Angling in 2015

At our meeting of 13 clubs representing 1600 anglers the other night I heard soemviews which startled me.

Two delegates whose views I respect, although often argue with, expressed that as far as they were concerned fishing on rivers would be finished by 2025.

They felt that this would be brought about by public pressure, perhaps the PC brigade or anti-anglers, who knows.

Whatever, they seemed to think that we are heading for a total closure on to fishing on rivers.

Still waters would be ok, they thought.

Do you agree?

Just thought I'd add, before someone else chips in with a comment, the two anglers involved are BOTH very keen river anglers.

One is a qualified instructor.

I hope not Jeff.
If fishing on rivers was to be finished by the year 2025, personally I would think it would be through matters concerning ourselves as anglers. Maters such as ;

Not respecting landowners wishes.
(the fastest way to lose a water)

Pricing ourselves off the river, i.e losing stretches to syndicates through over publicising, then syndicates being outbid by other syndicates. Then not being able to afford the stocking or maintainance.

Landowners/Farmers selling land off for houseing.

I would have liked to have heard the reasons in full, that the two delegates gave for these thoughts.

"At our meeting of 13 clubs representing 1600 anglers the other night I heard soemviews which startled me.

Two delegates whose views I respect, although often argue with, expressed that as far as they were concerned fishing on rivers would be finished by 2025.

They felt that this would be brought about by public pressure, perhaps the PC brigade or anti-anglers, who knows.

Whatever, they seemed to think that we are heading for a total closure on to fishing on rivers.

Still waters would be ok, they thought.

Do you agree?"


Total carp (is that the name of a respected modern angling publication, as written by a dyslectic?).

Fishing (river, stillwater, coarse or game (the latter excepted, at least for a well-paying few; these always 'get by') WILL be finished by said date if the owners, commercial operators, the mags and the Trade continue to rule the roost, set trends, make anglers buy what they need them to...

Poison the organic grassroots of Angling for profit, and just see the whole lot go belly-up. PDQ.

Fishing is (or was) something that niggles at the mind of initially attracted, then, if the conditions are right, can grow to become a passion / an addiction / a way of life / a means of expressing himself (in America and other more democratic, socially mobile nations, HERself), an escape from the still top-down constraints of work (do this because I said so...).

Angling -- the real thing -- xists -- LIVES AND THRIVES -- in the individual yet collective head. It's not just another leisure or shopping opportunity (or shouldn't be -- should NEVER BE). If Angling's "leaders" (so often, these days, self-appointed, self-serving and highly likely to disappear from the scene (abroad, anywhere) once they have made the necessary amount of loot)can get this into their (let's be generous, Now) modratlyly challenged brains, then Ordinary Joe British Fisher (and, as a result, our rivers and Angling itself)might just stand something more than just a short-term health (health as defined as how many ???s or $$$s the punter is currently spending).

What's the answer to the problem?

Just go fishing. For yourself. And don't be led.

The above bashed out fast(Is there a poster's post-posting, editing facilty on this forum? Please tell me if there is, as I don't like submitting badly written / edited gibberish), but with FEELING. Anglers, nowadays, seem much inclined to worry and whine, despair and doubt, but this shouldn't necessary... What was the title of another recent posting on these boards...? Wait a sec', it'll come back to me... Oh yes -- "own worst enemy". Maybe, these days (some of us, at least), we are.

The one thing I was very surprised at was when we had the last outbreak of foot and mouth disease in cattle.
Obviousely the rivers had to be closed, or most of them anyway, as access was across farmland.
To the farmer who lost his livestock, and nearly made bancrupt, my thoughts were that more farmers would have jumped on the river fishing bandwagon, not renewed any leases, and charged a lot higher day ticket prices to try and make something towards a wage.
Sooner or later, this is what I think will happen, the farmers/landowners will see there is more profit to be made by selling daytickets themselves. Once he sees x amount of anglers running for the pegs and boasting of their catches adjacent to his land, then that's it, goodnight Vienna.

I hope not Jeff, at the end of the day whilst I do sometimes dally in carp puddles, I find river fishing for barbel & chub somehow so much more rewarding.

If it comes to it I probably would consider fishing certain remote stretches of certain rivers whatever the legislation and buger the consequences!

I don't understand though why stillwaters would somehow be more acceptable to the Antis - perhaps its a case of divide and rule??

Maybe it's a case of UNITE & FIGHT rather than conceding anything....

If I could not fish a river I would give up angling. During 2004, other than some trout fishing and a day with Peter Jacobs and Mark Wintle in Wilshire, I did not fish a still water.

Rivers are what angling is all about. Angling in rivers is where our roots lie. I don't think lakes are even mentioned in Walton's Compleat Angler.

Take away our rivers and angling will die. Angling for wild indigenous fish is the ultimate.

Although I don't mind the odd day after rainbow trout. But that is mainly a close season fill-in.

I'll add a bit more as I remember it.

The reason for fishing continuing on lakes is that they are normally out of the public's gaze and are therefore less likely to be closed.

One of these guys is our head bailiff, we have 5 stretches of river, that's it. Both will fight tooth and nail to retain river fishing.

I don't agree with them, btw.

However, they said it so matter-of-factly that it made me think. Some of their reasons were the amount of litter left by anglers (see other thread) and non-anglers, but mostly just the fact that "we are there." as if in the way of their pleasure. Most people, they thought, would be turned against angling and other field sports by the press (The Sun, Mirror, Star, not the educated dailies).

I raised it under this thread attached to the EA 2015 review because in 10 years time our position has got to improve. We have to have ONE nationally appointed body looking after our interests, we have to unite. We also have to make more use of public places and respect them AND show the public we are doing so. Clubs have to modernise and become more effective and efficient and take control of more waters, rivers in particular. We have to put forward a more professional face so that Joe Public would not DARE to challenge it.

Well that's my two-pennorth.

Woody your last paragraph is perfection, that is the only way forward.

I also think I was in agreement with Paul Boote but i will have to read it again a few more times the complexity of his narrative can befuddle the challenged mind.

;O)

YES, Paul I agree it took time to get through to the meat of it, but you are correct!

I have a more optimistic view. I don't think it will be finished. As the current dominating phase for carp fishing loses steam (as I'm sure it will, like most of these things do when they've been done to death and boredom sets in) anglers will once more turn to rivers (and other species) and turn the tide.

There are signs of it now, mainly due to the increasing popularity of barbel.

I hope so Graham, I really do.

**** Walker who was of course the Doyen of carp fishing in the last century actually warned us in his AT column about the "Craze" for carp that had developed.

But Graham when anglers start returning to the rivers in big enough numbers then the commercial fisheries will begin the restocking process again and we'll be back to these 'old fashioned' still waters with a mixture of species (a good stillwater in my eyes) but where will all those thousands of small carp per venue go? and how long before some unscrupulous venue owner dumps his old stock into the nearest river and we're back to square one, worrying about disease, the rivers aquatic ballance and the welfare of it's native species as we know carp are aggressive feeders and spawners.

Where will all those thousands of small carp per venue go?

Fish manure would be a good idea.

not very fair on the fish though Ron, but pellets, hmmmm

Rivers are our very last natural places to fish. while the popularity of barbel grows stronger by the month,I feel the death knell has already been sounded.
I'm sorry to say this but barbel need to be taken out of the rivers and deported to Australia before it is too late. I would argue this point with the Devil himself, if I thought it would do any good. Such is my belief to keep some kind of normality into this wonderfull sport of ours.
The river systems are our final redoubt. When this collapses as it surely will under the guise of natural progression, as the perfectionists will call it, it will be a sad day for all genuine lovers of this sport.

The biggest thing that threatens the future of angling is the EA's pathetic stocking policies.

Allowing the EA to be in charge of s30 consents is like leaving a bunch of 8 year olds in charge of a sweetshop.

Allowing the stocking of nearly 2 million carp in this country last year is utter madness.

It is much the same thing as I am saying Andy. Carp have ruined the stillwaters. Thus my fear that barbel are the new carp, and the rivers will go the same way. Sad but true.

I'd just like to point out that carp have not ruined our stillwaters. Idiots that stock them in ridiculous levels have ruined our stillwaters.