Fish welfare - or just OTT

[Phone]

Bob,

 

Makes me feel better. How to - "Diaper disposal" is no longer high on my list of concerns

 

Phone

[corydoras]

Androo,

 

You don't have to make an excuse for yourself mate if you want take picture or not of a fish ?

 

In my experience it's the anglers who don't catch a lot and read the comic's who complain about taking pictures !!

 

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if they are wrong

 

Bob

Taking pictures is not angling it's philately.

[corydoras]

All,

 

Is there a definition of "unhooking mat" standards? - Or, for that matter, what constitutes a "cradle"?

 

I was browsing some of your various syndicate rules. Ambiguity is the hallmark of many "rules". Is it common to have a 20 - 30 page booklet of rules?

 

I.E. ""Small fish are held vertically by the lip; large fish are held horizontally being careful not to bend the spine"" Wot the 'ell????

 

Phone

This is why I fish on estuaries for mullet. No rod licence, no rules and most of the time nobody trying to catch what I am trying to catch. Edited October 31, 2014 by corydoras

[Steve Walker]

Don't tell the trust!

[BobH]

Taking pictures is not angling it's philately.

 

No it's not a bit like stamp collecting, because you have to Catch them First !!

 

[lutra]

If I were in that situation Lutra, I'd do the same thing. But if I'm fishing from a platform with a decent gap between platform and water, or fishing a gravel pit with lots of very shallow water in front of me and hard banks, an unhooking mat is a pretty sensible choice, surely?

 

I'm all for unhooking fish in the water where possible (I weigh/take photos of very few of the fish I catch), but sometimes it isn't possible or sensible.

 

On the flip side, I do lots of fishing where I don't use a mat. All the reservoir zander are picked out by hand, unhooked quickly and sent back within seconds; I never take one when river fishing as there's always (on my rivers anyway) something soft to lay fish on if needed.

 

Another FAS story, I was a member when they brought in the compulsory mat rule years ago, and got told off by a bailiff at the river wey for not having one. I explained that all the chub I caught were just as well off in the net on grass as a mat, and that as I was roving it was a pain to drag one around all day. He said rules are rules, you don't have to USE it but you do have to have it with you when I see you. Pointless! So from then on I had to clip a small mat to my bag and carry it around so as not to break the rule, even though he knew full well it never got used

Think you've already told us unhooking a good fish on a mat on hard ground wasn't a nice experience when it went mad.

 

My local river is full of gravel/pebbles and big round rocks and most anglers use a mat. I bet if they slapped the mat a few times with their hand, they'd have a bad hand the next day.

 

So no I still think its best for the fish if you walk out in to a foot or so of water and unhook them in the net. On most of the shallow pegs you need to walk out to get them in the net anyway. Take your wellies.

 

Platforms, didn't they start on commercial fisheries as well? Anyway I'd ban them as well.

Edited October 31, 2014 by lutra

[Vagabond]

This is why I fish on estuaries for mullet. No rod licence, no rules and most of the time nobody trying to catch what I am trying to catch.

The estuaries I fish for mullet all have a sea-trout run. I usually fly-fish for the mullet. Never met a bailiff there, but if I did, I am sure he would want to see, not just a licence, but a seatrout licence. I doubt very much if "I was only fishing for mullet" would stand up in court. So I buy a salmon/seatrout licence each season.

 

Even if fishing with a float and bread flake, you would still need a coarse licence.

[Dick Dastardly]

BobH if you don't think syndicates have silly rules as well these day you are definitely fishing in a different world to me! Rules (as some have all ready pointed out) are there in general because of idiots! Fisheries have them in place simply to protect their concern against the idiots (regardless of the type of rule ie fish welfare,acsess or general behaviour) Its therefore understandable that the higher the "value" of the concern compared to the number of potential idiots equals the number of rules! Even on TOP syndicates (not just glorified commercials that are given the label "syndicate" to attract those who merely like the "kudos" of fishing one!) rules exist! And its a dam sad reflection that even on the best of these that rules have to be brought in to safe guard against idiots! You can vet and interview all you want but as you also have to pay the rent you quite often cant be quite as selective as you would like!

 

"Rules is Rules" Im afraid Ive allways felt this is the attitude of the "lazy bailiff"... or too many detailed rules having been put in place (but again to safe guard against the idiots). A good fishery has either a minimum of rules or even better a very simple one... and that's that they expect/allow their bailiffs to show a bit of judgement!

 

Again though the problem comes squarely back at the feet of the modern carp scene in that we now have (often) very inexperienced anglers, using (trying to use?) very advanced tackle/tactics for very big/expensive/valuable fish. And the only Carp anglers who will get the arse with that statement and not agree will be the very same Im talking about! But times have changed and if I had taken up fishing only a few years back I would no doubt be the same.

[Dick Dastardly]

The estuaries I fish for mullet all have a sea-trout run. I usually fly-fish for the mullet. Never met a bailiff there, but if I did, I am sure he would want to see, not just a licence, but a seatrout licence. I doubt very much if "I was only fishing for mullet" would stand up in court. So I buy a salmon/seatrout licence each season.

 

Even if fishing with a float and bread flake, you would still need a coarse licence.

 

I was pulled by an EA guy (not a Baillif as such just an EA worker) some years back when Mullet fishing during the closed season on the Sussex Rother. I was fishing below the lock at Star Lock on the saltwater side (at low tide there is no water! well other than a slight run off from the freshwater side) he demanded to see a licence and I refused despite having mine with me due to his attitude. I tried to point out I was fishing in saltwater for a saltwater non game fish but he would have none of it. Fortunately another EA worker (the lock keeper) intervened before it got nasty. However I asked around and several said that yes although the guy was being an idiot that technically you could be asked to show (and therefore expected to hold) a licence for even some way out to sea!!! Now thatr is madness and "Rules is rules".

Edited November 1, 2014 by Dick Dastardly

[chesters1]

 

I was pulled by an EA guy (not a Baillif as such just an EA worker) some years back when Mullet fishing during the closed season on the Sussex Rother. I was fishing below the lock at Star Lock on the saltwater side (at low tide there is no water! well other than a slight run off from the freshwater side) he demanded to see a licence and I refused despite having mine with me due to his attitude. I tried to point out I was fishing in saltwater for a saltwater non game fish but he would have none of it. Fortunately another EA worker (the lock keeper) intervened before it got nasty. However I asked around and several said that yes although the guy was being an idiot that technically you could be asked to show (and therefore expected to hold) a licence for even some way out to sea!!! Now thatr is madness and "Rules is rules".

Theres idiots in all walks of life and unfortunately in some the slightest bit of power lets some idiots have power they shouldnt have.

Rules are rules its pointless having them if they are not enforced but its down to how they are interpreted by the bailiff to what happens if they are broken.

I tend to "have a quiet word" with an angler and take a note of his number and what it was in MY note book (rather than his permit) ,luckily to date no-one has ever did what it was again at stockbridge ,but the quiet word comes with a warning of doom if its not heeded.

I am also supposed to look in their permit to see if they have had warnings in the past but i dont bother ,i dont care what they get up to elsewhere so long as they dont dont do it here.

As i said theres idiots in all walks of life and on both sides of the fence but most rules are not much more than common sense and theres a great number of people on the planet with very little common sense there fore you need folks out there to remind them of it

 

No-one forces you to join a club or fish a water but if theres rules by paying your money you automatically sign up to following them whether you like them or not ,in the case of most clubs this gives you entitlement to change or challenge them in others you bite your lip and get on with it or vote with your feet

 

Bailiffs on the main are human and hopefully not bailiffing just for a bit of power and they are certainly not one for a bit of free fishing their petrol cost most probably is far more than what the permit would cost for a start ,and in my case walking down there in all weather to see if theres someone fishing your lakes without paying on occasions tests my sanity ,i do it for the excercise and a natter while my mrs is safe on her bed reading the paper and eating her sweets my fishing is little more than second hand nowadays my trips this year down to the fingers on one hand

Luckily an hour is all i need some waters on our permit must take at least 3 in the summer thats a part time job free so you can fish safely and hopefully the anglers either side have paid as well if there were no bailiffs how would you know?

,when this annoying bailiff yet again asks to see your permit and glances around your swim you can be assured after hes gone the folks you see are supposed to be there and are all treated the same way as you were ,most bailiffs are after a quiet life just like you i am sure ,that minute of inconvenience shows someone gives a crap about the water at least ,the baiiffs dont make up the rules ,they rarely get asked about anything. in most cases they are nothing more than number collectors and litter pickers but they obviously put up with the crap for some reason hopefully the love of the water they bailiff just like you

Edited November 1, 2014 by chesters1