End of night fishing?

[Ron Clay]

One of the main stories in Angling Times today is the ban on anglers found asleep whilst fishing bt Prince Albert AS.

Personally I always wind up my lines if I wish to sleep whilst bivvied up, so personally I don't see a problem for myself. However I know that many anglers sleep, whilst carp fishing specifically, to be woken by their buzzers.

What do you think? Is it wrong to fall asleep whilst waiting for a fish to bite?

 

[Malcolm Bason]

Nothing wrong in it all, in my opinion!

Bivvied up immediately next to the rods, one can lift the rod and strike into the fish with a few seconds, so I cannot see a problem. But then I don't cocoon myself in a sleeping bag and wear bivvie slippers, and so on, so perhaps I'm not the one to answer.

 

[GrahamM]

I fall asleep when I'm touch-legering, and you can't be more attentative than that.......

 

[Ron Clay]

Malcolm, good point. There are occasions I have to admit when I have nodded off. However. The least bleep from the buzzer and I have awake and at the ready.

I think that anyone who gets into a sleeping bag, zips it up, puts on bivvy slppers etc etc is definitely intending to go to sleep. If they do they should remove their rods from the water.

That's perhaps why I have seen bivvies moving along the bank to the tune of a screaming buzzer in the past. Somehow I think this is wrong.

 

[John Pleasance]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one Graham.
I blame the one piece suits !! But aint it great when you suddenly wake up with a fish on.

 

[Andrew Webber]

This will make you laugh, one night in the summer a few years ago I was carp fishing. I was down by my rods crouching down, leaning against a stump just watching the water for crashing fish. I must of fallen asleep because the next thing i knew I was laying face down in the margins! HAHA!!

 

[Ron Clay]

LOL

 

[John McLaren]

I have fallen asleep whilst legering and I've dozed off whilst waiting for a run on bite indicators. I think Ron has hit the nail on the head though, if basically you are tucked up in bed sleeping, leaving the rods to fish for themselves, there must be a high probability that you will not be able to take immediate control of your rods should you get a bite.

 

[Andrew Webber]

I don't think there is any problem with sleeping when your rods are out (unless you're piking). As long as you have bit alarms it ok, all it takes is a single beep to wake me up and I am a very deep sleeper. I suppose my brain is on hi alert for that particular sound.

 

[Warren 'Hatrick' (Wol) Gaunt]

I do on occasions let the buzzers do the work, mainly due to long stay sessions. I very rarely shut the bivvy door and am always right next to the rods, except on the fens and only then i'm a few feet away. I enjoy 'my' style of fishing and that is why i go fishing. I'm not 100% a buzzer/bivvy, session angler though. I fish local club matches with me pole, enjoy creeping down the river with my bait bucket and stalking barbel. Is there much difference from the old penny dropping in a can back in the 60s or the squall of a modern day buzzer for a kip!!! I keep my buzzers down low by the way.

 

[Dave Johnson]

Graham, remember the fish-in on the Severn some years ago when Des taxied you to the pegs ...I fell asleep that night with braid looped around my finger....only to be woken by an exceptionally fast barbel at 2am which stripped my finger to the bone....and the blood made the reel very slippy!!!!!lol

 

[John Tait]

I interpreted Ron Samuels' message in the latest HL & S (the PAAS newsletter) as saying that he did not consider that anyone who was zipped into a sleeping-bag, and in turn also had the bivvie door zipped shut, was in any position to be able to take control of a rod within a reasonable time, never mind immediately (as per the EA ruling).

I may just have to purchase a copy of AT just to see how distorted the message has become !!

Jonty

 

[Stewart Bloor]

I read the original comments by PAAS, as a member I get the magazine regularly. There are always two sides to every argument, of course.

I think it's very important to apply the 'spirit of the law' as it were, rather than the 'letter of the law'.

I do a lot of night fishing, and much of that involves long stay. For example last year I did 3 seperate week long sessions, and many 2-3 night ones.

The term 'being in immediate control of your rods' which is what PAAS use, is really open to individual interpretation.

For example, the pleasure angler who answers the call of nature. At that precise moment, he's not in control of is rods.

How many float fishermen take their eyes off their float, even for a few seconds? Maybe a kingfisher flies past, maybe a pretty woman walks by, I don't know, there could be many distractions.

Could it be argued at that moment the angler is not in control? What if a fish took the bait and deep hooked itself?

Many times in angling there is a tendency to attack and ultmately ban other forms of angling. Much of it is based on a lack of understanding and even a lack of tolerance towards others.

Night fishing is a classic. Many times it's banned for no other reason than the committee say so. Probably banned by people who have never been night fishing in their lives. That's not a criticism, by the way. Just an observation.

By all means promote responsible angling, but let's be careful that we don't become divisive. Otherwise the issue of night fishing may join a long list that includes keep nets...live baiting...boilies for barbel....

 

[Chris Bishop]

Bivvy slippers..? I've heard it all now.

 

[Ron Clay]

There is however a whole world of difference between going for a quick tiddle or having a brew up, to being fast asleep in a zipped up sleeping bag and bivvy with bivvy slippers. What is even worse is those who hit the strong lagers in the evening, gathering around one particular bivvy some distance from your own

Some time last summer I watched a most incredible performance. One character who was at least 300 yards from his bivvy got a run. He had been hitting the lagers hard and on his way around the bank, tripped and fell headlong into the lake. Eventually his drunken mates came and helped get him out. What a business. In the meantime the hapless carp had to be dragged out of the weeds by another angler.

It weighed I was told 25lbs. Then a drunken argument started as to who should claim the carp, the owner of the rod or the guy who played it out?

Then another carp angler who is well known in fishing circles I beleive arrived on the scene and started to play loud rap music from his car radio!!!

I never went back to that water.

 

[Andrew Webber]

Ron, I agree that there are a lot of idiots out there.

 

[Ron Clay]

Yes Chris - Bivvy slippers.

They even have things called "welly-wipes". Can anyone tell me what in creation a welly wipe is supposed to be?

And then there are "carp ears"!!!

All vital equipment for the "time bandits" I suppose.

lol

 

[Carp Angler]

There are idiots in all forms of angling, lets not turn this into having a bash at carp anglers.

 

[Andrew Webber]

Sorry Rik, I wasn't calling carp anglers idiots. Its just a few I've met while fishing get so drunk or stoned god knows how they'd handle a fish.

 

[Gary Knowles]

I think if your asleep in your bivvy, sleeping bag zipped up, bivvy zipped up and your fishing a water containing snags then you are NOT in control and the club are right to outlaw this practice, especially when people are using 15lb mono and lead core !

I'm not sure if this is so, but PA have a high profile carp water which is very snaggy at one end. I can well understand this rule being brought in to protect the fish on this particular water, if this is the case and people have been fishing in this way then I don't blame them for bringing in the rule.

From what I can gather it was mis-use on this particular water that resulted in sacks being banned on all PA waters.

My interperatation of the PA statement was that if your rods were positioned outside the bivvy door, which was open, you were asleep on your bedchair with the bag draped over you and not zipped up, then you ARE in control.

If that's the case then fine, that's how i night fish so it won't affect me. If its so cold you need to be zipped up with your bivvy closed then it too bloody cold to be out there and you should be chubbing !!!!!