Barry is a person whome I regard as one of natures true gentleman, with a brain! An entirely nice person, so disagreeing with him, to a degree, gives me no great pleasure whatsoever. But with regards to the close season I do disagree, and with a passion!
I am looking at the matter entirely as a pike angler. I am told that there is scientific report that pike do not gain weight if caught during the summer. There is a great deal of condemnation of summer piking within piking circles. I don't entirely support that view but that is another issue. The point being that very many 'named' pikers appear to oppose summer piking, which includes the close season period. That many of 'em nip over to Ireland or up to Scotland is besides the point! But on an English perspective they are, I think, right.
Over the last three years my local fishery has been totally destroyed as a pike fishery. Up to that point Oulton Broad was an excellent pike fishery. It was able to sustain the intense attention of the dedicated few. But the recent explosian of piking interest has hit it hard. It is now a shadow of its former self. Why? Too many pikers! Not only too many pikers but too many pikers fishing it throughout the season.
I have pike fished the broad for almost fifty years, but the balance has now been destroyed. There are now too many of us. The Broad, and other popular English waters, cannot sustain the unremitting demands placed upon them.
Ask yourselves, would 12/12 angling pressure help? Would anglers hitting the spawning areas at a sensitive time help? Don't you think that the pike benefit from three months of feeding without the risk of being hooked? Ask yourselves, why do we need 12/12 piking? Who benefits? You, or the pike? Do you really think our pike fishing will improve with 12/12 attention?
As for the Tories being good for angling!! Does anyone seriously think that they give a tuppeny toss for angling, unless they can squeeze every last selfish penny out of it!