Should Whitings be banned from Club competitons and open matches ?

[Guest @Winter@]

With regard to cod only fishing:

 

I think those who want a cod league should back it at the next agm and volunteer their time to run the thing, I am happy to take part in it and would happily volunteer time to do some paperwork for the league but I will not do the weighing of fish. I have the Program that Newt wrote me which could easily be used to do the league positions. Im happy either way as I feel well able to compete with the best on that front. At the moment I feel too many peoples backs are put up with mention of a cod league - It is suggested in the wrong way at the wrong time. THe majority of anglers right to the top of the league (including 4 of the current top 5, ) all target species other than cod. It appears that when someone has gone cod fishing and blanked and then seen someone weigh in 10 pound of scratched fish they get a little upset and start to mention a cod only league. This is obviously going to get the backs up of the person who has weighed in the scratched fish, and that really isnt on as they are playing by the rules set out at the start of the season. Ive observed this for quite some time. Infact last years club winner will now no longer fish and states this as one of his reasons. The thing to do is plan a cod league with officers prepared to do the administration of the league, present the plan to the agm, get the backing of the committe and then get it running. No point proposing it in Febuary when the league is almost over.

 

Think the club membership and our recruitment of new members speaks for itself Paul. Hugh Fernley Whittingstall is the only new member I can think of and we only recruited him because he was sat **** in the pub.

We seem to want to discourage the juniours too, crap prizes and noone even willing to take the youngsters fishing occasionally. Im planning on doing some fund raising next season to present the kids with better prizes. Perhaps some of the Charter skippers may offer a free trip as a prize.

Edited February 19, 2006 by @Winter@

[Kieran Hanrahan]

Hi

 

This is a really interesting thread, thanks guys.

 

Just to clarify my suggestion, if you limit it to three per species for shoaling fish, the idea was that yes you could continue to catch and measure and release, enjoy the fishing (we're not all in it for the prizes in fact as a club we have an agreement that there are no cash prizes) and competitors can record them all and at the end, you just count the top three. I accept that it complicates the tot but we're a relatively small club and we have yet to consider holding an open. I guess for the bigger competitions it would not be workable.

 

The problem with the undersized gut hooked whiting is easily resolved. Boost the minimum size well past 18 cms (is that how bad its got?) so that people stop using tiny hooks. Ask club members to consider a minimum hook size - even a move to 1s or 2s will reduce the number of tiddlers being brough ashore. If someone persists in this unacceptable behaviour then consider having a club bye-law about unsportsmanlike conduct and if they persist after a warning chuck them out. Who would want that kind of a lout in their club anyway, its a sport for heaven's sake! The last thing we need idiots 'arming' the antis...

 

I was interested in the piece on the bait bans. I guess it depends on the local conditions, certainly if we felt that rag beds were getting destroyed due to competition based demand... Not likely here. Living in Mayo - all clean storm beaches ... I've forgotten what ragworm look like! Not quite but close enough...

 

Winter, can you PM or email me the SAMF regulations. Thanks

 

kieran.hanrahan at sea-angling-ireland.org