Undersized Bass and stupidity

pheasentplucker · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:46 pm Post subject: Undersized Bass and stupidity

I read this article on the Total Sea Fishing magazine website and couldn't beleive the ignorance of some people. Nearly every one of us is after catching a decent size Bass, but with idiots like this it makes our sport even harder.

Angler Fined! - 14/03/2008A Lancashire angler who kept 17 undersized bass among a catch of 80 that he killed was fined £750 by magistrates at Holyhead on January 10th 2008.

Fishery officers from the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee and the Marine and Fisheries Agency mounted a joint operation to inspect the catches of anglers fishing from the rocks. In September last year they discovered Brendan Heap of Oldham, Lancashire, fishing in the Irish Sea at a bay near Wylfa Power Station, Anglesey, North Wales, the court was told.

The 41-year-old Heap was found to have 80 bass, 17 of which measured less than the legal minimum landing size of 36cm. He told fishery officers that he killed fish, and then measured them with his cosh. If they were under the minimum landing size he threw them back dead in the sea.

Pleading guilty to landing undersized bass, Heap told Holyhead Magistrates that some of the fish had died after swallowing the hook. He was fined £750 with £75 costs, and ordered to forfeit the undersized fish.

After the case, Fisheries Committee principal fishery officer Martyn Boyce said: “Minimum landing sizes are to protect juvenile stocks for future breeding. We will continue to enforce them in an even-handed way – whether the fish are landed by the commercial sector or sea anglers.”
at wits' end - New!

rabbi2 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject:

Serves the sod right, the fine should have been bigger to act as a deterant to others.

shannock · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject:

its nice to hear people being fined for taking undersized bass but he got away too lightly they should have taken all the fish all his gear hia car and still have fined him 17 times for each law broken if he was a comercial fisherman they could have taken his boat gear and all this guy probably soldthe other 63 bass and paid off his fine and still made a proffit as AL MURRAY would say SHAME ON YOU

DUFFISH · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:14 pm Post subject:

SILLY DIDIOT AS MY LITTLE GIRL POLITLY SAYS THERES NO FORGIVE NESS FOR COMMON SENSE WEATHER DIED ON THE HOOK OR NOT IT PAYS TO BE SURE AND KEEP THE SPORT IN CHECK ARE WE IMMAGRANTS OR WOT! OOPSA I MENT FORIEGN GUEST!!!!!!!!!!

gazza76 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject:

BLOODY HELL and i got fine 150 for drink driving and 500 pound for gbh wish i battered fish now .
Gary ps was a few ago though

thebigbassman · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:48 pm Post subject:

serves him right for taking he fish out of my waters devil

rabbi2 · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:04 am Post subject:

Some time ago I posted a tale about 4 people of the far eastern fraternity who were deliberately foul hooking flatties by using trebbles. I reported them to the coatguard who gave them a warning as the bailiff was not available. This is common practice in their own country apparently and is very lucrative as they pulled out 80 plus using this method. Lets hope that it doen't become the norm over here. angry

MJB · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:50 am Post subject:

Why has all this immigrant cobblers reared it's head on this thread.

Mr Heap is no immigrant, in fact he's a part-time bailiff on some coarse fisheries in his area.

Welchy · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:34 am Post subject:

Imo there is no excuse for a recreational angler to kill as many fish as Mr Heap, I only take an occasional fish for the table because I strongly believe in conservation so future generations can also enjoy our great sport.

thebigbassman · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:39 pm Post subject: