A very disturbing story (if true)

quickcedo · Jul 11, 2010

I spent the weekend fishing the W. Avon. (very successfully). During that time I was chatting to a local who told me that one of the stretches near to Evesham had sold day tickets to foriegn nationals out of season. This group were caught and are to be prosecuted. When caught they had several Barbel dead on the bank.
I assume if this story is true (I have no reason to doubt it) the fishery owner will also be prosecuted but, will he still be able to run a fishery? do the courts have the power to stop him? If not, and the story turns out to be true is it worth calling for a boycott? What are your thought and views?

geoffmaynard · Jul 11, 2010

Depends on my frame of mind at the time. Sometimes I would think 'Everyone is entitled to one mistake'. Other times it would be 'Hang Them!'

First of all find out how true these allegations are.

preston96 · Jul 12, 2010

it would have been legal to sell day tickets, so why would those selling them be prosecuted?

Graham Whatmore · Jul 12, 2010

I don't suppose the angling club concerned was named by any chance, if not how can you propose a boycott on all Evesham's waters?

I know that area particularly well having fishing it for over 50 years and private day ticket waters are very thin on the ground, only two in Evesham itself, the town waters controlled by Evesham AA and Huxtalls, you need to go out to Twyford farm for the next followed by Harvington even further out where there are 3 river day ticket waters.

As Paul has said you can't ban people because they sell day tickets its the offenders that want banning, fined, de-balled or whatever.

richiekelly · Jul 12, 2010

if it is illegal to fish during the closed season how can it be legal to sell day tickets to fish during the closed season ?

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Jul 12, 2010

This is how rumours start

geoffmaynard · Jul 12, 2010

Dead right.

It's probably a one-ticket-for-all-waters that was sold, with the seller thinking they were going to fish a lake. And the buyers thinking they were within the law because they had purchased a 'permit'.

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Jul 12, 2010

And even that bit of 'speculation' adds to the rumours

preston96 · Jul 12, 2010

the blanker said:
if it is illegal to fish during the closed season how can it be legal to sell day tickets to fish during the closed season ?

It is not illegal to fish duiring the close season.

quickcedo · Jul 12, 2010

Just to clarify. I have not mentioned the water as I have no proof the story is true but, I do trust the person who told me. The water in question is not a club water but is day ticket only with camping facilities.
As for a boycott I just want to know your thoughts if it turns out to be true then of course I will say which fishery it is.
I can asure all of you this NOT gossip spreading or in any way an attempt to besmirch anyones name.
All I wanted was to get a feel of what your views are.
I honestly thought that to sell a day ticket out of season would be illegal.
EDIT
there are no lakes at this site, so th tickets wern't sold with any misconception.

preston96 · Jul 12, 2010

Mark, i for one don't disbelieve you for one minute....i think i know what fishery you refer to.

But it is legal to fish for trout and eels during the close season...........some flout the rules to suit themselves.

quickcedo · Jul 12, 2010

Didn't think about the Trout and Eel thing. So what you are saying is that this fishery owner is not in any bother at all?

preston96 · Jul 12, 2010

Not from lawful point of veiw..........but ethically he may be.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Jul 12, 2010

Would be best to get the facts if you can, Then if true let everyone know, where when etc etc.

No point in not fishing there, because anglers never stick together in this sort of thing, do they.

If true, lets hope the courts do the right thing and those caught get a heavy fine, if not, then is it worth taking court action at all. The Courts need to start to hand out BIG fines, then the message will get across.

If this happens over seas, the courts don't muck around, but thats the problem here, the government doesn't look upon fishing in the same way as other countries. Yet if you don't buy a tax disc for your car, then they will come down on you, even take your car. It's time we started to take away their tackle also, fishing tackle that is.

richiekelly · Jul 13, 2010

Paul Williams 11 said:
It is not illegal to fish duiring the close season.

so i can legally fish rivers for barbel during the river closed season then? if this is correct what is the use of having a closed season for these fish?

if i catch a barbel during the closed season while fishing for trout and eels am i breaking the law? iknow that i am being pedantic but to me the fishery owner must have known that they were going to fish the river once again greed reigns over anything else,

geoffmaynard · Jul 13, 2010

People have been using that kind of loophole for years Paul. Spinning or worming for trout/eels is a common defence, I'm told. A lot of the byelaws were written up so long ago, a serious contender with money to spend in court would probably have a good chance winning too. I imagine it would need a very firm court ruling one way of another before it was set in stone. Maybe Windy could give us a more informed opinion here?

peter crabtree · Jul 13, 2010

the blanker said:
so i can legally fish rivers for barbel during the river closed season then? if this is correct what is the use of having a closed season for these fish?

if i catch a barbel during the closed season while fishing for trout and eels am i breaking the law? iknow that i am being pedantic but to me the fishery owner must have known that they were going to fish the river once again greed reigns over anything else,

If you accidentally catch a barbel(or any other fish protected by the close season while you are fishing for trout or eels,) you put it back. If you kill it or remove it that is against the law.

the indifferent crucian · Jul 13, 2010

This needs looking into a lot more thoroughly.

From my own research here in Surrey, I discovered that the EA had adopted some old river authority rules and only fly fishing was allowed. Other areas allowed worming and minnows.

Unfortunately I cannot find those EA pages at the moment, perhaps they are being updated?

If worming were allowed on the WA, barbel catching might happen all too easily.

Dead barbel on the bank, out of season is surely an offence. One might catch them accidentally, but not bank them!

Why not approach the fishery involved directly and ask them for their side of the story? If they were selling day tickets, to running water, it must surely be that they were for game fish?

How did it come to be known that the anglers were foreign, I wonder?

quickcedo · Jul 13, 2010

I must be honest. I had hoped someone like Greg might have seen this and decided to investigate it further. I would be happy to divulge what little I know in a pm. (so as not to cause offence if it turns out to be untrue)
I would like to know as I for one would not fish this place again.
I have met the fishery owner before and my impressions of him are not good it has to be said.
I think the court system as it stands is not the deterent it should be.

alan whittington · Jul 13, 2010

Paul is this correct,i thought under the old Severn-Trent rules you were allowed to fish for eels with worm as bait and a hook over a certain gape,but i was under the impression that this loophole had been closed fairly recently and if so and Mark's info is correct then the ticket seller is as bent as Elton John(alledgedly,or not so),especially knowingly selling tickets to people bordering on fishmongers.

A very disturbing story (if true)

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