golden mile

[H.A.]

I'd agree with some of your points, Barry and I appreciate 'Hasty' telling us his honest-living ways.

I did work as a crabber and shellfish potter as a youngster (Mr Waring out of Bognor) and I think I'd be very sympathetic if the inshore fishery was modified to the 'cottage industry' it once was.

 

Unfortunately, technologies got ahead of themselves (in many fields) and the inshore fishery has either become intensive or exploited to the point of saturation which is why I so vehemently oppose further growth.

 

The writing is on the wall, OK, but is now fueled by Thatcherism gone mad.

Yes, it does involve politics and politics has now become not monetarism, but techno-monetarism and that is a bridge too far for the ecosystems to match in relation to the exploitation.

 

Thassit really!

 

[wurzel]

Of course I would consider it; then I'd laugh a lot, were it not also a sad indictment of the greed of the many and the incompetence of the few.

 

One of our gill netters and one of our licensed rod and liners could catch more bass in a day than I have in fifty years!!

 

I guess I'm no good at it, which is why I get a bigger kick out of catching and returning one 13 lber than looking at my wage packet after a week of plunder.

 

 

Hello Ha And Barry

 

In general terms I agree with you, are the Cornish lads fishing inside a mile?

Although I wonder what the overall rsa take on bass is and not many are like you Ha and for what it's worth if I caught a 13 pounder or any other bass while angling I would release them, I have a endless supply of better tasting fish for the table.

 

I was referring to the mark in question, I doubt that little boat shooting a net from a fish box which would only hold 100 perhaps 150 yards of net, perhaps he shot several more box's of net although as he was hand hauling I doubt it was many, and if he was using small mesh nets his take of large bass would be minimal.

 

Lets say there was a shoal of bass that took up residence in and around that mark every summer, probably have done so for hundreds perhaps thousands of years, a reasonable shoal in an area like that might contain say 200 large fish from 8lb upwards.

the mark gets discovered by anglers, word gets out and no doubt shore anglers are accompanied by a small fleet of small boats angling in a huddle around the mark. Now I refer to Barry’s favourite link " bigger bass better days "not much sign of catch and release going on there, plenty of talk of multicatches of large fish, after a few years that shoal would be gone even with out the help of a few gill nets, after that another shoal of young fish will move in probably after a good spawning year class and if left alone would grow to the same average size as the original shoal , it would probably take about 15 or 20 years of zero take from around that mark.

No doubt banning gill nets would help recovery but unless there was a total no take by anglers as well would it ever recover?

 

I think this scenario has happened in several popular bass angling marks around the country including those that have never had a gill net any where near them.

 

 

 

Ha it might only cost £50 for 50m but times that by 60 needed for a fulltime commercial and it's not quite so measly.

[barry luxton]

Hello Ha And Barry

 

In general terms I agree with you, are the Cornish lads fishing inside a mile?

Although I wonder what the overall rsa take on bass is and not many are like you Ha and for what it's worth if I caught a 13 pounder or any other bass while angling I would release them, I have a endless supply of better tasting fish for the table.

 

I was referring to the mark in question, I doubt that little boat shooting a net from a fish box which would only hold 100 perhaps 150 yards of net, perhaps he shot several more box's of net although as he was hand hauling I doubt it was many, and if he was using small mesh nets his take of large bass would be minimal.

 

Lets say there was a shoal of bass that took up residence in and around that mark every summer, probably have done so for hundreds perhaps thousands of years, a reasonable shoal in an area like that might contain say 200 large fish from 8lb upwards.

the mark gets discovered by anglers, word gets out and no doubt shore anglers are accompanied by a small fleet of small boats angling in a huddle around the mark. Now I refer to Barry’s favourite link " bigger bass better days "not much sign of catch and release going on there, plenty of talk of multicatches of large fish, after a few years that shoal would be gone even with out the help of a few gill nets, after that another shoal of young fish will move in probably after a good spawning year class and if left alone would grow to the same average size as the original shoal , it would probably take about 15 or 20 years of zero take from around that mark.

No doubt banning gill nets would help recovery but unless there was a total no take by anglers as well would it ever recover?

 

I think this scenario has happened in several popular bass angling marks around the country including those that have never had a gill net any where near them.

Ha it might only cost £50 for 50m but times that by 60 needed for a fulltime commercial and it's not quite so measly.

 

 

Morning, two of the marks i am interested in, first one at the top end of the channel, is a series of wrecks that do not appear to be fished commercially, they certainly could be if rod and line was used as they are quite broken up. every summer there is indeed quite a few angler boats fishing them. Both uk and french. I note with interest the french fish a heck of a lot lighter than the uk guys and they are very good at it. I also note that all of the bass they catch is taken, comments back from them is if they inadvertantly hook a codling they are dissapointed. However these marks have been fished by myself catching bass for approximatly ten years and the class of bass appears to be stable. If however there is more fishing activity of course the class could go down. I do see a lot of catch and release from the uk boats, the most i have ever taken in one session is six, for that i do feel guilty actually. However, if shaw wants to restrict me on my average of one or two he can go and rotate.

 

The second one for me, obviously as Wurzel say's the race at portland. The area was fished first of all by the rsa, there was more and bigger fish, then the bass were of interest to the commercial sector and the rest is history. Saying that, for years fishing off portland you would be very lucky to see anyone fishing from the rocks. The bass population in the race, average size is down to around 36cm. To ever improve on that the pressure needs to be taken off. If the rsa were told that there need to be restriction for this would the commercial sector agree as well?

 

I'm surprised that there isn't a demand for a 13 pounder on a mongers slab somewhere. Is it due to the popularity of farmed? If the little boat fishing 100 yds of net is so conservative in it's catch, why do they not take up fishing for them with rod and line it might be more productive, or does the net catch more than is being perceived.

[hastfish]

there is no demand for big bass,that is why the industry shouted about size,s going up, eu boats,farmed are all plate size .the market dictates size and they want small .that we might not agree with but we stood to lose a lot of money,while others prosperd.time will come when sizes increase ,i hope they will ,mesh sizes should be increased and the gov should listen to us all.we would suffer a year or two but the fish would be better size[mature].and let us fish [no qouta] but mesh size restrictions.i do agree h.a we have got to clever with electronic gadgets.so mesh size ,some sort of capping of effort may be the way forward but the whole of the eu would not follow.i for one could not afford to have this done straight away but a fazing in over time i could live with.any way no,one has come up with a realistic distance yet???

[steve good]

It just beggers belief mis-information from both sides

 

steve

[barry luxton]

It just beggers belief mis-information from both sides

 

steve

Hi Steve, feel free to criticize my post , i won't take offence, were muckers.

[steve pitts]

I suppose you wouldn't consider that two generations of constant angling would have accounted for several, perhaps just as many.

 

Hi Wurzel

 

I'd consider it, but not for long.

 

 

versus

 

[steve good]

It just beggers belief mis-information from both sides

 

steve

 

Hi Barry

 

Ok I will.

 

I have at times landed to the same buyer as the Weymouth rod and line commericals, and I have seen their catch, alot of which is really nice large bass and plenty of it, only on the small tides do they land small fish, you say that it is all small, I disagree.

 

On the other hand Hasty states and I

 

QUOTE/ there is no demand for big bass,that is why the industry shouted about size,s going up,

 

There is a great demand for large bass thats why the price for them is so high, the industry shouted so much because other members states would only catch them while UK fishermen would be discarding them.

 

There are still loads of very large bass about however you wont catch them in a stupid small meshed drift nets fished near the beach.

 

steve

[wurzel]

There are still loads of very large bass about however you wont catch them in a stupid small meshed drift nets fished near the beach.

 

steve

 

Thank you Steve.

 

I aslo have no problem selling large bass for a premium price.

[barry luxton]

Hi Barry

 

Ok I will.

 

I have at times landed to the same buyer as the Weymouth rod and line commericals, and I have seen their catch, alot of which is really nice large bass and plenty of it, only on the small tides do they land small fish, you say that it is all small, I disagree.

 

 

 

steve

Last year a semi commercial mate of mine who has spent a long time fishing the race, discussed the bass mls with me. When it was suggested to increase the mls, he was shocked, what for he told me the 36cm fish are the bread and butter, without them we wouldn't survive.