Floodlight fishing

[Anderoo]

I wrote a reply to this post a few days ago and then decided not to post it, as it was similar to Mr Grayson's

 

I don't like the idea, it's furthering the artificiality of fishing (along with golden tench, sterlets, stillwater barbel, etc. etc. etc.). If you want to fish when it's light, there's all day to go. Fishing into and after dark is special, a time when normal fish lower their guard a little and give you that little window of opportunity.

 

Having said that, there are a few bits of the Thames around Oxford where it's possible to fish right next to your car under a streetlight, and that can be great. But it's a by-product of street design, not purpose built for the benefit of fishermen.

[gozzer]

You tell it like it is grayson.

 

Us real anglers don't need lights when fishing at night.

I normally wear sunglasses, to make it appear even darker.

And if the moon is too bright, I have been known to wear a blindfold.

 

Wusses the lot of 'em.

 

 

John.

[Dick Dastardly]

I don't like the idea, it's furthering the artificiality of fishing

 

I cant argue with that mate! that said my whole issue with any of the "artificial changes" be it mud holes,artificial stocking

levels,designer swims etc etc is that I dont want it to become the norm and replace "natural" fishing.Can both the artificial and natural waters live side by side? therefore giving the choice to all? Ive had several bad experiences where good natural waters have been ruined (well ruined from my point of veiw!) due to the comercial interests of the owners.Doesnt matter if they are turned into F1 pastie match lakes or "instant" 30 carp waters.Both not good if a quality natural carp lake or good bream or roach or tench or whatever lake has been destroyed to achieve this.

 

But if a hole is dug in the ground or a poor fishery transformed I have no problem.Doesnt matter if I want to fish there or not as its simply a wider choice of water rather than it becoming a narrowing choice. Same principle for the lighting buisness in my opinion.I havnt got to go there but as long as it isnt on an existing natural water then why not! Like I said I would fish a match on one just for the experience of it.

 

I suppose though (and maybe the point Anderoo was skirting on?) that it could of course be seen as just a little more dilluting of what angling in general means to the masses? another artificial element that could eventually lead us to our sport becoming extremely clinical and artificial? concrete tanks in huge domes stocked with farm bred fish purely for angling,maybe apeasing those against angling by keeping it away from the natural enviroment,which would then be "safe"?

 

Ive mentioned it before but I must try and find the short story I once read about one angling authers "apocolyptic" veiw of future angling.If I can I will post it.

[MatNewman]

I can not see why this kind of fishing should be frowned upon. The owners are simply offering anglers alternative hours to fish in. Artificial agreed however as I have already mentioned the light srae simply there to allow you to see you kit.

 

Gozzer I see that your post is a little tongue in cheek which is cool whereas Grayson simply launched into a random attack which was pointless.

 

Fishing is changing all the time - the owners of this particualr commercial have seen a window of opportunity and grabbed it - the fact that they only allow 16 anglers on the 20+ peg lake prooves that they are not in it for pure profit as they have taken iton consideration where will fish well and where wont to make it fair.

 

At the end of the day each to their own - if people didnt like it then they wouldnt turn up - simple as that!

I dont like some methods of fishing but dont see why I have any right to comment so dont - simple

[Dick Dastardly]

You tell it like it is grayson.

 

Us real anglers don't need lights when fishing at night.

I normally wear sunglasses, to make it appear even darker.

And if the moon is too bright, I have been known to wear a blindfold.

 

Wusses the lot of 'em.

 

 

John.

 

Your turning into a fagot John "real men" would gouge their own eyes out!

 

I have no problem with flood light angling (well in principle as Ive never experienced it) My personal preference when night fishing is for no light at all...................but what I cant stand are all these "night fishermen" who have more lights showing than..oh allready done this rant sorry! No its just snobbery from most of them! Try fishing for bream at night on a popular carp lake and you will see the true side of modern carp fishing.I say for bream as there is no way you can go to sleep like you can with other species!

[Anderoo]

Budgie's right, I was skirting the issue

 

Things like this always make me reconsider what fishing actually is. Mat, you're right, fishing is changing all the time, and at the moment I have to say it's benefitting me hugely in some ways! Purpose dug lakes full of fish fed on pellets draw in all the fishermen and leave the rivers empty. So that's great. But trying to find a nice old gravel pit that isn't rammed with carpers 24/7 is getting impossible, to the point where I choose to drive to Kent to do some quiet tench fishing

 

Choice is diminishing (when clubs start to realise no-one's fishing the stretches of river that they shell out for each year, will they continue the lease? Will the fishing be lost?) and what fishermen expect from a water is changing fast (cafe? toilets? wierd and wonderful fish? and lots of them? 24 hour lighting?). It just makes we wonder about the direction of it all and what things will be like in 5 or 10 years' time.

 

As an individual instance, I don't care whether a fishery has floodlights, but I do think it raises some fairly serious issues in regard to the future of fishing.

 

Here's a question - if we get to a point where virtually all fishing in the UK is 'artificial', will it be tolerated by the non-fishing public?

[gozzer]

Gozzer I see that your post is a little tongue in cheek which is cool whereas Grayson simply launched into a random attack which was pointless.

I dont like some methods of fishing but dont see why I have any right to comment so dont - simple

 

Only "a little" Mat?

 

But if a hole is dug in the ground or a poor fishery transformed I have no problem.Doesnt matter if I want to fish there or not as its simply a wider choice of water rather than it becoming a narrowing choice. Same principle for the lighting buisness in my opinion.I havnt got to go there but as long as it isnt on an existing natural water then why not! Like I said I would fish a match on one just for the experience of it.

 

I see it differently Budgie. As I've said on here before, it's narrowing the choice for anglers, not widening it.

Over the last 20 or so years, I have seen too many waters ruined by commercial interests.

The expectations of some anglers after fishing these waters, has caused some associations to stock to similar levels, (usually with some type of carp or 'exotic'). This is just to try and appease the membership and avoid losing members.

Then as we have seen in the last 12 months or so, the effect that flooding as had on spreading these fish, through the system, and into other fisheries.

I genuinely fear for the future of our fisheries, and the future of angling in general in this country.

 

John.

[Dick Dastardly]

The expectations of some anglers after fishing these waters, has caused some associations to stock to similar levels, (usually with some type of carp or 'exotic'). This is just to try and appease the membership and avoid losing members.

 

John.

 

John I did say that I dont like to see it done to existing waters.

 

The point I have quoted from your post is very true.There are quite a few small "comercial style" club owned/controled ponds in my area and they certainly prove your point.

 

Mind you I often smile when we discuss the potential menace of how the commercials have/are changing the face of modern angling............................I would have though the real big change to angling has all ready happened in the guise of the modern day carp fishing explosion?

 

I had hoped/thought that the carp thing would run its course with people soon getting bored with it and trying more conventional types of angling.Trouble is it hasnt happened as initially we had the turn over thing of as one packed it in another would go straight in to it.Now we have the situation thanks (not really the right choice of word as I dont thank them!) to the commercial big carp waters that it is easier and they dont get bored! Either way though most sad of all is that most who do drop out wouldnt even consider "lowering" themselves to become a maggot bashing noddy! so strong is the "indoctrination"(?) that all carpers are superior! And thats a through back from the old days when people who fished for carp were very experienced anglers having done the rest.

[grayson]

I have strongly held views on this subject and that is why I state them. Which is..um..sort of what forums are about really. Don't expect everyone to agree but wouldn't life be tedious if we all thought the same or had to qualify every view by some craven' it's just my humble opinion ' equivocation ? I don't really think I am guilty of a 'random attack' unless disagreement constitutes an attack.Still struggle to get the random bit though.Ho hum.

 

The serious point I make is that fishing - to me- is the pursuit of wild creatures in their natural environment and whilst overstocked puddles are already way outside that definition to floodlight them just turns this manifestation of the sport into even more of a parody. Like many , I have seen much loved waters utterly destroyed in the interests of ensuring they are easy, predictable and tedious. Plenty of trees cut down because the poor loves can't cast properly , banks flattened to make every swim the same and so on.

[Steve Walker]

There's a local sports facility not far from here. Five-a-side football pitches, I think. I see it sometimes because if you drive past at on a winter evening it's brilliantly illuminated by big halogen floodlights. With paired lights, I'm guessing it's 2-3kW of lighting per pole. As I drove past (in my heavily taxed gas-guzzler) it occurred to me that they can't get away with this for long before the CO2 police start making climate change noises at them. I think floodlit angling venues may face the same fate, though presumably they aren't lit to the same degree. Electricity prices are only going to move one way, so I can't see this becoming a widespread practice. I could understand it more if the closed season still existed for stillwaters; extending evening fishing through the winter months would represent a big source of income for day ticket waters, but now that they can open through March, April and May there's got to be less incentive to floodlight November, December and January.