2+2 does equal 4.

[PIKE]

No no no.... that I think is a misrepresentation of the article.. They did indeed use those words but they also explained their actions saying they intended to kill the fish and freeze them overnight for use the next day. This is surely a ridiculous justifcation of their actions thus making a mockery of any apology and their readers intelligence to boot??

And Budgie of the approx 200 fish, 30 were carp, the other rest WERE roach...

 

He should be sacked as an angling journalist surely?

 

 

 

I think that he should be sacked as an angling journalists as well.

Say sorry for what he did is not enough.

[Brian Carragher]

Sorry Budgie if I have misunderstood your post, but I have read it several times, and it comes up the same each time to me.

 

You say that your only problem is with the species and destination of the trip. Does this mean you would agree with say roach to France or maybe Ruffe to Scotland?

In my time I have been a 'casual' piker, and if I went on a piking trip I would make sure I had dead baits, and make the effort to catch any live baits at the venue. IMO much easier, cheaper and legal, than the expense and logistics needed to transport a couple of hundred live fish with you. This hardly cuts into a session, and would take a few hours maybe, off of what I believe in this case was a 10 day trip.

Are you saying that the angler in question, was incapable of catching his live bait at his final destination, or that a few hours catching small fish, would seem like wasted time, that could be better used to catch a more noteworthy fish i.e. Pike?

If it was deemed a waste of time then I have to ask, is success really that important to a 'specimen' hunter? Or even his ego?

 

 

Hello Gozzer

Allow me you try and answer you until Budgie does as indeed you have got the wrong end of his post

 

What I believe he is saying and he has said it often enough, is that the relocation of fish throughout Britain is not as risky or a scource of fish disease as some would make us believe and that the sensible use of livebaits from one water to use in another, should not cause any concern to anyone based on studies of fish movement and fish movement orders

 

 

The relocation of fish to France has been raised by yourself not Budgie and from my recollections of his posts not something I ever remember him advocating.

If you are of the opinion that using Ruffe as a livebait in Scotland is a good choice, then good luck with your fishing as no one I know uses them or considers them to be amongst their first twenty in terms of choice as a bait, indeed for most, if Ruffe were the only bait available then most pikers would not bother rather than making do with a poor choice of bait

 

Lets try and keep on topic ,rather that debating something that you think some one said instead of words they did use, lets try and keep this one on subject(Nige Williams and Co) and on what they did and now say

[Sportsman]

Sorry Budgie if I have misunderstood your post, but I have read it several times, and it comes up the same each time to me.

 

You say that your only problem is with the species and destination of the trip. Does this mean you would agree with say roach to France or maybe Ruffe to Scotland?

In my time I have been a 'casual' piker, and if I went on a piking trip I would make sure I had dead baits, and make the effort to catch any live baits at the venue. IMO much easier, cheaper and legal, than the expense and logistics needed to transport a couple of hundred live fish with you. This hardly cuts into a session, and would take a few hours maybe, off of what I believe in this case was a 10 day trip.

Are you saying that the angler in question, was incapable of catching his live bait at his final destination, or that a few hours catching small fish, would seem like wasted time, that could be better used to catch a more noteworthy fish i.e. Pike?

If it was deemed a waste of time then I have to ask, is success really that important to a 'specimen' hunter? Or even his ego?

 

Hi Gozzer

I know this question is to Budgie and I'm sure he is big enough to answer his own questions but I couldn't ignore the Ruffe to Scotland comment. I assume that you refer to Loch Lomond. I have never been convinced that this was due to Piker's livebait. I have yet to meet a Piker who uses Ruffe as livebait, let alone one who thought that they were such a good bait he would transport 100s of them all the way to Scotland. Given the size of Loch Lomond I would assume that there would have to be a sizeable introduction for them to ever see each other again, let alone breed

Other than that I agree with you completely and I think that the claim that they were going to kill them and use them as deadbait mentioned elsewhere, is a nonsense.

[Paul_D]

I have yet to meet a Piker who uses Ruffe as livebait, let alone one who thought that they were such a good bait he would

 

I was speaking to some locals a few years back pike fishing the Avon at Tewkesbury weir using Ruffe as livebaits......trouble is though, they thought they were baby zander

[Bob Bradford]

The trouble is...what do you believe concerning Nigel Williams?

 

He has shown he disregards the law, and he has shown he is dishonest, I actually do not think this had anything whatsoever to do with Piking!

 

My belief is all the Pike gear was a cover to illegally smuggle Carp into Ireland and he did it for money, pure and simple greed, off load the illegal fish and have a nice piking holiday all in one ...lovely jubbly!!! I doubt it was the first time either!!! do I have a low opinion of him? Hell yes!

 

His selfish actions have put all of angling in jeopardy, not just Pike anglers ( the fact he is a Pike angler is incidental) we (anglers) are in for a rough ride thanks to him and his equally selfish mate, I purchased the AT for the first time in 18 months today and read his pathetic excuse for an apology, I do not think he has even begun to understand the serious implications that could/will arise from this.

[Sportsman]

The trouble is...what do you believe concerning Nigel Williams?

 

He has shown he disregards the law, and he has shown he is dishonest, I actually do not think this had anything whatsoever to do with Piking!

 

My belief is all the Pike gear was a cover to illegally smuggle Carp into Ireland and he did it for money, pure and simple greed, off load the illegal fish and have a nice piking holiday all in one ...lovely jubbly!!! I doubt it was the first time either!!! do I have a low opinion of him? Hell yes!

 

What do you base this belief in Bob. We are led to believe that only 30 of the fish were carp and I would assume that they were live bait sized. They would have to be worth something each to cover the cost of the trip. Why would anyone want to take 170 Roach into Ireland, I think they aready have some

[Bob Bradford]

It must have been for money ...otherwise the risk is too great, the roach were for him and the Carp for a buyer, true it will not pay for the whole trip ..but it does take the edge of the costs, does anyone know what type of container the fish were transported in? was it an integral part of his vehicle? strange that his mate drove the same type!, this was not a one off...the bloke has been shifting fish about for a long time IMO.

[gozzer]

Brian and Sportsman, the mention of Roach to France and Ruffe to Scotland was tongue in cheek, hence the smiley.

The point I was trying to make was, is there a need to transport unlicensed live fish from one water to another? You have admitted the possibility that there may be a risk, no matter how small.

Surely it is better to catch live bait locally, and have no risk, than to transport them with even a slight risk.

[Dave Lumb]

My belief is all the Pike gear was a cover to illegally smuggle Carp into Ireland and he did it for money, pure and simple greed, off load the illegal fish and have a nice piking holiday all in one ...lovely jubbly!!! I doubt it was the first time either!!! do I have a low opinion of him? Hell yes!

 

Bob, I have been around piking circles for 25 years. Nobody was smuggling carp to sell. Believe me. Please believe me.

[Sportsman]

Brian and Sportsman, the mention of Roach to France and Ruffe to Scotland was tongue in cheek, hence the smiley.

The point I was trying to make was, is there a need to transport unlicensed live fish from one water to another? You have admitted the possibility that there may be a risk, no matter how small.

Surely it is better to catch live bait locally, and have no risk, than to transport them with even a slight risk.

 

Point taken Gozzer. As it happens, I agree with you. if I used livebait (I don't) I would catch it locally