Anglers are to be banned from using live fish as bait

[..::Pike Pirate::..]

all we are doing really is what happens without us naturally...predators eat prey...all we do is put a hook through their lip or whatever ... compare that to having a huge beast tear you up with razor sharp teeth and see which is crueller...fish dont have emotions...its not like they scream at you saying "noooo help me!"

[geffski]

i dont live bait out of choice but feel those that do should do resposibly
i,e dont take fish from one water and youse it on another(that gose for deads aswell) im all for standing by fellow anglers aslong as its not
under the umbrella of the Countryside alliance!
(garanteed they will be all over this like a cheap suit)

[maghouse]

Originally Posted by Barrie C

All of the above replies are really valid points and probably represent a good cross section of anglers.

I think if Anglers were united we would make a very powerful group - the difficulty is we are divided amongst ourselves into "sections"

Match Anglers
Carp Anglers
Sea Anglers
Specimen Hunters
Predator Anglers
Game Anglers

and so on.........

All with different magazines (Anglers Mail take note!) often with different forums.

We need a single voice representing all aspects of our great sport - does anyone know of such a group? NFA etc??

This Forum is probably the first instance I have come across of "united Anglers" across the whole spectrum of angling (makes it more interesting as well)

And as regards Nige Williams - he should have been banned from fishing for a minimum of 12 months

Angry of the Fens

In theory, you are spot on, take shooting - there are many different sections of the shooting world - together they are one big voice but it took years for them to realise that and now speak almost as a united voice but too late - lots of things have happened and a number of bans have happened which might not have done if shooters all shouted together as one voice ......

The single voice in the USA - the NRA is massive and very powerful, I know we are slightly different in the UK but shows what a united front can do ...

Fishermen should take heed and unite now before the 'ban it brigade start.

I will agree though, this nanny state government will not listen to anyone they dont want to - as you say the CA march in London was ignored - but - the big advantage fishermen have is numbers, are we not the biggest participant sport in the UK - thats a lot of votes !

[Omahayank]

Fishermen have great numbers, yes, but you've got to look even farther for your support.
Some have hinted at it sofar. Tackle manufacturers, Mom&Pop bed'n'breakfasts w/rooms to let, big and small retailers, (How much kit does Tesco sell in a year?....do they want to lose that money?), Fishing guides, charter fishing boats, and anyone supplying/supporting these entities. (Restaurants, food suppliers, gas stations, fuel suppliers, component and raw materials, ANYthing and EVERything!!)
ANYONE with even the vaguest interest in the sport or support of the sport.

Take my Favorite " Cabela's -- Store Home " right here in Nebraska. Started by two brothers in 1961, on the kitchen table selling "Hand tied flies 5 for a Quarter" through a one line ad in the back of a magazine. (Read more here: Cabela's -- History )
Now they are a multi-million dollar operation w/18 stores open nation wide with 13 more opening soon(and 1 in Canada).

Nearly the Entire town of Sidney NE, exists today because of Cabela's. The railroad had the original hand in putting Sidney on the map. When the railroad went away Sidney nearly did too. Cabela's bought an old RR building and completely refurbished the inside for a retail showroom.
The first time I ever saw it, was right after high school 1983. I was going to Idaho to go salmon fishing w/my best friend. I took 1 look at the building and thought to myself "What am I gonna find in THIS old pile of bricks?"
I stepped in the door and thought "OH MY G**.... Brandeis (Harrods for you) for the sportsman!!!"

Sidney NE, Kearney NE, LaVista NE (just opened before X-mas) all have Giant retail outlets. North Platte NE, and Kearney NE have Catalog warehouses and phone centers, Sidney and, the state capital, Lincoln have the BANK owned by Cabela's, Lincoln has a call center.
The trucking/pkg delivery industry profits. The Phone companies profit. The state profits from income-sales-real estate/property taxes. Everyone involved eats and wears clothes....the list is endless.

The point I'm trying to make is this, There are no less than 5 cities or towns that exist wholely or in part because of Cabela's, in Nebraska alone. Hunting and Fishing is a Giant multi-million dollar industry here and NO state would EVER risk losing that.

You've GOT to make your politicians see the REAL numbers they are fooling with!!

Good Luck Folks

[dougwoolcott]

Yes we have a big problem in England with extreme left attitudes eating away at us like cancer. The problem goes much further than attacks on blood sports (which I've heard fishing labelled as) the whole way of life as we know (knew) it is fast disappearing with political correctness gone mad. we cant even fly our national flag now without someone taking offence.
Virtually all of the protests made by the "touchy feely" brigade come from mindless, misinformed radicals that change there ideals to whatever sounds good at the time. Look at the irrepairable damage to our wildlife caused by those idiots who released the mink from farms a few years ago.
It's about time we woke up and decided what we want from our goverment
and vote accordingly or in the not too far distant future the British culture will have gone.
Oh well thats got that off my chest, meanwhile me and the missus will continue to enjoy our new life here in Norway (where livebaiting is banned !)

[Old Smoothound]

Sadly folks,

The minority seem to be handed all under this government, and have a greater voice than the majority.

We have ourselves to blame....we gave them the ammunition to fire back at us as a tiny minority bring parts of our sport/hobby into disrepute by leaving dead fish on piers, ripping them off hooks in front of the general public on beaches and lakes etc. Being litter louts and leaving dangerous hooks line and wire traces for birds and mammals to snare themselves on.

But on the bright side....who is going to police this? The water bailiffs? The Police...the antis? God they are going to have a problem in identifying culprits and prosecuting them aren't they! I am not condoning the breaking of the law, but merely sugesting that the authorities have much more important things to do with their time. and scant resources.

If it is anything like Fox Hunting, how on earth are they going to prove you actually deliberately hooked a minnow that was taken by a Perch whilst you were reeling it in? They going to video you doing it?

If the antis read this forum ( and I suspect they do) GET A LIFE!! or better still a PROPER JOB!!

On the point of Anglers having one voice.......get real fellas, our clubs and associations either in Sea, Game or Coarse fishing have not been able to achieve this ---- ever.....so why are they going to now?

They have tried in sea fishing recently but the fact that sea fishing is proven to be worth in excess of 1 billion pounds to our economy every year....has not persuaded Mr Bradshaw to stop commercials from raping and piliging our sea for a mere 450 million pounds into our economy each year. Scientific facts of dimishing stocks of bait fish and mature breeding fish such as Cod. Recent History of the dessimation of the Grand Banks Cod stocks hasn't persuaded them either. So the monetary argument nor scientific facts does not work......voices and lobbying works....look how the minority have done so far

So a message in a bottle to our federations and clubs in all corners of our sport......


Get together and talk and then lobby for us as one massive voice PLEASE