Fish theft, again.

[Brian Carragher]

Still hard to believe the EA's stance that their baliffs are'nt aware of the situation when it's something thats been talked about for a number of years now both locally and nationally.

 

I'll try and answer your question if I can Bob and with all sincerity as best I can

I am an angler first and a piker second so I look after fish stocks all the time and do not differentiate between species when it comes to favourites and baits. Some anglers do take baits from the river or waters that they fish to use as dead baits or livebaits as and where local rules allow. When livebaiting the bait in question is obtained from the water that is being fished and any livies are kept in a keepnet, all perfectly legal and within the EA rules. When the session is over then it is more than likely that any unused baits will be retained subject to size limits to be used as dead baits for future sessions providing they have a suitable freezer facility.

 

Pikers are no different to other anglers in that they like to have a selection of baits in the freezer ranging from freshwater roach to mackeral and every thing in between so it would not be probable for a piker to fill up their freezer with roach as they would have no room for any other form of bait. I personally have about 35 mackeral, 2 packs of sardines, 2 packs of lamprey, 1 of smelt and 4 packs of roach in my freezer leaving no room for anything else. Where I to go piking tomorrow and catch some livies there would be no point in bringing them home for freezer bait because there is no more room available to store them. The same would probably apply to the majority of pikers throughout the country, some may just take enough for what they need so long as the scource that they get them from is sustainable. If the silvers are not plentiful or if they are of specimen size then as anglers the vast majority of pikers would not use such baits and would not attempt to catch or use them.

 

As for pikers being in some way accountable for suspected illegal fish bait sales , well I think that's a well misdirected shot that missed the target. When pikers buy their baits ready frozen and the vast majority of pikers get their bait this way, then they think that they are acting responsibly by buying baits that have come from sustainable scources. Most pike baits come from fish farms, fish that have never seen a river or been near a one, in fact for most pike bait the first time they end up in a river is on the end of snap tackle. It is in the belief that they are doing their bit for sustainability that pikers buy frozen bait from tackle shops and that bait may have been through three or four sets of hands before it gets there.

 

Now I understand your concerns that some illegal netting has been taking place with those netters selling on the bait to unscrupulous bait merchants that will end up as pike baits but you cannot hold pikers responsible for that, as bait purchasers will automaticley assume that their purchase is entirely legal and above board having being purchased from entireley open and transparant transactions. I'm sure that if pikers thought that the bait they were buying, and paying top dollar for, was coming from illegal scources then they would refuse to buy it. Don't forget that when we buy our bait we pay top wack prices for it and as a result we expect and demand that it comes from sustainable scources, sustainable always being the operative word.

 

As you're probably aware Bob I'm not from your neck of the woods so have no axe to grind either way but if it can be proved that some bait has come from an illegal scource then I'm sure that all pikers would be the first to condemm that practice

[chesters1]

[merlino bill]

OI OI i think chesters 1 is bang on you wont stop it as he said some smart arse p.c. lawyer will end up blaming you & then compo claim's against fishery's will go through the roof.

 

another one i heard was they should be able to read & speak a bit of english before they come here two problems with that half of the kids leaving school now can't read & write (english kid's)

 

two how many of us go abroud for our holiday's (spain,italy, greece, wherever,) & expect them to speak in ENGLISH.

 

i personaly think vigulanties are dangerouse (sorry about spelling)

 

[chesters1]

two how many of us go abroud for our holiday's (spain,italy, greece, wherever,) & expect them to speak in ENGLISH.

 

 

They

dont

[Brian Carragher]

Howay chaps , let's see if we can keep this on topic eh!

 

Peter Waller and Bob Bradford have both posted good and topical articles, so lets see if we can have a reasoned and informed debate about the matters they both have raised shall we

[Dick Dastardly]

Bob is the general fishing in your area that bad that you must always be looking for a scape goat?

 

Angling unity? wont ever happen all the time dinasours like you are on the scene.Try broadning your horizons a bit mate.

[Guest rabbit]

I think, Rabbit, that you should regard Chester's obviously tongue in cheek comments as political satire. Reading between the lines I have to admit that I see a relevant social comment about the farcical state that this once fine country of ours has allowed itself to be drawn into.

I refer you to Matthews comments, I am stayng out of this one, I dont want the blame again if the thread gets pulled Peter

[Bob Bradford]

Peter, first of all thank you for your reply regarding the PM.

 

Peter ,.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Bob Bradford

[Bob Bradford]

Please refrain from personal insults, I will not indulge in a slanging match over a very serious local issue.

Edited January 26, 2006 by Bob Bradford

[Brian Carragher]

The thing is though Bob, if everything you say as regards pricing of deads from tackle shops is true, then it means that the whole of the UK deadbait supply industry must be buying hookey baits stolen from the Thurnes boatyards and Herbert Woods' in particular. Does'nt quite seem to work out that way though does it