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The Angling Trust.

I just try and look at the positive things that come out of the Trust and not even bothered to do any research on the so called polluter. If you want to go down the double standards route anyone can pick holes in anything they choose and that's when people end up becoming bitter and twisted imo and its just not worth it.
 
Tony Smith said:
I just try and look at the positive things that come out of the Trust and not even bothered to do any research on the so called polluter. If you want to go down the double standards route anyone can pick holes in anything they choose and that's when people end up becoming bitter and twisted imo and its just not worth it.
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Not bitter Tony but I might be a bit twisted but I am seeing a man about that :D

I have no problem at all with anyone that joins the trust all I ask is that some anglers that are members don't have a holier than thou ( that's not you by the way :) ) attitude with those of us that choose not to such as has been posted on here by one member. We all have our opinions about things a one is no more right than another until they become fact.

Enjoy your fishing, I do when I can get out :)
 
There's really no alternative out there at a national level, is there? Angling trust gets my money and will continue to do so.
 
Darren Hawen said:
There's really no alternative out there at a national level, is there? Angling trust gets my money and will continue to do so.
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I agree Darren, I just think it sad that they don't seem to see the dismay that some of their policies are bound to cause amongst many of their grassroots angler members.

For instance, how would you feel if you were feeding a swim in an effort to try to draw fish out of a far bank snag...when a Kayak angler plowed straight under the tree cover and fished directly into the snag? That has happened, and the AT has accepted them as members and fully supports them.

Oh well, never mind.

Cheers, Dave.
 
Having previously been a long term member of the ACA, I agree that in the absence of anything else membership of the AT feels like the right thing to do, even if I don't agree with some (actually many) of their policies and ideas.

Mind you, I'm also a Bridgwater Angling season ticket holder, which comes with AT membership by default anyway, so any moral umming and ahhing on my part is moot.
 
David Gauntlett said:
I agree Darren, I just think it sad that they don't seem to see the dismay that some of their policies are bound to cause amongst many of their grassroots angler members.

For instance, how would you feel if you were feeding a swim in an effort to try to draw fish out of a far bank snag...when a Kayak angler plowed straight under the tree cover and fished directly into the snag? That has happened, and the AT has accepted them as members and fully supports them.

Oh well, never mind.

Cheers, Dave.
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In all fairness Dave that could happen if someone decides to fish from the far bank, and they'd have the right with the half way across rule, comes down to etiquette more than anything.
That said I'm slightly less bias now having recently had a go at kayak fishing and enjoyed it! Still wouldn't encroach on a bank anglers swim mind, again etiquette.
 
Rhys Perry said:
In all fairness Dave that could happen if someone decides to fish from the far bank, and they'd have the right with the half way across rule, comes down to etiquette more than anything.
That said I'm slightly less bias now having recently had a go at kayak fishing and enjoyed it! Still wouldn't encroach on a bank anglers swim mind, again etiquette.
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I know Rhys, I take your point, but these guys are another added potential problem that didn't exist until their appearance on the scene....and it can only get worse as their popularity rockets (which as you are aware, IS happening).

I also think that the easy access to areas previously inaccessible to anglers that these craft allow puts the fish under huge added pressure, never mind the anglers. Fish are not about to join Mensa, it's true....but they have a strong enough survival instinct to know there are certain areas where they are relatively safe, where they get no pressure...and these little havens they retreat to are vital to fish.

I have seen the results in a carp lake when all the snags, trees in the water etc., had been removed to make the fishing easier for the unskilled louts who had gradually taking over the place. Most of the old fish died from diseases that their immune systems had coped with for 30+ years....until that immune system was compromised by the unbearable levels of added stress this action brought about. That is FACT.

Am I bovvered? Yes I bloody well am :mad:

Cheers, Dave.
 
David Gauntlett said:
I know Rhys, I take your point, but these guys are another added potential problem that didn't exist until their appearance on the scene....and it can only get worse as their popularity rockets (which as you are aware, IS happening).

I also think that the easy access to areas previously inaccessible to anglers that these craft allow puts the fish under huge added pressure, never mind the anglers. Fish are not about to join Mensa, it's true....but they have a strong enough survival instinct to know there are certain areas where they are relatively safe, where they get no pressure...and these little havens they retreat to are vital to fish.

I have seen the results in a carp lake when all the snags, trees in the water etc., had been removed to make the fishing easier for the unskilled louts who had gradually taking over the place. Most of the old fish died from diseases that their immune systems had coped with for 30+ years....until that immune system was compromised by the unbearable levels of added stress this action brought about. That is FACT.

Am I bovvered? Yes I bloody well am :mad:

Cheers, Dave.
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Some good points you make Dave, safe refuge for all fish is of a primary importance.
 
David Gauntlett said:
I agree Darren, I just think it sad that they don't seem to see the dismay that some of their policies are bound to cause amongst many of their grassroots angler members.

For instance, how would you feel if you were feeding a swim in an effort to try to draw fish out of a far bank snag...when a Kayak angler plowed straight under the tree cover and fished directly into the snag? That has happened, and the AT has accepted them as members and fully supports them.

Oh well, never mind.

Cheers, Dave.
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Paddlers are another reason I wont join Dave, after all the publicity from the trust re paddlers nothing happened and they continue to use rivers where there is no VAA or PRN totally ignoring anglers, there was supposed to be an announcement about paddlers from the trust via Mark Lloyd at the end of September, unfortunately but not entirely surprising it hasn't as yet appeared.
 
i only join, as you have to be an individual member to fish the riverfest qualifiers. if it wasn't for that, i would not join.
 
Anglers have failed the Angling Trust by not signing up in significant numbers, thus forcing the Trust to follow a path in some instances which would not necessarily have been its preferred route. Although some would like to spin it that the Trust has failed anglers, you only need to look at membership numbers for the first few years, the great new dawn if you like - they were pitifully low. Anglers have never been on board really, and the only reason I can think of is that it's a solitary pastime for many, which doesn't really attract team players. I am a member, and have been for years.

Nick C
 
Nick Coulthurst said:
Anglers have failed the Angling Trust by not signing up in significant numbers, thus forcing the Trust to follow a path in some instances which would not necessarily have been its preferred route. Although some would like to spin it that the Trust has failed anglers, you only need to look at membership numbers for the first few years, the great new dawn if you like - they were pitifully low. Anglers have never been on board really, and the only reason I can think of is that it's a solitary pastime for many, which doesn't really attract team players. I am a member, and have been for years.

Nick C
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Shouldn't the trust be asking themselves why the majority of anglers haven't joined? being the only organisation that represents anglers is I am afraid not good enough. As they don't seem to be doing this I can only assume that the trust are happy with things as they are.

One thing that I believe alienated some anglers was members that joined early on having a holier than thou attitude with those that hadn't, it did the trust no favours at all and I know anglers that didn't join because of it, the fact that it carries on even today is I believe stopping anglers from joining.

I don't believe that anglers have failed the trust but I do believe that the trust have failed to comprehend the principals of some anglers by doing what they have to gain sponsorship for what is their most prestigious match fishing occasion.
 
If anyone can point to an incident of pollution where the AT has turned a blind eye, or not pursued as fully as it should have because of who the polluter was, then please bring it to everyone's attention. If not, the claim of the AT being in someone's pocket has no real basis.

Nick C
 
Nick Coulthurst said:
If anyone can point to an incident of pollution where the AT has turned a blind eye, or not pursued as fully as it should have because of who the polluter was, then please bring it to everyone's attention. If not, the claim of the AT being in someone's pocket has no real basis.

Nick C
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For me its not about the trust being in anyone's pocket its the hypocrisy of purporting to represent anglers interests while at the same time accepting money from polluters "because there was nobody else" that gets my goat, I will never willingly give cash over to an organisation with such low morals as to do that.

This is from a post made on another forum by Mark Llloyd about water company sponsorship.

We do get some sponsorship of Riverfest, the new national competition we set up which has been incredibly successful, and of Tidefest in London, from water companies like Thames Water and Severn Trent. To be honest, we couldn’t find anyone else who would provide the financial support needed to get these competitions off the ground

Getting a competition off the ground will never be a reason for accepting money from these companies.
 
The fact remains that the AT is accepting funding from a body which has been in trouble countless times for pollution incidents, that has been taken to court and fined numerous times for severe pollution events, fines which incidentally WE pay through our water bills.

Whether or not we can point a finger at a particular case where it is proven that the AT has not pursued a case vigorously enough is irrelevant. We have no idea what goes on behind the scenes, what deals are made, what trade offs accepted. All we know is what the AT and TWA tell us...and they are not about to point the finger at each other are they?

To be seen to be accepting money from a company with a dreadful record regarding pollution events that have killed millions of fish, and in some cases even wiped out fisheries completely...must surely be regarded as a dubious move at the very least. Even the top bods at the AT must have have realised the inevitable furore that would rightly cause amongst their members. The fact that they went ahead with these projects despite knowing the effect it would have on many of their members does make you wonder just how much they actually care about the views of their members.

Don't get me wrong, I have been an individual member for some time, even though I don't need to be because my club is a member, so clearly the money is not my concern. This year though, I have not yet decided whether to carry on doing that, because of the issues and questions on policy which largely remain unanswered. I probably will...because I am daft enough to let my conscience gnaw away at me if I don't! All I can say is that in my opinion the AT SERIOUSLY need to get their act together and listen to their membership....such bodies rely on word of mouth recommendations and reputation to carry them forward...and those things are lamentably absent at this time.

Cheers, Dave
 
Nick Coulthurst said:
Anglers have failed the Angling Trust by not signing up in significant numbers, thus forcing the Trust to follow a path in some instances which would not necessarily have been its preferred route. Although some would like to spin it that the Trust has failed anglers, you only need to look at membership numbers for the first few years, the great new dawn if you like - they were pitifully low. Anglers have never been on board really, and the only reason I can think of is that it's a solitary pastime for many, which doesn't really attract team players. I am a member, and have been for years.

Nick C
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Hard to disagree with that analysis Nick.
 
To be honest when you realise that the AT have senior people that also do paid consultancy work for Thames water, it all gets a bit incestuous.

Aligned with the fact that the AT has made multiple poor marketing errors, they simply lost many potential joiners.

ACA......the last few years if that organisation were mired in lost/misplaced funding issues.......having an insight into what happened that was a disgrace that did for a worthy institution.
 
Graham Elliott said:
To be honest when you realise that the AT have senior people that also do paid consultancy work for Thames water, it all gets a bit incestuous.

Aligned with the fact that the AT has made multiple poor marketing errors, they simply lost many potential joiners.

ACA......the last few years if that organisation were mired in lost/misplaced funding issues.......having an insight into what happened that was a disgrace that did for a worthy institution.
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Yes, I was a member for years Graham, and I remember that fiasco. It would seem one famous angler had a passion for money.

Cheers, Dave.
 
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