The Bass Ban

So have people stopped fishing for them or just stopped reporting, because i see as many people fishing my local Bass marks as before, as well as reports about catches.

how do you know they are fishing for bass

They were using Lug in close

They were using Lug in close

very good

On a more serious note i have heard the same reports from certain well known bass marks

Every time I have been out lately I have seen guys fishing for bass. The majority look like seasoned anglers who know what they are at.
As one guy said when asked "Sure there's no harm, I'll release them again"

there doesnt appear to be a closed season in Wexford either - and dressing it up as another species to target simply doesnt work!

i personally do not target them ,however all my bass marks are now smoothy marks aswell so i may be seen fishing a mark i get bass on but wouldnt be using the same rigs or methods,i would be dissapointed if i did contact with one ,it hasnt happened since the start of the ban and i dont think it will,so am i bold?you tell me

Ever since the bass ban was introduced down here i'd often take the mutt for a walk on the known bass marks in east cork and lone behold fellas fishing away as normal and some even showed me their catches proud as punch,that was until i told them my best friend was a fishery officer and they then seemed to pack up in a hurry.
Get this was in a tackle shop recently playing dumb[easy for me] usual question hows the fishing at the moment,oh loads of bass around,but asked is there not a ban at the moment,ah sure we don't keep them anyway,getting sick of these replies as it seems more often down here thats the attitude and we give out about the illegal netting,which incidently is rampant again in the harbour
Which is worse guys who claim to be ANGLERS targetting bass knowing about close season[tide minnow lures give it away and ye know who ye are] or the blatant ignoring of laws by some commercials and CHANCERS,equally as bad as each other imo.
Tight lines

Too bad we cant as a group, anglers, tackle dealers etc, maintain the higher moral ground over the commercials by adhering to a one month ban, flawed in the timing as it may be.

Why are existing laws not enforced? It just doesn't make sense. Everybody is moaning about the empty coffers - there is the goldmine! Unfortunately there would be some work involved for the bodies responsible. Why bother. Much easier to close both eyes. Just a few days to go anyway. Same everywhere. No one seems to care, littering, boy racers, drinking parties and general mayhem after 5pm. Very sad indeed... *rant over*

i was down in west cork today digging lug at one of my favourite flounder marks and a foriegn couple came down and set up rods 20 yards from me. i asked if there was many fish being caught and got told they had some flounder and a few bass a couple of days ago. when i asked how big the bass were the guy replied "small.....but very nice" with a big grin on his face. when i told him it was illegal to fish for Bass he looked at me with a big dopey head as if he didnt know. his car was parked next to a sign with the minimum landing size and closed season dates and when i asked if he read it i got the "me no speak english well enough" bull.
i told him i was calling the guards and headed to the car pretending to take their reg. he shouted something at me as i drove off but didnt catch it. i went for petrol and circled back 10 mins later and they were gone

Good on you, it's soo bloody annoying to see people blatantly ignoring this ban, maybe if there was a few examples made of a few people then you wouldn't have these situations on such a widespread scale

That's what i thought, its carry on as normal just don't post a shore report.

The reason i know is some of the marks in Wicklow where i am from are pretty much Bass only,
one in particular is busy every night of the week, you probably know the one i'm talking about
Roger i meet you there one night last year.
I know of guys in clubs & tackle shops who couldn't care less if there is a ban.
So i'm wondering what is the point really.

interesting phil, thankfully jokes aside for once, i havent caught a bass. though it must be said. i and everyone i know has been avoiding bass hotspots. bit sad that people are still out there fishing for them. they're are plenty of others species out there to target untill the 15 of june. sadly i doubt these anglers practice catch and realease also

now before i put this question out there i support the ban and dont target bass during the ban. but can some one tell me with the amount of fishing that goes on for bass during the ban ,numbers dont seem to be going down .what would be wrong with targeting them on a catch and release basis. if there is a genuine scientific reason for stopping fishing on a C&R basis i would like to know .it seems to be unpoliceable the way it is at the moment .

now before i put this question out there i support the ban and dont target Bass during the ban. but can some one tell me with the amount of fishing that goes on for Bass during the ban ,numbers dont seem to be going down .what would be wrong with targeting them on a catch and release basis. if there is a genuine scientific reason for stopping fishing on a C&R basis i would like to know .it seems to be unpoliceable the way it is at the moment .

jesus man ....obviously if your targetting bass even with the intention of C&R a certain percentage will be badly hooked or over stressed and wont go back and even those that you put back will be hugely stressed.its not unpoliceable,the relevant officers just need to have pride in their job,get up off their arse and catch these offenders.ive never once heard of fisheries officers apprehending offenders on their own initiative.....it always takes at least 3-4 calls from lads like us and then maybe theyll head out for a look....

.they should be ashamed of themselves,

think thats a bit harsh i agree theyre not visible but with the amount of coastline they have to cover i dont think they have the numbers

as i said i dont target bass myself during the ban but i just think there should be more impartial discussion from all sides about the issues and everyone should be able to put their point of view across without fear .

Laws mean nothing if they are not enforced, just take a look at speeding and how this has changed by enforcement.
The current law (closed season) as it stands for the recreational angler is very hard to enforce (i.e. prove someone is targeting bass), the other parts of the law are i.e. bag limits and size limits and a ban on commercial fishing should be straightforward to enforce.
Unless enforcement is improved and examples made of individuals people will still take the chance and flaunt the bass laws because they are not going to be caught or even the possibility of being caught is not there. This goes for all anglers recreational or commercial

If people want to have a go at the public service bring it to politics.ie or boards.ie