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Phoned the EA today

Hi Kevin
If you revue my post you will see that I mentioned 'Features and COURSE FISH holding areas being stripped out'. Whilst I find it quite amusing that someone, who I believe I have not met, should infer that I am a insular and self-seeking Barbel specialist. I was simply illustrating a situation where a very small minority of single species anglers were getting all the dosh spent on their sport, at the expense of the COURSE fisherman.
I do not regard my self as insular and self-seeking. Please come and have a day On the Ouse with me, and see if you I can change your mind. You will see some great wildlife, I am also a member of the Rspb. To give you an idea of what to expect, I will try and list the species I have caught from the Ouse. Bullhead, minnow, Gudgeon, Dace, Roach, Rudd, Chub, Bream, perch, pike, Eel, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Sea trout, Grayling, Barbel, Tench, Carp, and maybe some I have not remembered. You will find 3 'Invasive species' in my list. Rainbow Trout, escapee from Ardingly resevoiur. Grayling, these were removed from a stretch of river in the West Country. The trout anglers did not want them, and my club were the gratefull recipients, the operation carried out by the EA. And the Barbel who were stocked, as an experiment in the 90s, by the EA.
Now I am off to go fishing.
Kindest Regards
Shaun
 
Richard Hamlyn said:
Shaun,

Excellent post that exposes what some of us have known for some time. Many years ago I sat on the Eastern Division Fisheries Advisory Board, the committee of which was dominated by riparian owners of salmon and sea trout fishing. Their behavior towards a working class coarse fisherman in the room was to treat me as if I were a bad smell. All attempts to apply logic and fact to their "kill them all" arguments when it came to coarse and game fish living in the same habitat were a total waste of time.

"So what"? I hear you say. Well, we see many genuine people (not that awful Patrick fellow) posting on here and stating that if we were ever to be a "united" body behind the AT then we would be able to get something achieved. We are also urged to join the AT and made to feel as if we are some how letting the side down if we decide otherwise. The truth is that the biggest omission to the AT are the Salmon and Trout Association (who will NEVER join any group that looks after the welfare of coarse fish) and until we have a representative body for ALL fishing interests nothing will change.

If anything happens to threaten a top salmon beat then a quick call into the old boy network is all it takes to fix the situation up to and including the laws of the land. Coarse fishing can go to hell in a handbasket as far as they are concerned.

Instead of being a toothless compliant bunch of anglers who abide by the close season, buy our EA licenses, do what we are told and put up with non game fish rivers being treated as glorified sewers we need to adopt a different approach. The first step is for us all to boycott the EA license and fish the rivers at any time it pleases us within the bounds of fish welfare.

Well said Richard, especially the bit about BOYCOTTING the EA licence.
The AT have no power because they have to do what they are told by the EA, who they work with..

If the AT cut all ties with the EA and became truely independent and backed up Anglers who boycott the EA licence, i think they would gain more respect and gain more members..
What about if Anglers paid the EA licence money to the AT?..Who in return would back up Anglers against the EA when they try and take someone to court..This would get more media attention and would be more beneficial to Angling and highlight the problems many rivers are facing and more impotant expose the lies and cover ups the EA and their partners the Water Authorities have been doing for many years..
IT IS NOT A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO NOT HAVE A EA LICENCE..
Click to expand...
 
Craig,

I think you make some good points. I like the idea of not paying an EA license but at the same time donating the same sum of money to a body like the AT........BUT until the AT is representative of Coarse and Game angling this would be a waste of time.

The accusation in previous posts that people who feel like ourselves do so just to get out of paying their license money is moronic. The monetary value of my time given over the years to both club and statutory bodies to promote angling must run in to tens of thousands of pounds. There are countless people like me who have also given of their time freely, and in working with bodies like the EA have come to the conclusion that, at the level where it counts, they do not represent our interests.
 
Anyone that fishes for listed fish in the UK, and does not pay the license fee is a cheat.

They are cheating not just the Government, but other Anglers. Whatever the final amount contributing to our sport.

I'm often unhappy with what the EA do regrding our rivers, but they do make a difference.

If anyone wants to stand up and state they coarse fish in Britain and don't have one, but feel they want to make a statement, please drop me your address.

I will be happy to arrange for you to be able to put your case in your local papers, under the court cases section.

Graham
 
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Richard Hamlyn said:
Craig,

I think you make some good points. I like the idea of not paying an EA license but at the same time donating the same sum of money to a body like the AT........BUT until the AT is representative of Coarse and Game angling this would be a waste of time.

The accusation in previous posts that people who feel like ourselves do so just to get out of paying their license money is moronic. The monetary value of my time given over the years to both club and statutory bodies to promote angling must run in to tens of thousands of pounds. There are countless people like me who have also given of their time freely, and in working with bodies like the EA have come to the conclusion that, at the level where it counts, they do not represent our interests.
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Oh someone get the violins out!!

I have an idea, instead of building bridges and looking to find some common ground let's spend our time knocking them down.
 
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Graham Elliott said:
Anyone that fishes for listed fish in the UK, and does not pay the license fee is a cheat.

They are cheating not just the Government, but other Anglers. Whatever the final amount contributing to our sport.

I'm often unhappy with what the EA do regrding our rivers, but they do make a difference.

If anyone wants to stand up and state they coarse fish in Britain and don't have one, but feel they want to make a statement, please drop me your address.

I will be happy to arrange for you to be able to put your case in your local papers, under the court cases section.

Graham
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Graham I coarse fish and don't have one!
 
Opening day here at Throop and the EA Bailiffs were out in force checking for rod licences, and they did find two lads fishing without a licence, that will cost them dearly, so at the end of the day it is just not worth the risk of fishing without one, and as Graham says, it's cheating.
Brian.
 
Brian i don't have one I have two ;-)

If only the ea bailiffs where on more than just the throop, so much water so few bailiffs.
 
Haven't seen an EA bailiff for over 30 years but always buy the licence. Work with them, not against them (like the AT).

Dave (moron)
 
:rolleyes:
 
Graham Elliott said:
Anyone that fishes for listed fish in the UK, and does not pay the license fee is a cheat.

They are cheating not just the Government, but other Anglers. Whatever the final amount contributing to our sport.

I'm often unhappy with what the EA do regrding our rivers, but they do make a difference.

If anyone wants to stand up and state they coarse fish in Britain and don't have one, but feel they want to make a statement, please drop me your address.

I will be happy to arrange for you to be able to put your case in your local papers, under the court cases section.


Graham
Click to expand...

With the greatest respect Graham...I think you are actually contradicting yourself mate...You say you are often unhappy with what the EA are doing, but they make a difference..
Could you please explain what difference they make.?
Are you happy that your licence money is being used for projects with no benefit to Angling.?
As many on here are saying when they report poaching, they dont do anything..Are you happy with this.?
The very reason they dont do anything is because the EA officers on the ground are covering vast areas with very little people..Why.?..They recieve plenty of money off Angling..
I would hope that Anglers with the knowledge and good standing in Angling such as your good self would actually welcome some sort of change that would benefit Angling..
I only have a EA licence because my local club rules state i must have one..
 
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Hi Craig. No problem. The clue is in the word "often"

For example.

They undertake good work in terms of re stocking waterways after problems.

They don't undertake anywhere enough action to test water quality for chemical imbalances.


And after responding to the request on this site......and sending them about 2 pages regarding my local river populations, they don't bother to respond or acknowledge the input.

However, I have always found, on a one to one basis, the guys on the ground have our interests at heart. Thats not to say the hierachy have.

The main focus of my post was however regarding the cheating of fellow anglers - Irrespective of ones EA thoughts.


Graham
 
The thing is though Graham, while anglers continue to fund them irrespective of how little they spend of it on angling, are they not going to carry on being inefficient? A general boycott of license fees would send the same message as a general strike, i.e. those taking action are not happy with how things stand at present. Anglers don't have the option of striking, or at least not to any effect, so an organised boycott of EA licenses would have the effect of at least making them sit up and listen. If they wanted any more public funding that is...
 
Great post Alex. If a strike isn't the answer then perhaps a petition. With the amount of anglers in the UK if everyone who wet a line petitioned then surely you would like to think that the EA would have to listen?
 
Possibly Patrick, but any petition would have to carry the threat of some sort of financial action if the petition was ignored.
 
That's shocking Brian.

Alex yes I agree if there was a financial ultimatum it would be better.
 
Does anyone on here have any idea how much the EA spend on coarse fishing or how much it is or was subsidised?
 
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