The Internet can be the best thing since sliced bread, or it canbe the devil incarnate. It all depends who you talk to.Paradoxically, I guess both views are correct. However, as anglers,the Internet opens up a whole new world that we can use for ourbenefit. This article is about how the Net has given birth to a newinitiative in the angling world.
It has been my desire for a couple of years to start an allspecies specimen group. Fishing as I do, for a wide variety of fish,if I joined all the groups that have caught my eye I would now be amember of the Barbel Society, Carp Society, Pike Angling Club andTenchfishers…not to mention chub, perch and other such groups. AsI’m the sort of person that likes to get involved, I would bespending more time in meetings than I would out on the bank….
Towards the end of 2000 I got together with Paul Williams, and wedecided to start a local, all species specimen group. As we’re bothfrom the part of the West Midlands known as the Black Country, thegroup was launched as ‘Black Country Specimen Group’. We’re also bothon the Internet and so, as we publicised the group we began to getinterested anglers contact us.
|
|
| |
However, the interest in the group was not confined locally, andso at our first meeting, as well as the West Mids, we had fishermenfrom Leicestershire and Northants in attendance, as well as apologiesfrom Derbyshire, Hampshire and Staffordshire.
It soon became clear, after a short time, that we needed tore-invent ourselves, because the geographical spread of the memberswas beyond our original area of focus. In addition, all members wereon-line. In fact, this was our common link in the first place. So, atthe start of 2001, SWAG was born – Specialist Web Anglers group.
The mission statement of SWAG is ‘To bring together like-mindedanglers, and to promote the catching of specimen fish of allspecies’. And I suppose we could add to that, that we intend to do soin an environment whereby we all enjoy our fishing. We deliberatelywant to avoid the politics and hidden agendas that are oftenassociated with organisations. I know a certain amount ofdisagreement is going to happen from time to time, that isinevitable. But some of the things that go on in the angling worldare a turn-off.
|
|
| |
One of the ways that we are striving towards continued harmony isthat membership of SWAG is by invitation only. All of our (current)15 members were all known to a number of existing members prior tobeing invited to join. The criteria for invitation was a friendship /relationship between members and invitees. This is reflected in thelevel of banter that goes on between members.
We have a Yahoo group mailing list, which means that not only canwe communicate freely with each other via e-mail, but we have chatroom facility, a SWAG calendar page, etc. Although we are spreadwidely around the country, the fact we are on e-mail means weprobably chat together more than local angling club members. As wellas the previously mentioned Counties, we also have members fromCheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Wales. We all met through themedium of Fishingmagic, again a positive impact that the Internet hasmade in the world of angling.
We’ve had three fish-in’s to date (article written early May2001). Actually, on the strength of the first two we were not much ofa specimen group, as there wasn’t a SWAG fish caught…However, allthat was to change on the third fish-in. Third time was definitelylucky…well at least for members Gary Knowles and Graham Marsden,who between them caught bream of 11.3, 10.12, 9.2 and 8.10 and tenchof 7.6 and 6.8.
Amongst our membership we have a couple of fishing magazineeditors, an Angling Times columnist and other angling writers. Butabove all, we’re a bunch of mates who enjoy one another’s company.We’re not actually looking for members, so this article is not arecruitment drive. But I do believe that the Internet has animportant role to play in the development of angling. Which is why Iwrote this piece, as an encouragement to fellow anglers to use thisvery effective medium we have available to us.
If I can be of any assistance or if anyone has questions orcomments, please feel free to mail me on sbloor@sicm.org.
Stewart Bloor (SWAG Chairman)
