THE most outrageous ban ever?

R

Rodney Wrestt

Guest
The owner of Rolf's Lake, a commercial fishery in Oxfordshire has taken it upon himself to make (IMHO)the most unbelievible ban I've ever heard yet. The ban isn't on boiles, barbed hooks, keepnets, or white socks nooooo........it's a ban on ROD and LINE fishing, can you believe it. He said that he has seen anglers lift 3lb fish out the water without using a net, also people tightening up the drag on the reel and dragging the fish in to win matches, Soooo instead of banning the anglers responsible they can cary on mistreating the fish using another method and the anglers who are responsible and care for the catch but can't afford a pole will have to go elsewhere. That makes sense eh?
 
R

Robert Draper

Guest
Sounds like a "Noddy" trying to justify keeping it a matchmen only venue. I've seen both dragging and swinging-in of large fish done by pole-jockeys so I can't really see his argument.

Does anyone ever fish a pole for pleasure, I've only seen poles used in matches, often by anglers who use a rod and reel for all other fishing.
 
M

Matthew White

Guest
I fish the pole for pleasure quite a bit but nothing will ever take over my love of fishing with rod and line.

Id like to see a few venues with a pole ban, especially the smaller venues.
 
GrahamM

GrahamM

Managing Editor
Joined
Feb 23, 1999
Messages
9,773
Reaction score
1
The man in question is Rolf Wobbeking who was famous a couple of decades and more ago for catching a string of specimen fish from the Thames and several Oxford gravel pits and other waters. He was a fishing pal of Peter Stone and Peter Drennan and several other well known anglers from the Coventry and Northants specimen groups. He was/is a very accomplished angler. I don't know any of his recent history but inexperienced he certainly isn't.
 
G

Gary Knowles

Guest
By all acounts he done it for a very good reason. People were fishing matches on outrageously heavy gear (its a stockie carp water) and swinging 3lb carp in to hand. Playing fish to a standstill with the clutch screwed down to get them in as fast as possible to try and win matches and break records.

now a matchman I'm not, but if someone is abusing his fish stock, and he says they were, then surely he's perfectly entitled to ban rod and line.

mind you, i'm not sure how this will stop some idiot using a sawn off landing net handle as a pole and doing exactly the same thing ! !
 
K

Kevan Farmer

Guest
Er, excuse me but haven't I seen somewhere that it is better to get a fish in quickly - obviously without damaging it at the time - than to let it play itself to exhaustion?

Oh well, another commercial fishery so no loss there. When his pocket starts to feel the pinch he may relent. By which time anglers will have found somewhere else to fish.

Kevan
 
R

Rodney Wrestt

Guest
Gary,
If I had a fishery and saw someone doing this I would go over tell him to stop if he didn't I would then ban him on the spot and remove him from the venue, what sort of tackle would you have to use to lift a 3lb fish (presumably still fighting) from the water? It's a match for goodness sake, I doubt even the strongest match carp rod would take this kind of abuse. I would hazard a guess they are using full blown specimen carp gear with 3lb or more test curve rods and 12-15lb line with hooks to match, this would be easy to see while the match was taking place and you could keep an eye on them.

Protecting your stock is perfectly acceptable but to (for all intents and purposes) ban most pleasure, occasional and lower income anglers (which he has effectively done) rather than the offenders is a little unfair and short sighted, as you say people have already used cut back net handles as poles with powergum instead of elastic and the effects would be the same, the same people swinging in fish on rod and line will do the same on the next method which will allow them.
 
M

MALC DOYLE

Guest
I can answer a few of the points raised above.

Quote.
mind you, i'm not sure how this will stop some idiot using a sawn off landing net handle as a pole and doing exactly the same thing !

Heaviest elastic allowed is no 14 so that wont happen.

Quote.
Sounds like a "Noddy" trying to justify keeping it a matchmen only venue.

It is only fishable in matches (from day 1) and he is present during the match.

Quote.
Soooo instead of banning the anglers responsible they can cary on mistreating the fish using another method and the anglers who are responsible and care for the catch but can't afford a pole will have to go elsewhere.

Totaly agree it should be those that do it that are banned not the rod & line.

As for Rolf caring for his stock, his is the only match water that i know that has scales spaced all around the lake for any large fish to be weighed and returned straight away.
Also every fish is dipped into medicated water (unsure what) before being released back into the lake.
He does care for his stock
 
R

Rodney Wrestt

Guest
Robert,
I use a pole when fishing my local canal either that or I use a light match rod, strangely I don't like to fish with a leger rod on the canal. (occasionaly I'll use a light link, but only when I've no other option) Guess I just like to watch the float.

Kevan,
I think it was the swinging or lifting of the fish which would have been more noticable as I don't see how you can tell if someone has their drag set or not without approaching them. My point is that people who haven't done anything wrong are effectively being banned simply because they don't own a pole, and after all the tackle makes no difference a pole can hault and move a fish as effectively as a rod (within reason).
 
S

Steve May

Guest
I fish plenty of matches up and down the country,using both rod&line and pole.On several venues they have a "net every fish policy" and I do mean every fish regardless of size,surely this is a more sensible solution?
As for winding down the clutch,is there really that much difference between a 3lb fish on 12lb line and a 4oz fish on 1lb line?
Enforce net every fish policy,as with all rules,do not comply,do not fish.
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
I think the guy's got a point if his fish are being damaged by wannabees chasing record weights.
 
R

Robin Emery

Guest
Myself and the father in law have recently been to Ardingly Reservoir (west sussex), we caught a 28lb pike, we found that someone instead of removing the trebles had just cut the line and left them in place,we removed all hooks(including ours) on a un-hooking mat,took a photo and placed the pike back in the water.
we went back the following week, to be told we had broken all the regulations for fishing and handling fish. We have been banned for life from fishing at Ardingly
Reservoir.As for following all guide lines and regulations noted on ticket, we are banned
 
R

Rodney Wrestt

Guest
Robin,
What regulations did they say you broke? It sounds like you did what was required.
 
G

Gary Wilson

Guest
I was fishing the "bream lake" at Earlswood last year, when this bloke came wondering around and gave the usual "had much?" question. Anyway, it turns out it was that bloke who had 414lb of carp in a 5 hr match. I hadn't heard of this at the time, so proceeded to grill him on it. "You must have been foul hooking and draging 'em out," I enquired. He looked a bit sheepish and said he didn't. At the time I was quite impressed with his claim and now realise it's true, as I see his picture everywhere (Steve Gregory). The more I thought about it though , the more I was convinced that he couldn't have possibly caught and played them all in properly. I killed a 2oz roach to use as a dead bait once and felt guilty for a week! Don't these carp "bullies" have any kind of feelings?

PS I think I impressed him though, I had about 50lb of bream!
 
G

Gary Knowles

Guest
Robin,

Can you elaborate ?...that sounds outrageous mate !
 
K

Kevan Farmer

Guest
Rodney. I agree then about the swinging in of fish. The trouble is, too many people are using unbalanced tackle these days for the size of fish they are expecting to catch. The amount of times I have seen anglers using 2.5 or 3lb tc rods to catch carp of average size 4 to 5lb is ridiculous. Using this sort of 'over the top tackle' allows them to swing in fish. The fish's insides cannot take the weight imposed upon them. They literally get crushed from the inside. Normally the weight of the fish is held suspended by the water around them. To answer the comments about it happening to smaller fish, it is not quite the same. Smaller fish are lighter with correspondingly lighter internal organs which are able to withstand the pressure of being swung in. I would personally say that anything over 1lb in weight should be netted.

Kevan
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
It's hardly outrageous guys, it's his ball and he can play with it anyway he chooses. The proof of the pudding will be the level of attendance and income that he derives form taking this stance. As an 'oldey' any fiend of Stoneys' must have at least most of his head on the right way.
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
That should have of course read 'friend' not 'fiend' (I was thinking of Des at the time)
 
G

Gary Knowles

Guest
Gerry - thou 'outrageous' statement was directed at Robin getting banned from Ardingley, not the guy who banned rod and line fishing. I actually agreed with him......(and you!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top