John Bailey

[Paul Kendall]

Wouldn't it be nice if he came into this thread and maybe told us what he was thinking when writing such articles.

May never happen but .....

 

[pete proctor]

I've always enjoyed John Bailey's articles and books and I feel so sad that he's slipped into this continual barrage of nagging that litter his CF articles now. No doubt he feels he's doing the right thing, but he really does need a close friend who he'll listen to, to tell him that 99 per cent of his readers are fed up of it.

I don't think he's doing it to be deliberately controversial, not do I think he realises how much harm he's doing fishing. But I'm biased, for I confess to being a fan. Until just lately that is.

 

[Ron Clay]

Some of the things he writes are just so much rubbish it is hard to beleive that the man can have intelligence. For example his pious utterences concerning 2 tone fish and his pontifications that we should not use hair rigs for barbel.

Personally I think he should either give up angling or stop writing about it.

 

[Chris Bishop]

Thanks for the zander picture Ron - it came the other day. I'd forgotten how much it rained...!

 

[Martin Wright]

Chris, your earlier comment about not automatically dismissing what JB says because it might make us feel uncomfortable is a fair point but does it make us feel uncomfortable? Could not the same argument apply to some of the claims that the antis make - which we are usually happy to dismiss.

I just resent being spoken down to as though I'm a child who needs telling how I should fish. Some of our more senior colleagues (dare I mention our esteemed editor) must find this particularly irksome.

I wouldn't mind so much if he made these comments just once but he goes on and on...

 

[GrahamM]

That's a good point Martin. It isn't that we don't agree that John has a right to his opinion but we don't want to have it rammed down our throats at every opportunity he gets.

He used to be a teacher so surely he should realise that there comes a point when the same old sermon becomes a turn-off.

 

[Rodney Wrestt]

On a lighter note welcome back to CF John Wright, always liked his section my kind of humor.

 

[DAVE COOPER]

I don't feel uncomfortable with what he says. I considered what he said the first time he said it, thought hard about it and disagreed with him.

I have never, ever seen a fish die purely from being captured, do not believe two toneing in fish is caused by stress, do not believe a properly kept keepnet harms fish, have had enough repeat barbel captures on hair rigged baits to refute his claim, etc, etc.

What I feel uncomfortable with is John putting our sport at risk with his irresponsible comments. He should now consider the feedback and shut up.

 

[Chris Bishop]

I don't think JB is putting our sport at risk - he's drawing our attention to issues which could be potential own goals in the making.

I didn't agree with a lot of what he said either but hats off to the bloke for having the guts to go into print with it.

 

[Paul Williams]

We will have to agree to disagree Chris.
I don't think that "guts" has anything to do with it either in this case, i just think he believes he is on a higher plain than the rest of us!!!!!!.....i think that his writing has deteriorated to an all time low, and he has very little of importance to say anymore.

 

[Martin Wright]

Sorry Chris but I think he's the one already scoring those own goals, and he's doing it in one of our 'own' magazines!

 

[DAVE COOPER]

Plus he is one of the worst kind, as a poacher turned gamekeeper. The things that man has done in the past makes we who use keepnets etc. look like saints. He has very little, if any, right to preach. He certainly does not have the right to give any ammunition to those who seek to destroy our sport.

 

[Chris Bishop]

No problems Paul and everyone else. We're both looking at the same problem, but from a slightly different perspective.