

Having said that, the safety issues cannot & should not be ignored! I read Boat Angler last month with Simon Everett in & enjoyed it but as you said the safety issues WERE missing but we need to find out why before flying off the handle! Maybe it was missed or not enough room or summit & might be in the next issue (I've not read it)

For me the best way is to promote safety in the best way we can & hope these posh mags take notice of us mere mortals, LOL

As for sponsors, fame etc. you get that in all sports but my personal view is to enjoy life to the max b4 I peg it, let them get on with it and let us meet up to fish :cool:

[guernseybass]

just to add to my earlier post :

 

This months Total Sea Fishing has a 'Learn to Saltwater Fly Fish' article which recommended buying all the kit for £300.

 

nowhere was it mentioned that the first thing you should do is a) get casting lessons to see if you like flycasting and can get on with it , and get a proper pair of sunglasses or safetyglasses to prevent a hook in the eye !

 

The fact that you need £300 is also a big fallacy - i could easily kit someone out with all the necessary, reasonable standard kit for half that.

 

The point of this is, that the article is misleading and again potentially dangerous and i intend to write in and inform them.

 

If you take issue strongly enough, write in and make your feelings known - they may print it or do a follow up article.

 

Mark.

[Newt]

YY - dunno how much you've written and had published but the few things I've done over the years never appeared in print as I had written them.

 

Editors take what you submit and chop/rearrange to suit themselves.

 

I don't think any of us except the author of the piece in question have any real idea what he wrote vs. what was published.

 

It's also a fact that we all of us have different ideas and it's possible that what you consider absolute, essential miminum safety information may not appear that way to others.

 

In the end, I think the current group of folks with an interest in fishing from the sit-on-top kayaks will be the poorer if you simply vanish. Things certainly will not always be done to suit you but better IMO if you are offering input than if you are not.

[SpeciMan]

Good to have you back Bill

[Jaffa]

Hi Bill, nice to see you back posting

 

Not a lot we can do to control the failure of magazines and retailers to push safety. We can keep banging out the message here though!

[Starvinmarvin]

Yakity,

 

No mention of AnglersAfloat in your article... very disappointed.

 

But welcome back.

 

SM

[Simon Everett]

I am not going to try and totally justify what was printed, but bear in mind that the FIRST feature was supplied in FEBRUARY and the second about a week later - the fact that it appeared in print several months later and after certain suggestions had been made as to content is out of my control. I write what I am asked to write, in the given number of words, and on time. I have to make it concise because of space constraints. These features were written BEFORE the kayak fishing forums had even started - so how could they be included? YYs new site is only afew weeks old - but I was supposed to mention it 3 months before it was in existence - I'm sorry, but I am not clairvoyant.

For those who haven't seen it, the first feature did nothing but introduce the fact that kayak fishing is available and to say that the magazine would be covering it - there was a bit of history about kayaks and how the sit-on-top has developed and made the whole thing more accesible to newcomers.

The second feature has introduced the project Prowler 13 and how to rig it - with safety issues given a seperate box. Safety has been given more space in the kayak features than in any boat fishing feature you will read in ANY magazine. Stop and think a moment - of the pictures you see of boat anglers out without lifejackets on, standing up in small boats, stood on the foredeck without lifejacket. There isn't this furore over the lack of safety consciousness from THOSE writers and yet the RNLI is kept very busy dealing with underequipped small boat anglers. Why are those writers not criticised over their lack of safety issues?

I have kept quiet about the personal attack on me - as being the "new authority on kayak fishing in this country" to paraphrase one post. My involvement in the feature writing might just stem from my experience, nearly 40 years with kayaking and the fact that I was fishing from one 30 years ago (33 to be precise) and not just in this country either. Likewise my boat testing and using pieces, not just for BOAT FISHING MONTHLY, but also Boat International, Motor Boat & Yachting, Motor Boats Monthly, Practical Boat Owner, Classic Boat, Sportsboat, Boat Mart, Boote (Germany), Boote Exklusive (Germany), Pratislav Batliv (Norway), Swiss Boat & Yachting, Yachting Digest (Italy), Art Navale (Italy), Woodenboat (USA), Trailerboat (USA), Powerboat (USA). I could go on.

I was trying to impart some of the benefit of my experience, but it seems that it is not welcome, which is why my posts have not been so numerous of late - those who want to, can ask me.

I shall continue to post things I think of relevance and I shall continue to work with the industry (I have just been provided with a prototype model from one manufaturer to try out and report on where things need changing if need be - this is because I am new to the game and know nothing about it of course)and I shall continue to try and write interesting features on kayak fishing for the only magazine that will cover it in any detail or with regular space devoted to the discipline. SAFETY WILL FEATURE, but it can never be given the space that certain people want it given - that is a purely commercial decision brought about by the constraints of publishing a limited circulation magazine. You might find the odd article cropping up in TSF and SA, but their publishers will be even more hard nosed about the space given to this very niche aspect of angling. Safety doesn't sell and they are advertising driven - if they could get 30 pages of advertising from pushing safety, believe me they would already be doing it.

It is not up to me to try and molly coddle the world's population. People have to be responsible for their own actions - if anyone is intelligent enough to read the magazine then they are intelligent enough to be able to work out the dangers, especially if they are pointed out initially at the point of sale. THAT is where the message needs to be. I am already in discussion about producing a safety leaflet that can be distributed at dealerships. Any dealer worth their salt will be trying to sell the main safety items required to purchasers of a kayak anyway - but we can't make people use them!

Before you go, are you going to walk into town today? Should I give you a quick run down on the dangers of traffic and how you should conduct yourselves when crossing the road? It is a dangerous place you know and thousands of people die on our roads every year. Maybe I am responsible for them too.

If I have offended anyone reading this, then it serves you jolly well right!

Simon.

[Scotty T]

YY,

 

Great to see you back, i'd wondered where you had gone, as i'm sure did many more members. I can totally see your point and understand why you feel frustrated and annoyed.

 

I am not a Kayak Angler, but can totally understand the attraction. BFM magazine states it is for Charter Boat, Small Boat & Dinghy Anglers, where do Kayaks fit in to these catagories? In the same breath if it is being compared to boat fishing (which is fine), the angler will be heading a fair distance offshore which exposes elements of danger, if your in a 40ft charter boat or a 13ft Yak.

 

In short I think the articles were irresponsible and belittled the sport of Kayak fishing. Hope lots of free goodies were obtained to make it worth YOUR while.

 

Just my opinion

 

Scotty