more bad press for angling

If you read todays ceefax on the bbc (yorkshire) the story is of rspca officials twenty attempts to capture a goose that has fishing line and a float wrapped around its legs. So far it has avoided all the efforts to release it.
The rspca were notified when over fifty people rang to inform them of the birds plight. Fifty people who are now possibly against angling , (even more perhaps after reading of it). whoever is responsible for this I would like to say many things that cannot be said on this forum .
They say that the solution is education but if they have no brains where do you go from there.

How many of us can say that we have never lost a length of fishing line? It happens and thankfully, the incidents of birds getting caught are relatively small.

I do get annoyed when, for instance, I took a swan to the RSPCA with a large lure stuck in it's neck which was being fished without a wire trace. That implies that the angler was an idiot and therefore more likely to cause this sort of outrage.

But let's not forget that line gets lost whenever we get snagged etc. The only way to avoid it is to use ridiculously heavy line which would cause more damage to snagged fish. So, just make sure that you keep your own house in order and educate the numpties when you see them.

flightliner said:

If you read todays ceefax on the bbc (yorkshire) the story is of rspca officials twenty attempts to capture a goose that has fishing line and a float wrapped around its legs. So far it has avoided all the efforts to release it.
The rspca were notified when over fifty people rang to inform them of the birds plight. Fifty people who are now possibly against angling , (even more perhaps after reading of it). whoever is responsible for this I would like to say many things that cannot be said on this forum .
They say that the solution is education but if they have no brains where do you go from there.

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Yeah I read this. Now having a float rig caught round its leg cant be a good thing, (PLEASE NOTE waterfowl with any fishing line round them is a VERY BAD THING) but, blimey, 20 attempts to catch a goose, stressing it out alot I'd guess must have sped its demise, maybe even cause it.

Also the RSPCA statement saying how anglers should take care of there rubbish shows a total lack of understadning. I've been snapped of once or twice, although havnet lost a full rig in years (i use hooklengths) as has everyone else, but it isnt discarded rubbish its either inexperience, poor technique or lack of care.

jimmy crackedcorn said:

20 attempts to catch a goose, stressing it out alot I'd guess must have sped its demise, maybe even cause it.

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The very thought occurred to me as well JC-- whenever you hear of these things taking place and are shown on tv the guys trying to ease the birds suffering by trying to capture it allways seem inept!

flightliner said:

The very thought occurred to me as well JC-- whenever you here of these things taking place and are shown on tv the guys trying to ease the birds suffering by trying to capture it allways seem inept!

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Always reminds me of the Keystone Cops!.

Nasty business when birds get caught in line.

Having attempted a swan capture alongside the RSPCA I can tell you their tactics. You chase the bird around and try and catch it.......... for hours. Eventually the bird will tire and be, hopefully, a little easier to contain.

Pretty scientific eh?

On this occasion a rather fetching young RSPCA lady had donned a wet suit. She complained that it had taken 15 - 20 minutes to get into it. I asked if it would be hard to get her out of it, "Yes" she replied. "So, a couple of gin and tonics wouldn't do it then" I offered.

She didn't speak to me much after that

And the swan was never captured.

Dave Burr said:

a rather fetching young RSPCA lady had donned a wet suit. She complained that it had taken 15 - 20 minutes to get into it. I asked if it would be hard to get her out of it, "Yes" she replied. "So, a couple of gin and tonics wouldn't do it then" I offered.

She didn't speak to me much after that

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David, such subtle overtures were obviously not received by the young lady in the manner that she would have prefferred, perhaps a stronger "Cock-tail" would have been more to her liking!