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Closed Season Controversy

I'm totally in favor of keeping a 3 month closed season (the dates could be adjusted to be more effective) to keep Coarse Angling and its historical connection to field sports, conservation and to ensure we keep the moral 'high ground' , to fend off the assault which the "metropolitan liberal, vegan, ALF, snowflake, millennials elite" are making against us.

Anyone who cares about our sport (and I assume the clubs who lease riparian rights from landowners and then charge members for the right to fish, care); should ensure that the closed season is not only upheld, but any illegal practices on the fisheries they own are patrolled/policed dissuaded, monitored, and enforced using the full force of both civil and criminal law.

Our rivers, fish and other flora and fauna need the rest. Any keen river angler (club and or syndicate member) should be ready wiling and able to help mitigate, the threats outlined above to our fisheries without sacrificing, the closed season.

jmo

Greg
 
the only reason to keep it would be to protect fish at vulnerable times such as spawning, trouble is as we know weather and river conditions do not allow such a date to be set. commercials and canals get along fine without a close season. even at places like linear fisheries they stay open and close sections of the pits off when it is apparent fish are spawning in that area. on that basis any club controlling river fishing could do the same if they wish.
 
Totally agree with the thinking that it was to give game anglers sole access to the rivers for 3 months.

That said I do support a close season at the right time.
 
I wonder how many anglers in favour of retaining the closed season happily fish for Pike or Perch during their spawning period? if the closed season is to encompass all breeding species it would need to be very long.

As it stands the closed season cannot cover all species, it also doesn't allow for geographical temperatures differences that may affect when species will spawn, it isn't fit for purpose imo and if it to be retained would need some drastic changes to be effective some of which would need to be altered every year, different times in the North to the South for instance, it would be unworkable.
 
You're probably right Graham and I don't think I'd lose any sleep if they did away with it. However I do like the peace and quiet of being on the river when all the serfs have been kicked off for the close season. :)
 
I find it difficult to understand just what the close season achieves, certainly it does not protect spawning fish, besides the spawning areas need protection rather that the fish themselves, spawning fish do not feed and really are just focused on one thing. The real problem lies with the access to spawning grounds and then ensuring these areas are protected. All well and good banning anglers here, and then having Kyaks and the like carving up the Redds. Any club worth it's salt should be able to decide what is best for itself and members, this would at least ensure there would be eyes on as far as illegal fishing and poaching throughout the year. Trouble is clubs as big as BAA don't always apply best practice as far as protecting fish stocks, this is where the EA or perhaps WUUF could and should work with these bodies.
As I said to ban fishing on such venues as the Lower Severn is crazy, any bans should be more selective, at least it might help the struggling independent traders that rely on anglers spend.
 
Neil Smart said:
The reasoning behind a close season has never been explained by those that implement this law. Everyone seems to have an opinion but none seem to make any sense. I can see the need for rivers that are crucial for spawning, such as the Teme, but can see no reason why such venues as the Lower Severn to be included.
The close season was implemented many years ago by the game anglers to keep the coarse oiks off thier rivers, any amendment will never get past the Lords.
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The idea that the coarse fishing closed season was instigated by, and for the benefit of, game anglers is a myth.
Any suggestion that it was based on anything more scientific than a well intentioned guess is also a myth.

History of the coarse fish closed season.
 
However it came about is not really the issue, apart that it does give game anglers a free run to this day. Outdated legislation has often proved to be, well outdated and not fit for purpose in this day and age. Perhaps someone with your depth of knowledge on all things Angling would like to comment on the merits of the close season rather than 'myths' that many believe to be the real reason.
 
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I've never hidden my lack of regard for the closed season. I live close to the trout/grayling zone of my local rivers and it's perfectly legal to fish worms for the trout. To that end, the closed season, where no angling at all should be taking place, amounts to a whole five days. In this situation it's utterly pointless. Where you do get to the coarse fish zones of a river it may not be as pointless. However, unless all other water users are banned from the river, I see little merit in coarse anglers being excluded. The reality is that if anglers really had fish conservation in the forefront of their thinking, and not largely down to self interest, then we wouldn't go around sticking hooks in them for our pleasure.
 
Chris Jones said:
I've never hidden my lack of regard for the closed season. I live close to the trout/grayling zone of my local rivers and it's perfectly legal to fish worms for the trout. To that end, the closed season, where no angling at all should be taking place, amounts to a whole five days. In this situation it's utterly pointless. Where you do get to the coarse fish zones of a river it may not be as pointless. However, unless all other water users are banned from the river, I see little merit in coarse anglers being excluded. The reality is that if anglers really had fish conservation in the forefront of their thinking, and not largely down to self interest, then we wouldn't go around sticking hooks in them for our pleasure.
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You make a persuasive argument Chris !
 
Like Ian i have always thought the season would be better moved on a month,too many knackered fish get caught early season on rivers.Many moons ago a friend moved down to Chippenham from London.On his first close season he was amazed to see anglers fishing for 'trout' on the Bristol Avon free section with ledgered lobworm over a gallon of hemp.He challenged them and was told the regional river authority rules allowed it. He checked local rules and found the anglers were correct, but he thought morally wrong.All over the country you can still bend rules and coarse fish on rivers in the close season.The only exception is the Thames region where the rules are a bit tighter. You can though purchase a Thames weir and lock permit and close season weirpool fish for Trout using methods that will catch coarse fish.The whole countries rules and regulations need looking into and all these silly regional rules need looking at or removed.We need national rules across the board.
 
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Mark Swaby said:
Like Ian i have always thought the season would be better moved on a month,too many knackered fish get caught early season on rivers.Many moons ago a friend moved down to Chippenham.On his first close season he was amazed to see anglers fishing for 'trout' on the Bristol Avon free section with ledgered lobworm over a gallon of hemp.He challenged them and was told the regional river authority allowed it. He checked local rules and found the anglers were correct, but he thought morally wrong.All over the country you can bend rules and end up coarse fishing on rivers in the close season,the only exception was the Thames region where the rules are a bit tighter. You can though purchase a Thames weir and lock permit and close season weirpool fish for Trout using methods that will catch coarse fish.The whole countries rules and regulations need looking into and all these silly regional rules need looking to or removed.We need national rules across the board.
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Crazy isn't it?

That's why this law is not fit for purpose, but like most things appertaining to Angling and Anglers it's not considered worthy of scrutiny, what other past time, sport hobby, that we have to pay a national licence fee to partake is so maligned, even to the extent of allowing the Rivers and Lakes to be depleted of stock by predation, some of which is deliberately introduced.

I read to-day of an Angler that was fined a total exceeding £2000 for fishing the close season in my local bit of the Severn. OK he shouldn't have been doing it, but I bet he would have got of more lightly if he mugged an old lady in the street.

The odd thing is I could legally fish the same stretch in the close season with a worm and a certain wide gape hook in the pretense I was fishing for Eels. In fact BAA some seasons ago actually held matches in the close season using this loophole on the same stretch.

The law is indeed an Ass.
 
Greg Buxton said:
I'm totally in favor of keeping a 3 month closed season (the dates could be adjusted to be more effective) to keep Coarse Angling and its historical connection to field sports, conservation and to ensure we keep the moral 'high ground' , to fend off the assault which the "metropolitan liberal, vegan, ALF, snowflake, millennials elite" are making against us.

Anyone who cares about our sport (and I assume the clubs who lease riparian rights from landowners and then charge members for the right to fish, care); should ensure that the closed season is not only upheld, but any illegal practices on the fisheries they own are patrolled/policed dissuaded, monitored, and enforced using the full force of both civil and criminal law.

Our rivers, fish and other flora and fauna need the rest. Any keen river angler (club and or syndicate member) should be ready wiling and able to help mitigate, the threats outlined above to our fisheries without sacrificing, the closed season.

jmo

Greg
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The flora and fauna thing...again, yes I know but the rivers are not exactly crammed with anglers trampling vegetation, and as far as all that invasive species well one of the reasons it is spreading is because Anglers are so rare on river banks, especially the smaller rivers, because all the fish have been eaten, these plants have the place to themselves . I used to fish the Arrow, It used to bang on about it on here, even recruited a few to join the Club, now it's hardly worth casting a line in, and completely overgrown with Balsam and just a very few fish.
Yes we need to police our rivers, but we need to get our house in order first, Angling is facing a real crisis with dwindling stocks Nationwide, we need more Anglers on the bank not less, but we need to learn how to take care of our waterways to accommodate Angling, and it has to start with the controlling Angling Clubs who really should be educated on how to look after their 'livestock'.
Of course the Barbel Society do promote fish welfare and conservation, as do the WUUF, and of course the EA, I would have thought the latter should be able to enforce clubs to promote welfare and conservation as opposed to pursuing the headline grabbing £2000 fines for loan Anglers.
 
Personally from mid September until the end of April. Its by far quieter with less people annoying me. My past 4 sessions o haven't seen another angler, apart from the odd buddy turning up for a chat.
 
Personally, I think the whole thing is outdated and needs to be reviewed but If we must retain the closed season I think 1st May to 31st July would be much more benefit to most fish and plants but agree that some presence on the rivers is required (fly fishing) to deter our fish stealing friends (wherever they come from).
What is certain in my opinion is that something has to change.
 
I've thought for a while that there is a strong case for moving the season back 2-4 weeks. The problem is is that the seasons are so variable - least they have been in recent years. Last spring / summer was generally very forward for most wildlife yet the season before was fairly backward, and then there is also usually noticeable differences between north and south in most years. Technically it would make sense to have regional differences and to possibly set the season forward and back by a few weeks on an annual basis as conditions dictate - but there are simply too many anglers that would either wilfully ignore the rules or just not bother to check. And then you would have practical issue for those anglers booking time of work and holidays etc...

I'd say for simplicity I'd set it from 1 April - 30 June.

I'm never really convinced by the poaching and predation argument - from what ive seen it's the winter months that predation is at its peak, and so far as poaching is concerned anglers have the solution to that in their own hands whatever the time of year.

In so far as monitoring pollution in concerned, I suspect anglers in the Thames Water region will perhaps have a different perspective, but point-source pollution incidents are pretty rare these days. Diffuse pollution is by far the biggest problem and that's not something that can be monitored by anglers sat on the bank on a day-by-day basis.
 
Hi men
We are talking about barbel really , and how they can be spawning into the start of the season . Well the oposite is true and iv seen pike and perch at it in nice mild conditions , so taking that into concideration the closed season could be all of march through to end of June . Add into that the possibility of a ctap winter and we would effectively have 4 or 5 months .
Its out dated and i really dont think it makes any difference , the canal is clise to mimicking the same situation and its caused no problems with fish or fowl . Except the otter is now making inroads on those fish stocks . It should be ended .

Hatter
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men
We are talking about barbel really , and how they can be spawning into the start of the season . Well the oposite is true and iv seen pike and perch at it in nice mild conditions , so taking that into concideration the closed season could be all of march through to end of June . Add into that the possibility of a ctap winter and we would effectively have 4 or 5 months .
Its out dated and i really dont think it makes any difference , the canal is clise to mimicking the same situation and its caused no problems with fish or fowl . Except the otter is now making inroads on those fish stocks . It should be ended .

Hatter
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Chuck, grayling, trout, salmon and sea trout into the mix and you might be looking at a river season of just a couple of months if you want to avoid the spawning times of all river species.
 
I think that we should keep the closed season...the otters need a period to be left undisturbed whilst they feed on the spawning fish.

Noooo. Get rid of the closed season. Apart from policing the river from poachers, saving clubs getting expensive contractors in to clear three months of bank side vegetation, my wishes are purely selfish.
I pay for 12 months fishing. If you factor in the boating fraternity, the floods, the freezing temps and the closed season, I get about 3 months of rod time.
And we don't mind catching spawn bound carp and tench, do we?
 
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