When the Rivers Open Again........

[Bob Gill]

I'm sure that you are right Dave and I look forward to your findings on some of your local waters. My concern is that when the F&M outbreak is finally over, we might (we will!) see annual rent rises for fishing. This whole affair has longer term implications for fishing generally. I don't think I'd like to be in the fishing tackle trade at the moment - some of the smaller concerns must be experiencing a crippling downturn in trade right now and with no immediate end in sight, the prospects must be pretty gloomy. On a more selfish note, I probably won't be able to use my licence and night fishing permit this 16th June and sometime after by the way things are going! I was quite fortunate to land a couple of nice barbel in the floods in February and this will keep me enthuastic for the future.

 

[Martin James]

I feel I must agree with Tony Miles that it might be September before we
get back to our rivers and many still waters. I should have been filming
spring trouting I doubt if I will be filming any trout fishing on rivers
and streams in 2001. I am now looking at foreign venues. Despite the
high water and rivers over the bank I have fished through the autumn and
winter even on a bank high river Wye I caught fish but it demanded a
change of tackle. With reference the feeding habits of the fish after a
long break I don't feel it will make any difference. I have fished some
stretches of water that I can only get on from November until March the
fish have still taken baits such as bread cheese and meat. As the late
**** Walker often said "A fish will eat anything unless its taught not
to" Which means getting hooked a few times. Why not go sea fishing where
its allowed try lures bait or flies You might get a pleasant surprise.It
beats fishing the urban waters that are open. Martin James
--
martin james

 

[GrahamM]

Hi Martin. It could well be September before we get on the rivers, but at the rate this disease is spreading and animals slaughtered it makes you wonder if there won't come a time when keeping people away from farmland becomes pointless. There may not be any cloven-hoofed animals left to protect in most areas.

Also, the time may come when the economy and livelihoods surrounding other leisure activities begins to bite hard enough to make us think twice about unnecessarily banning such activities, including angling, in some areas. There are already signs of this happening with adverts appearing to encourage us back into the 'safe' areas.