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Closed Season Controversy

Greg Buxton said:
The EA may choose to do nothing. As we all know government departments are 'very keen' to consult all 'stakeholders' just so they can say they done so. As there appears to be no pressing reason to change, other than anglers wanting to be able to fish all year round, they may just stick with what the current status quo is?
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I suspect that the pressing reason to change is actually driven by an inability to police and enforce the law properly. As it stands, they have a commitment to do so, to do it effectively would take more resources than they have. What better way to negate that than remove an unenforceable law? The fact that the reasons that the closed season was introduced in the first place are redundant just makes it easier to change. The fact that no other group are banned from the riversides for three months renders most of the arguments for keeping a closed season equally redundant.
 
my vote would be scrap it ASAP outdated and unnecessary
fish dont feed when they spawn ! and they rarely spawn in the silly close season anyway ? far more beneficial to have anglers and eyes on the waters work parties could still go ahead just temp close sections no biggy ? all the lakes that have scrapped it have not shown any problems quite the opposite
 
It does not seem to apply on the Wandle, two groups of English anglers Barbel fishing yesterday. Posted on the FIL (Fishing in London)facebook page,when challenged /advised they just kept on fishing
 
Always been a tricky one for me as I can see valid and entirely reasonable points on both sides of the discussion, to the point where I'm pretty much on the fence about it. That being the case, I fall back on the "excuse" I've always used to put up with the closed season's continued existence, which is that it forces me to go to other venues and try for other species that I probably wouldn't if the rivers were fair game all year round. It's also a good time to do what most anglers did during the closed season when it also included lakes and canals - clean the rods, strip and replace the lines, grease the reels etc etc.

Don't get me wrong, though - if it was abolished tomorrow, I'd be straight out there trotting...
 
I would posit that the main reason for this annual debate is commercial, followed by those who'd like to see it abolished backing it up with clutched straws.
 
In this age of equality and freedom of choice I cannot understand how the closed season can still be applied. Of course the spawning argument is not valid, fish don't feed at this time, and besides the sillwaters are all open which invalidates that argument. The decision as to either open or close at any time should be at the discretion of the club's or owners. Or we as anglers can make our own choices.
 
Typical comment Damian, once again with no substance behind it.
My views for what they are worth is if we have a close season for coarse fish we should have a close season for coarse fish everywhere, totally hypocritical of the anglers who put forward the arguments regarding spawning and flora and fauna on rivers and then go fishing on lakes or canals.
I remember the uproar when it was removed on lakes and nobody says anything about that now, will be exactly the same on rivers.
Remember if you disagree with fishing rivers in the close season you don't have to fish them.
 
That's my point Phil, an analogy to your logic might be, 'homo sapiens chop the heads off other homo sapiens in countries like Iraq, so we should do the same here!' Quite clearly you would fish the rivers if the close season were no longer.
The other point you make about anglers fishing lakes is quite relevant to this conversation really as it alludes to the basic lack of self-control we have as a species, whilst on the other hand put forward at some stages opinions that hold a distaste towards commercialism.
 
I thought commercials were stillwaters which are open all year, artifically (over)stocked and places that I personally have no interest in fishing. Nothing stops you fishing the rivers between March and June now, you don't even need a fly rod as many byelaws and club rules allow "worming for trout" during this time, the odd coarse fish that turns up as bycatch is perfectly legal provided it is returned immediately. Must admit I don't do this as much nowadays as I have in the past, too many other things to do, but if conditions allow I'll be out this month as it's the only month of the year I've never caught a barbel!
 
Be aware Steve, a lot of rivers are FLY only, spinning or any other methods not allowed on Dorset Stour or Hampshire Avon until 15th May.

You come up with some stupid comparisons Damian , what chopping someones head off has to do with fishing a river I don't know and yes I would fish the rivers if allowed but has absolutely nothing to do with commercialism.
 
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Personally I'm very glad we have got a close season, without it I probably wouldn't have tried fly fishing for Trout or sea fishing.
Nowadays summers are spent fishing for sea Trout and Salmon, with a bit of coarse fishing. The odd sea trip, love wrecking, winter, coarse fishing for Roach, Dace, Chub and Barbel.
As soon as the water drops I'm off down the Avon to flyfish for a spring Salmon, what a beautiful time of year to be on the river and what a lovely method.
Mayfly will be up in about 6 weeks too. Great opportunity for some dry fly Trouting.
 
And quite honestly Phil what someone does on a stillwater has little to do with a river. Just highlighting poor logic really. You might just as well argue for a return of the close season on stillwaters. Like I said earlier, clutching at straws.
 
Phil, I am well aware that a lot of rivers are fly only, also that some clubs enforce that rule even if byelaws allow worming. The river I was thinking of is the Severn where a ledgered worm is legal under the byelaws and also under some clubs' rules.
 
Working in Bridgnorth at the moment and can advise the Severn the colour of chocolate!
 
No problem Steve, just pointing out that everywhere isn't open.

Damien, to talk about poor logic is unbelievable coming from you, a fish is a fish is a fish, if you had read my original post correctly a return of close season is exactly what I was saying. If we can fish lakes and canals in the close season we should be able to fish rivers or NOT be able to fish for coarse fish anywhere. My last post on the subject as if it goes to a vote then the majority of anglers will decide what happens.
 
Hi men,

Well well , walked into a swim of a local barbel angler who was fishing for ?????? Perch on the canal , as
1- the perch are big at this time of the year
2- he likes the closed season as he fishes for other fish and it gives his river a rest , you could not make this stuff up .
That would be the Ouse thats resting , deserted most of the season because of its dramatic decline , and now under 6ft of flood water . No decline on the lakes and canals due to fishing right through , surly after all these years that is evidence enough ?.

Off to France soon , lakes and river bulging with fish ?.

Hatter
 
How many lakes are continually stocked? I think the argument is more of an ethical and moral one than anything else for me.
The pressures placed upon the fish in the lakes and rivers of France will be much less than what they are here.
 
If we cannot even agree on the purpose or foundation principles of the close season, we still hear multiple versions of it’s reason for being. Let alone the effectiveness of it as an environmentally beneficial process developed long before these things were better understood.

Put aside the sentiment, what we need is empirical facts backed up by evidence and research as to the effectiveness of the close season. If it were deemed as ineffective or worse still harmful then it should be scrapped. If the converse is true then it should be kept. Simple anecdotal comparisons to still waters and other countries that have never had a CS are not a accurate comparison necessarily.

I would suggest a trial group of rivers first with stock levels monitored against those without. If nothing else it could highlight some of the stock issues our rivers have as a larger scale issue.
 
Scrap the close season Its a glorious day today instead of driving my taxi around the polluted streets of London I could be filling my lungs full of clean fresh air on a river bank,selfish maybe but I know where I would rather be.
 
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