Broads Angler Survey - Your Views Needed

[DHolmes]

Ladies and Gents,

Some of you will have been aware of The Broads Angling Strategy Group for a number of years and some of you will have been involved in various projects and initiatives that it has been involved in.

Over the past few months the group has undergone a transformation to the Broads Angling Services Group, a community interest company, which will add a level of identity and professionalism that is required to succeed in today’s world.

The official public launch of the Group will be 20th May at a launch event to be held at the Forum Norwich, but prior to that we are seeking opinion from broads anglers so that we ensure that our efforts are focused in the directions that anglers want.

Below is a link to an initial survey, so if you are interested in the Broads as a fishery please take a few minutes and complete the survey.

Thank You

Duncan

https://basgonline.org/limesurvey/index ... &newtest=Y

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Duncan,

Welcome to the NBN forum.

Regards

Alan

[DHolmes]

Hi Alan

Thank You.

[JennyMorgan]

Greater angling input on this forum would be great!

[Bound2Please]

to the forum Duncan, from me and the Wench (some call her Inge)... Maybe an introduction to your group here, might anglers on the NBN look at it a bit more..

Charlie

[Chelsea14Ian]

Welcome  Duncan to the forum,Sorry can't help with the survey. The only fishing I do is with chips

[DHolmes]

HI Pete. (I think its Pete right?)

Part of the revitalisation of the BASG is to engage more effectively through digital platforms, this forum being one of them.

There is so much that goes on behind the scenes by a small but dedicated bunch of anglers that work very closely with the EA teams on the ground, but unfortunately no one is aware of it.

This has been confirmed by the survey results we have received so far and something that we at the BASG will hopefully be addressing ready for the start of the new rivers season in June.

Duncan

 

[grendel]

Duncan, Welcome, I am sure if you were to let us know all about the behind the scenes work here it would raise the awareness - even amongst the non anglers of us here.

[DHolmes]

5 minutes ago, Bound2Please said:

to the forum Duncan, from me and the Wench (some call her Inge)... Maybe an introduction to your group here, might anglers on the NBN look at it a bit more..

Charlie

Hi Charlie

Below is a cut and paste off our website, of the official launch isn't until May by which time we will have our Broads Angling Strategy document published, so expect a lot of noise around that time.

In a nut shell, BASG exists to give angling a voice that can be heard in the Broads, and to deliver improvement and investment in to this nationally important fishery.

 

 

The Broads Angling Services Group CIC was formed on the 27^th Dec 2017 as a Community Interest Company. This was done to formalise and continue the work of the Broads Angling Strategy Group. The original BASG was dissolved in 2017 to allow the CIC to be formed. Since the two groups are, historically, one and the same thing, we choose to continue to brand ourselves as the BASG,

To inform and improve our activities over the coming months, one of the first things we are doing is collecting responses from a survey. We invite all interested parties, both individual and groups, associations and other bodies to participate.

We are holding a formal launch event at the Forum Norwich on Sunday 20^th May 2018 and the results of the survey will be reported at this event.

 

The Broads are a very special living, working landscape and an important centre for navigation and leisure activities such as angling. The natural beauty of the Broads landscape and its importance for wildlife is reflected by a number of National, European and International conservation designations, including Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

    By necessity, this delicate balance of interests leads to a complex management system for the area involving local authorities, Natural England, the Broads Authority, the Environment Agency, Norfolk Wildlife Trust and other specialist interests including, of course, anglers.

     

The Angling Trust recognises the value of the Broad land both in terms of it’s social economic and environment value, with it being England’s largest fresh water fishery. The Angling Trust will work with the BASG and key partners to ensure these values are both maintained and enhanced so they can be enjoyed by all for the future.

 

 

 

 

[Bound2Please]

Having just followed the link. The EA great for they are responsible for broads waters. The Angling Trust, they are all for their own buddies (a quango) thanks but no thanks WITH MOD HAT OFF

Charlie

[DHolmes]

3 minutes ago, Bound2Please said:

Having just followed the link. The EA great for they are responsible for broads waters. The Angling Trust, they are all for their own buddies (a quango) thanks but no thanks WITH MOD HAT OFF

Charlie

 

Just for clarity BASG is nothing to do with the Angling Trust, it is a completely independent organisation.

The Angling Trust however, have been helpful in enabling us to access data to deliver the survey to over 19,000 anglers, something we simply wouldn't have been able to do without their support for our efforts.

 

[JennyMorgan]

D.Holmes, I was actually a BASG committee member for a number of years.

[DHolmes]

10 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

D.Holmes, I was actually a BASG committee member for a number of years.

I joined the group under Mike Hoyland's (rip) chair, so after your time by the sounds of it. I don't know your history there but if you fancy a second stint you can always contact by pm or Duncan.holmes@basgonline.org.

We are hoping to take the BASG to the next level and have some really passionate people which should allow us to do so.

Regards

Duncan

 

[webntweb]

Survey done.

[DHolmes]

We have seen a surge in responses since I posted on this forum this morning.

A big thank you to all who have responded.

Duncan

 

7 hours ago, Bound2Please said:

to the forum Duncan, from me and the Wench (some call her Inge)... Maybe an introduction to your group here, might anglers on the NBN look at it a bit more..

Charlie

 

6 hours ago, Bound2Please said:

Having just followed the link. The EA great for they are responsible for broads waters. The Angling Trust, they are all for their own buddies (a quango) thanks but no thanks WITH MOD HAT OFF

Charlie

 

5 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

D.Holmes, I was actually a BASG committee member for a number of years.

 

[Simondo]

Survey completed good luck with it, I'll monitor with interest

[JennyMorgan]

11 hours ago, DHolmes said:

I joined the group under Mike Hoyland's (rip) chair, so after your time by the sounds of it. I don't know your history there but if you fancy a second stint you can always contact by pm or Duncan.holmes@basgonline.org.

We are hoping to take the BASG to the next level and have some really passionate people which should allow us to do so.

Regards

Duncan

 

Sorry, Duncan, not now however I wish the newly emerging BASG well in its endeavors. Word of advice, be very wary of the Broads Authority.

[BroadAmbition]

Survey completed as requested 

Griff

[deebee29]

Survey completed, Welcome to the forum Duncan

[DHolmes]

Thank you for your participation, we now have almost 1000 completed surveys now in the bag which is a large enough percentage of the angling community to be considered statistically robust.

And thank you for the warm welcomes.

[rightsaidfred]

Hi just completed the survey, can I just say that like most surveys it will only provide answers to what you want to hear, if it is only intended to apply to the Broads and its rivers then several questions are irrelevant as all the tidal waters are and always will be free fishing to the majority who fish from boats and the rest could be answered in any of the local tackle shops, I see nothing that could be of benefit  to anyone other than some local bank anglers, sorry to sound negative but I think it more dangerous to say nothing and wrong conclusions are draw than say it as I see it.

Fred

[DHolmes]

16 minutes ago, rightsaidfred said:

Hi just completed the survey, can I just say that like most surveys it will only provide answers to what you want to hear, if it is only intended to apply to the Broads and its rivers then several questions are irrelevant as all the tidal waters are and always will be free fishing to the majority who fish from boats and the rest could be answered in any of the local tackle shops, I see nothing that could be of benefit  to anyone other than some local bank anglers, sorry to sound negative but I think it more dangerous to say nothing and wrong conclusions are draw than say it as I see it.

Fred

Thanks of your feedback Fred, I will make sure it goes in to the analysis of the survey process.

You are of course correct in that tidal water is free to fish and will remain so, however access to the bankside and the lack of good facilities to launch trailer boats is currently dire in a lot of areas of the broads.

Now are the facilities so dire because of anglers are not prepared to pay for them, or would anglers be prepared to pay more to have improved facilities. Currently any answer to that question is purely a personal opinion, what the survey does is to put some numbers around that question so that the correct action can be taken.

2017 saw the loss of at least one considerable amount of bankside access and I know from speaking to  the landowner that this access has been lost purely on financial grounds. He couldn't get anywhere near to recuperating the operating costs, let alone market value so has chosen a different business model. I am particularly passionate about this as it is one of the areas I learnt to fish the broads as a child, and now this resource is lost to my (equally passionate) nephew as an introduction to his broads fishing. 

Its situations like this that having the data is vital in to knowing what can be done within the angling community, and when you are talking to EA, BA, NWT, NE and the like, unless you have data, you have nothing.

Thanks for taking the time to complete the survey, and I hope my ramblings above, do enough to ensure you that it wasn't time wasted.

Regards

Duncan

 

[JennyMorgan]

Duncan, re trailable boats and lack of slipways. A mute point is this one. Pike thrive on neglect, I suspect that you will agree. Pike stocks across Broadland are seemingly in serious decline. Increasing access will only up the pressure. The four rod rule, easier access, increased pressure, declining stocks, one for BASG!   The four rod rule and boats is no friends to pike. I watched two blokes today, sat in a boat with eight rods and eight bungs spaced out around the compass, both sat facing the same way meaning that at least four of the rods were cast out behind them, ludicrous. There were two blokes on the bank the other day, once again with eight rods spaced out along eighty yards or so, all with slack lines and the two blokes sat in their car, criminal. BASG still has a long way to go.

[rightsaidfred]

Hi Duncan

Thanks for your reply, I have spent a few hours thinking on this before replying and please believe I am only trying to be constructive as I fully appreciate the value of having a single voice to represent all anglers especially given the large percentage of Broads anglers who regularly fish but don't live in the area.

While I am all in favour of more bank fishing especially where it would remove friction from moorings the problem I have with this is (a) where does the funding come from as the majority of visitors would not be using them and the only obvious way forward would be  under some form of angling club control, (b) I am not aware of which stretch of bankside you are referring to as being lost but from your statement it was obviously under used, as I travel around apart from a couple of stretches that are regularly match fished the rest are rarely used and now largely neglected suggesting lack of need and I am talking personally about over the last 30 years or more, also given the poor access to most of the privately owned land and that most seem to want to be able to park behind their swim these days where do these extra facilities come from, I don't believe the BA or local authorities have any responsibilities towards angling so given todays financial climate and cutbacks in other important areas that dosn`t seem a likely source of investment.

Given that the EA are responsible for water quality and fish stocks both of which are as good now as they have ever been as JM has said the biggest problem is with bad Anglers and practises and without wishing to tell you your business that is where your efforts would be best concentrated. 

Best wishes with your venture Fred.

[High6]

I am puzzled by the fact that barely a mile from Hickling Broad is a carp pond with daily tickets. Apart that the fact that to me that's a bit like like shaking apples from a tree, why would anyone choose that over fishing from the broad or local rivers? Is it a problem of access to prepared and maintained sites away from moorings which might be provided by daily fees over and above the national license?