Barbless hooks and safety

[carpstar]

If you know what you're doing, catching a fish isn't usually that hard and there's always an element of luck. The 'art' is being in tune with nature, understanding the weather, anticipating fish behaviour, reading the water, feeling part of it all. It's thinking in terms of flows and eddies. Catching a fish is the ephemeral made solid. The point at which your line enters the water is your connection to that different world.

 

That's what it means to me at any rate. No offence taken

 

To extend your logic, is art itself an 'art' (in the Turner Prize sense)? What is an art?

 

I like your description still not convinced about the 'art' though!!!

 

As for the Turner prize.....hmmm let's be polite and say it's been turned into a joke!

What they consider to be art these day's is a joke.....a sandwich under glass,rubbish bags,a turd,well if a turd is art then i S**T art every day!!!

 

Hooray i'm an artist ............err hang on so is everyone else....Damn!!!

[corydoras]

My Daughter doesn't fish muddy holes full of pet carp as not everyone is interested in those sorts of places!

Halleluiah for that!

[UK-Fishing-Tackle.co.uk]

Budgie - I'm not saying you are wrong, and I think you probably realise this, but we (as a nation, and indeed a modern world) tend to over legislate anything once we have started.

 

OK, so we introduce laws about keepnets, sacks, hooks, lines etc for the welfare of fish - it would end up with the government telling you 'acceptable' rigs for 'acceptable' situations of fishing. My previous point is that this is a sport where we have a great deal of self-regulation to a certain extent - I mean, a great many of our 'accepted' rules or practices come with absolutely no scientific basis whatsoever (i.e. as in well researched with published results). Look at the innovation we have in tackle each season - most of it not approved by any 'body' of fishing - legislation would lead to all that (eventually) becoming mandatory, which would not only increase the costs of tackle, but also restrict availability to certain brands.

 

Experienced anglers might not take too lightly to say, no bivvies or sleeping on the job (not in control of the rods, clearly), no alcohol on any venue or river (dangerous, lack of control of tackle again), no 3/4 rods (fish protection people will claim you'd struggle to take two fish at once safely), and the rest of the things which we tend to overlook.

 

My own opinion is private lake owners have that choice - if they don't want kids there buggering about they should take the time to look after the venue and kick them off (simple), or restrict fishing to 'with an adult' only. That's business - truth beknown, most want the money, and if the owner of a venue doesn't care if kids annoy the experienced anglers then perhaps the way to resolve it is for you to go to a different venue by way of protest. On rivers and the like, I'd be more concerned about illegals catching what are rumoured to be huge quantities of coarse fish (often using the absolute worst tackle), and killing them for food, rather than yobbish youths who are fishing perhaps over-enthusiastically.

 

Mandatory learning by someone only qualified with experience is certainly not a good idea. You cannot prove your method of fishing is any safer than anyone elses, and as I've said before fishing is objective - it's up to you how to pursue a particular species. Simply put, establish a fishing body to run licensing, allow them to research big questions (such as barbed vs barbless vs micro), and allow them to inform people running waters about what rules they ought to consider applying. Make the people who run waters more responsible for people on them, and the whole situation is resolved without making it over-restrictive for newcomers.

 

I AGREE all anglers should have a copy of the rules EVERY year.

[corydoras]

One of the most sensible posts I have ever read in any AN forum.

[pikergonecarpin]

Great post, can only agree with you. I hate over legislation, half the time it's the blind leading the blind when it comes to fisheries rules, just because one fishery bans barbless/keepnets/youngsters they all seem to follow suit.

 

Paul.

[kleinboet]

ColinW and Coridoras: If there is no problem, why this thread? (now on three pages) It is funny but when I post an opinion, I always get shot down and usually by the same people. I post to improve angling, do you?

 

Carpstar: If you don't think you need watercraft to decide where to fish, experience to know whether the fish are "up or down" in the water, you don't need to know how to cast, tie knots etc. (which put together is an art) you shouldn't be fishing!

[DavyR]

It is funny but when I post an opinion, I always get shot down and usually by the same people.

 

Have you ever considered that it might be something to do with statements like:

 

"Why don't the powers that be BAN anglers under the age of 18 unless accompanied by someone who is 30 or over!"

 

Most of your posts make some very sensible points, but then you usually go and spoil it all by going completely over the top. That's what draws the reactions, which you then treat either as "wind-ups" or a failure to see "common sense" on the part of whoever is disagreeing with you.

 

If you were just a bit more reasoned, and left out all the CAPITALS and !!!!!!!!!, you'd probably find that fewer people would react in an adverse way.

[corydoras]

Have you ever considered that it might be something to do with statements like:

 

"Why don't the powers that be BAN anglers under the age of 18 unless accompanied by someone who is 30 or over!"

 

Most of your posts make some very sensible points, but then you usually go and spoil it all by going completely over the top. That's what draws the reactions, which you then treat either as "wind-ups" or a failure to see "common sense" on the part of whoever is disagreeing with you.

 

If you were just a bit more reasoned, and left out all the CAPITALS and !!!!!!!!!, you'd probably find that fewer people would react in an adverse way.

Snap.

[ColinW]

I think there is a failure to appreciate the difference between "angling" and a bunch of kids (yobs if you must) going "fishing". I can well remember going fishing with a bunch of mates as a teenager and "angling" it certainly wasn't. What was it? A bloody good laugh, that's what. If we managed to catch a fish, or even get a bite, that was a bonus. We did this at the local Marine Lake, where we never bothered any serious anglers, who would never have been seen dead at the place. Of course, eventually the council decided that having fun without paying for it couldn't be allowed and banned it. Are you a councillor by any chance kleinboet?

I still argue that kids having a laugh is not the problem. The problem is that there are now so few places for them to do it away from serious "anglers", because so many free fisheries (farm ponds etc) have now been filled in, or turned into commercial enterprises.

[pikergonecarpin]

I think there is a failure to appreciate the difference between "angling" and a bunch of kids (yobs if you must) going "fishing". I can well remember going fishing with a bunch of mates as a teenager and "angling" it certainly wasn't. What was it? A bloody good laugh, that's what. If we managed to catch a fish, or even get a bite, that was a bonus. We did this at the local Marine Lake, where we never bothered any serious anglers, who would never have been seen dead at the place. Of course, eventually the council decided that having fun without paying for it couldn't be allowed and banned it. Are you a councillor by any chance kleinboet?

I still argue that kids having a laugh is not the problem. The problem is that there are now so few places for them to do it away from serious "anglers", because so many free fisheries (farm ponds etc) have now been filled in, or turned into commercial enterprises.

 

I cringe at the thought of what i angled like when i was an unruly youth, probably had all the "serious" anglers shaking their heads. It did however sow the seed and i now some 25 years later i love going fishing and try my best to respect others on the bank (except bivvy mallet users.....)

 

We all grow up eventually, most of us into good people who just love to go fishing.

 

Paul.