Statement from the Angling Trust on the national lockdown rules

[R0B]

It is frustrating and it's true that some things which are allowed seem at odds with the overall rules, but if you allow angling you allow all the extra s**t that comes with it; people driving 300 mile roundtrips to "their syndicate", buying bait from tackle shops, stopping at motorway petrol stations, visiting the angler in the next peg etc..all person to person contact whether outside or not will spread the virus. You all know that people have been bending the rules already and will carry on doing so. Fishing is a luxury and the associated contact is avoidable, so we don't do it.

Yes you will come into contact with people in a supermarket, yes you will also if your work dictates it - but these are essentials, what they are trying to do is control the things that can be controlled, i.e anything outside of work and essential living. Going for a walk, run or cycle for an hour from your doorstep is important exercise with low person to person risk, loading up the car with 300kg of tackle in a barrow and heading off for 8 hours 60 miles away to a busy waterway isn't. I am as gutted as anyone, and It would have been nice to have had a welsh style rule where you can walk or cycle to fish locally - but people would moan about that still and they'd likely bend/break the rules anyway.

I just hope when I go for my walk along the river, that I don't see anyone fishing.

 

[Dave]

It's the same as posting on Facebook about not going fishing will have a serious impact on their mental health - the reality of the situation for many is Facebook has a serious impact on mental health !

Seriously, it is depressing and embarrassing reading some of the content posted on there from people you assumed to be adults.

 

[gingert76]

i wish i was a admin Dave on FB as i would have a bloody field day lol, the disappointing thing for me is its not just a few people/anglers, the stupidity/selfish virus has spread much faster than covid it seems!

 

[SteveinSwindon]

They better get down the ribble, it was rammed at 4pm this afternoon

And given the comments on the Ribble Catch Reports facebook page, it will remain as busy throughout the lockdown as loads are saying they won't stop fishing, especially on the free stretch

 

[juttle]

Fishing is the only thing I leave the house for. I usually manage two sessions a week and at this time of year it’s for my beloved piking. Being disabled I’m very limited in my activities and consider myself lucky to still be able to fish, in fact it’s probably the only thing that keeps me sane! The rest of the week I’m just a grumpy old cripple cluttering up the house and getting in the way. You can’t imagine how (insert expletive here) off I am at not being able to carry out the one and only activity that I’m capable of! However, for the good of all, fishing is now banned, am I happy about it? Well, I’m sure you know the answer to that. Will I still go despite the ban? No, of course not! However much it annoys me I can see the sense in the lockdown and I’ll be doing as I’m told.

it’s a shame that the usual suspects probably won’t having discovered a suitable loophole in the new regs to suit their particular agenda which, in their me, me, me, world allows them to carry on without a thought for anyone else!

 

[gingert76]

these might help!

10 best fishing games for Android

Even if we want to, we can't go fishing for real every day. With these mobile games, you definitely can. Here are the best fishing games for Android!

www.androidauthority.com

Which PC game has the best fishing?

Fishing in games should be a relaxing activity, but also an exciting one. Which game does it best?

www.pcgamer.com

‎Let's Fish: Fishing Games 2020

‎Grab your fishing tackle & go on a fishing adventure! Fishing game #1 in 2020. It’s time to Go Fishing with Let’s Fish, the best fishing simulator and free online game of 2020! Looking for free fishing games (bass fishing, ice fishing, fly fishing, sport fishing, big fish fishing and more) or...

apps.apple.com

 

[Silverfisher]

For what it’s worth I think the restrictions on any outside activities that don’t involve close or physical contact or shared equipment are daft as their is no scientific basis for it as it has now been proved beyond doubt that the risk in the open air is tiny. Therefore I have no problem with people going fishing from the health point of view as they aren’t realistically putting anyone’s life at risk and anyone who says they are who’s been fishing themselves any time in I’d say the last 6 weeks is a bit of a hypocrite.

But I do very much have a problem with people going fishing from the point of view of breaking the rules. The rules, both those arbitrary and necessary, haven’t been put in place to irritate us but to try and protect the health service so the least we can do is have the decency to follow them. Also if you break the more trivial rules you do sort of lose your right to feel aggrieved about those that are breaking the really necessary rules. If you break any of the rules you’re being a bit of a knob. Yes maybe not as big a knob as others breaking other vital rules but a bit of a knob nonetheless therefore you really shouldn’t be breaking them.

On a personal level a fishing ban for a couple months at this time of year doesn’t really bother me as it’s hardly a good time for anglers anyway. I haven’t fished in nearly a month anyway due to a mix of floods, frosts and isolation and I would imagine over the next couple months repeats of each of those wouldn’t let me fish much more than a couple times anyway. Therefore a much better timed ban than the spring lockdown where you could have been out everyday! In fact last year I didn’t fish at all in January and February due to a mix of the weather, illness and other commitments so purely from the fishing point of view this year will be no different. Now I’ve said that the rest of the winter will probably be mild and dry but just Sod’s law if it is! I’m far more aggravated by the only leave the house once thing than the fishing ban as that is pushing control over people a bit much but as it’s a rule I shall have no choice but to follow it.

Basically it is what it is. So what really if you miss some fishing through a rubbish fishing time of year. Look on the bright side next time you go fishing a fair few million will have been vaccinated and the weather will be better. In the meantime gets some books, do some cooking, do some diy, watch England in the subcontinent, the 6N and a possible Utd v Pool title race , try not to go stir crazy and hope this doesn’t go on too long

 

[Dave]

i wish i was a admin Dave on FB as i would have a bloody field day lol, the disappointing thing for me is its not just a few people/anglers, the stupidity/selfish virus has spread much faster than covid it seems!

You wouldn't last a day Tony

Admin/Moderator on here is walk in the park compared to Facebook.
On here you are watching over a busy forum which is being used by mainly sensible adults, and if anything keeping the forum on the tracks from the odd indiscretion, fending off the occasional spammer who gets past the filters, dealing with user enquiries.

On FB, it's like trying to stop an out of control train heading down the tracks to oblivion. The mentality of some FB users is questionable, and I've yet to see anywhere in print or on-screen that says you can abuse, slate, libel, mock, people and organisations regardless if factual or 'in your head' , yet the platform allows people to do so and the moderation is none existent at the best of times across FB and many groups. To be honest I reckon that a lot of moderators/admins on a lot of the groups have either given up, thrown the towel in, or perversely like the attention the shit storms create.
On the Maggotdrowning group we've got a good set of thick-skinned moderators, but at times it's easier to just delete a member and their content without warning, than try to moderate their rants and postings. We've found that to just remove content doesn't work because they still think they've the God given right to post whatever and however they want.

 

[gingert76]

lol i would Dave but there would be a lot less people hahaha and im sure people would call me a but rules would be enforced!

Same as just now, people cannot even read a simple announcement! and then jump on the "free speech" band wagon!!! FB isnt free speech (up to FB banning you) and then posting in moderated pages is also a different set of rules i.e the rules set by the page owners so again not free speech.

People simply think they can do what they like, when they like, how they like and stick two fingers up to anyone who doesnt agree lol, i put it down to a simple lack of rational boundaries and common-sense

 

[Dave]

Back in the days of the first lockdown announcements re fishing I removed 70+ members from the group in a few days, purely to stop the train and clean it up. It worked and all we have to do now is top up the banned list now and again

What some people seem to forget is platforms such as this one, and Facebook, are open to the public for viewing. The public can be anyone, man, woman, child, adult, sensitive, thick-skinned, mental health issues, or not - and the content on these platforms can be read in so many different ways depending on who's reading it.

 

[alsur]

A typical fishing trip for me involves driving to venue unlocking, opening, closing and locking gate twice on way it way out I clean hands with alcohol gel but does everybody else, inevitably someone will come to close to me in fact I have stood to close to someone without thinking. I will occasionally need to fill up my car, I don't normally go to tackle shop for bait but plenty of other people do. All those potential risks will be eliminated by me and others not going fishing.

 

[oldmanriver]

It's NOT the (not)fishing that's the problem it's all the others things that get you too (not) there that's the problem
Stay safe all.

 

[Silverfisher]

Thing is even getting to fishing is pretty damn safe unless you are irresponsible or just don’t think it through. The cars already got petrol in from day to day life which was filled up in a mask and gloves then sanitize afterwards. Your bait is picked up in a mask from a shop with a 100th the footfall of an average supermarket and you sanitise afterwards. Then you drive to a club venue that doesn’t involve buying day tickets or unlocking any gate (a normal gate can be opened by sleeved hand, foot or elbow) and you start fishing well spaced from anyone else. Obviously not everyone’s fishing is that easy but also not everyones involves stopping umpteen times on the way on the way, fortknox like gates, interacting closely with people and handling cash or tickets. I’d say the average persons fishing doesn’t involve many risky scenarios. It’s as safe or as unsafe as you want to make it really. If you are going down the lower risk option then the risk you’re taking is tiny compared to all the other risks we have to take like food shopping and work so the percentage risk you’d be adding by fishing is so small if you’re doing it responsibly that it’s not worth worrying about.

But all that’s academic as we can’t go anyway just have to find other ways of amusing ourselves. Dom Garnetts lure fishing book is how I’ll be spending today as it happens

 

[gingert76]

i can walk 150 yards to the beach, using frozen bait from my freezer and easily fish - no travel, no interaction with anyone, no buying anything!

but im not arguing for me to go fishing, im not saying but im not driving, im not saying well im not stopping or shopping anywhere - i simply accept that fishing is banned and i wont go! doesnt matter that my circumstances are 100% easier than others and that i can guarantee i will not see or touch or be within 2m of another person - its for the good of all of us so no fishing!

 

[mickthechippy]

I'm all for a full lockdown but I don't understand why some clearly more risky things are allowed while others arguably less so are not. I was genuinely asking the question in the hope someone would rationalise it for me. I thought maybe I'd misread something.

because exercise is allowed

sport apart from elite sport is not at the moment

wait a while and we may get the green light as we did in the previous lockdown scenarios

 

[Dave]

It's called sticking together

 

[Wise Owl]

It's called sticking together

Mmmmmmmm that sounds fun, if only with people in yer Bubble

 

[mickthechippy]

It's called sticking together

pages,

(honest Im not bored in lockdown)

 

[Peter]

i wish i was a admin Dave on FB as i would have a bloody field day lol,

There's not enough hours in the day Tony. It's the one part of MD's that I'm not involved in Admin/Moderator wise despite several attempts by Dave to get me on board, as I know that I would end up having to ban myself.
The one good thing is that this pandemic has allowed me to sort the wheat from the chaff and substantially trim down the list of "Friends" in my contact list as people have shown themselves up for what they are.

 

[mickthechippy]

There's not enough hours in the day Tony. It's the one part of MD's that I'm not involved in Admin/Moderator wise despite several attempts by Dave to get me on board, as I know that I would end up having to ban myself.
The one good thing is that this pandemic has allowed me to sort the wheat from the chaff and substantially trim down the list of "Friends" in my contact list as people have shown themselves up for what they are.

even I turned down the offer of modding the facey account

I know my limits !