Stating that livebaiting is "unacceptable" is very dangerous territory. If you say it's wrong to hook a fish and cast it out, you're very very close to saying it's wrong to hook a fish and bring it in.
Why? I feel that it's unacceptable and I feel that an awful lot of others (anglers or not) feel the same way. I wouldn't dream of stopping anyone else going for it though. One way or another, it's an opinion and I'm allowed to have my own. Just like you have one on carp.
Which aspect(s) of livebaiting do you find unacceptable?
Good point!If you say it's wrong to hook a fish and cast it out, you're very very close to saying it's wrong to hook a fish and bring it in.
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Sticking hooks into the flanks of a live fish and then having it slowly wilt away until it either dies or is taken by a dirty great pike.
So that's where you draw the line in the sand. Okay. Mine is drawn much further up the chain - I will use livebaits for pike and catfish and kill rainbow trout for food without a second thought; but I cannot support foxhunting with dogs - because my line is drawn at mammals. It would be a boring old world if we thought the same.
Whilst I don't object to others livebaiting, it's not something that fits with a minimal suffering ethic. Just to add a twist, I'd be more inclined to livebait with a small liphooked bait. Others may see little logic in that, but it works for me. Not for one moment am I trying to suggest anyone follows suit.
Sticking hooks into the flanks of a live fish and then having it slowly wilt away until it either dies or is taken by a dirty great pike.
Tell me, if that dirty great pike doesn't eat the fish I present to it, what do you think it is going to eat?