Are we too clever for our own good?

[Ray Roberts]

This evening I am fishing a fairly small club lake in Kent. Two old boys were bemoaning their luck as I unloaded my car, not an encouraging sign.

I had gone with the intention of a bit of floater fishing for carp. There is a series of islands running down the length of the lake. As I walked to my spot I saw a bait boat appear between the islands coming from the other side of the lake. After I set up I noticed the guy fishing to my left push out what looked like a set of floating drain rods with a small bucket on the end and drop his rig and some bait under the willow tree opposite. This is a lake where you could cast to the island easily it’s probably 20 to 30 metres away at most. I’m not trying to claim any sort of superiority as I’m sitting here with my anchored crust coated in Korda Goo. I don’t know if that helps catch fish but at £13 for a small bottle or certainly catches anglers.

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[Keith M]

I don’t own a bait-boat myself, but if they’re used sensibly and it doesn’t interfere with anyone else around the lake I don’t see anything wrong with using one, as long as its in a remote area away from other anglers and the user isn’t continually playing with it like a toy, which is often the case, and chasing ducks around the lake with it and spooking the fish and creating bow waves and annoying all the other nearby anglers. .

They are banned on all of the waters that I fish because of all these things, it’s a pity but I can see why especially on smaller waters. When they first came out we used to fantasize about making a toy submarine with torpedoes to sink someone’s bait boat that has been continually going back and forth and annoying the rest of us.

Keith

 

[Ray Roberts]

There are no rules preventing them being used on the club waters I fish. The guy with the drain rods had numerous fish during the day including two Twenty pound plus fish during the couple of hours I was there. Bait boat man blanked as did I. Not the day for floater fishing, didn’t see one fish show.


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[Philip]

Sounds to me like drain rod guy found the right method. Quite ingenious. Good luck to him i recon. I dont see allot of difference between what he did and someone shipping out a ridiculously long pole to drop a float to a far bank feature.

 

[dorsetsteve]

It’s all horses for courses. TBF though I’d be far more impressed to have seen him hit the mark on the cast. It’s like these guys with the distance sticks, I get it, it allows very accurate baiting and casting but that’s what skill is for? And that skill and experience is what you work hard and accumulate as a good angler? Hrm.
Up to to the individual I guess.

 

[no-one in particular]

I have never come across a bait boat but I think I would find it extremely irritating if I did. I did try a cheap second hand fish finder thing once but it packed up after two goes and I couldn't control it in the river anyway, so that went in the bin. Just a thought though, isn't all fishing equipment us trying to be clever and losing the skill just to catch more fish, perfectly engineered center pins, extremely fine sharp hooks, invisible lines, rods that play the fish so we don't have to etc. Respect for anyone that can catch a barbel on a stick, string, safety pin and worm. If we can catch more fish which is what all the latest developments are about then these are just the latest that has gone on for centuries. What is an annoying gimmick or development today is tomorrows norm but wouldn't it be horrible if bait boats became that.

 

[rayner]

I don't see a problem if the rules allow. He's paid to fish, let him fish his way. Not what I would do but then if we all fished the same way it would be a boring sport.

 

[steve2]

Pleased to say baitboats, fish finders. drones, etc are all banned on the clubs waters I fish. I am sure some get more pleasure playing with their boats than fishing.

 

[markcw]

A club I am in in the North West decided to trial bait boats again last year after a few numptys spoilt it for everyone, To make sure "genuine" anglers were going to use them they had to pay £50 for a licence, If they were found to misuse the boat ,the licence was revoked and they were in front of committee and £50 out of pocket,
They were not allowed to go over half way on a water as per casting rules, or put bait in snaggy areas which were classed out of bounds any way. They also had to attach a method of retrieval to the boat in case of battery failure.
My issue with them is that on a large water, they could send a boat out with rig and bait beyond their casting capabilities. If they cant cast that far how are they expected to play a fish from the distance they are sending the boat to.
When I was bailiffing and saw a bait boat on the bank next to the angler, I had to check not only his club and EA card but bait boat licence. If no bait boat licence on him off the water he goes. Same with club card.
If snags are known to be on that water I ask them to clip up ,reel in and cast out again.
If recast goes into snags, club licence and bait boat licence removed there and then, and off the water he goes and waits for letter to attend committee meeting.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I have a Viper MK III bait boat and have used it for about 6 years now.

It is relatively quiet, leaves little or no wake, and I have never once received a single complaint from anyone else on the venues where I've used it.

It is a damn sight quieter and creates far less disturbance than spodding out the same volume of bait and takes far less time too, so the whatever "disturbance" is actually offset by the shorter duration, surely . . . .

As far as I'm concerned it is just an aid to my carp fishing and no more or less so than an electronic bait alarm or even a set expensive big pit reels . . . although it certainly does seem to attract a lot of criticism, some deserved if used stupidly but also some for other reasons.

 

[108831]

The bait boat itself isn't an issue in itself,what is,is when they are used to drop rigs under bushes or tight to them,thus encouraging the fish to stay under them,likewise the large amount of bait dropped at range has the same result,if everyone baited the margins the fish would be there for their grub....

 

[markcw]

The bait boat itself isn't an issue in itself,what is,is when they are used to drop rigs under bushes or tight to them,thus encouraging the fish to stay under them,likewise the large amount of bait dropped at range has the same result,if everyone baited the margins the fish would be there for their grub....

That is why I used to ask them to clip up and reel in and cast again to same spot so the line hits the clip.Snags are out of bounds on club waters I fish,

 

[terry m]

MarkCW, I am interested to know why you believe that an angler is incapable of playing a fish beyond their casting ability? I don’t see the link.

 

[Steve Arnold]

Sometimes "too clever" equates with "completely selfish"!!!

One very clever method of angling for carp is the Washing Line technique. Damned good idea on a small lake limited to a very few anglers, but selfish and even dangerous on a river open to boats. Hope this method is not allowed on UK rivers! I said this in a previous post...

"One method of fishing has been banned on the Lot since 2015 but is still (unfortunately) in common use. That is the "cassant" method (translates to "brittle") also referred to in UK as the washing line method. I have had problems due to anglers using this method twice in the last week. The first time a boat had anchored 20 yds out and had fishing lines, bow and stern, tied to branches about 70 yds away to fish the same bank. That covered 140 yards of bank and three swims that had vegetation cleared by local shore anglers.

Two days ago I went to fish a local swim and found a heavy braid line coming from 30 yds to my left and tied to a tree 30 yds to my right. I spotted another line covering 130 yds to the opposite bank - right across the boat channel!

The line in front of me I pulled in and tucked it behind a mooring cleat so I could fish over the top. A few minutes later a carp angler emerged from his hidden bivvy to retrieve his line attached to the bushes. He did not respond to my "Bonjour"!

Whilst this was happening a paddle border had to negotiate under the carp mans other line!

It's obvious why this cassant method is banned but where it's a way of catching some impressive carp anglers will still chance it. Using this method basically means the carp angler can fence off a couple of acres of river for themselves. Other anglers risk an argument to fish! Very territorial behaviour! "

Since then I had problems once more. I launched my inflatable on the river and my wife and I headed downriver to fish for silure above the weir at Cenevieres. About half way there an angler on the bank was waving his arms at us and pointing, we had gone under one of his "cassant" lines. Then I spotted two more lines tied to the trees on the opposite bank, covering the 80 metres of river to his rods - there are navigation buoys within his sightline! With my wife on board I thought better of confronting this angler and returned upriver. My plans spoilt!

Reported this to the Lot association and they have handed over to a local bailiff. Not seen lines since - but there are always selfish and ignorant types who will flout rules!

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I've been fishing for well over 55 years and can pretty much cast to the relative same spot more or less every time. On the venues where allowed I tend to use the bait boat to ensure as pin point accuracy as possible. Personally I'd never consider injudicious use as in too close to snags or beyond reasonable casting range.

Let's be honest here, when aiming at 80m and further how many can hit an area the size of a dinning table with rig and/or spod mix, every time. and how much disturbance will that result in?

 

[Ray Roberts]

My only reservation is that both guys were placing their baits where it would be difficult or impossible to cast to, particularly the dynarod guy. He was placing his bait and freebies under a willow tree where it would be impossible to cast. This place is presumably a hot spot as at the moment the carp feel safe there. I think ultimately it will put extra pressure on the water which since the waters reopened has been very popular. They were both using the drain poles and boats sensibly and not causing any nuisance. I believe in live and let live, so good luck to them.


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[markcw]

MarkCW, I am interested to know why you believe that an angler is incapable of playing a fish beyond their casting ability? I don’t see the link.

When I was bailiffing I have seen anglers struggle to bring large carp in from 40 yards out, give these anglers a bait boat and they go 80 yards out they are still going to struggle, especially if snaggy area around that part.
Some, not all will be fine, its the ones in my and other bailiffs in the clubs opinion that will get over confident in their ability . It's a case of learning to walk before you can run.
I think I am a decent angler who has a fair idea of what he is doing, those who I have fished with may think otherwise. But I know my limits. A water i fish has an island strip about 45 - 50 yards out, this is lined with lilys, rushes, and foliage with gaps in between. I can drop a feeder or straight lead in these gaps and about a foot from the island. I know I have to strike at more or less every knock on tip in case I get taken into the lilys or rushes, .someone who cant cast that accurate and uses a bait boat to drop the bait May not have the ability or reactions to get the fish out from there.

 

[David Gane]

I guess that it's like lots of things in life. There are people who do things considerately and those who are selfish and don't care. The problem with things like bait boats is that the potential to irritate others is greater than it is for most other things. Speaking personally, one of the things that irritates me most is radios. I go fishing for peace and quiet and anything that disrupts it is going to annoy this grumpy old man.

 

[terry m]

If recast goes into snags, club licence and bait boat licence removed there and then, and off the water he goes and waits for letter to attend committee meeting.

how many times has this actually happened MarkCW?

 

[steve2]

I must agree that given a choice between spodding and bait boats I would rather have bait boats. Many times I have been having a quiet day when spodding starts. The next half hour sees spods flying crashing into the lake and sending any fish up the other end of the lake. Then it's set up base camp bang in poles and pegs. This is just for a day, no night fishing allowed, they then go home and say that the fish weren't biting today.