French anglers catch and kill 9 Bass off of Inch last week

the biggest lake in cavan

could you send me some info on this? sorry lads dont mean to go off topic...

"No offense to geniune Kayak fishermen,But it seems that more and more people are investing in kayaks as a more productive and an inexpensive way to get to certain Bass hotspots that would be unaccessible to the ordinary guy on foot.Ive never seen so many people fishing in kayaks in my life this summer.It seems to be the craze of the moment."

Yip... thats the point...and all the kayak fishing people i know are "genuine anglers" ask Donal.......

Guys please dont divide over this issue - I know it can be 'emotional' at times 'passionate' even, but the species needs your support and co-operation now more than ever.

MikeQ & The Austrian (and others): you really seem to think that all foreign anglers are bad and all Irish ones are angels.

While I agree that there are a lot of Eastern European illegally taking fish and that it's a disgrace and needs to be sorted out. There are still of lot of illegal fishing and poaching done by Irish people and nothing is getting done about this either (i.e. the massive salmon killings that happened on the Moy, everyone was filling their cars, 80-90% were Irish).
The only reason we tend to notice the foreign incidents more is that they are more of them fishing for food as it's a more common way on the continents to get free food compared to here.

Until there are not enough bailiffs/officers to control fishing, things will just go from bad to worth. I wouldn't be against introducing a rod license in Ireland (freshwater and saltwater alike) if that meant that the money collected through the license could help set up some kind of efficient fishing police.

As it stands people are not being stopped when they something wrong so why would they stop, regardless whether they are Irish or foreign...

Wow.


I agree with catch and release (just wish I had more opportunity to practice it ), I don't keep fish I'm not going to eat except mackerel I'm going to use for bait, I don't thrash my marks or treat them like sewers. Normally all I bring home is my rubbish. I think this is a pretty reasonable way of doing things.

Some of the stuff I've read in this thread though is crazy.


Firstly the thing of blaming foreigners, eastern europeans, etc. I don't buy it.

1) I recently had a conversation at a mark with a guy who says he likes to keep undersize bass because "they are pan sized". He is Irish.

2) The worst offender I know for keeping undersize fish is my old man. He will keep fish you'd be embarrassed to catch, and he won't be told differently. Thankfully he’s not a prolific angler. He's Irish too.

3) Two of my local marks are so unpleasant to fish I don't bother with them anymore. One is a rock mark and needs a good storm every week or so to scour it down, the other is a pier mark. The amount of rubbish and the smell of wee at both puts me off. The pier mark has almost exclusively Irish anglers on it.

Now before everyone kicks off, I'm sure "the forriners" can have bad habits, but so can the paddies - I'll judge the person on his actions and not than where he's from.

Secondly, how to deal with people breaking the rules: Throw them in the drink - are you serious???!!!! Assault with intent - you could be looking at up to 5 years (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1994/en/act/pub/0002/sec0018.html. Also don't forget to check his swimming certificate before you chuck him in.

(Also, the restaurants that buy all this fish at the back door, they would be Irish, no?)


I think this would be a much better thread without the hysteria, where it was clear what the regulations were, and with proper advice on what to do when you see them being broken. For the title alone I would like if the moderators would close this thread.

Lastly I wish I knew what "they" were doing to catch all these fish (apart from the netting) - I am on a terrible run of form at the moment!

Cheers.

[MikeQ]

MikeQ & The Austrian (and others): you really seem to think that all foreign anglers are bad and all Irish ones are angels.

No I dont, Im reporting on facts that I know, as soon as im aware of Irish guys doing it Ill be on here bitching about them as well. But like I say, dont expect me to hide the fact that these two were French!! The bass that im talking about were killed by two FRENCH anglers. And if that doesnt sit well with you because you're French then too bad. I have the right to publish the nationality of any poachers I know about. If you wanna publish facts concerning Irish poaching then by all means, give me the dates the times, where they live, where they fish, what was taken etc instead of drawing conclusions about what I think about foreign anglers. If you have that sort of information please feel free to start another thread and title it "Irish anglers kill........" I guarantee I wont be on going "oh i dont think its right you published the nationality of the two offenders!!!! I know you live in Cork - Go read the Evening Echo court case page, when they arrest a foreign national for something I think you'll find they publish thier identity!!!! They dont go oh lets not publish his identity because then every other person from the same country is going to look like a criminal!!

Last edited by MikeQ on Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Firstly the thing of blaming foreigners, eastern europeans, etc. I don't buy it.


For the title alone I would like if the moderators would close this thread.

Cheers.

Wether you buy it or not doesnt matter a bit to the people who fish ALOT and see it going on all the time. You arm chair anglers whose rods see the light of day maybe once a month make me laugh, you sit on your arses and dispute facts being given to you by guys who fish 5 and 6 days a week!! I fish nearly everey day of the week, some months i fish an entire month with maybe a day or two that I dont, I know who i see killing fish, wrecking marks and generally being obnoxious and here's a newsflash - THEY AINT IRISH!!!!! Now maybe thats because the Irish guys are better at not getting seen and caught, I cant say, all I can comment on is what I see. And as for your request for the moderators to close the thread because of the title ill draw your attention to how crime is reported in our news papers as well, when a crime is being reported in any newspaper in the land ill think you'll find they ALWAYS report the persons nationality.

Cheers for reporting this Mike and regards to the heading maybe you should have put in it "politically correct do gooders don't read this"
Why does someone always have to turn it into a "you can't say that thread"?
this thread was started to highlight a wrong doing, about BASS fishing
Can we all not focus on that an that alone, the other topic will just go on and on and never get sorted!!

well said mike and austrian
this illegal fishing ,poaching, and [anglers] killing undersized Bass,
taking more than the 2 Bass limit is happening country wide .

this evening i was talking to my brother and happen to say him
that i was heading out to do some plugging and where i was going ,jesus he said i was talking to a chap last night and he told me that him and his mate have being hammering Bass for the last 3 weeks and that last night we had 19 Bass he was boasting
to my brother about the MONEY they had made from selling the Bass

these to guys where using kiaks and had dublin accents they where
fishing between courtown and cahore

unfortunately my brother is not an angler and he never met your
man before , the conversation come up in a pub

so anybody fishing this area keep an eye out for this pair

I,ve seen these guys fishing mitch between Roney and pollshone,In a 2 man Kayak ,1 guy got dropped off onto a small island ,where he fished and where he was witnessed plugging for Bass and catching plenty with none C and R while
the other guy was also witnessed landing Bass with no C and R .Dont know what nationality they were ,But its not the point its illegal and to do this in broad daylight
Just another point ,Aurelian made a couple of posts earlier in where he was misunderstood,as i for sure know he is a true and passionate conservationist when it comes to Angling,Wether its coarse ,pike or sea fishing,I know he has caught alot of Bass in Dublin and surrounding areas with the majority caught and released.I think what he was trying to say is yes im a french angler but didnt want to be portrayed or perceived to be as ruthless heartless or mindless as the french person in the 1st post.
This kind of illegal activty is happening on almost every shoremark where Bass can be caught around ireland im sure.

No offense to geniune Kayak fishermen,But it seems that more and more people are investing in kayaks as a more productive and an inexpensive way to get to certain Bass hotspots that would be unaccessible to the ordinary guy on foot.Ive never seen so many people fishing in kayaks in my life this summer.It seems to be the craze of the moment.

Dude Im sure Aurelien is a fine upstanding citizen Im not thick, I know just because these guys are French doesnt mean that every French angler is a greedy selfish person. Anybody with half a brain should, I thought we were all thinking adults, i didnt think that needed to be explained to people! Maybe next time ill draw some pictures

Please note, guys: The mods are indeed watching this thread closely. Some of the content has veered towards off-topic and has come close to being edited/pruned. But for the sake of letting everyone express their opinions in a mature, reasoned manner, it hasn't quite come to that yet. Not quite yet.

Please play nicely.

Lad first of all I cant believe youve been allowed to post this with your headline and that mods have let it through.

Secondly its not only 'Foreigners' who are killing the bass stocks theres plenty of people every week pulling undersize bass out of the water.

I think if people were informed that a double figure bass would be well over 15 years old people may think twice when pulling undersize fish out of the sea.

If this has upset you so much why didnt you pull the person(s) up on the matter and make him realise what he was doing isnt acceptable specially as you seem to know him by name and also have his number!?!

Doesnt matter what nationality he was, yes your damned right its disgusting but its not only 'French Anglers' who are killing the stocks.

Peace out brother.

! Maybe next time ill draw some pictures [/quote]

Maybe next time bring a camera ,take some proper pictures of the culprits in action,pass them on to the authorities and hey who knows you might get a conviction Thats what a thinking adult with half a brain might have done

Mike im on your side and i accept your primary issue here,you have been vocal in your point of view and have got your anger at this issue put across this topic.

thanks for clarification mike ...

So to come back to the real issue in this post, which is an infraction to the bass angling regulations ...

I remember having read something about water keepers but can t remember if it could be applied to seashore ...

If not there is maybe a way to create a kind of a network of "sentinels" who can have a sort of agreement with cfb and other law enforcement agency. They can have all numbers ect ...

A formal request to the cfb asking for more control on bass marks could be submitted as well ...

Maybe some well known poachers for who nobody has proof can maybe be look after by fi
Fisheries officers. While patrolling you can see make, model and registration of cars.

And something that would great also would be a sort of guideline for the welfare of the fish when practicing catch and release, a kind of leaflet that can be distributed by tackle dealers.

It can be as well good for those who speak foreign languages to have a look regurlarly on forums, magazine to see if some infractions can be found and then send a letter to the editor for complaint (remember 4 years ago reading an article on a forum about livebaiting for pike around carrickmacross) ...

if people knows that an "organisation" is looking after the coastline and the fish, some of them may think twice before breaking the laws...
Is there an official/legal size list for sea fish as well?

@MikeQ, respect for telling it how it is. Those people who dont like hearing nationalities mentioned and instead keep bringing "the irish are as bad" lines arent seeing the bigger picture. I agree, summertime (for the most part) brings a particular breed of irish "angler" to the fore and their actions are sometimes less than palatable. However, if you take a drive, at any time of the year, to ANY convenient fishing platform be it a pier, be it a comfy rock, whatever and tell me what you find there. With their plastic bags full of tiddlers, mutilated dogfish, etc etc. They arent Irish and for the sake of being PC, to pretend otherwise is daft. Its not racist, its not xenophobic to say that, thats how it is. The coarse angling lads have no issue whatsoever naming and shaming and including nationalities and neither should we.

Totally agree with you Mike,Pete has made a very valid point in saying that a certain type or breed of irish angler appears during summer,these people can be oblivious to any rules regulations etc,but it disgusts me regarding the OTHER type of anglers that have made ireland their home the last few years and their attitude to conservation or lack of it.
I don't think its a coincidence that irish waterways are void of fish in certain places in particular easy access ask people what the waterways were like 5 or 6 years ago .The scenario is like this in my opinion,ireland has always had a large fishing population,that had people that never practised catch and release but would rarely keep 3 or 4 inch tiddlers hence fish would have been there the next day,the others kill everything.All the extra anglers on our waters the last few years has just been too much pressure for the fish .
An irish international fly fisherman i work with had a chat with a polish international champion whilst on duty a few years ago,he asked whats the story with the killing of everything,the polish lad was so apologetic and WORRIED for irish waters as he explained it this way if there are 10 fish in a lake his countrymen will fish there until the last fish is caught and then move on to the next lake and do the same thing result fishing finished on the lake or river.The only good thing he said was that these days the penny has dropped with some of his countrymen and catch and release is been more widely practiced back in poland.
Yes this topic started off about illegally keeping bass for sale and should'nt be forgotten,its wrong full stop whatever nationality carries it out and punishment should be equally dished out.To all who know of such activity going on please please report to the authorities and don't turn away or stick the heads in the sand otherwise nothing will ever be done about it.
On the other topic yes this problem may always be here as long as the other anglers are in ireland,but if we don't speak up and show some interest in protecting the aquatic life on this island that our great ancestors enjoyed as a source of enjoyment and way of living and surviving,then future generations will never have that experience,they will have been robbed by "us" for not standing up for what we believe in and protecting what should be protected by us.

If the moderators are still following this thread, could I request that they create a sticky somewhere on the site with contact details of all relevant authorities around the country that anglers can ring if they see something illegal happening.
Websites such as this one should be ACTIVELY promoting these contact details and promoting anglers to put the relevant numbers on their mobile phones.
When a thread like this one occurs the mods could direct it to the link.

The authorities may be weak but if they were to begin to get a constant blizzard of calls from worried anglers it may increase their action.

Also, I recently sent a submission to the new Inland Fisheries Board (responsible for coasts too). In it I included a proposal to create a volunteer group around the coast of a couple of hundred anglers who could identify themselves to anglers acting illegally requesting them to stop and advising that details are being passed to the local authorities. We should have volunteers who know and act with local fisheries officers. I'm sure a lot of people would volunteer to be eyes and ears and a sustained approach may help turn the tide.
Ringing our hands on a forum will not change these people. Some kind of sustained actions on the beaches is our only chance, backed up by convictions.

If the moderators are still following this thread, could I request that they create a sticky somewhere on the site with contact details of all relevant authorities around the country that anglers can ring if they see something illegal happening.
Websites such as this one should be ACTIVELY promoting these contact details and promoting anglers to put the relevant numbers on their mobile phones.
When a thread like this one occurs the mods could direct it to the link.

The authorities may be weak but if they were to begin to get a constant blizzard of calls from worried anglers it may increase their action.

Also, I recently sent a submission to the new Inland Fisheries Board (responsible for coasts too). In it I included a proposal to create a volunteer group around the coast of a couple of hundred anglers who could identify themselves to anglers acting illegally requesting them to stop and advising that details are being passed to the local authorities. We should have volunteers who know and act with local fisheries officers. I'm sure a lot of people would volunteer to be eyes and ears and a sustained approach may help turn the tide.
Ringing our hands on a forum will not change these people. Some kind of sustained actions on the beaches is our only chance, backed up by convictions.

Like this? Thanks due to alano for putting it up.

Very good, thanks mods.

Ok, having read most of the posts on this thread this is my two penneth. Yes, it's infuriating, yes, it's illegal and yes, it is true that a lot (not all) of these instances are caused by persons of foreign extraction who fish with different morales and ethics to us as this is how it generally happens in their countries.
However, we are all guilty in some way or another, even if it is by doing nothing about it.
My suggestion (most of it is common sense) is this: If you see someone (whatever nationality) taking more than permitted or under size then you should go right up to them and make it as clear as you can that it is wrong to do so and that the laws of the country apply. If they continue then most of us have camera phones so take a picture or two of the catch plus their boat race and clothing worn. If they get shirty, take the high moral ground and just walk away. I know that's really hard to do but if they take a swing at you then it is they that have committed assault, not you. You have them by the short and curlies then! They won't want to go fishing if it ends up in court every time with a fine or worse.
To get across the language barrier (which of course doesn't really exist) I suggest that the authorities print small cards stating the laws regarding angling in several languages and they are made available through angling shops etc for free (a bit like tide tables). That way we can all carry a couple for handing out to these offenders.
This is a problem we all face throughout the country, whether it be illegal catches or littering etc.
We all have a responsibility to stop it and educate folk. We don't want to stop them fishing, we just want them to play fair and do their bit for conserving the stocks for the enjoyment of all.

Haven't been on in a while...but just to add some petrol to the fire...!

The anglers in question had something of a bumper week. I happened to bump into a local whilst on holiday there and was moaning about the quality of the bass fishing in Brandon Bay - he said that Inch was the place to try and his French friends who were on holiday there had caught over 50 bass in a couple of nights fishing. He followed this comment with "needless to say - not a single one went back!". Unfortunately this comment was followed by a smile and a laugh...not by a frown. As you could expect I made my feelings on the subject known.

One can only assume these are the same anglers the original thread was about. I don't give a damn about nationality, anglers are anglers - rules are rules.

Having said that, this behaviour in this area doesn't shock me. In my weeks holidays I witnessed:
- A trawler from a nearby pier sweeping Fermoyle (not 300 yards out) at 6am
- A net off the rocks to the right of Ballyquinn Beach
- Two guys arriving and docking a small boat at 6.20am in Cappagh channel. Me: "Were you out fishing lads"? Them: "Just doing a bit of spinning, caught nothing". Me, having looked in their boat: "Bit hard to catch any fish when you don't have any rods lads?". I won't print their response and threats.

PS - in 10 years visiting the area it was the worst year of fishing by far. And yes, a report was made locally.