UNDER SIZE BASS ! WHAT CAN I DO?

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:03 pm

HI ALL. SERIOUS NOTE HERE. A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE JUST RANG ME FROM FISHING SOUTHEND PIER FOR THE DAY. HE WAS FISHING ALONGSIDE A GUY WHO HE SAW CATCH A CLEARLY UNDER-SIZED BASS WHICH HE KEPT! MY FRIEND PULLED HIM ON IT BUT THE GUY THEN TURNED A BIT THREATENING AND ABUSIVE BY ALL ACCOUNTS.
HE REPORTED THE GUY TO THE PIER STAFF WHO WERE NOT INTERESTED APPARENTLY. I AM STILL RELATIVELY NEW TO THE SEA-FISHING SCENE AND SO DONT KNOW WHAT HE COULD HAVE DONE.
CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE AS THIS SORT OF THING MAKES ME SICK.
CAN SOMEONE BE REPORTED FOR THIS AND IF SO HOW, AND HOW DO YOU AVOID THIS SORT OF CONFRONTATION?

CHEERS ALL.

Guest

thats always been a problem on there have seen one or two punch ups
over under size fish dont know what the answer is and as you say the staff only want to know if someone is smoking fishing were they should nt be or over head casting

mick

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:36 pm

Tricky one Mulletman. If the guy was abusive and threatening then he's unlikely to volunteer his name and address. It's then a case of proving things if none of the pier officials want to take charge.

Try looking on Defra website/RSPCA websites they may have a section or be able to help.

It is very annoyoing though seeing the small ones kept. I let a 2.5lber go the other week.

Guest

I know the other day fisheries were waiting at the front of the pier for the anglers to come off. The people that were coming off, had undersize bass as per usual, and all they did was warn them.

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 7:27 pm

Gte in touch with your local Sea Fisheries Committee (they usually have a web site). Our local committee is determined to stamp out this sort of chav angler behaviour and fine the culprits. A few months ago,whilst shore angling, I was approached by two officers who asked what I was targetting and then wanted to see my bag. As it happened I had only been there about 10 minutes and didn't have anything so no problem. Then they asked if I knew the MLS for bass, which I did of course. They went off up the harbour and stopped a boat which was pretty obviously trolling for bass. I later heard that they had been done for £800. If your SFC is not doing this sort of thing, you need to ask why not and possibly inform DEFRA.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:55 am

TO ECCLES: CHEERS FOR THAT WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.

TO ROCKET: SHAME THE FISHERIES CANT GET A BIT TOUGHER AND GET THE PIER STAFF INVOLVED AS THEY SEEM TO BE MORE CONCERNED WITH ANGLERS FISHING FROM THE SHELTERS OUT OF SEASON !

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:33 am

try and find out who the local fisheries inspector is..if you let him know and he can catch the guy red handed then all the better..
last time i was at south fambridge there was an old guy fishing off the wall as i turned up when i asked him how he was getting on he proudly showed me a small codling he'd caught, he was obviously keeping it as it was dead and proud of the fact to but what could i do i dont know the area so dont know fisheries officer so i just told him he shouldnt be keeping undersized fish his reply was it was his first codling hes ever caught and he didnt know there was a limit for shore anglers..All i could do was walk away in dis belief

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:36 pm

I know what the NFSA size limits are but can I ask you all at what size you would really keep a fish, for instance - a bass. This is just to get a general feel for myself about what the sea angler feels is acceptable.

The reason why I'm asking is because I find it completely unforgivable to take small fish and I'm wondering whether or not you feel that the NFSA size limits are satisfactory. Would you feel that it is acceptable to keep a fish 1 cm undersize for instance or would you only keep a 45cm upwards Bass etc . bearing in mind also the difficulties in measuring a miffed fish.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:12 pm

Always put small fish back of any specie. My mate and I have a pact to put back any bass over 10 lbs too because at that weight, they are in prime breeding condition. Also, if we have enough fish in the freezer for two or three dinners, we put back everything. Trouble is so many folk are unbelievably greedy these days. Lets not forget that it ain't us that are the real culprits; one effin trawler with a skipper who doesn't care will kill thousands of small fish in just one session.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:19 pm

Way hey - trawler discussion winking

We can till our own garden even if we can't do anything about anybody elses.

Seriously though, thanks Eccles. 10lb is a BIG fish. How do you know the weight of a fish when you're out? Suppose it's just experience.

Guest

FatherJack wrote:

Way hey - trawler discussion winking

We can till our own garden even if we can't do anything about anybody elses.

Seriously though, thanks Eccles. 10lb is a BIG fish. How do you know the weight of a fish when you're out? Suppose it's just experience.

take some small scales with you.

You can get them quite cheaply from most tackle shops.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:49 pm

Thanks - I've shopped around and they are cheap. It's the only bit of kit I haven't got - I'll need them in future.

OK - so at what weight would you keep a Bass just say?

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:53 pm

Not a problem, we find that a lot of the fish have scales which they bring with them. Also we have a small spring balance which goes down to 10kgs, my mate reckons it goes up to 10kgs but he is a twat; of course it goes down to 10 kgs you can't hang it upside down can yers so it must go "down" to 10 kgs. My old man used to take a packet of 20 weights down the beach so he was OK wasn't he, but you can't get them anymore (showing me age now LOL). TBH I have caught so many bass in my time that I pretty well know what a 10 lber looks like these days but we have only had two this year.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:56 pm

ROFL

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 2:00 pm

Anyway FJ why aren't you at work instead of bumming around on this webby?