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Fishermen Without Boats Fishing On BA Moorings.


Breydon

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It just occurred to me in regards to my previous post regarding the closed season that there is a certain amount of hostility towards fishermen who do not have boats  taking over moorings and refusing to move when boat people wish to moor.

Well, how much do we pay to BA to have our boats on the water? How much do boatless fishermen pay to BA to fish on the moorings? Answer: Nothing.

Answer to the problem: If somebody (boatless fisherman) wants to fish on a BA mooring then they should pay a licence fee to do so and display it so everybody can see it as we do at present with boat licences. Perhaps if fishermen contributed a bit towards the upkeep of the BA quay heading they fish on then our licences would be a little cheaper. 

Just because somebody has a fishing licence does not give them the right to bung up moorings that we have paid for, not them.

After all, what happens if we moor our boats on one of the sacred little wooden fishing perches along the river? Yep! the sewage hits the fan!

Please note that when replying that I am a keen fisherman as well as a boat owner. 

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I can see a lot of sense in that. I had a conversation with the landlady at The New Inn, Rockland about fishermen. She frequently sees boats coming down the dyke and turning around again as fishermen are taking up the moorings. She has in the past shouted out to the boats to come and moor up, which they are entitled to do. She also said that none of the fishermen use the pub, pay nothing towards the moorings (as Breydon has said) and she got a load of abuse for her pains.

I accept there is good and bad in all our society but sadly its been my experience that fisherman are not always the most pleasant folk to deal with.

 

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3 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

Sorry Breydon but that wouldn't work for many reasons. If  my boat was moored at Hickling, how would that affect me fishing at Sutton staithe? Would a dinghy toll cover me?  oh and so many other questions.

Nice try though  :-)

Agreed, but the principle is sound I think.

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I think the problem is that the mooring signs clearly state that boats have priority over the fishermen.

Sorry to disagree but I don't see that as a problem, more plain English in black and white, or crystal clear.  Anglers (And I am one of them) are imho in a fortunate position to be able to use any Ba mooring free of charge 24/7 notwithstanding the close season. 

However, let me also be crystal and state the obvious.  Ba moorings are provided by the Ba and paid for by the toll payers (Private AND hire) for . . . . yes, you have guessed it . . . BOATS,  be they stinkies or those that cannot helm in a straight course

So it should go without saying if an Angler sets his/her swim out on a Ba public mooring then he/she should be fully aware (As per the clearly written signs) he/she is there on a freebie, allowed be there but MUST give way to any craft wishing to moor, and do so willingly without issuing any verbal abuse.  These days with cameras on phones etc any boat skipper should be videoing any abuse received and passing it on to the relevant authorities.

Now then, on the odd occasion I have had to ask an Angler to move to allow me to moor up I have also offered them the use of 'B.A' to fish from onboard so I do try to meet them halfway but not if I get any verbal abuse.

This is not a rant, just my take on it

Griff

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Fishermen pay for a fishing licence from the Environment Agency, the Environment Agency is paying many millions towards the Broads Flood Alleviation Scheme and towards water quality projects in general. Indirectly anglers money pays, in part, for the maintenance of the Broads.  

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27 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

I think the problem is that the mooring signs clearly state that boats have priority over the fishermen.

Sorry to disagree but I don't see that as a problem, more plain English in black and white, or crystal clear.  Anglers (And I am one of them) are imho in a fortunate position to be able to use any Ba mooring free of charge 24/7 notwithstanding the close season. 

However, let me also be crystal and state the obvious.  Ba moorings are provided by the Ba and paid for by the toll payers (Private AND hire) for . . . . yes, you have guessed it . . . BOATS,  be they stinkies or those that cannot helm in a straight course

So it should go without saying if an Angler sets his/her swim out on a Ba public mooring then he/she should be fully aware (As per the clearly written signs) he/she is there on a freebie, allowed be there but MUST give way to any craft wishing to moor, and do so willingly without issuing any verbal abuse.  These days with cameras on phones etc any boat skipper should be videoing any abuse received and passing it on to the relevant authorities.

Now then, on the odd occasion I have had to ask an Angler to move to allow me to moor up I have also offered them the use of 'B.A' to fish from onboard so I do try to meet them halfway but not if I get any verbal abuse.

This is not a rant, just my take on it

Griff

once again Griff you put the point I was trying to make far better than I did, my problem wasnt with the wording on the signs, it was the concept proposed I had the problem with.

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2 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

I think the problem is that the mooring signs clearly state that boats have priority over the fishermen.

Sorry to disagree but I don't see that as a problem, more plain English in black and white, or crystal clear.  Anglers (And I am one of them) are imho in a fortunate position to be able to use any Ba mooring free of charge 24/7 notwithstanding the close season. 

However, let me also be crystal and state the obvious.  Ba moorings are provided by the Ba and paid for by the toll payers (Private AND hire) for . . . . yes, you have guessed it . . . BOATS,  be they stinkies or those that cannot helm in a straight course

So it should go without saying if an Angler sets his/her swim out on a Ba public mooring then he/she should be fully aware (As per the clearly written signs) he/she is there on a freebie, allowed be there but MUST give way to any craft wishing to moor, and do so willingly without issuing any verbal abuse.  These days with cameras on phones etc any boat skipper should be videoing any abuse received and passing it on to the relevant authorities.

Now then, on the odd occasion I have had to ask an Angler to move to allow me to moor up I have also offered them the use of 'B.A' to fish from onboard so I do try to meet them halfway but not if I get any verbal abuse.

This is not a rant, just my take on it

Griff

Well said Griff the terms under which anglers can use BA moorings are clearly stated, boaters have priority, just report any transgression to the authorities so that offenders can be punished, instead of trying to obtain more cash out of anglers who respect the by laws and move on if requested to do so. Live and let live

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Every year in the winter months the BA moorings by Beccles bypass bridge get taken over by what look to be match fisherman spread out up and down the Waveney either side of the bridge.  The moorings seem to get used for at least one or two pegs by kitted out fisherman so its unlikely its fisherman unrelated to the match.

I have said before how do you make way for boats wishing to moor up when you are in the middle of a match?!  Its an ongoing problem and I would be in half a mind to say unless you arrive by boat then its no fishing, especially when fisherman obstructing moorings ends up affecting local trade. 

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25 minutes ago, dnks34 said:

Every year in the winter months the BA moorings by Beccles bypass bridge get taken over by what look to be match fisherman spread out up and down the Waveney either side of the bridge.  The moorings seem to get used for at least one or two pegs by kitted out fisherman so its unlikely its fisherman unrelated to the match.

I have said before how do you make way for boats wishing to moor up when you are in the middle of a match?!  Its an ongoing problem and I would be in half a mind to say unless you arrive by boat then its no fishing, especially when fisherman obstructing moorings ends up affecting local trade. 

If its a properly organised match I would assume someone must have "booked " the stretch from the landowner, or must have fishing rights to that section of the riverbank, in which case I doubt it is a BA mooring, if it is a BA mooring normal restrictions should apply and anglers should be moved on

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1 hour ago, Gramps said:

If its a properly organised match I would assume someone must have "booked " the stretch from the landowner, or must have fishing rights to that section of the riverbank, in which case I doubt it is a BA mooring, if it is a BA mooring normal restrictions should apply and anglers should be moved on

The moorings i am referring to beside Beccles bypass bridge as being used by match fisherman in the winter months are most definately BA moorings.  I pass it almost every day of the week!!

What happens either side of the BA moorings is no concern of mine and not being brought into question! 

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Folks fishing who cheerily pack up and move from a BA mooring? Never met one! I never bother to ask, just cruise on by. I could of course ask and press the point but although I can just shrug off any unpleasantness it would sufficiently upset my wife to spoil the whole point of stopping there in the first place.

I always go as wide and slow past someone fishing as circumstances allow. Quite often on rivers like The Ant for example there is no option to go wide if a boat is coming the other way. Fishermen seem to have perfected a dead eyed stare of malevolence with which they attempt to dissolve you. Waving and smiling back doesn't help their mood any but makes me smile.

What on earth makes people fish from their boats at places like Ludham Bridge and Howe Hill is beyond me, no wonder they look so miserable!

I expect to be told that they are not all like this, I accept the truth of this and apologise to those few, it's just that I have never met them.

I also expect to be told that many helms are rude and inconsiderate, I accept the truth of this too. Apart from the ones who don't know better and the occasional "don't give a damn" charmer perhaps treating helms with a bit of civility would go a long way towards reciprocation.

This has been my first rant, forgive me for getting it off my chest but it is an honest reflection of my experience every time I take my boat out.

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1 hour ago, Ray said:

This has been my first rant, forgive me for getting it off my chest but it is an honest reflection of my experience every time I take my boat out.

I wouldn’t class that as a rant Ray, I would say it was an honest and fair reflection of your experiences. I believe many boats pass on by fishermen with kit spread out on moorings, despite wanting to moor up. Many newbies may not know they can ask for them to move and many seasoned boaters (like you and me) do not want the confrontation we believe may well ensue. We’re wary because we have all heard the old stories of ‘revenge’ attacks on boats. It’s much easier now, in the event of refusal to move, to pick up a phone/camera and take a few pictures to pop off to the BA but the vast majority of us don’t want to have to resort to those tactics. We just want to enjoy our boating. 

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2 hours ago, RumPunch said:

My concern if fisherman were asked to pay a 'toll' is they may well then think they had as much entitlement to be on the mooring as a boat wishing to moor.

They already think they do ! I once had a conversation with a 'Volunteer Ranger' whose interest was entirely the angling. He was most indignant when I suggested that many other Broads users besides boaters should contibute in some way to their use of the Broads, such as Bird watchers, walkers and... anglers.  " Do you know how much we pay for a license " he asked. When I replied with the right answer and then told him what the toll was for my Yacht he quietend down a little !

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We seem to live in a society that thrives on the "law & punishment" rule to sort out our perceived grievences.

It didn't used to be like this. People respected the rights of everybody to do their own thing.

I understand that boat owners have invested much money in persuing their passtime but why do they assume they have the right to rule the waters just because they pay moor to putt about the Broads than the maggot danglers.

The Broads should be for "everybody" not the priveleged few.

 

 

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5 minutes ago, smellyloo said:

We seem to live in a society that thrives on the "law & punishment" rule to sort out our perceived grievences.

It didn't used to be like this. People respected the rights of everybody to do their own thing.

I understand that boat owners have invested much money in persuing their passtime but why do they assume they have the right to rule the waters just because they pay moor to putt about the Broads than the maggot danglers.

The Broads should be for "everybody" not the priveleged few.

 

 

Only on BA and some private moorings. The rules, just obey the rules.

It's also worthy of note that the Broadland rivers are a statutory navigation. Should anyone choose to fish on such waters they should be prepaared for the occasional inconvenience from boats.

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I wonder how many complainants report issues to the authorities? Or just move on because it is easier? If the problems are reported often enough those in charge should be taking action. Anglers along with other Broads users contribute greatly to the economy of the area many renting or owning riverside properties, spending money in the local shops pubs and restaurants etc. A cruise through the horning area will show the majority of holiday lets taken by anglers in season. They also suffer from problems caused by boaters speeding along the rivers causing excessive wash or hogging the bank when there is no need to, it is not all one sided. The Broads are for all, not just for 1 group.

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1 hour ago, Poppy said:

They already think they do ! I once had a conversation with a 'Volunteer Ranger' whose interest was entirely the angling. He was most indignant when I suggested that many other Broads users besides boaters should contibute in some way to their use of the Broads, such as Bird watchers, walkers and... anglers.  " Do you know how much we pay for a license " he asked. When I replied with the right answer and then told him what the toll was for my Yacht he quietend down a little !

I do not think he should be a volunteer ranger if he has that sort of attitude.

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I dont think anyone is saying the Broads belong just to boat owners but when it comes to BA moorings fisherman must make way for boats, preferably without abuse.  If you dont want to run the risk of being expected to move for a boat wishing to moor up then fish from the bank, a boat or join a club and use one of the numerous fishing platforms there are available on the rivers, the solution really is as simple as that!!

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It would be nice if they acknowledged a boat that that cruises over on the wrong side of the river to pass as far from them as possible,just a nod would do, I go out of my way to do this( oncoming boats not being present) at known fishing spots, all you get is a unfriendly stair, i have had acknowledgement on occasion but very rarely. it would appear that fishermen are the most unfriendly people going. this is not every one but you tend to remember the unfriendly ones more so than the nice/cheerful ones, perhaps it's because they spend so much time in one spot and get somberised. John

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