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Anybody stopped fishing?

Lots of people have their heads stuck in the sand with this one. Anything we do even by refraining over the next week or weeks should help.
Thunderstorms in the East Midlands all day Friday, could be a few more fish kills imminent.
 
Paul Dowgill said:
That erstwhile conservationist group the Wye and Usk Foundartion still seems to be selling coarse fishing tickets but have suspended salmon fishing...are game fish more suscptible to higher temperatures?
Click to expand...

Some of their stretches are closed to ALL fishing, Backney being one.

Salmon fishing ceases on the Hampshire avon when the temperature reaches 19 degrees, coarse fishing carries on.
 
What I want to know is who gives us the all clear to start again, it can't be neil smart as he's totally disgraced himself :D
 
Jason Bean said:
What I want to know is who gives us the all clear to start again, it can't be neil smart as he's totally disgraced himself :D
Click to expand...

Seeing as there is no evidence based criterion to make that decision then I guess the answer is when “they” decide.
Thankfully my local venue is not suffering for the same things as others.
 
Jason Bean said:
What I want to know is who gives us the all clear to start again, it can't be neil smart as he's totally disgraced himself :D
Click to expand...
What's that all about Jason? How has anyone disgraced themselves or lectured you. And re. "who gives us the all clear to start again" .. well it's up to the individual's conscience, surely. No one's stopped you fishing for barbel have they. You do what you think is right (except on fisheries that are closed). Each to their own.
 
Going to sound out of order But I hope few barbel go belly up. Might stop some of the crap I'm reading on some pages. Like everything else we learn when it's to late
 
Many of you may have already seen this (very little long) post on FB but I will share anyway. I’m not a big fan, but I can’t disagree with a lot of what Bob Roberts has said here:

Bob Roberts:

LONG POST ALERT (but please try and read it all)

I write this piece with a troubled heart, a jittery conscience. Deep down I’m convinced that sections of the angling community are behaving in an utterly irresponsible manner.

Walking round a famous commercial fishery not so very long ago the stench of rotting fish hit me.

More recently I watched a match angler weigh-in. The heat was oppressive. When his catch was tossed back into the river there must have been 50 small silvers floating on the surface, bleak mostly, and small roach. Clearly they had not enjoyed the experience in quite the same way as the angler. Reminded me of the old bacon and eggs comparison. The hen is involved while the pig is committed.

Am I being alarmist to suggest that more barbel have died after being caught by anglers this summer than have been killed by otters in the same period?

Of course, they all swam off strongly...

‘What am I supposed to do, stop bloody fishing?’ Say some. Do I really have to answer that?

Clubs up and down the country are closing stretches of river in an attempt to show they care and to protect their own interests, but not enough. The ones that remain open are the ones we should all look at and wonder what sort of people run those stretched and what damage are they doing? Is it really just down to cash flow?

It’s not just barbel, is it? Or is it? Is that what it’s all come down to? Barbel, the new carp. The only river fish that matters. A fish elevated above all others. How ironic this species is the most vulnerable to the actions of idiots even in the best of conditions. A fish that in the best of times must have a fluffy, wetted feather bed on which it must be carefully laid before being touched by human hand. Or so we are told.

We are lacking not just in moral fibre but in leadership. Why, oh why, is the press running news reports of fish deaths, fishery closures, the dangers, the impact we anglers have, and then running ‘how-to catch them’ and ‘where to catch them’ articles in the same issue? Why are leading anglers publishing columns encouraging others to target barbel?

I appreciate there’s an issue with lead timescales and some are written weeks, sometimes as much as a year ahead of publication but come on, this has been going on since the season opened. It’s irresponsible.

I cringe at my social media news feed with bragging images of folk with their trophy pics. But you know what? As less and less anglers are fishing the rivers in deference to the conditions it gets easier and easier to identify who’s literally damaging the future of barbel fishing. Yes mate, you there with the big grin and the handful of ‘likes’... Well done!

These ‘anglers’ can spout denials till the cows come home but the growing consensus among thinking anglers would suggest they are guilty of killing fish by their actions. Just because they didn’t die instantly, in their hands, or immediately after release, doesn’t mean they don’t die later.

And what of the Angling Trust? When will they stand up and be counted? This weekend it is staging a National Championships on the Trent. Yes, you read that right. Whilst half the river is closed to protect fish they go ahead and organise the biggest match of the year on it. Hmmm, care to estimate how many fish will die in order that someone can hoist high a silver cup for the cameras?
(Edit: Sorry 18th August. Misread email asking for stewards - but, historically the hottest month of the year and forecasts for the heatwave to continue...)

You really couldn’t make it up.

What of the Environment Agency? Could they do more? How about providing dissolved oxygen data for all UK rivers? If they don’t have it, why not? Surely oxygen levels is a priority? If widespread readings is asking too much, how about the major rivers that are used by anglers. Speak with us. You are the experts, the owners, so to speak. The future lies in your hands. Communicate. Lead.

The Barbel Society are half on board, but still carrying posts from doubters on its Facebook page. Come on guys, you can do more. Set an example. Start lobbying, be more vociferous. Educate.

Hats off to the newly-formed RACG for their efforts in spreading the word, providing facts and generally being the voice of reason. But with about as many members as my local village history society it’s a hard sell for them but they are punching above their weight and setting an example. Keep it up.

And then there’s this ‘get out of jail free’ card that so-called experts are using. Fully rested, took half an hour, an hour even to resuscitate. So that’s fine?

Bo***cks!!!

Yet I read one argument on DO levels that summed up this charade perfectly. Apparently DO levels fluctuate from stretch to stretch, according to those who insist on continuing to fish. Not sure where they get their facts for this but bear with me. And get this, they say there’s no point in reading the temperature/ DO levels in the margins because they’re far higher/ lower there than out there in the river’s depths.

Well hang on a minute, isn’t this where these same folk are resuscitating barbel for up to an hour at a time and recommending others follow suit? You couldn’t make it up, could you?

I do know this, if a new born baby is starved of oxygen for any length of time during the birth it has catastrophic consequences.

I also know that if trained athletic climbers get exhausted at high altitude they need supplementary oxygen. No amount of holding them upright in the breeze atop a mountain is going to revive them. Even if it’s done for an hour.

So do we stop fishing altogether? On rivers only, or on stillwaters too? No-one is giving us the answers, are they?
As I see it certain species are much more tolerant to lower oxygen levels but please, don’t come to me playing the old, ‘I wasn’t barbel fishing mate, I was carping!’ Do I look like I was born yesterday? Barbel fishing on rivers like the Trent for the vast majority IS bloody carping! Stop kidding yourself. It’s the carp you catch by accident, not the barbel.

But is it okay to fish for roach, say on hemp and tares? How about for bream? I’d say tench and carp are pretty hardy but sticking them in keepnets, in the margins, for several hours? Oohhh, not sure I would agree with that.

Most pikers are sensible enough to give up until the temperature drops, but what about perch and zander? Maybe the PAC should be a little more pro-active? Their message seems to reach its own membership but doesn’t travel far beyond that. It needs to try a little harder. Think bigger.

Maybe we should suspend the use of keepnets for a while, just temporarily?

And is all this bother really necessary? The nature fascists tell us that predation is no problem becaue Mother Nature will balance everything out if we’re patient. Maybe we should fish on, not worry about fish deaths and have faith that it will all work out in the long run?

Or are we, as I suspect, in the midst of a very rare event?
That this is the hottest summer since 1976 is now simply a matter or record. A fact. Irrefutable. And it is shaping to break all records, so let’s not get carried away with all this, ‘well, we might as well have a closed season from March to October’ nonsense. This is not the norm, it is an exception and should be dealt with as such. Positively. And NOW. Not after the event. We may already be too late.

Let’s face it, back in 1976 there were no barbel anglers to speak of on the Trent. Hardly any barbel in the river at all outside of the upper reaches. Indeed there were very few rivers in the whole country that could boast significant stocks of barbel. The game has changed, and so have the anglers and they way they fish round the clock using multiple rods.

Most of the idiots who are shouting loudly to anyone who’ll listen that they have ‘every right to fish for barbel and f**k the rest of you nanny state b******s’ weren’t even born in 1976. A great many had never even caught so much as a single one ten years ago. No wonder they are happy to kill the golden goose. They know no better, just think they do.

Or maybe it’s me that’s wrong? You see I have no more right than the next guy to preach. I have no scientific background. I’m not an expert, merely an angler. But I do like to fish and I would like to have fish to target in the future. That’s why I and others like me get hot under the collar about pollution, about nitrates, about predation, about bad practises.

It’s clear to me the issue is as divisive as Brexit. Completely polarised and there’s no reasoning with those who remain on the river banks fishing for barbel. And like Brexit, what’s lacking is leadership. We need our leaders to be decisive, show leadership, to act. That includes the EA, the AT, the BS, PAC, RACG and most importantly the press who’s role is to set examples and spread the word. But will that happen?

If it doesn’t then the best we can hope for is rain. Lots of it and soon.

Oh, and finally, we really do need someone to tell us when it’s all over because if we do get heavy rain there must be the biggest stock pile of effluent ever amassed waiting to be dumped directly into our rivers which will de-oxygenate things further. That’s when the proverbial will really hit the fan, mark my words.
 
Howard Cooke said:
Many of you may have already seen this (very little long) post on FB but I will share anyway. I’m not a big fan, but I can’t disagree with a lot of what Bob Roberts has said here:

Bob Roberts:

LONG POST ALERT (but please try and read it all)

I write this piece with a troubled heart, a jittery conscience. Deep down I’m convinced that sections of the angling community are behaving in an utterly irresponsible manner.

Walking round a famous commercial fishery not so very long ago the stench of rotting fish hit me.

More recently I watched a match angler weigh-in. The heat was oppressive. When his catch was tossed back into the river there must have been 50 small silvers floating on the surface, bleak mostly, and small roach. Clearly they had not enjoyed the experience in quite the same way as the angler. Reminded me of the old bacon and eggs comparison. The hen is involved while the pig is committed.

Am I being alarmist to suggest that more barbel have died after being caught by anglers this summer than have been killed by otters in the same period?

Of course, they all swam off strongly...

‘What am I supposed to do, stop bloody fishing?’ Say some. Do I really have to answer that?

Clubs up and down the country are closing stretches of river in an attempt to show they care and to protect their own interests, but not enough. The ones that remain open are the ones we should all look at and wonder what sort of people run those stretched and what damage are they doing? Is it really just down to cash flow?

It’s not just barbel, is it? Or is it? Is that what it’s all come down to? Barbel, the new carp. The only river fish that matters. A fish elevated above all others. How ironic this species is the most vulnerable to the actions of idiots even in the best of conditions. A fish that in the best of times must have a fluffy, wetted feather bed on which it must be carefully laid before being touched by human hand. Or so we are told.

We are lacking not just in moral fibre but in leadership. Why, oh why, is the press running news reports of fish deaths, fishery closures, the dangers, the impact we anglers have, and then running ‘how-to catch them’ and ‘where to catch them’ articles in the same issue? Why are leading anglers publishing columns encouraging others to target barbel?

I appreciate there’s an issue with lead timescales and some are written weeks, sometimes as much as a year ahead of publication but come on, this has been going on since the season opened. It’s irresponsible.

I cringe at my social media news feed with bragging images of folk with their trophy pics. But you know what? As less and less anglers are fishing the rivers in deference to the conditions it gets easier and easier to identify who’s literally damaging the future of barbel fishing. Yes mate, you there with the big grin and the handful of ‘likes’... Well done!

These ‘anglers’ can spout denials till the cows come home but the growing consensus among thinking anglers would suggest they are guilty of killing fish by their actions. Just because they didn’t die instantly, in their hands, or immediately after release, doesn’t mean they don’t die later.

And what of the Angling Trust? When will they stand up and be counted? This weekend it is staging a National Championships on the Trent. Yes, you read that right. Whilst half the river is closed to protect fish they go ahead and organise the biggest match of the year on it. Hmmm, care to estimate how many fish will die in order that someone can hoist high a silver cup for the cameras?
(Edit: Sorry 18th August. Misread email asking for stewards - but, historically the hottest month of the year and forecasts for the heatwave to continue...)

You really couldn’t make it up.

What of the Environment Agency? Could they do more? How about providing dissolved oxygen data for all UK rivers? If they don’t have it, why not? Surely oxygen levels is a priority? If widespread readings is asking too much, how about the major rivers that are used by anglers. Speak with us. You are the experts, the owners, so to speak. The future lies in your hands. Communicate. Lead.

The Barbel Society are half on board, but still carrying posts from doubters on its Facebook page. Come on guys, you can do more. Set an example. Start lobbying, be more vociferous. Educate.

Hats off to the newly-formed RACG for their efforts in spreading the word, providing facts and generally being the voice of reason. But with about as many members as my local village history society it’s a hard sell for them but they are punching above their weight and setting an example. Keep it up.

And then there’s this ‘get out of jail free’ card that so-called experts are using. Fully rested, took half an hour, an hour even to resuscitate. So that’s fine?

Bo***cks!!!

Yet I read one argument on DO levels that summed up this charade perfectly. Apparently DO levels fluctuate from stretch to stretch, according to those who insist on continuing to fish. Not sure where they get their facts for this but bear with me. And get this, they say there’s no point in reading the temperature/ DO levels in the margins because they’re far higher/ lower there than out there in the river’s depths.

Well hang on a minute, isn’t this where these same folk are resuscitating barbel for up to an hour at a time and recommending others follow suit? You couldn’t make it up, could you?

I do know this, if a new born baby is starved of oxygen for any length of time during the birth it has catastrophic consequences.

I also know that if trained athletic climbers get exhausted at high altitude they need supplementary oxygen. No amount of holding them upright in the breeze atop a mountain is going to revive them. Even if it’s done for an hour.

So do we stop fishing altogether? On rivers only, or on stillwaters too? No-one is giving us the answers, are they?
As I see it certain species are much more tolerant to lower oxygen levels but please, don’t come to me playing the old, ‘I wasn’t barbel fishing mate, I was carping!’ Do I look like I was born yesterday? Barbel fishing on rivers like the Trent for the vast majority IS bloody carping! Stop kidding yourself. It’s the carp you catch by accident, not the barbel.

But is it okay to fish for roach, say on hemp and tares? How about for bream? I’d say tench and carp are pretty hardy but sticking them in keepnets, in the margins, for several hours? Oohhh, not sure I would agree with that.

Most pikers are sensible enough to give up until the temperature drops, but what about perch and zander? Maybe the PAC should be a little more pro-active? Their message seems to reach its own membership but doesn’t travel far beyond that. It needs to try a little harder. Think bigger.

Maybe we should suspend the use of keepnets for a while, just temporarily?

And is all this bother really necessary? The nature fascists tell us that predation is no problem becaue Mother Nature will balance everything out if we’re patient. Maybe we should fish on, not worry about fish deaths and have faith that it will all work out in the long run?

Or are we, as I suspect, in the midst of a very rare event?
That this is the hottest summer since 1976 is now simply a matter or record. A fact. Irrefutable. And it is shaping to break all records, so let’s not get carried away with all this, ‘well, we might as well have a closed season from March to October’ nonsense. This is not the norm, it is an exception and should be dealt with as such. Positively. And NOW. Not after the event. We may already be too late.

Let’s face it, back in 1976 there were no barbel anglers to speak of on the Trent. Hardly any barbel in the river at all outside of the upper reaches. Indeed there were very few rivers in the whole country that could boast significant stocks of barbel. The game has changed, and so have the anglers and they way they fish round the clock using multiple rods.

Most of the idiots who are shouting loudly to anyone who’ll listen that they have ‘every right to fish for barbel and f**k the rest of you nanny state b******s’ weren’t even born in 1976. A great many had never even caught so much as a single one ten years ago. No wonder they are happy to kill the golden goose. They know no better, just think they do.

Or maybe it’s me that’s wrong? You see I have no more right than the next guy to preach. I have no scientific background. I’m not an expert, merely an angler. But I do like to fish and I would like to have fish to target in the future. That’s why I and others like me get hot under the collar about pollution, about nitrates, about predation, about bad practises.

It’s clear to me the issue is as divisive as Brexit. Completely polarised and there’s no reasoning with those who remain on the river banks fishing for barbel. And like Brexit, what’s lacking is leadership. We need our leaders to be decisive, show leadership, to act. That includes the EA, the AT, the BS, PAC, RACG and most importantly the press who’s role is to set examples and spread the word. But will that happen?

If it doesn’t then the best we can hope for is rain. Lots of it and soon.

Oh, and finally, we really do need someone to tell us when it’s all over because if we do get heavy rain there must be the biggest stock pile of effluent ever amassed waiting to be dumped directly into our rivers which will de-oxygenate things further. That’s when the proverbial will really hit the fan, mark my words.
Click to expand...


Could not of been put better. I was watching Some monster Roach , Chub and Barbel on the dorset Stour a few days a go , they were literally all sharing the same small channel of water just below a weir , it was quite obvious to me why. But still some say the dorset Stour is ok to fish and the D.O levels are fine ..Rubbish is what I say as my eyes don't lie no matter what the D.O or whatever it is says..
 
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