Graham Whatmore
Senior Member
There is a lot of comment and discussion about keepnets most of it derisory and a certain amount by people who know nothing about them and, like the anti fishing brigade attitude, knock them because they don't like them.
Its nice to see a well informed and part critical article by someone who knows what they are talking about, well done again Mark.
I think match commercials are, at some stage going to have to get their act together regarding fish retention especially as the average size is getting very large in a lot of instances. This new electronic hoop, that entails passing the fish through a hoop which registers a count but not the weight, then the fish is released, is the latest gimmick but I can't see that getting off the ground, matchmen like weight not numbers. To most matchmen a 6lb carp is not the same as a 2oz rudd but on the proposed system will register as equal, no way will that catch on.
Perhaps cages on every peg is the answer, I don't know but like you Mark I think there has to be an acceptable safe method of fish retention and maybe, just maybe, keepnets aren't the long term answer.
Its nice to see a well informed and part critical article by someone who knows what they are talking about, well done again Mark.
I think match commercials are, at some stage going to have to get their act together regarding fish retention especially as the average size is getting very large in a lot of instances. This new electronic hoop, that entails passing the fish through a hoop which registers a count but not the weight, then the fish is released, is the latest gimmick but I can't see that getting off the ground, matchmen like weight not numbers. To most matchmen a 6lb carp is not the same as a 2oz rudd but on the proposed system will register as equal, no way will that catch on.
Perhaps cages on every peg is the answer, I don't know but like you Mark I think there has to be an acceptable safe method of fish retention and maybe, just maybe, keepnets aren't the long term answer.