Proficiency test for anglers!

[no-one in particular]

Ha, the laws of Darwin, trouble is some have evolved two left hands. Actually it is often foreigners that are really inept at the basics, I have had a few on the jetty every year who are clueless about anything, often with brand new gear and boxes of brand new tackle; I do help them, I cant just stand there and watch them struggling to work out how to put a reel on or tie a hook.
I don't think many first time anglers look up much, they just see or know someone who fishes and think I will try that and buy a rod and reel and turn up, often with inadequate gear etc. but slowly they will get more into it and start reading books or looking things up on-line and will become more competent; weren't most of us like that at the beginning. If there was a standard test before they did, teaching good practices; it would produce better anglers, especially if it was rammed home about the laws and about fish care, litter, proper use of gear etc. But, then it would deter many from taking it up. It's the same for cycle proficiency and it could apply to anything and everything. How many youngsters just get their first bike and take it from there and get better as they go along. At some point people just have to learn on their own.
However, the penchant for making everything and everyone perfect at everything and safe, It wouldn't surprise me angling will come under the authoritarian spotlight one day.

 

[GT56]

I honestly believe ensuring people aren't fishing illegally or poaching and have an EA license should be our first priority. I'd leave it's up to commercial owners and angling clubs to monitor/improve the ability of the people fishing their waters.

 

[John Aston]

It is nonsense, and doubtless would be hijacked by the usual zealots threatening dire consequences should anybody -

- dare to pike fish before October or

- dare to fish at all, for any species , at a time where the carp are attempting to spawn

- not use an unhooking mat for all species , at all times

- to fail to apply various overpriced unguents to the carp they've just caught or

- dare to look happy in any picture of the angler with his/her catch


Even a knuckle dragging clod is aware that dropping litter is illegal , but no amount of education seems to have prevented our epidemic of littering. Including - or especially- on some fisheries .

 

[steve2]

We already have more tha enough rules and regulations in angling without adding more. Try reading club and fishery rule books. My club is for ever changing rules when it comes to carp. You even have prove you worthy of catching and handling them before you get a carp / night fishing permit.

 

[sam vimes]

We already have more tha enough rules and regulations in angling without adding more. Try reading club and fishery rule books. My club is for ever changing rules when it comes to carp. You even have prove you worthy of catching and handling them before you get a carp / night fishing permit.

I'm somewhat ambivalent about the prospect of an angling proficiency test, though I won't dismiss the prospect out of hand. However, whilst your point has some validity, it's worth remembering that you are talking about club rules and not laws. Whilst an individual club or fishery can have a plethora of ill conceived rules, there aren't actually that many rules that are based on laws or byelaws.

The snag for clubs with a whole host of rules has always been that many won't even bother to read them. The most basic rule, that I see ignored regularly, is that all anglers must be in possession of a disgorger or similar unhooking aid.

On one club I'm part of, it's often very easy to spot poachers or those that can't be bothered to read. For good or ill, it has a "no spinning/lure fishing rule". The number of folks that flout/ignore it, or plead ignorance to it, is remarkably high.

 

[steve2]

Never have understood the no lure fishing rule and also the no braid rule that many now have. My club brought that in to stop people catching pike outside of the club pike season that rule change also put a stop to dropshotting on all club waters. So the only way you can now fish for perch is worm and maggot.

 

[sam vimes]

Never have understood the no lure fishing rule.

Despite a distinct lack of interest on my part, I've argued against it in my own club. However, plenty of general coarse anglers and all of the fluff chuckers that matter are dead against. It doesn't help that we are talking about waters that are firmly in the trout/grayling zone and have a nascent migratory salmonid presence. Very few pike or perch. The only realistic prospects for lure anglers are the odd chub and the salmonids. I very much doubt that I'll live to see the day that lure fishing is allowed on our water.

 

[rayner]

making Anglers look like clueless clowns who cant even agree amongst themselves whats best.

Different genres of angling have never been able to agree, that's every genre with no one genre being acceptable of any other. That is apart from me, I'm known throughout my back garden as St Gaz. ?
I disagree with the clue less remark, clowns remark does seem very apt.

 

[bracket]

I am afraid I cannot subscribe to the idea of a proficiency test, we have enough controls and regulations as it is. The mere suggestion of one would send all the anti's and official control freaks into wild orgasmic spasms. We would forfeit the right to choose our own destiny and fall into the hands of the "Do as your told, we know best" fraternity. I see it as the thin edge of the wedge. Where would the concept end? With Risk Assessments required to play dominoes and protective clothing for darts? All these governmental manipulators need is a foot in the door and they will own you body and soul, plus of course there will be a fat fee involved which will attract another trench of mentors, councillors and all the other wastes of space. So not for me. Pete.

 

[steve2]

The way things are these days with the claims culture I am surprised that clubs don't have to carry out risk assessments on all fisheries.

 

[John Aston]

Some of us do already . And it can be pretty useful. It is fashionable to sneer at health and safety - and some of its extreme exponents do invite ridicule of course . But my old day job meant I attended the occasional inquest and I don't think it's 'health and safety gone mad ' to do some common sense things to ensure that somebody actually gets home alive from their day at work - or day's fishing . It is always instructive to follow my GP dad's advice when faced with a tricky decision -'What do I tell the coroner ? '

I've been involved with club roles for decades and it's actually useful to sit back and have a quick think about anything that might endanger a member, especially an inexperienced one . So we do point out that one river can rise several feet in minutes despite no rain having fallen locally or that there's often a bull with anger management issues near the beeches pool , and that the high voltage wires in Crow wood are nearly invisible until you're too close. But the most useful advice of all is to recommend that members have the what 3 words app on their phone . If you are on a club stretch several miles long ,and you've just broken your leg - or worse - it can be a lifesaver .

 

[Philip]

Ha, the laws of Darwin, trouble is some have evolved two left hands.

I did actually watch someone knock themslves into a lake once while trying to cast a sea fishing watch lead on a fly rod. They forgot to open the bale arm and the lead sort of catapulted back over their head on a tight line in an arc and struck them in the middle of the back knockng them in.

I am not making it up either. Sunday afternoon on a packed park lake too. The angler in question ended wet but unscathed. It was the highlight of the day actually.

 

[Badgerale]

I can't imagine many people just suddenly think to themselves one day that they'll take up fishing and then go straight to the water stopping at the tackle shop to pick up a rod and reel.

The usual way is to get invited by someone who already fishes, lent some gear, and you learn off them.

Also, you're not going to fork out for a licence until you've had a few sessions and know you'll stick with it. So a test would be a bit redundant at that point.

Having said all that, as most people will buy licences over the internet, it wouldn't be hard to add a quick test/video on to the process. Doesn't have to be a full on exam.

 

[no-one in particular]

I did actually watch someone knock themslves into a lake once while trying to cast a sea fishing watch lead on a fly rod. They forgot to open the bale arm and the lead sort of catapulted back over their head on a tight line in an arc and struck them in the middle of the back knockng them in.

I am not making it up either. Sunday afternoon on a packed park lake too. The angler in question ended wet but unscathed. It was the highlight of the day actually.

Oh, I believe it alright, seen this quite a few times, the lead usually helicopters around the end of the rod but sometimes it will crack off, if it is a sea fishing weight that could be lethal, surprised actually that I have never heard of anyone being killed by one but, I bet someone has somewhere.

 

[no-one in particular]

I can't imagine many people just suddenly think to themselves one day that they'll take up fishing and then go straight to the water stopping at the tackle shop to pick up a rod and reel.

The usual way is to get invited by someone who already fishes, lent some gear, and you learn off them.

Also, you're not going to fork out for a licence until you've had a few sessions and know you'll stick with it. So a test would be a bit redundant at that point.

Having said all that, as most people will buy licences over the internet, it wouldn't be hard to add a quick test/video on to the process. Doesn't have to be a full on exam.

I expect that's right, more so in the pre internet age as well, there are a lot of self help videos and internet blogs for beginners now, I did google it and there is loads of it although i did get some video game called Minecraft as well that incorporated fishing, but why not!
But, I do see it occasionally but I expect it happens more with sea anglers, day trippers etc. and foreigners especially, quite a few turn up in the summer on the pier or jetty, they begin by standing there looking at the reel and trying to figure out how to put it on the rod; I then wait for them to come up and ask me or I just feel sorry for them and show them.
But lets be honest, it is the same for most things, we all began somewhere at most things and were pretty incompetent at it.
As to a proficiency test, I can see advantages and disadvantages and the latter outweighs the former I think. And I think bad anglers, leave litter, no respect for anyone or anything etc. etc. is inborn, would a proficiency test make much difference. How many pass their driving test by driving perfectly and then never drive like that ever again!

 

[Specihunter]

I could take up golf and just hit and hope. Yet they don't have to take any tests.

 

[waldi]

Some counties over here have what is called "Free fishing rights" on lakes but you are generally limited to a fixed float rig, no live baits and no barbs on hooks.

To get a fishing licence that allows all types of angling you take a mandatory course that is more fish/environment welfare and identification orientated than technique. These are often run by local angling shops or clubs and can be quite fun.

Catch and release is forbidden in principle although you can get around it by claiming the chub you hooked took the bait intended for Barbel etc.

What is good is we have no general close season. Certain species are protected during the spawning season or if classed as endangered.

After passing the test you can buy an anual licence. The funds raised from this go almost exclusively to fish and (Water) environment protection, policing etc.

Get caught flouting the rules and you will be prosecuted, No excuses.

 

[Clodhopper]

The last time I enquired of a German based British angler, catch and release was deemed to be unnecessarily cruel by the German Green Party and associated lobbyists. They consider that putting a caught fish "out of its' misery" to be the lesser evil.

I don't suppose they've thought of asking the fish.........

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk

 

[rob48]

In Germany to obtain a fishing licence (Fischereischein) you first have to pass an exam, (Sportfischerprüfung) answering questions on things like: National fishing rules and regulations like size limits and general angling law . . . .
To prepare for the exams local angling clubs organise mandatory preparation courses and upon passing the exam a pass certificate (Prüfungsbescheinigung) with lifetime validity is issued.
Once you have that then you can apply for a licence at the local Town Hall . . . .

I remember a writer in David Hall's Coarse Fishing magazine mentioning this in the late 80s/early 90s. He was a teacher who had taken a position in Germany and produced a diary type article about his fishing activities while he was there. I recall he had problems trying to source maggots in the tackle shops and I think he said keepnets were banned there.

 

[rob48]

The last time I enquired of a German based British angler, catch and release was deemed to be unnecessarily cruel by the German Green Party and associated lobbyists. They consider that putting a caught fish "out of its' misery" to be the lesser evil. That's why some parts of Germany have adopted the kill what you catch convention. However, I've been lead to believe that plenty of anglers ignore the kill 'em all edicts. The snag is that without the idea of fishing for the table, angling might actually be banned altogether. The Greens tend not to see purely recreational angling and catch and release as a valid reason to fish.

It's an alien idea to British anglers. There's no doubt it will seem misguided to most on here, it does to me. However, whilst I disagree with the underlying premises, I can see the logic that stems from those premises.

And apparently the Greens are riding quite high in current German opinion polls and are likely to be the largest single party after their next elections.