Posted: 30 Jun 2006 01:07 PM
Scottish coarse bait ban latest - proposals laid before Parliament

Proposals to ban the use of all coarse baits were today introduced to Scottish MPs.
They are included in the draft Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill, which has now been formally put before Parliament.
All interested parties have until September 15 to respond with any comments or evidence they wish the Scottish Executive’s Environment and Rural Development Committee to take into account, when it considers whether to agree the wording of the draft Bill later this year.
From there, the Bill will go before the Scottish Executive, which will decide whether it should become law.
Of most concern to pike anglers are proposals contained in the draft which would totally prohibit the use of coarse baits - live or dead.
Officials and the powerful Scottish game fishing lobby claim pike anglers' discarded baits have led to an explosion in non-indigenous species such as carp.
But many pikers believe that - if properly enforced - a system similar to the Section 30 regulations which exist throughout England and Wales would be a workable compromise.
A Pike Anglers Club spokesman said tonight: "There are clearly going to be some difficult times ahead for pike anglers on both sides of the border.
"The PAC committee is discussing the issues raised by the draft bill and we are drawing up our response in consultation with PAC members and other bodies in Scotland."

Relevant sections of the Bill can be viewed here:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/05/12163520/4

The deadline for responses is September 15.

They can be e-mailed to: ERDC@scottish.parliament.uk

Letters - maximum four sides of A4 - can also be sent to: Jenny Goldsmith, Assistant Clerk, Environment and Rural Development Committee, Room T1.01, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP.

Leisure giant Hoseasons has pledged to reword part of its boating brochure after complaints from predator anglers. Anger erupted after a line inviting holidaymakers to fish for their supper was revealed on Pike and Predators Forum.

Posters fired off e-mails telling the Lowestoft-based hire boat firm it was irresponsible.
Two fish a day can lawfully be removed for the table, while larger hire cruisers can have eight or more berths. The revelation came just weeks after pikers rode the backlash from claims fish were being netted wholesale to supply the deadbait trade.

One P&P poster received the following from Hoseasons:
"I have passed your comments on to our copywriter for future guidance. We will ensure this reference is edited out of the 2007 brochure.
"The copy obviously slipped through the net and being a fisherman I am sure you will appreciate that some do get away.
"Thank you for your help in pointing this out to us."
Popular Fens predator venue up for sale A pair ...

A pair of Fenland clay pits steeped in predator fishing history are being offered for sale as "a unique leisure development opportunity".

Roswell Pits on the outskirts of Ely, Cambs, have gone on the market for an undisclosed price tag, with hints a marina and housing could be built on the site.

Two lakes totalling 13.5 hectares and a further four hectares of land are being offered by agents Cheffins.

Vendors say the waters, originally dug to provide clay for floodbanks, could form an important part of the proposed Fen Waterways Link, which will join up 250km of waterways.

The lakes, which are connected to the Great Ouse, have thrown up record zander and pike nudging 30lbs over the years.

Fishing is currently controlled by the Ely Beet Club, which rents the waters for £1,000 a year.

But both this lease and that of Ely Sailing Club, who pay £2,400 a year to use the larger of the two lakes, have expired.

Sale particulars say: "Representations have been made to East Cambs council in respect of further development of the property, together with the adjoining land for a marina with chandlery and boatyard facilities, tourist and recreational areas as well as residential and commercial development to fund the project."
Pikers mourn brave David's passing Pike anglers a...

Pike anglers are today mourning the sad passing of David Overy, who lost his courageous battle with cancer last night.

He slipped away in a Dublin hospital, surrounded by his loved ones.
David was the president of the Irish Pike Society and a tireless campaigner against gill netters and pike killers.

Phil Wakeford, president of the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain said: "All of those that knew David will be upset by this devastating news and I am sorry to have to be the messenger.

"He was my best friend. We will all miss him greatly. One of the brightest stars in the pike fishing sky has gone out."

Get set for PIKING 2006, the predator event of the...

Draw a big red ring round September 23 on the calendar - because all roads lead to Leeds that day.

Advertising and promotions manager Mike Kelly has almost finished confirming the programme for PIKING 2006.

If the feedback from previous years is anything to go by, many regard the PAC's annual convention as the predator event of the year.

This year, the venue will again be the Royal Armouries Museum, in Leeds, Yorks. And once again, there'll be stalls from top tackle companies, the chance to buy and sell second-hand tackle, a mega raffle, pikers' forum and a line-up of top speakers which will be announced shortly.

Both members and non-members are welcome, tickets £7.50 (memb) or £8.50 (non-memb) on the door, which will be open from 9am. There will be ample food and refreshments, including a licensed bar on site.
Windermere, Ambleside and District AA - Problems a...

A minority of anglers are causing an increasing number of problems on Grasmere and Rydal, two well known pike venues in the Lake District.
Fires, overnight camping, damage to woodland, drystone walls and fences and large amounts of litter to name but a few. Repeated instances of permit and rod licence evasion are also of great concern.

Both fisheries are controlled by Windermere, Ambleside and District Angling Association (WADAA) who offer access to much of the lake shore through agreements with the National Trust, the Lake District National Park Authority and private landowners. The Association is concerned that the poor behaviour of a small number of anglers could well put at risk the current open access to both of these important waters.

In particular visitors will be reminded that night fishing, fires and camping are strictly prohibited at both fisheries - and that not all of the shoreline has access, stretches of private land are clearly defined.

Permits are readily available at £5 day, £10 week and £30 season. These can be obtained from agents in Grasmere Village (Newsagents, Post Office) and at other outlets locally. E-permits are even available from WADAA's own website, http://www.lakedistrictfishing.net/, which includes full details of the access to both Grasmere and Rydal and the available fishing.
You can read the full Press Release and details of all ticket outlets here.
Reservoir Expansion Could End Piking on Legendary ...

PAC treasurer John Synnuck has won an award for his work with junior anglers.

John does talks in schools about pike fishing on behalf of Junior Coarse Angling UK, an off-shoot of a group called Angling Projects.

Now Oxfordshire County Council's Educational Business Partnership are giving him an Investors in Education Award in recognition of his work.

Les Webber, who runs both Angling Projects and Junior Coarse Angling UK, said: "John goes into schools and does a lesson on pike fishing for us and he's very good at it. It's a very well-deserved award."

John said: "I think it's very positive. For the last 15 years Les Webber and Angling Projects have been going into schools and getting kids with behavioural problems out fishing.

"There's a noticeable improvement when they take fishing up."

Angling Projects has been helping youngsters stay on the rails by introducing them to fishing for 30 years.

Read about the sterling work they do at www.apex-web.co.uk/angling_projects/

Pike fishing is under threat from plans to expand Abberton Reservoir to bolster water supplies and improve duck habitats. Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW), which owns the lake, wants to increase depths by 9m, which would increase its bank area from four miles to six.

The water firm says it would help safeguard water supplies to the drought-threatened South-East, where hundreds of thousands of new homes are set to be built over the next decade. But the move would also flood the causeway which for years has been the only area of the reservoir where angling is permitted, meaning the road will need to be raised.

PAC member Bill Palmer, who has fished Abberton for 40 years, was invited to a meeting to discuss ESW's plans for the water last month. When he asked where anglers would be able to fish once the work was completed, officials told him: "You won't. We're stopping it."

Bill said: "The meeting started at 5.30 and i was on my way home at 6, after storming out spitting blood. the meeting was being held by two Essex & Suffolk managers and a Miranda Davis environment manager.

"When they started to show the plans of the raised road going over the reservoir (the only bit of the reservoir we can fish), I asked if we would still be able to fish from the road when the work was finished. I was told no, so I asked which part of the reservoir we would be allowed to fish. They then told me there would be no more fishing in the main reservoir.

"It's very sad. I don't know if the younger generation of pikers are ever going to get the chance to fish on there."

Bill believes pikers may have at most another season or two on the water before access is lost. ESW also plans to improve the reservoir as a habitat for migrating wildfowl. While anglers aren't allowed to fish vast areas of the water, bird watchers enjoy almost free access to large tracts of its banks. "Abbo" became legendary as a big fish water in the 1980s. It was the venue where Lea Valley legend Eddie Turner and his mates developed the drifter float. The method brought a string of big fish and today the reservoir, the vast amount of whch cannot be fished, still throws up the occasional high 20.

ESW is also applying to increase the amount of water it extracts from the Ely Ouse. Water is pumped to Essex via the Cut-Off Channel and a pipeline which runs from Blackdyke Pumping Station. There are fears the move could further reduce river flows in both the tidal and non-tidal river, which could in turn increase siltation. Siltation around the sluices at Denver has meant water is run off the freshwater river into the Relief Channel between tides. Last month, an EA scientist told King's Lynn Angling Association's agm savage winter run-offs had decimated fish stocks, with whole year classes of silver fish being literally sucked out to sea through the tail sluice at St German's.
Scottish Fisheries Review backs Call for Livebait...

Posted: 13 Jun 2006 09:45 AM
Scottish Fisheries Review backs Call for Livebait Ban

Pike anglers on both sides of the border were today studying proposals for a blanket ban on livebaiting in Scotland.

Announcing its response to the draft Aquaculture and Scottish Fisheries Bill yesterday, the Scottish Executive said:

"The Scottish Executive proposed a complete ban on the use of live vertebrates as bait due to the potential impact on the biodiversity of water bodies through competition and predation as well as the increasing the risk of disease and parasites to existing stocks.

"A majority of respondents agreed with the proposal. However a substantial minority of individuals objected, pointing out that most live bait users are responsible.

"The Scottish Executive intends to implement this proposal by drawing up an SSI to prohibit the use of live vertebrates as bait throughout Scotland. The Bill will contain an enabling power enabling the Scottish Ministers to prohibit such baits and lures as they may specify by statutory instrument."

The draft bill is now expected to go before the Scottish Parliament later this year.

A Pike Anglers Club spokesman said: "We're now studying the draft bill and speaking to our Scottish colleagues about its profound implications for all pike anglers.

"While we are still considering our response, these draconian proposals show why pike anglers need to unite and fight all threats to their sport - regardless of where they appear."

The Scottish Executive Response to consultation on the Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill can be viewed here.