Fish thefts.....again!

[GlennB]

I've been looking for the other thread, where someone mentioned buying dead baits, with hook lengths coming from their mouths but I can't find it.

Long lines left in between the boats, either suspended or sunk, with upwards of 50 baited hooks on each one. Three sheds, 4or5 lines of boats each, would make 700-1000 baits left over night.

If only 30% were successful, that's still a lot of fish in one night. It would only take 2/3 people say 30mins to an hour to set them, if baited in advance. No need to stick around, just leave them to 'fish' on there own. Outlay, a few quid on line and hooks, bait with worm free. If the boatyard is not busy then leave it a couple of days. A couple of hours to bring them in, mostly dead, into sacks and away, unhook later. Whether they would be used as food or sold as dead baits, I don't know, probably a bit of both.

 

Seems feasible to me, or am I missing something?

 

Sounds feasible in the physical sense, but a huge amount of fiddly work making up the lines? Even terminally gut-hooked they'd mostly be alive, explaining the scales. Could be a fair call, unless Bob has denied a previous (true) explanation, but it sounds like a damn hard method for stealing fish when there would seem to be easier ways.

Let's ask ourselves - if we were *setting out* to steal large numbers of silver fish from such a boat shed, how would we go about it? Stunning might leave casualties as evidence, but it seems a million scales *also* got left as evidence.

[gozzer]

Sounds feasible in the physical sense, but a huge amount of fiddly work making up the lines? Even terminally gut-hooked they'd mostly be alive, explaining the scales. Could be a fair call, unless Bob has denied a previous (true) explanation, but it sounds like a damn hard method for stealing fish when there would seem to be easier ways.

Let's ask ourselves - if we were *setting out* to steal large numbers of silver fish from such a boat shed, how would we go about it? Stunning might leave casualties as evidence, but it seems a million scales *also* got left as evidence.

 

Only have to make the lines up once, apart from replacing a few hooks. Can be unhooked miles away from the scene.

[GlennB]

Only have to make the lines up once, apart from replacing a few hooks. Can be unhooked miles away from the scene.

 

Fair point, but I'm rubbish at knots so this method wouldn't appeal

I once fished a jetty in Greece - a local bloke came out with a net of bread on a handline, with dozens of hooks hanging off it, each baited with a tiny scrap of fish debris, skin etc. He flung it out and after a minute hauled in a dozen small fish. Repeated this many times and walked away with a huge bucketful.

[Bob Bradford]

That Charlie is a lad !!!

 

http://www.fishingmagic.com/forum/forummes.../last/1/V/1/SP/

 

Are the EA really this poor at protecting our natural fish stocks?

Some of you doubt fish are being stolen wholesale as I have suggested because of the "risk" what risk of being prosecuted is that then?

 

Is the famous Piker Mr Nige Williams going to get the book thrown at him for trying to smuggle livebaits into Ireland? will he be prosecuted?

 

Anglers need to lobby the EA and start demanding better protection for our fish stocks, I know it is unpalatable when fellow anglers are guilty but it must be dealt with appropriately, It is time we got our house in order.