PAC FURY OVER NUDD'S CALL FOR PIKE CULL

[Dick Dastardly]

Well blow me I must be Dr Who! well I seem to have travelled back in time 30 years or so.

 

Im amazed that Nudd has made these comments...and made them he must have as Im sure that if I had been falsely quoted as saying something so stupid in a national paper I would have been on to its editor ASAP!

 

Im very confused as even if Nudd does believe this surely he would realise what an inflamatory remark it is and how much it would add to the allready existing disunity in our sport?

 

Bob,you dont have to defend all matchmen as these days the kill all pike attitude many used to show simply doesnt exist.I wouldnt mind betting that on most waters pikers ourselves kill more pike unintentionally than matchmen do intentionally!

 

That said lets remember what it did used to be like so that we dont ever let this moronic style of "anglers fishery management" return.The PAC has fought long and hard over the years to stop this stupidity.

 

I thought Bob Nudd had links to this site (Elton?) maybe we can get him to clear up the situation allthough as said the harm has allready been done.

 

Out of interest over the years Ive seen many more good roach waters ruined by the removal of pike than I have by pike themselves.

[BoozleBear]

Here we go again!

These stupid arguments do nothing for anglers and angling. When are people going to accept that there are good and bad anglers, be they match, specimen or so called pleasure anglers. As often said so many times on here, the biggest threat to angling today, is the attitude of anglers themselves.

 

Exactly Gozzer, couldn't agree more.

 

If pikers start slating all matchmen and tarring them with the same brush it does no good and puts backs up instantly. Likewise, implying all pikers take fish for the pot it just as sweeping. (I can imagine there were a large amount on that thread saying they had the odd one for the pot because that's what the thread was about - not exactly a relevant sample!).

 

Such comments from both groups just create another slanging match rather than a healthy debate.

 

Lets all go back to having a decent discussion before we start calling each other names!

 

I think Bob Nudd was stupid, but also probably wound up by an intellegent journalist. All it takes is somebody to say, "Yes, Mr Nudd, but it would be nicer for the roach and the matchman if pike were somehow thinned out" - all he needs is a yes and they can then write that Bod Nudd wants a pike cull. I am not saying that isn't what Nudd thinks, all I am saying is we should wait until he says more about it in the angling press rather than a rag renound for printing total rubbish.

 

If Nudd did say those things then that is a massive shame, and I sincerely hope this doesn't escalate pike culling in any from.

 

I would make one point, as others had, that his fishing match experiences are hardly indicative of natural environment. A load of upset fish in a net sending out distress signals is going to do nothing but attract hungry pike to the area.

Edited October 16, 2006 by BoozleBear

[Anderoo]

I'd like to see confirmation from the man himself that these were his actual words. If so, they were very poorly chosen. If any species needs thinning out its the horribly overstocked carp he's so happy to fish for.

 

It could well be taken out of context - it is the NOTW after all...!

[Janet]

biggest threat to angling today, is the attitude of anglers themselves.

 

Well said.

 

Janet

[Guest Brumagem Phil]

If he has been misquoted, he isnt exactly doing his best to put matters right by explaining his position on the internet forums.

 

I've only been fishing a short time (this is my third season) but I've regularly watched some disgraceful fish handling by the matchmen on earlswood (my local big match lake). I'm sire this doesnt apply to all matchmen, but if they have any desire at all to rememdy the stereotype then its about time the majority made the minority get their house in order.

[Guest Brumagem Phil]

Well I try not to stereotype MrM, but when you see this kind of thing time and again, its hard not too.

 

I watched as the major open was weighed in last year in the spring.........their scales went up to 20lb of so yet the keepnet I saw must have had 200lb of fish in it easily. Can you imagine how long it took them to weight that lot? The fish had that bloody froth coming from their gills and all sorts. Needless to say they were unceremoniously dumped from a couple of feet up into 6 inches of water.

 

I have noticed that the specimen angler GENERALLY seems to be the most caring and thoughful to his prey.

[s_mac]

Just read through all the posts, im a fairly novice fisherman, who has fished for 30 years, had a 3 year break, and started again, and taking it more seruously with all the new stuff out there.

 

First of all, do we really have the right to decide what we kill, because something spoils our enjoyment, i could understand killing or culling something, because you and your children have no food on the table.

 

Also, we are anglers, and are commited to the care and welfare of our waters, and the fish they contain. Just another point if carp were eating all the food during bad times and other small silvers where dieing, would the same people cull them.

 

But the sad thing to come out of all this, and what seems to be happening over the last year or two that i have noticed, is that anglers are no longer united. but we have a devide or split, which ever you want to call it, between match anglers and the predator fisherman. as they are called these days.....but are we all not still anglers?

 

Well, i say, if matchmen, care for there fish during the year, the EA gets to grips with the fish taking, we look after all fish, and make sure to the best of our ability, every fish is returned, in good condition and alive to all waters, then the match fisherman would have a great summer, and the predator fisherman would have a great winter, because there would be no problem with stock levels and whats eating what.

 

Just my opinion

 

sean

[coarsefish-torbay]

I was going to reply individually to some of the comments on here, but I've lost track of who said what, now.

 

I am a match angler, I have in the past killed jack pike (at least 15 years ago) and eaten them. I've seen others killing pike, luckily no big ones (8lbs max) and I've intervened to stop others killing pike.

 

If Bob Nudd has been reported accurately, then he is seriously misguided and in danger of influencing quite a few other anglers. I'm sure everyone reading this post, if not this forum, will be in agreement that killing pike does nothing to enhance the environment in which they live.

 

 

Dave Harrell may in the past have been responsible for the killing of a pike (I have no evidence of it), but I can assure you all that he was also responsible for changing the rules on the Warwickshire Avon in a bid to protect pike. Match anglers can fish for pike in a match with spinning tackle and keep them in a seperate keepnet to be released at the end of the match. That was an initiative by 'Harry' to help match anglers stay sane and protect pike.

 

In 30 years of match fishing, I have never seen anyone deliberately grip a fish between their knees to unhook it. They may drape the landing net over their knees for unhooking, which I believe to be much better for the fish than picking them up. Even if a fishery's rules state I must have an unhooking mat, I will not put a fish on it, I will unhook in the landing net, suspended between my legs.

I did unhook a fish for the cameras, last week, on an unhooking mat, to demonstrate good practise, but would still suggest that only touching the fishes head, while it is cradled in a net, is much more preferable.

 

It is a sad fact that anglers are divided on many issues and will ever be so. Let's hope we can all agree that we are the guardians of the waterside environment in whatever shape it takes and try to guide others with best practise as often as possible.

[s_mac]

can some one just put me right about bob nudd.

 

In my early days of fishing, his name is the name i always heard, world champ and the likes, at what level is he at now.

 

sean

[Dick Dastardly]

I think Bob Nudd was stupid, but also probably wound up by an intellegent journalist. All it takes is somebody to say, "Yes, Mr Nudd, but it would be nicer for the roach and the matchman if pike were somehow thinned out" - all he needs is a yes and they can then write that Bod Nudd wants a pike cull.

 

 

Thats a good point.I was once "miss quoted" by the Angling Times.I had stocked some large pike in a pit I ran when AT rang me for the story I made sure to point out that the water they had been put in had recently had an explosion in the numbers of small bream.This was to point out that there would be plenty of food for them (a common problem when a lot of big pike are stocked is that the water hasnt a sufficient head of food to sustain them.....hence forth often why there wasnt any big pike in the first place!)

 

But according to AT "Fishery manager Budgie Burgess says there are plenty of small skimmers that need thinning out." You can imagine how that went down with my pleasure and match anglers!

 

However it would be nice to hear from the man himself.