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Poppy

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Andrew, you really must return, picture this......a beautiful summers evening, water like a mirror, just a simple float rod, you must have a glass of wine by your side, you get a couple of little touches, the float disappears, you strike with all your might to land a two ounce Roach but still be just as content as if it were a lake or river record, have a sip of wine and start all over again cheers

Troutman, ecstatic is an understatement lol, I could sit all day and not catch anything, it wouldn't bother me, just sitting by lakes and rivers is bliss enough for me, better on the back of a boat though lol :Stinky

Grace

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25 minutes ago, Gracie said:

Andrew, you really must return, picture this......a beautiful summers evening, water like a mirror, just a simple float rod, you must have a glass of wine by your side, you get a couple of little touches, the float disappears, you strike with all your might to land a two ounce Roach but still be just as content as if it were a lake or river record, have a sip of wine and start all over again cheers

Troutman, ecstatic is an understatement lol, I could sit all day and not catch anything, it wouldn't bother me, just sitting by lakes and rivers is bliss enough for me, better on the back of a boat though lol :Stinky

Grace

I will return. I have grandchildren to teach. I was at Womack last year and helped a grandad to tie a hook, make a trace, return to the tackle shop and buy the most essential item.The simple tool to recover the hook from the fish. What ever was its name? The disgorger perhaps.

Distant memoires are not so cherished. Pike fishing in particular. Live baiting, the purchase of a kettle of live fish from Browne's at Timber Hill Norwich. Beautiful fish, Roach and Rudd, vibrant in colour, destined to be impailed, alive on Jardine snap tackle ( has my memory served me correctly?)  Within these awful scenario there existed the gaff (to impail the pike to assist landing by inserting between the gills.) The priest, an implement with a lead top, to add weight when you despatched the pike by hitting it on the head. Please tell me that ALL these practice's have been discontinued, in particular live baiting. I have done all these things to my shame. Never, ever, to return.  Grace. The picture that you paint is the one that I cherish, I remember. That is fishing. I think that even Dr Johnson would approve.  What did he say. A fool at one end, a worm at the other!

I think that I am the worm!

Andrew

 

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When we were on Lightning last May / June, we moored at Loddon on the thursday when one of Richardsons Horizon 35s came in and moored next to us. Festooned all over the cabin top was fishing gear, and they started to fish that afternoon and evening, and  it was more than 2 weeks to the season opening. They did`nt affect us in any way, so i let it go. As for the close season on rivers, the close season for spawning is, and always has been a complete myth. Humans live by clenders for convenience, wildlife does`nt live by them at all. Ive seen fish spawn as early as the beginning of February, and as late as Aughust. Did they mis read the calender?. Also, spawning fish don`t feed, and if they don`t feed, they can`t take the bait. I think the close season has been proven by many knowlegable people to be of no use whatsoever to fish stocks etc, so i say do away with it altogether. That said, i do respect others views and the law, so i won`t bring my tackle unless i`m cruising in season, which this year see`s us aboard Lightning for a week and a half from the last weekend in June, so guess what i`l be doing in the evenings?.

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I've been an angler since I was old enough to hold a rod. I also sit on the bailiff committee on a local water. Our lake is adjacent to a popular day ticket lake and a lake in a nature reserve. While we adhere strictly to a closed season policy with our water the day ticket fishery does not. We actively 'manage' both land and water, cut reeds, dredge etc. Neither the day ticket water or the nature reserve do this. The day ticket water is stuffed full of stressed and damaged fish from overfishing and poor angling. The water quality is poor, and the fishery regularly requires restocking. The nature reserve has become a stagnant mire devoid of fish and wildlife. Our fishery on the other hand is well stocked, with healthy stress free fish in prime condition with abundant wildlife...little owls nested last year.

On a monthly basis we are approached by the chump that owns the day ticket fishery for help and advice...none of which he follows siting 'financial viability'. Yet we make more money than he does from fewer anglers. Last year we won an ongoing battle with the nature reserve trying to buy us out. A quick tour with the landowner of our site and the nature reserve and he gifted us the land.

We work closely with the EA and the local farmer to ensure our water quality. As I say fishing is banned in the closed season to give the fish a break. Fishing is also banned during spawning and for two weeks after which we closely monitor as spawning is dependant upon water temperature and takes a lot out of the fish which will go heavily on the feed straight after. We allow the public access to the land during the season, but not in the close or spawning. Angler's are vetted before being allowed to join and we regularly run teaching days for adults and kids.

As an angler I don't have the time to contemplate angling in the close season...there's far more to fishing, if you are doing it right, to more than keep me occupied. Varnishing baskets and rods, making new floats, repairing damaged tackle, tying new hooks, disinfecting nets and mats...anything that touches the water, new line and a service for all reels, making rigs etc etc

There's a phrase I often hear bandied about with regards to Norfolk. 'He's a true Broadsman'. My grandfather had a similar phrase of 'he's a true countryman'. Meaning someone who not only lived in or visited the countryside but someone who lived with the countryside and understood what was going on around them.

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Timbo, you forgot, or I missed, one important phrase, 'True Angler'. Not so many of 'em about today, regretfully. There is more to angling than just fishing.

Re livebaiting, gave it up some fifty-five years ago, with no regrets. Since then have lure fished for pike and probably caught more than my fair share by doing so. 

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I'm on the fence with the close season nowadays. It used to frustrate me, but now I don't go that often I agree it's a time to do other things and smarten your kit up. I can also recount getting ready for June 16th after 3 months of anticipation only to see spawning fish in the reeds and the first week a bit of a let down - heh ho that's fishing. I would rather they had proper experts who could make a decision based on the many factors that cause fish to spawn to close down lakes, rivers etc while they are at it.

As for commercially run fisheries not having or relying on their fish to breed and provide new blood - I beg to differ. Not all waters maybe, but more than some might think.

I'm not a master or "true" angler whatever that may be and as Andrew points out some traditional angling methods seem barbaric now and I am glad they have been banned. Times change and we all adapt and some will use the new technology to their advantage or to make fishing easier. 

I also think you give the carp boys a bit of a bad name - some are absolute knobs and we have all seen them, but because some use technology does it make it wrong? I actually think a lot of thought goes into some carp rigs.It has been mentioned a lot of lakes are very possessive about their fish and how they are handled which again is that wrong? A small fish deserves to be treated just as well as a 40lb Carp so it can maybe grow up to be a Daddy. I would say the carp guys gave us a few very good things we might never have had - un-hooking mats, better un-hooking techniques, knotless landing nets, banning keepnets and an awareness to carry an antiseptic kit to treat damaged fish with before returning them. Some Pike specialists are on the same wavelength, but were a good few years behind.

Never live baited and probably never will, but can see why people do. Seems to me to be a traditional skill for a "true" angler, but one that others may see as barbaric and has been banned in many locations.

I don't really mind it stays or goes, but would like everyone to abide by the rules - and as to the original post - yes they are planks and have never read the fishing licence rules (if they have one).

 

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There are many good commercial fisheries, and probably many bad ones, but the reason there are so many day ticket lakes (which i fish all the time except when on the Broads) is because there are far too many closed "club, and syndicate" lakes which are not open to the public, plus their fees are prohibative to many full tiime working anglers. I posted this before on another angling thread, but down here in Dorset, there is one, yes ONE free fishing river stretch. There are a number of day ticket lakes, but most lakes ar club or syndicate only, and the clubs are pricing fishing out of reech to many hard working people, not to mention there families too. One example, the RDAA (Ringwood and district angling association) charge in excess of £150 per annum, plus an innitial joing fee of around £50,  Then on top of that, you have to buy keys for certain venues at £5 a time, and that`s each key, for each lake. Add to that the cost of the license along with ever increasing bait costs etc and the costs suddenly become non financially viable for many, and for families, forget it.  It really p....s me off when people regard fishing as a working mans pastime, i can`t afford it down here, so don`t go that often, and fish the Broads more in two weeks than i do down here in a year.

My last gripe is the license fee. Why should a fisherman have to buy a license for 2 rods max, to fish lakes that are not run or funded by the EA.  a few years back, i was talking to the owner of a nearby day ticket lake who told me, if he needed the EA, no matter what for, he had to pay for it. The EA did nothing for free, so why should we pay for an EA license when they then charge for their services to the venue owners?.  Maybe the law should be changed so that you don`t need a license to fish private day ticket lakes?.

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I never complain too much about the EA license fee £27 because here in Norfolk 95% of our rivers are free fishing and I have a NADAA (Norwich and district) season ticket aswell £20 for the season and kids are free. Its just a shame the EA complain that there are not enough juniors fishing the natural venues but when you cant fish them till 16th June they will look at fishing the lakes instead.

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I really don't understand why this should be so controversial, like anyone on here over a certain age I grew up with a total close season, being a river angler I still observe and respect the current close season and can find plenty to do for that 3 months, one thing I always did during that 3 months was walk the river bank enjoying the wildlife and learning what we called water craft something that stood me in good stead during the season, if I was really desperate I would have a day sea fishing, now days with all the commercial fisheries, canals, trout waters etc there are plenty of options if you really can`t survive for 3 months without wetting a line so why all the hew and cry about current legislation.

Fred

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I am a complete non fisher, cannot understand why all the hullaballoo about the close season. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have always understood that by fishing, you were relaxing, taking it easy. So, why go ape over a few months when the fish get peace to do what fish do! :naughty:

cheersIain

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Fred you are completely right there was a closed season across the board back in the years and you quote that the commercials, lakes, canals are open all year so what has changed on these venues regarding fish spawning, quality compared to fish in the natural waters that cannot be fished. In my experience a river caught fish will probably never of seen a hook before compared to the carp with the black and blue mouths caught week in week out.

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44 minutes ago, bigbream said:

In my experience a river caught fish will probably never of seen a hook before compared to the carp with the black and blue mouths caught week in week out.

With all due respect you will catch plenty of fish on the broads with damaged mouths, maybe rather than opening up the rivers we should go back to a full close season to help out the carp, that would certainly rule out any confusion.:hardhat:

Fred

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23 hours ago, Baitrunner said:

I'm on the fence with the close season nowadays. It used to frustrate me, but now I don't go that often I agree it's a time to do other things and smarten your kit up. I can also recount getting ready for June 16th after 3 months of anticipation only to see spawning fish in the reeds and the first week a bit of a let down - heh ho that's fishing. I would rather they had proper experts who could make a decision based on the many factors that cause fish to spawn to close down lakes, rivers etc while they are at it.

As for commercially run fisheries not having or relying on their fish to breed and provide new blood - I beg to differ. Not all waters maybe, but more than some might think.

I'm not a master or "true" angler whatever that may be and as Andrew points out some traditional angling methods seem barbaric now and I am glad they have been banned. Times change and we all adapt and some will use the new technology to their advantage or to make fishing easier. 

I also think you give the carp boys a bit of a bad name - some are absolute knobs and we have all seen them, but because some use technology does it make it wrong? I actually think a lot of thought goes into some carp rigs.It has been mentioned a lot of lakes are very possessive about their fish and how they are handled which again is that wrong? A small fish deserves to be treated just as well as a 40lb Carp so it can maybe grow up to be a Daddy. I would say the carp guys gave us a few very good things we might never have had - un-hooking mats, better un-hooking techniques, knotless landing nets, banning keepnets and an awareness to carry an antiseptic kit to treat damaged fish with before returning them. Some Pike specialists are on the same wavelength, but were a good few years behind.

Never live baited and probably never will, but can see why people do. Seems to me to be a traditional skill for a "true" angler, but one that others may see as barbaric and has been banned in many locations.

I don't really mind it stays or goes, but would like everyone to abide by the rules - and as to the original post - yes they are planks and have never read the fishing licence rules (if they have one).

 

The carp dudes have also made some amazing changes to English grammar ! what exactly is chod for heavens sake ? have a look at Korda stuff, they can supply Klips, Rig bitz, Toolz, Extendas, Pullas, Strippas, Krimps and a Grinda that looks like an oversized cannabis grinder. I'll pass on that one.

Fantastic.No wonder kids can't spell.

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More to the point, how do you know about Cannibis grinders??:naughty: I 've fished most of my life and the closed season has never bothered me even when I was a match fisherman, it used to give me the time to catch up on all the jobs I'd put off, now it gives me time to get the boat ready, we've problably all seen the out of season hire boats stacked with fishing gear, how come the hire yards don't tell them there's no fishing and make them leave the tackle at the yard, my main concern is all the wanna-be fisher men, first job into somewhere like Lathams buy loads of tackle thats unfit for fishing, without a clue how to use it or what they are doing, chuck the line in, nearly rip the fishes head off or rip their mouth open if they manage to catch one, throw it on the ground to get the grappling sized hook out then throw it halfway across the Broads to put it back, I've spent many hours trying to teach adults and kids basic fishing skills when out on my boat sometimes even raiding my own kit for line, hooks and floats, and I always carry a supply of disgorgers, once they catch a few fish and get the idea they enjoy and respect the fish a bit more, I think some of the tackle shops should re-think what they stock instead of selling cheap rubbish kits the sell to holiday makers, unfortunately most only care about profit and not the fish,,

 

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Have to put my ten penny worth in here, why oh why do Broads anglers use keep nets?????? I have seen nets in the water for the entire holiday period and being tied to the side of boats whilst motoring along. I enjoy my fishing, weather I catch or not, but everything big or small is treated as gently as possible and returned immediately, forsaking the picture of my pb pike to ensure she was returned in best possible health.

 

Many times I have caught bream with damage obviously caused by being crammed in a net so the "angler" can gloat at the size of his catch at the end of a session. Ban the keep nets and many fish would be grateful. I know in competitions the end weight needs to be calculated, but how many anglers "need" a keep net outside of a competition...

 

Rant over, back to work.........

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Totally agree about keep nets, ok for competitions but to leave fish in nets for days on end is cruel in my opinion. I am not knocking anyone or how they fish, although I'll sit with a night float on and fish into the night, I couldn't sleep in a bivvy waiting for alarms to go off, after a couple of glasses and falling asleep, alarm goes off, jump up, stumble out and end up going for a midnight dip lol

Grace

p.s And Stuart, I love it when you're angry :naughty:

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