What would you like to see changed in angling?

[Peter Waller]

Me? I should like to see a return to the close season. I should like to see a return to a two rod limit on public waters. I should like to see a return to a two rod limit whenever visual bite indication is used, both on rivers AND private waters. I should like to see a lifetime ban on all anglers who drop litter and continually shout and swear in public. I should like to see a return to an October to March season for piking on public waters. I should like to see a ban on removing specimen fish from public waters. I should like to see a 'pike' licence subject to a simple exam for public waters. I should like to see a 'one rod' licence rather than the 'two for the price of one' system that we have now. I should like to see a licence that runs for twelve months, like a car licence. I should like to see an effective single body governing angling. I should like to see fish measured by length rather than by weight. I should like to see a lifetime ban on any angler who purposly damages a fish. I should like to see the same passion in protecting animal and bird habitat being offered to fish. Other than that I'm pretty happy with things the way they are! What says you?

[Peter Sharpe]

How about a pole tax?

[Peter Waller]

Or Council Tax on long-stay bivvies!

[Dick Dastardly]

Like all of your sugestions except for the measuring bit.Can see your reasoning though as it would be much kinder on the fish.Would be sad to see the loss of the choice to use four rods when I felt it was needed but would be a fair trade off to have all the other things.

[Bruno Broughton]

Peter Waller:

I should like to see a lifetime ban on any angler who purposly damages a fish. What says you?

That's the end of game and sea angling, then! And freshwater live and deadbaits, as well as any anglers who (legally) takes a coarse fish for the pot.

[Peter Waller]

Budgie, I'm not opposed to four rod usage in a controlled situation, such as a club or syndicate water. A also think a licence system of say £15.00 for one rod and then £5.00 per extra rod would be fairer, although it would need policing.

 

Bruno, you're playing devils advocate! Despatching a fish prior to taking it home for the pot is one thing, mindlessly mutilating a fish is another. I recently saw a fellow hacking the head off a pike so he could retrieve his hooks, nuff said?

[Del_R]

Being kind of new to this in a returning after twenty-five years kind of way it certainly came as a surprise to discover the close season is no longer observed on most still waters and canals. But that aside, I've been wondering about the old pike season. From my observations and readings thus far it appears that some very respected pike anglers fish all year round whilst others adhere to the old season. What's the significance of the October to March dates, as opposed to the June to March dates for other fish? Do pike take longer to recover from spawning than other fish? Or are they so greedy in the summer that deep hooking is more prevalent? Or is the anser © - something else?

 

Cheers,

Del

[StuMac]

In my book humanely killing a legitimately caught fish is fine if you're going to eat it. I quite like pike and quite often knock a 4 - 5 lb one on the head for the BBQ, especially if it comes right at the end of the day so it can be eaten straight from the Loch.

 

I think the Canadian and New Zealand rules are a good compromise - fish can only be removed if they are to be eaten. Throwing pike up the bank will get you prosecuted, as will exceding your catch limit.

 

The other big difference is that they enforce their rules .

 

[ 12. February 2004, 05:04 PM: Message edited by: StuMac ]

[me]

I'd like to see more commerial waters, the price of rod licenses lowered and less fish coming close to extinction for instance Rudd, Tench and Crucian Carp.

[mark barrett]

legally enforced stocking limits, emphasis in angling switching to all species and not just carp and a unified governing body.

funnly enough i agree with you on the pike season pete but not on the close seasonbeing re-introduced on lake. i cant see the pnt. we have one on rivers which are a more precarious eco system, but i dont know of any wate where it has been proved that close season angling has caused damage to the fish or the wildlife. so i am happy to keep the status quo on that one