fish fairly and skilfully.
I visited one last year on an invitation match and was very puzzled by the strictness applied by the owners. Bait restrictions abound at these venues and it often leaves me wondering where it will end. One thing is for certain though, none of them read the same books because they all have their own theories on what to allow and what to ban. I find the bans all a bit clinical, especially when it is stated that you can only use a certain volume of bait in total. I also feel that these bans are trying to make us all fish like robots and will eventually render the art of watercraft worthless. If bans are to be exercised I think that they should be policed, how many times have you fished one of these waters and had your hooks checked? And how often have you heard a rumour after a match that the winner must have been breaking this or that rule? On a charity match I helped organise last year I disqualified four anglers for using barbed hooks on a water that made it clear that barbless hooks only were permitted. The sad thing was that one of the anglers caught fished at national championship level and was fishing against juniors and seniors alike. Having an unfair advantage is not about skill and the true spirit of sportsmanship and I would publicly ban anyone breaking any reasonable rule. But what has all this to do with groundbait! Well it would seem that most of these bans are aimed at bait because some naive fishery owner thinks that someone may eventually discover the ultimate secret bait and win every match and cause attendances to drop to the point of bankruptcy. It’ll never happen! Fish ain’t stupid. They become educated and do change their food preferences throughout the season. What’s more, fish do prefer a varied diet, so when a fishery becomes a bit sick, because 3 pints of fat saturated meat per angler has been thrown in twice a weekend, we shouldn’t be surprised. One genuine concern all fishery owners should have is the use of TROUT PELLETS. The fact remains that they are not suitable for coarse fish and cause toxins to build up in the fishery that damages the Aqua culture and also causes digestive disorders in many species, this is a TIME BOMB waiting to go off , and any self respecting fishery owner should take professional advise immediately. Historically, groundbait in one form or other has been used for hundreds of years. Sir Isaac Walton relates to it in his famous work when discussing the taking of bream. Years ago anglers used sacks-full on the Fens and other waterways. Trout pellets on the other hand, are a modern invention for the cultivating and rapid growth of trout. Trout have a different digestive system to carp and all trout farms have a massive throughput of water to flush the toxins out of the pond. I hope that one day common sense will prevail and anglers are treat with the respect that they deserve as paying customers and that fisheries apply the rules that help anglers catch
fish fairly and skilfully.