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The Close Season

David Clewer said:
First, I should state that I am in favour of keeping the close season as I believe that it provides a valuable opportunity for all the flora and fauna on our riverbanks to regenerate and for the wildlife to breed undisturbed. Do we really want our rivers to become devastated wastelands like some stillwaters where fishing is allowed all year round.

Second, it is not so simple as changing the dates or scrapping the close season completely. That will make it possible to fish on public or club owned venues but private waters which are held under lease or licence will be governed by the terms of that document, which would have to be renegotiated if fishing is to be allowed for the full year. This would, necessarily, result in a 33% increase in the rent as the land owner will expect to be paid for 12 months rather than the current 9.

We should also not forget that some stretches are also fished by game anglers, who tend to pay a lot more for their fishing than we do, and may still be unavailable for coarse fishing because the game anglers have priority. Also, there are SSSEs in some areas, which preclude fishing in the close season while some owners may just not allow fishing all year round.

It is not a simple matter of scrapping the current regime and is far more complicated than many think...


Dave
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"Devastated wastelands"? Bit dramatic isn't it Dave? :confused:
 
Isn't it a tad hypocritical to want the closed season to remain on rivers for whatever reasons but then to continue to fish still waters? If rivers and their inhabitants deserve a rest then surely all fisheries do or is this closed season debacle just about money coming in year round for some still waters?
 
Couldn't agree more, Graham. I don't fish in the close season on lakes apart from an annual crucian expedition to Marsh Farm for one day in late May/early June. There used to be a policy of rotating/resting lakes by some clubs to give the waters a chance to recover but that seems to have gone by the board in the face of complaints from anglers who want to fish all year round as well as the perceived need to maximise income (rather than protecting the fishery/environment).


Dave
 
Should really depend on the still water as a lot of them couldn't be any further from being described as wild!
Rivers on the other hand are, or should be, wild environments and maybe deserve a bit of time out.
Even so you make a good point Graham.
 
Rhys Perry said:
Should really depend on the still water as a lot of them couldn't be any further from being described as wild!
Rivers on the other hand are, or should be, wild environments and maybe deserve a bit of time out.
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Agreed, I couldn't care less what they do on those commercials. But I agree that natural lakes as well as mature estate lakes etc should also be given a rest. The only reason I fish still waters in the closed season is because I can. I can also go sea fishing (even though its a fairly terrible time of year for it), but I say that with the benefit of having lived coastally(ish) for most of my adult life... and I am also an avid fluff chucker, if I lived inland and had the prospect of a complete fishing shut down for three months it may drive me just about mad...so I understand why people want the still waters left open.
 
For me, the arguments to retain the closed season are completely flawed. The whole thing about letting the banks rest and nature have a break is nonsense as the stillwater venues I fish all year round have no adverse affect on the flora and fauna. There's an abundance of birdlife and mammals, reptiles and amphibians all year round, I'd say just as many as I see on the rivers for 9 months a year.
As we know, the whole spawning thing, especially for barbel, is non applicable too as they're often spawning well into the season. A lot of stillwater venues nowadays do close up for a couple of weeks to allow, ok mainly carp, to spawn. Perfectly sensible as they're more often than not a commercial enterprise... I'm thinking syndicates rather than muddy puddles. The fish are spooked and disturbed anyway by paddlers, dogs, walkers and craft. I don't think many clubs, particularly those that have lake venues too, would charge an extra 33% however that would all depend on individual tenancy agreements.

Reasons for abolishing the closed season are purely down to anglers wanting to go fishing more, and so what? Not everyone is a cane wielding traditionalist that sets the alarm clock for June 16th, some people just enjoy going fishing any day of the year. It's a purely selfish hobby, to fulfil an individual persons enjoyment so it's only natural to want to be able to do it as often as possible.

Personally I'd like to see it abolished. The close has been lifted on lakes, ponds, gravel pits and muddy puddles for long enough now to prove that nothing bad happens. We can't keep going on about giving it all a break and worshipping mother nature when ultimately, we're impaling a fish on a hook and dragging it against its will from its natural environment. Whatever happens from my own selfish, fish-impaling, nature hating point of view it'll make no difference; I'll still go fishing on the river during the season when I feel like it and fish on the gravel pits all year when I feel like it.

I'd also bet a months wages that the vast majority of those wanting to keep the closed season, would be out there on a nice April afternoon when the closed is abolished...
 
All year round angling would certainly reduce the sniping on here and other forums. It would also severely impact my DIY opportunities. Mind you, that could be very much a positive.

I do, from time to time, wield a cane rod, Dan - but very much in favour of abolishing the close season.
 
Some interesting points , but I'm liking what you say Dan, I suppose a lot would depend on the landowners and Tenants but the like most river stretches most are open to the fluff chuckers and public anyway who walk dogs or walking and canoeing . Maybe not a total close season but at least a month and a half , I was all for the close season , but not anymore it's so outdated and as Dan says we'd all be out if it was open year round. We are the keepers of the Rivers we fish and with so much predation and poaching I'm afraid if we keep it as it is there'll be nothing left for future generations.
 
Dan Whitelock said:
For me, the arguments to retain the closed season are completely flawed. The whole thing about letting the banks rest and nature have a break is nonsense as the stillwater venues I fish all year round have no adverse affect on the flora and fauna. There's an abundance of birdlife and mammals, reptiles and amphibians all year round, I'd say just as many as I see on the rivers for 9 months a year.
As we know, the whole spawning thing, especially for barbel, is non applicable too as they're often spawning well into the season. A lot of stillwater venues nowadays do close up for a couple of weeks to allow, ok mainly carp, to spawn. Perfectly sensible as they're more often than not a commercial enterprise... I'm thinking syndicates rather than muddy puddles. The fish are spooked and disturbed anyway by paddlers, dogs, walkers and craft. I don't think many clubs, particularly those that have lake venues too, would charge an extra 33% however that would all depend on individual tenancy agreements.

Reasons for abolishing the closed season are purely down to anglers wanting to go fishing more, and so what? Not everyone is a cane wielding traditionalist that sets the alarm clock for June 16th, some people just enjoy going fishing any day of the year. It's a purely selfish hobby, to fulfil an individual persons enjoyment so it's only natural to want to be able to do it as often as possible.

Personally I'd like to see it abolished. The close has been lifted on lakes, ponds, gravel pits and muddy puddles for long enough now to prove that nothing bad happens. We can't keep going on about giving it all a break and worshipping mother nature when ultimately, we're impaling a fish on a hook and dragging it against its will from its natural environment. Whatever happens from my own selfish, fish-impaling, nature hating point of view it'll make no difference; I'll still go fishing on the river during the season when I feel like it and fish on the gravel pits all year when I feel like it.

I'd also bet a months wages that the vast majority of those wanting to keep the closed season, would be out there on a nice April afternoon when the closed is abolished...
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Well I must say I respect your refreshing candour Dan, even though I disagree with much of what you say, it's certainly a more cogent argument than we need to abolish the close season in order to protect fish from predation and poaching.

Whilst I'm not convinced the close season makes much difference to flora, there are certainly some species of birds that definitely benefit from less human disturbance.
 
I enjoy the break and I feel the fish and the environment need a break too. However the predation and the poaching is the my only argument in relaxing the laws. I'm happy as it stands and there's plenty of things to do in the meantime.
 
Stephen Crowhurst said:
Or actually inforce the law...
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Steven that would be great but from a FOI I sent to the EA enquiring how many of the illegal fishing reports they had actually attended out of the iirc 171 reports from just one area, the answer was again iirc around 3% of them. What they say they do and what is actually done is very different when one looks behind the PR BS.
 
Totally agree. However it's like the old speed limit buisness "lets reduce the 70 to a 50, to stop people doing 90." Or the recent hike in mobile phone points. Just enforce what you had. They are certainly finding the resources now it's 6 points. Slightly off on a tangent but you see my point, junking the law because it's not implemented isn't the way forward.

Regarding the CS. What do we think would be the impact of its removal?
 
Stephen Crowhurst said:
Totally agree. However it's like the old speed limit buisness "lets reduce the 70 to a 50, to stop people doing 90." Or the recent hike in mobile phone points. Just enforce what you had. They are certainly finding the resources now it's 6 points. Slightly off on a tangent but you see my point, junking the law because it's not implemented isn't the way forward.

Regarding the CS. What do we think would be the impact of its removal?[/QUOTE]


I honestly believe that there would be no impact on some fisheries, on others there would be an impact particularly on still waters that are now fished by those that would normally be fishing rivers there might even be a drop in income for some commercial fisheries.

Having eyes and ears on the bank is no bad thing and the abolition of the closed season would bring about an increase in that during what was the closed season.
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No really reasonable arguments to abolish.

Keep it as it is, or move it forward 2 weeks at either end for me.

Our river fish have enough pressures without angling leading up to and during spawning.

Jon
 
Leave it as it is..it gives the otters & EE's a break from moaning anglers.
 
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