''Baited swim, please respect''.

[sam vimes]

I'd respect it, but I'd be irritated by whoever did it. My experience has been that there's little that causes quite as much bad feeling as this kind of swim reservation. Fortunately, the syndicates I'm part of categorically do not allow it.

You can prebait all you like. It's very unlikely that anyone that sees you prebait will fish the area(s) concerned. It would definitely be considered bad form if anyone did knowingly. However, we consider it equally bad form to pull the old bucket in a swim routine.

The result is that people tend to prebait at least two swims as a kind of insurance policy. It also gives the prebaiting angler options if conditions change.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

If you pre bait a swim don't tell other you have done so , it will invite someone to fish it

Pre bait several swings then leave a polite swim baited notice in one you won't fish in hope someone nicks that swim

 

[terry m]

My view is contrary to most.

Where is the respect shown to other anglers by the pre-baiter who is trying to reserve his swim?

Pre-baiting is best done surreptitiously so to maximise the impact yourself. Advertising that you are pre-baiting a particular swim seems foolish to me. Would I fish in that swim? Possibly, but only if it looked productive, not simply because I thought the pre-baiting would give me an edge.

 

[rubio]

Not a thing that I do nowadays in the way I used to.
I do recall getting on my bike everyday for a week before the 16th some years back and turned up before dawn with high expectations. As I walked down the track I saw lights. Torches flashing. Two people clearly outlined by the big willow where I had done all my preparations, including raking. My disappointment was short lived fortunately as they had selected the upstream swim from 'mine'.
We all had some good fish and I had the best start I can remember. Usually it takes a while to suss out where they are and I enjoy doing that anyway, and will probably be content enough to struggle for bites once the rivers are open. Might as well get used to it!

 

[flatsfishing]

Agree with the guys saying the pre-baiter lacks the respect - if you want a particular swim then get up earlier than the next bloke and get on it.

Putting up a sign and then not being in the swim is out of order in my view, why should anyone take any notice - if you want the swim then the only way on making sure is being in it.

 

[caelan]

used the pre baited notice in Ireland many times never lost a swim good old days do remember fishing a swim at felmersham an a guy who was staying in a caravan came on to the swim an said I pre baited this then he told me were to fish 3 cracking bream in 30mins then nothing rest of day nice fellow

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Well i had this happen to me a few years ago, there is a thread about it somewhere. Baited up for Tench, Skippy knows the place.

I pre bait on one of the lakes near me, but i dont stick a notice saying it is baited, thats asking someone to fish it.

Anyway, i baited the swim, got up early and got to the lake as light broke, only to find someone setting up in it.

I didnt say anything, as he had got there first. I went off to another swim.

I went back later to see if he had caught anything, he hadnt. He wasnt fishing the area i had baited, so i told him i had been baiting the swim, and showed him where.

He cast to the spot, and not long after had a Tench just over 7lb. I didnt see the point of letting the pre baiting going to waste. The guy thanked me for helping him out.

Pre baiting a swim doesnt give anyone the right to that swim. In years gone by, then fine, but angling and the attitude of anglers has changed.

Put it this way, if your paying good money to fish a water, and get there to find signs saying, pre baited please dont fish, i would have to put a sign saying. Paid my subs just like you, thanks for baiting up .

Pre bait by all means, just dont stick up a sign saying you have.

 

[benny samways]

On club lakes it is a risk. If people know your fishing and catching from a spot, they will move in when you are not there. I wouldnt as that is not how i get my satisfaction.

If i joined a syndicate i would imagine people would respect the work your putting in and leave you to it, but there is always that chance that someone has the same idea as you.

Angling etiquette is a funny old thing, as is respect and ignorance. The worst is when your ethics see you respecting someone who then shows apparant disregard for you, i have learnt the hardway about that.

But, still find it best to do unto others as you would have done to you.


ATB

 

[sumtime]

I don't agree with swim saving either, reminds me of the selfish people who throw towels on the sun loungers and go walkabout for hours on end when holidaying abroad, had tons of that these last two weeks.

 

[soft plastic]

Seems to be a general concensus amongst the posts in this thread that it isn't "cricket" to reserve a swim. I may be wrong but I suspect that those who disagree are younger than those that condone it. I can remember back in the late sixties/early seventies when dragging a swim, prebaiting it and then reserving it was pretty much the done thing. Certainly on my local river at least. Everybody respected the fact that somebody had prepared a swim and kept clear. Most likely because they had one for themselves anyway. I shall be doing the same thing this year but I won't be advertising the spot with a polite reserved notice as I suspect that the spot would be taken nowadays. I think this shows the difference in peoples attitude of today compared to yesteryear.

 

[sam vimes]

Seems to be a general concensus amongst the posts in this thread that it isn't "cricket" to reserve a swim. I may be wrong but I suspect that those who disagree are younger than those that condone it. I can remember back in the late sixties/early seventies when dragging a swim, prebaiting it and then reserving it was pretty much the done thing. Certainly on my local river at least. Everybody respected the fact that somebody had prepared a swim and kept clear. Most likely because they had one for themselves anyway. I shall be doing the same thing this year but I won't be advertising the spot with a polite reserved notice as I suspect that the spot would be taken nowadays. I think this shows the difference in peoples attitude of today compared to yesteryear.

I suspect that's probably true. However, the problem is that, if it happens now, the flip side is that those doing the reserving often extract the urine. When people expect a swim to be left for days, or even weeks, on end, they are extracting the urine. It's part and parcel of the whole "time bandit" swim hog thing that many older anglers, rightly, complain about. At least the swim hogs have the good grace to hog their swim in person rather than in absentia.

My view is that wilfully fishing a swim that you know to be prebaited is just not cricket. However, prebaiting a swim and expecting everyone to steer clear is also not cricket. I see no contradiction whatsoever in that. There are people from both angles that show no consideration whatsoever to anyone else.

 

[soft plastic]

Back in the day, prebaited swims were left until the 17th. Plenty of shift workers back in the day and it was acknowledged that they may not be able to fish on the clock striking midnight on the 15th or until the evening.

 

[Mithrandir]

Like the Germans with the towels on the sunbeds and we all hate that. I think most today take the attitude of first come first served.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

I actually wouldn't want to fish in a swim someone may have buxxered up.