Fish thefts.....again!

[Anderoo]

Typical 'pleasure angler' reply

 

I'm with Gozzer on this one. Most of these contentious issues originate with the comics, whose main aim is to sell comics. I don't know any proven facts about this issue, like everyone else it seems, so I won't offer conjecture.

[gozzer]

Typical 'pleasure angler' reply

 

I'm with Gozzer on this one. Most of these contentious issues originate with the comics, whose main aim is to sell comics. I don't know any proven facts about this issue, like everyone else it seems, so I won't offer conjecture.

 

 

I thought all angling was supposed to be pleasurable.

[Sportsman]

I'm all for constructive discussions on methods, but does it have to turn into some sort of self righteous, playground squabble. We'll be seeing who can pee farthest up the wall next.

 

Rant over.

 

I can

[bungral]

I can waz pretty high up a wall .. Anyone?? No?? Oh alright then!!

 

[argyll]

You can't kill one to eat.

You shouldn't live bait

You shouldn't use keepnets

You shouldn't match fish

 

You forgot 'you shouldn't use fishmeal groundbait, eat prawn sandwiches or meat pasties' At least not until Bob has got his hands in there and traced its heritage back to each individual fish, prawn and cow

 

For those who are vaguely interested, no one actually saw anythng. This is an area presumably filled with boats with a combined value of.....well quite a lot. My marina on the Thames, in common with just about every marina and boatyard that I know of, has surveillance equipment and security staff 24/7. These days you don't get around unseen or unchallenged for long. Thats what boat owners pay big bucks for. Gaining entrance, scooping thousands of fish out of the water and carrying them off, takes time and numbers of bodies. It doesn't happen without someone knowing. Big brother is everywhere and watching from trees, lamp posts and buildings everywhere.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that we should be taking care of each other's sport. But in this case, a handful of disgruntled match anglers have spit their dummies out, made a no brain decision that the lack of fish is entirely due to poachers supplying nasty old pikers and sent a notoriously anti-piking hack off on a fools errant. These are the same people that care so much about fish that they line the banks each weekend, shoulder to shoulder stuffing small fry into nets where they remain for about 6-8 hours rubbing up against each other and the mesh. Sorry I forgot, it does them no harm..who says? match anglers of course.

 

Now AT who initially put up a £10,000 bounty on the head of these darstardly roach thieving nighthawks and last week were only prepared to print letters that supported their position, have started to slowly withdraw to more neutral ground . Why? because predator anglers around the country have quite rightly cancelled their AT subscription and more or less told the editor that they wouldnt wipe their collective bums with the rag. I mean....you couldnt invent this stuff, could you? Well you could...several people already have.

Edited May 17, 2006 by argyll

[Bob Bradford]

Hang on a minute here, I and the Angling Times contacted the EA and asked for an explanation for the many thousands of fish scales left on the boardwalks inside the wetsheds....

 

"It is probably due to natural predation by Mink and Otters" that was the official answer from the EA , an answer that is purely fictitious and completely devoid of factual information... now that is a FACT!!!

 

Thousands and thousands of fish scales were littering the boardwalks inside those wetsheds when I took photographic evidence two winters ago...FACT!!!!

 

Weeks earlier the wetsheds were stuffed full of wintering fish and local matchmen were catching large nets of them (not me ,as I have never fished this venue) AFTER the discovery of the fish scales the wetsheds were almost devoid of fish....FACT!!!!

 

This winter huge shoals of fish have been present again, sheltering inside the wetsheds, not just for a couple of weeks ,but ALL winter...FACT!!!!

 

This winter there have been NO signs of fish scales on the boardwalks inside the wetsheds...FACT!!!!

 

What has happened to all of the "Natural Predators" (Mink and Otters) that the EA stated were culpable?

 

The answer is they never existed and were not the culprits....FACT!!!!

 

I offer an open invitation to anyone that would like to take the time and trouble to visit the area and show me their dens,lairs etc... I made the same offer to the EA and am still awaiting their reply two winters hence ...FACT!!!!!!

 

I know predator anglers (like Budgie) have copped the needle ,thinking that I, and others have got it "in" for them and disapprove of Pike anglers because I am a match angler...well they are wrong, I would like to participate in some Pike angling later this year to learn another branch of angling....FACT!!!!

 

But, I cannot understand why predator anglers are not questioning the source of many thousands of freshwater ,frozen deadbaits being sold over the counter with no markings,telephone number or address on the packaging ...don't they care where they come from?

 

The two managers of the shops I spoke to (referred to Budgie in a previous post on here) did not question this either, and one of them is a good mate and fellow match angler !!!!

 

Someone stole those fish of that I am certain, I even know how it was done, what I do not know is what happened to them or who did it, i do know transporting live fish and keeping them alive is not easy to do undetected but allowing them to die in the back of a couple of vans whilst driving along and later freezing them for sale as a deadbait is a doddle!

 

Are Predator anglers guilty?? I doubt it,

 

Are bait suppliers guilty?? make your own mind up on that one, one thing is for sure it wasn't Mink and Otters as stated by the EA.

[bungral]

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania it is illegal to have sex with a truck driver inside a toll booth.

 

FACT!

[gozzer]

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania it is illegal to have sex with a truck driver inside a toll booth.

 

FACT!

 

 

How do you know, did you get caught?

[bungral]

How do you know, did you get caught?

 

 

Na just one of those random facts you pick up

[Dick Dastardly]

I think Gerry's last post sums it up for me.

 

Just one point for Bob and everyone else I suppose.I am not a "Predator angler" I am a ANGLER end of story.I challenge any one to be more of an all rounder than myself.As such I strongly object to being "labbeled".The whole reason Ive got in to this argument again is because of a few people who are intent on causing division in the sport I love so much.

 

Christ sake we seem to be loosing touch with reality again.

 

Sorry I didnt answer your question re the PAC and predator anglers investigating/being concerned about the deadbait situation.It is basicly because no one else seems to think such a problem (or certainly not enough of a problem on a national basis) actually exists!

 

Sorry my maths were wrong! but it was purely an anecdote to try and make a point and as such the actual figures (real or hypothetical) are irelevant.

 

Bob you list a bunch of well experienced guys and give there credentials...but none to my knowledge know anything about predator angling?

 

Even though I still think that the buisness at the wetsheds was down to something other than theft I am quite prepared to concede that theft (even for the bait trade,or by predator anglers wanting to stock up their bait tanks and freezers) is a possibility.BUT it isnt a regular nationwide occurance that will affect the stocks.And affecting the fish stocks if the truth be known is the only real reason anglers in general have for being concerned. It hasnt happened again there.Also from a fishery point of veiw rather than an angler I can assure you that it would be extremely unlikely that a one of netting like you believe took place could affect the rod and line angling so much.But then I believe that I and other "qualified" people have pointed this out in the past only to be ignored.

 

Anglers of all types like to blame not catching on all types of reasons.Its a harmless joke in the fishery management world a bit like the "one that got away" is to the general public.Harmless that is untill the press take up the story and run it as hard fact.Esopecially when it greatly increases the possibility of a type of anglers sport being adversely affected.

 

Try reading my keepnets bit again Bob.I would not want to see them banned (at this point I do agree they are harmfull ,to a certain degree,no matter how well they are used.I base this on the same experiences re livebaits as Mark.I do however continue to use them in some situations.Why because I accept that in the overall scale of things a few dead fish dont matter) I was hoping you could relate to the "Keep net" issue to understand how people who fish for predators feel about any possible threat to their fishing.

 

If everyone who went fishing was just "an angler" we would all be members of the most powerfull and influential sport in the country.As it stands I will never see this in my life time and that Bob and everyone else is most definately a FACT.

 

Anyway can some one please reply to the initial question as all we are doing is going over old ground.Let me clarrify it-

 

Regardless of wether Bob is right or not what do you think of AT's handling of the story,the reward money offered and talk of inserting surveillance operatives?