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He is President of the Lure Angling Society, and President of the National Association of Specialist Anglers.
Anti-Anglers, The Countryside Alliance and THAT March
I sometimes think that anglers would make better ostriches than fisherfolk, so deeply are their heads buried. I’ve just been reading one Elie Godsi in the February/March edition of Waterlog magazine. In an otherwise excellent article we have the following, which it is necessary, unfortunately, to quote at length:
“For those who….. mistakenly want to… throw our lot in with the countryside brigade, as far as Joanna Public is concerned, fishing has far more to do with bird-watching than fox hunting. For most people fishing is not only viewed as completely boring, bizarre and esoteric, but for the general population what we do lies somewhere between the ridiculous and the full blown anorak.”
I really do wish that were true. Indeed, in 1986, when I wrote ‘Angling, Fundamental Principles’ that is exactly the line I held myself. It is no longer true, and anglers really must face it.
Lead shot and swans did for us. Since then various groups have been sniping at angling, chipping away at it, with little or no riposte from the powers-that-might-or-might-not-be. And the public perception of angling has gone downhill. No longer are we regarded as soft in the head – that would be true, of course, but Joe and Jo Public have now left the truth about angling on one side as they pursue the media-driven furry animal syndrome.
This is a quote from the 13th February issue of the Eastern Daily Press:
‘Activists Call For Ban on Angling “Leisure fishing was as bad as foxhunting and should be outlawed, said campaign group PETA – People for the Ethical treatment of Animals. “Advertisements, likely to feature a dog dangling from a hook through its mouth, will be placed in newspapers, magazines and on billboards.” Even as I write there is a website conducting a survey entitled “Is Angling Cruel?” Did I learn this from our great leaders? Did they encourage me to vote “no”? In fact I learned it from the Countryside Alliance, a body which has emailed all its members, including anglers, urging them to vote. (Editor’s Note: It was brought up on the forum of this website and anglers were urged to vote on the issue). Recent polls of public opinion have varied a great deal, it being said that from 18 to 30 percent are against angling. This is one heck of a swing against angling, Elie Godsi, even if the polls are town-based (when was the last time you were approached to fill in an opinion poll in any other location than a town high street or a shopping mall?). Anglers must get ‘real’ quickly. You wouldn’t think that there were so many of us – our quietness is deafening. So for anglings’ sake MARCH on March 18th. One of the common remarks these days, concerning the numbers of anglers, is that, of course, there’s nothing like 4 million of us. This remark ignores the manner in which the figures are obtained. The oft-quoted 4 million includes people who may fish once a year, once every five years or once every ten years – in other words they are not out there every week or buying a licence every year. But all other sports are measured in the same way. So the relative value is true, and is the figure we need if we are comparing angling to, say, canoeing. And remember someone who anglers occasionally is likely to be pro-angling, he sees the general media, and he wants to see anti-anglers taken to task. So far he has been disappointed. John Bailey, Keepnets, and Two-Tone Fish Well, I’ll tell you this much: if you’re bagging up on good perch or roach and you decide to return immediately after capture any fish you catch, then the catch rate will fall off rapido. In fact, drop one good perch off the hook and you can sometimes say goodbye to bites. The truth is, and this is what JB seems to have difficulty getting his head around, keepnets properly designed and properly used do no harm to fish whatsoever. He doesn’t want to use them? Fine. But leave others alone to do their own thing. If you think, JB, that they are not using nets properly, then for God’s sake, EDUCATE THEM. And did I misunderstand you? Are you suggesting that the use of keepnets results in two-tone fish? If you are claiming that, then I don’t believe it. Big carp? Big pike? Bream in waters that have never seen a keepnet? This article is about getting real, so let’s do that shall we? Another Zander Cull Leave them alone. I know it’s hard for you guys. It was for us in the Fens. But it was the only thing that worked. Forget the next ten years. After that it will be okay. But keep culling and you’ll be forced to keep culling, again and again, and at enormous total cost. Who is paying by the way? The Rivers Close Season and The RSPB They decided against because they received a large mailbag in favour of retaining the close season? Really? I do wish that were the case, but the real reason (as I suspected in an article currently in press, but not yet published) is revealed in the same issue of Waterlog referred to above. Apparently Peter Stone contacted the RSPB and alerted them to the Review Committee recommendations. Then the Environment Agency came out against the Review Committee (and the head of the EA is an ex-council member of the RSPB). And then so did the MAFF. Why, I wonder, do the RSPB want anglers off the rivers in March – June? After all, birdwatchers are out there; so are the walkers; doggy types; boaters of various kinds, etc, etc. Why anglers? Could it be that the RSPB want anglers off the waters, full stop? This is the real world guys. Let’s live in it. National Angling Collection In all, boxed up it comes to 2.5 cu metres, and it will form the beginnings of the Angling Collection’s Library. I’ll have some space in the house shortly!
“Animal Rights activists said yesterday they were launching a nationwide advertising campaign as part of a push for angling to be outlawed.
Now let’s talk about John Bailey and his views on keepnets expressed recently in ‘Improve Your Coarse Fishing’ magazine.
Oh dear! Oh dear! Another zander cull. This time in the midlands somewhere. When will they learn? Zander in the quantities now present in some midlands waters will do a great deal of damage to small cyprinids. But culling is a short term – very short term – ‘solution’. It might give you one season more or less clear of them. After that, the survivors (and zander are great survivors) will rampage through the system again in a two year time span.
There were, understandably, great cheers from the pro-close season lobby when the MAFF decided against the Review Committee and Moran Committee recommendation of scrapping the close season on rivers.
Now to end on a high note. In the near future my huge collection of angling newspapers and magazines (32 titles, 16 complete journal runs) will be travelling by megavan to the (National) Angling Collection at Ellesmere in Shropshire.
