Fishing. info for noob?

[fishy1]

Angling Clubs and Fishing Syndicates get me nearly as annoyed as fishermen. If anyone thinks they have anything to do with conservation they are very much mistaken its no more than a way of excluding folks that want to take fish.

I'm sick of the mess that they leave, last year I had to remove three hooks and a treble from my spaniels. A few years ago one of my dogs nearly drowned, tangled in line, I frequently collect line from the river banks and overhanging trees.

Vets fees for last year for reparing one of my dogs after it ate discarded bate about £200.

Game Fishermen and wanabe Victorian country gentlemen are another bunch that want to exclude others from there 'private waters' so they can play with fish and then let them go.

Don't forget folks fishing worldwide is a multi million pound industry and they cant have some peasant catching on a homemade handline and eating it, that would not be sporting. Far better spend a fortune in the shops pay your membership buy the license catch a fish and put it back!

When you next thumb through a Norris catalogue remember fishing gear only catches fishermen.

Pothunter.

The angling club I'm in is not for excluding folks, it's pretty cheap, their are limits of two salmon kept a day, but hardly anyone catches two a day. Loosing line in the rivers is undesireable, I minamise it by using a weaker strength for attaching to my hook so only a foot of line is left. If I had any leftover bait, it would be put in the water for the fish.

I'm a game fisherman, and certainly don't want to exclude others. It's nice having a chat, and I think nearly all up here would say the same. I've fished on a homemade line before and had no problems with it, if it is claimed you need a rod, use a stick.

I put some fish back, but only eat what I need. For example, last weekend, in three hours, I caught 7 fish, all wild brown trout of about a pound, and ate five of them. That was with the fly rod, not a handline.
No one was excluded, but no one was around either.


If we're talking survival, small fish are easy to catch. Although big fish are also easy to catch. effectiveness pretty much goes: gill net, poisoning, night line, rod fishing. I

If anyone fancies a gill net, pm me. I was actually out putting one out today for a few decent sized pollack and maybe a bass.

 

[gunnix]

What bait do you people use when bait fishing?

 

[fishy1]

What bait do you people use when bait fishing?

Worms are good, and easy to get. In the sea,I'd use mackerel, or lugworm or ragworm, or mussels.

 

[mick miller]

Bread and sweetcorn are also favourites for freshwater, you can also use peeler crab (small surf crabs) for sea fishing too if you can find them. In deeper water when sea fishing you can get away with no bait at all, feather (white) whipped to the shank of the hook work for mackerel and occasionally pollack and anything shiny jigged at depth for cod (you´ll be lucky to find those these days though) and pollack too.

Lures can be used and re-used in fresh or sea water and catch a number of species. Goog all rounders are simple silver or gold coloured spoons to which can be added a tail of red wool if you fancy.

 

[pothunter]

Hi Gunnix

All manner of crud then leave half empty packets all over the place that go bad and poison dogs, it appears to be obligatory.

Pothunter.

 

[Kepis]

Angling Clubs and Fishing Syndicates get me nearly as annoyed as fishermen. If anyone thinks they have anything to do with conservation they are very much mistaken its no more than a way of excluding folks that want to take fish.

I'm sick of the mess that they leave, last year I had to remove three hooks and a treble from my spaniels. A few years ago one of my dogs nearly drowned, tangled in line, I frequently collect line from the river banks and overhanging trees.

Vets fees for last year for reparing one of my dogs after it ate discarded bate about £200.

Game Fishermen and wanabe Victorian country gentlemen are another bunch that want to exclude others from there 'private waters' so they can play with fish and then let them go.

Don't forget folks fishing worldwide is a multi million pound industry and they cant have some peasant catching on a homemade handline and eating it, that would not be sporting. Far better spend a fortune in the shops pay your membership buy the license catch a fish and put it back!

When you next thumb through a Norris catalogue remember fishing gear only catches fishermen.

Pothunter.

I have to disagree with you here, perhaps you would like to visit our lakes that we have just completed, the site used to be claypits for the local brickworks, ie an industrial wasteland, it's taken three years to complete and the conservation aspect was one of the most important for us, not only did we deepen and enlarge six lakes for the benefit of anglers, but we have also dug a dipping & wildlife pond for invertibrates, birds & animals, in which fishing is banned, this pond will be used for educational purposes by local schools & youth/conservation groups, we are now in the process of converting an old site office into a small classroom/info centre so we can teach people about conservation and the wildlife around them. The complex now boasts 72 different species of birds, some of which were never seen in the area prior to the development work and god only knows how many different mammals we have now, we also have over 100 different species of native plants & trees, for every tree we removed, we replaced it with a minimum of five new ones, all native species to encourage wildlife both, in addition the club i belong to also have an education unit which is supported by the Environment Agency and we quite often visit local youth groups and conservation societies to give talks and slide shows on the biodiversity we now enjoy at our lakes also it's anglers who more often than not report pollution in the waterways and fish deaths to the EA because we are there on the bank, so please don't say fishing clubs are not conservation minded.

We do not exclude anyone from joining the club and it makes no difference to us what class or creed you are from and as for anglers being litter louts, well i cannot vouch for the anglers where you live but if we find anyone fishing our waters who leave litter in any shape or form then they lose their membership for life right there and then, in fact this rule is part of the clubs constitution, and states not in as many words that "you must clear any litter from your swim PRIOR to starting to fish even if it is not yours, failure to do so will result in your membership being revoked"

The reason you cannot have someone fishing with a handline is BECAUSE IT'S ILLEGAL, not because of the persons background.

Lastly, yes, a lot of fishing tackle you see in the shops is made to catch anglers not fish, but it is one of those pastimes that's as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be, much like bushcraft i suppose!.

 

[andy_e]

...The reason you cannot have someone fishing with a handline is BECAUSE IT'S ILLEGAL, not because of the persons background...

Someone was asking me about this a little while ago and I had no idea, so can anyone explain why it's illegal?

 

[Kepis]

Someone was asking me about this a little while ago and I had no idea, so can anyone explain why it's illegal?

Ive no idea why it's illegal in freshwater im afraid, probably goes back hundreds of years to stop peasants poaching on the big estates or something like that i would imagine

 

[pothunter]

Another one for the keep net, trying to justify exclusivity.

Why are hand lines illegal, because its not gentlemanly.

 

[Kepis]

Another one for the keep net, trying to justify exclusivity.

.

Don't quite understand what your getting at with this statement, can you elaborate a little?

 

[MikaelMazz]

If we're talking survival, small fish are easy to catch. Although big fish are also easy to catch. effectiveness pretty much goes: gill net, poisoning, night line, rod fishing. I

If anyone fancies a gill net, pm me. I was actually out putting one out today for a few decent sized pollack and maybe a bass.

I agree with you, big fish can be caught easily using those methods. I just was saying that if you are in a situation where you need food quick, then using a line and hook to catch bluegills would be the way to go. At least in my area. Or better yet to better your odds throw in a night line and then fish for bluegills.

I would find it very interesting if you made a post on setting your gill net and checking it. And take pictures of the process if you got a camera. I have never used one but I am going to buy some cotton twine and make one soon.

Mikael

 

[pothunter]

Handlines, when it comes to fish or game most restricted practices were introduced to stop peasants (the likes of me) getting an easy meal, handlines are cheap easy to make and need no great skill they can also be adapted to be used as night lines.

Although there have always been restrictions certainly as far back as Anglo Saxon times the restrictions we now have are firmly routed in Victorian laws to ensure that the best and most productive waters were preserved for those who could afford it. Generally fishing in tidal waters was far more accessible but now that is being restricted the reason often given is conservation although this is usually as consequence of greed.

Fishy 1 and Maver I am sure that the majority of fishermen consider themselves responsible however due to the shear numbers if a small percentage leave litter and discarded tackle in their wake it amounts to an lot of rubbish and a hazard to wildlife and other users of the waterways.

Generally I'm in favor of projects to restore such things as old quarry's but I don't agree with restricting access to club members and guests these resources should be open to all. I would also go as far as to say by stocking these pools for fishing you create an imbalance that creates unequal competition for insect larvae between wildfowl chicks and fish, the habitat will encourage adults to nest only to find that the food source required for their chicks is insufficient.

Pothunter.

 

[fishy1]

I agree with you, big fish can be caught easily using those methods. I just was saying that if you are in a situation where you need food quick, then using a line and hook to catch bluegills would be the way to go. At least in my area. Or better yet to better your odds throw in a night line and then fish for bluegills.

I would find it very interesting if you made a post on setting your gill net and checking it. And take pictures of the process if you got a camera. I have never used one but I am going to buy some cotton twine and make one soon.

Mikael

Ouch, you must either have way too much time or be a very fast netter, making a gill net takes ages. I'm not sure how effective cotton would be either, it's either going to be very thin and not very strong or thick and visible to the fish. I believe traditional gill nets were made from silk, but nowadays everyone uses nylon, which is light, strong and practically invisible.

Of course, it depends on the mesh size, but it isn't quick. I'll get pictures next time I'm out netting with anyone who has a camera.

 

[MikaelMazz]

Traditionally Native americans made gill nets out of nettle, dogbane or other types of string. But when whites came they traded for cotton twine to make their nets.
I do got the time, Im 17 and got no school this time of year.
I am looking forward to seeing the pictures.

 

[Kepis]

Im not in agreement with you Pothunter, i have my opinions & you have yours and everyone is entitled to their own viewpoint, so lets just agree to disagree on this one before one of us says something we might regret

I don't disagree on your statement about sheer numbers though, it's the same with any pastime or sport, it only takes a few idiots to upset things for everyone and we all then get tarred with the same brush, how many woods have been lost to legitimate users because idiots have trashed them?.

The offer still stands though, if you are ever in my neck of the woods, i'll gladly take you to my lakes to show you what responsible fishermen are all about.

 

[fishy1]

Traditionally Native americans made gill nets out of nettle, dogbane or other types of string. But when whites came they traded for cotton twine to make their nets.
I do got the time, Im 17 and got no school this time of year.
I am looking forward to seeing the pictures.

What size of net you making? Depth? Mesh size?

The amount of cordage that went into those old nets must have taken a long long time, I was just rigging a wee 50m net today, but even that has about 20km of line in it.

 

[MikaelMazz]

I am not exactly sure what size yet. I have not put alot of thought into it yet. Mesh would be about two inches(5 centimeters) or so. Maybe 4 feet ( I think that is like a meter and a half) deep and as long a I can make without spending a ton of time.
What thickness of twine would be good for fish like Chaine Pickeral, Perch and Bass?

Any ways, Did you get those fish you were after?
Thanks,
Mikael

 

[fishy1]

I am not exactly sure what size yet. I have not put alot of thought into it yet. Mesh would be about two inches(5 centimeters) or so. Maybe 4 feet ( I think that is like a meter and a half) deep and as long a I can make without spending a ton of time.
What thickness of twine would be good for fish like Chaine Pickeral, Perch and Bass?

Any ways, Did you get those fish you were after?
Thanks,
Mikael

No, it wasn't a good outing. twine thickness I don't know, probably experiment, as cotton is alot weaker than nylon.

I was in a new fishing place with quite a small net, and I arrived at almost high tide. Only got one small pollack which was returned. I think their might be bass around, I know about 30miles away you get some, but I never got any. The place looks very good for crabs and lobster though, deep water with some weeds.

 

[pothunter]

Time for a grumble

The lads took my spaniels out today well away from the river to a small pool with a NO FISHING sign, Toby comes home with a treble hook in his back leg and just to make things more interesting well inbedded in the feather.

Fortunately I have been able to remove the hook and clean the wound just need to watch for infection now.

Happy days, Pothunter.