The future of angling

[John S]

This is part of a project on "What is Angling?" (see the sticky thread at the top of this page).

 

30-40 years ago anglers used cane or glass fibre rods, hardly any bite alarms, almost certainly no bivvies, and definitely no camo. Nowadays the rods are made from kevlar, nearly everyone and his/her auntie has a set of bite alarms, and you see more camo on the banks of a lake than you do in the British army....

 

Today a specimen angler is normally after Carp, usually to the total exclusion of any other type of fish. Pike anglers may sometimes fish for roach, but only for use as bait for their preferred target. Barbel hunters stick to rivers and will even boycot lakes that dare to have barbel in them.

 

We've seen stocks of sea fish plummet over the past few decades for one reason or another, to the point that a lot of people have given up on fishing our coastal waters and gone into other areas of angling.

 

Fish-care now is becoming more and more evident, to the point where anyone not using an unhooking mat is vilified on open forums (we've all seen that happen on here).

 

In the 1980's we saw lead shot being banned, along with knotted landing and keepnets; livebaiting is banned in many places; various methods of fishing (including the Method) is banned on various lakes around the country; some lakes ban barbed hooks, and others ban barbless over a certain size; the list of what you can and cannot do is almost endless....

 

How do you see angling in 20 or more years' time? Will we still be able to go fishing in the way we do now or will we be required to pass a test before we're allowed (as they do in Germany)? Will game anglers still be able to take fish home for the pot or will it all be catch-and-release? Will sea anglers still be able to bag-up on shoals of cod and mackerel or will we see a total collapse of the RSA scene?

 

You can either reply on this thread, or on the "What is Angling?" thread on this forum

 

Many thanks, John

[kleinboet]

Wow John - What an interesting question. I can see rivers being "canalised" as the need for more housing forces the builders to build nearer and nearer to the rivers. I can see some fisheries (Syndicate and day ticket) become Carp only. I can also see some fisheries become "silver" fish only,in retaliation. I can see coarse fish being bred at fisheries (as are Trout today.)

On the other hand, I can see fishing become more and more popular - CYBER FISHING! about 60-75% of "anglers" will never leave home to go fishing!

I can see a lot more but let's hear from the others.

[Mat Hillman]

Surely the next obvious move in the on going quest to make angling as easy and as comfy as possible for the angler is the indoor fishery? fish in shirtsleeves and for fish in water the perfect temp to encourage feeding even when theres snow on the ground outside . . . .

 

Thats my prediction anyhow, the "snake lake" type fisheries will start errecting huge poly tunnel type structures over part / all of the lake to attract fair weather anglers and thier day ticket money all year around

 

Mat

[Vagabond]

Matt, they already do something like that in Texas (and probably in other parts of the USA)

 

They construct something like a floating shed with a large hole in the floor. Access to the shed is via a gangway. The anglers sit round the hole on chairs - but fishing is limited to just under the rod tip.

 

All home comforts - tele, magazines etc, are provided. There is even a small snack bar in the shed.

[Waveney One]

Matt, they already do something like that in Texas (and probably in other parts of the USA)

 

They construct something like a floating shed with a large hole in the floor. Access to the shed is via a gangway. The anglers sit round the hole on chairs - but fishing is limited to just under the rod tip.

 

All home comforts - tele, magazines etc, are provided. There is even a small snack bar in the shed.

 

 

Aaaargh !!

 

I suppose they have canned birdsong, the chemically produced smell of wild flowers and a fully licensed as bar as well do they vagabond!

 

I would like to think that angling will go back to basics as 'anglers' get fed up with the video in the bivvy and realise that there is a lot more to angling than catching huge fat, horribly overfed monstrosities. People will be totally fed up with an indoor life and want to feel the wind on their cheeks and yes even rain occasionally seeping through their 100% waterproof jackets and overtrousers.

 

Perhaps I wouldn't want to go back to the fishing of my youth though when you had an oiled gas cape (if you were lucky like my brother) or a packamac, wellies with three pairs of socks and a scarf though!

[Janet]

I thought Mat was having a laugh with the indoor fishing bit, until I did a bit of Saturday night googling....

 

Is THIS the future of angling?

 

I hope not.

 

I don't want my fishing to be sanitised, convenient, comfortable, warm and pleasant, although I do rather like the coffee idea....!

 

Janet

[Dick Dastardly]

I thought Mat was having a laugh with the indoor fishing bit, until I did a bit of Saturday night googling....

 

Is THIS the future of angling?

 

I hope not.

 

I don't want my fishing to be sanitised, convenient, comfortable, warm and pleasant, although I do rather like the coffee idea....!

 

Janet

 

 

[luckyjim]

The future of angling?...

 

Imagine a boot stamping on a human face...forever.

 

- George Orwell

 

 

[terry t shirt]

I rarely if ever respond to this sort sort of debate on here or other forums (theres always someone waiting to shoot you down for your opinion) but personally i doubt if angling as we know it has a future.As the populatin increases more and more water is required streams are already vanishing from water abstraction. Next comes pollution , our rivers are getting cleaner were told so clean in some cases bacterial life cant survive and this is the start of any aquatic eco system. Youngsters today don't want to be outside give them an X box or a ps3 and thats them sorted ,simple maths no new kids coming in folks unfortunately passing away means the angling community diminishes. Commercial fisheries wont kill the sport but they dont really encourage it either as for specimen hunters they go round in circles anyway depends on the fashion. Then theres the anti's (but everyone entitled to there view) But the biggest threat to our sport is us until anglers live up to the fact we are responsible for our destiny if we dont clear up behind us, if we dont educate the new guys or gals, if we dont show we care about the fish and if we dont start getting together with one voice we have no future.

[Vagabond]

Is THIS the future of angling?

 

 

Thanks for finding that Janet - its even worse than the one I saw in Texas !

 

BTW Waveney, I hope you didn't think I was advocating such "civilised" fishing - I was merely reporting it.

 

When in Texas I prefer night fishing with some "good ol' boys" after catfish, freshwater drum, alligator gars etc - and sometimes real alligators come to call.