What would you like to see changed in angling?

[Pangolin]

The requirement for a driving licence, and to take a driving test, hasn't been the end of all our driving. It does mean that no ten year old kid can legally get behind the wheel of a car and cause mayhem on the roads...

[mark barrett]

pangolin whilst your sentiments come from the right meaning it is only fishing at the end of the day. exams and licenses are a step to far in my opinion. lets not kid ourselves that a rod license are one and the same. a driving license is a mark of ompetence, a rod license is really a tax to fund the EA.

[jeepster]

Pangolin:

The requirement for a driving licence, and to take a driving test, hasn't been the end of all our driving. It does mean that no ten year old kid can legally get behind the wheel of a car and cause mayhem on the roads...

why is that relevant?

[Peter Waller]

Once upon a time Dad taught his child to fish. And the day would come when that child would become a parent, and so the cycle repeats itself.

Social and family values have changed, if a child wants to fish nowadays its a pretty fair chance that he will have to teach himself. But many children are running before they can walk, and damaging fish stocks on the way. Its grand that they want to learn, but a little bit of help wouldn't go amiss. So I do have some sympathy with the idea of a test of competance after a short course. I believe it happens in some European countries. But I am very much against Big Brother wading in. As Den says, heaven forbid!! What we have isn't perfect, but I don't know of a solution.

[Dick Dastardly]

Two things realy,when I was a lad you had to show your rod licence before you could buy a lot of club tickets.

 

Cant make my mind up about the exam thing,I would have welcomed help/instruction as a beginner (and surely this would be the main part of an exam/licencing system?) but have to ask wether I would hace ever got to the stage of wanting to learn if it had not been for those first tentative attempts to catch fish out of some local unsupervised/un licenced pond? Do you see what I mean? Maybe a tierd system where some waters are set aside for beginers/casual anglers where no exam/licence is required and the rest only fishable once the test is taken? A bit like the old motor bike size restrictions?

The licencing system in Germany doesnt apear to make for a better standard of angler but it does stop a lot of "fishmongers".The licence proving to a fishery owner that the guy is a bonafide angler.Incidently this is why a lot of German waters ask to see a club membership or similar if you are a visiting foreign angler.

[Stinca]

why are some intent on handicapping our sport? we have been angling for 1000's of years and are still debating how we should fish. the problem is, angling has been funnelled into one main stream activity.

 

very ironic given the popularity, the diverstity of species and venues. the needs of the 'Kent carpie' and 'Tay fly fisher' could not be any further apart. yet some choose imping rules that suit one or the other but never both. so many factors are not considered when applying our rules. with the variety of fish, venue, location, season, method etc etc, that we have, how can we be so untolerant of other's practises.

 

we have A roads, B roads and motorways, for the very reason that certain practises are only suitable on certain highways.

 

with preservation being the prime demoninator, local needs need local judgement. lets distinguish the difference between 'common sense guidelines' and 'knee jerk conservation'.

 

there are so very very few acts of parliament that restrict how we actually 'angle' for fish. you can even spear-fish without retribution (own water of course). the vast majority of restrictions are made locally ie. barbless hooks, volumes of groundbait, hook sizes, keep nets, number of rods, bait boats etc and are not direct violations of law**. they are voluntary codes of practice that serve the exclusive needs of the venue, its size, location, still/running water, season, species content and so on.

 

fisheries need to be assessed individually and concluded by local concesus. i'm sure the vast majority of fishery owner's knows what's best for their stock. there are venues that have little restriction to the detriment of the fish, but these are a dwindling minority.

 

** flouting local laws maybe deemed as poaching.

 

[ 16. February 2004, 02:40 AM: Message edited by: medway tinca ]

[Andy Nellist]

Any parent will know that if tell a child not to dosomething then they probably will. The answer is to explain the pros and cons and he will normally choose wisely.

 

As far as fishing goes I'd like to see a lot less paternalism and a great deal more focus on educating anglers so that they can understand how and why to fish responsibly and thus look out for the long term interests of their quarry.

[Andy Nellist]

[ 16. February 2004, 09:48 PM: Message edited by: Andy Nellist ]

[StuMac]

Now I can paste images!!

 

I'd like to see this sort of thing! Fishing on Lake Wanaka in New Zealand, one of these boats is very likely to come alongside and inspect your license, catch and tackle. Any minor infringment and your tackle is confiscated on the spot and you're told to stop fishing and pay a visit to the fish and game people to get it back, after paying a fine! Major infringments you're escorted ashore and your boat is confiscated!!

 

[Peter Waller]

Just what we need on the Broads!