"The scenario : A club has a blanket ban on night fishing. There is no other reason than the club is run by match types (no criticism intended, just setting the table) who don't night fish and therefore don't see why anyone else should. The water in question is remote, there are no people to disturb, you intend being discreet.
The question : Is it OK to fish into and through the hours of darkness? "
No, of course it isn't - there is a rule which clearly states that fact. But . . . . .
We have the same ruling at my `local` club. In the past, night fishing was allowed, but a ban was brought in due to a general feeling among the committee that imposing a ban would reduce the amount of litter being left at the water - and I have to agree that it was bad.
However, as time has passed it has become obvious that stopping night fishing has not really had any great effect on the littering at all. So a few years ago, myself and two carp-angling friends (all committee members, by the way) brought a motion before the club AGM for re-instatement of night-fishing. We did this by means of two proposals.
The first was that night-fishing was to be allowed for all members. If this was rejected, then the fall-back was to open night-fishing to a restricted number of members, who would have to pay a premium on top of normal membership fees. syndicate, if you like. This was proposed as being self-policing, as all members would be vetted beforehand as to suitability, and that they would have to register which nights they wanted to fish before actually going on the water. Therefore, at any time, it would be known who had been on the water on what nights/days. And the guys who were there would have acted as a deterrent for poachers.
Needless to say, the club rejected both proposals. The first one because `the litter will come back` - the second one because `it goes against the club constitution to charge some members more for their fishing than others`.
No amount of discussion would move the membership from their decisions - unfortunately, as generally happens, the majority of members present were other comnmittee members (mainly match anglers). Although we had contacted other carp/specimen type anglers within the club, asking them to attend the AGM and support our proposals, apathy ruled yet again, and not one turned up.
So, the ban remains - the litter also remains,although not so bad now, due to the fact that since the poachers hit the lake a couple of years back the membership has dropped drastically, and the water just does not get the pressure it used to - and we knew that would happen.
But possibly worst of all in this is the fact that I know the water is being night-fished - the signs are there, if you know where to look. I have reported this to the committee (I am no longer a member of that august body !), but nothing has been done to enforce the ban - and, as with many other clubs, I suspect, very little is done to enforce any of the other `silly` rules either.
I have always been of the opinion that if as ruling is put in place, it should be enforced. If it is not possible for it to be enforced, then rescind it.
Jonty
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