13lb Bass Waterford

absolutly Kieran. and it makes sense that if ppl feel the need to get the names of the bailifs out there they just post for ppl to go on the cfb site r ring them up themselves. but again i think we all need to have the numbers in our mobiles when we go fishing!!1 why just leave it to the visiting anglers to look after our fishing!!!

Am I the only one missing the point? A bailiffs job is to enforce the law, we all know how to get the bailiffs details, I know who my local bailiff is, I'm sure the local bad guys know who the local good guys are :D

Now I could understand a local rapid response bailiff unit not wanting to be known but I can see that happen! 6 ex FCA soldier wannabes getting their chance to shoot at something real :D :D Target practice!

Think about this picture......angler sees poacher....takes picture on communications device capable of recording moving pictures of poaching activity. A local waterkeeper cunningly has one of these futuristic devices, views the evidence and assembles his posse of local townsfolk. They jump into their horseless carriage and wait at smugglers creek for favourable winds to fill the poachers sails to return them to shore with their booty.

The only problem with this is that we need someone to invent the technology cos the political willpower is there. ahem.

Hello,

I just want to make a point regarding the comment someone made when asked if the 13lb Bass was returned?

Sorry I can't remember who it was but after kstaff was asked if he returned the Bass some one said this:

'ah lads give the man his due. its a 13lb fish has done plenty of breeding!'

I don't mean to sound patronising but I disagree with this statement. The man got his due by hooking and landing the fish. What more can you ask for? I personally get my due when I see fish swimming off. It also seems a bit hypocritical when you consider all the debating about poachers and bailiffs that has been underway through this thread.

Don't forget it can take up to 25 years for a Bass to reach 10lb!!!!

Thanks for listening
John D

I think we'd all have liked to have seen it released, but in fairness to kstaff he did say

spent 5 minutes in the surf trying to get it to swim off but it just wouldn't move. I'd rather eat it than see it washed up next day. I did try to return and was almost beaten up for it too!!!

While a large fish has a disproportionately larger and more successful spawning potential than a smaller fish, at least that one had a chance to contribute to the future bass population - any bass under about 45-50cm would probably not have, particularly in the more northern part of their range where growth is slower.

Rather than say only eat the small ones, or the medium ones, or only the large ones, I say only keep what you need or what you can't viably return.
I'm open to correction here but I feel stocks would be best served if, when we decide to keep a fish, we take a big one one time, next time small one, next time a medium one so that we're not all hammering the same section of the stock all the time.

It's also important to keep sight of the fact that, conservation aside, we as anglers have every right to keep a fish if we want. As with most things, a balanced view and a bit of sense go a long way....

Is it only me or are some members p**sed off over this fish being taken for the table. :?: :shock:
I think this is way off base. I fish with kstaff on almost if not every session and in 16 years of fishing together I could count the number of fish he has kept on my fingers. 8)
There are certain individuals round these parts netting bass and take more in one night than some anglers take in a lifetime.
Surely these are the people that we want concentrate our efforts on and not an angler that has taken one bass in almost 2 decades fishing. :?:

Fair point coaster.
Sorry if I personally seem to have been taking a snipe at kstaff. I do realise that kstaff tried to revive the fish anyway.

Regards,
John D

Hi all,
Sorry to see another great catch turning into a debate about whether he shoulda put it back or not, but thats the way more and more "thinking" anglers are thinking these days great init! Hey sounds like Kstaff felt P'd off about the fish failing to revive and thats gud enough for me, so fair play eh great fish.
Other point about poachers and bailiffs. I am sorry but my experience of the powers the bailiffs have to adequately slap the wrists of these sub-human scumbags who net your bass and rip off your resourse are next to nil. The fines etc that are given are pathetic and can be paid off in a few nights netting. The bailiffs know this and the poachers know it, and not the small scale poachers either netting a few bass for the local chinky, but big operations exporting illegal bass hidden amongst legal fish.
The last net i reported in your waters was approximately 1000metres long and the perpetrator was a known illegal netsman who couldnt be touched because at that time there was a loophole preventing the same guy being done for the same crime twice. (last Autumn)
These pro-illegal netsman know who the bailiffs are and what cars they drive and their friends and families tip them off when the cars are spotted in the area.
Toothless enforcement - an infuriating situation.
Your restriction of sale order and 2 fish limit are great laws but arent policed anywhere near as adequately enough.
So rather than "getting in face" of a few local small time netters I say you need to get your act together ASAP and complain en masse where it matters - to the government.
In the UK us conservation-orientated anglers are taking the legal netsman on head to head at the moment trying to get new legislation imposed to give us all more and bigger bass. It will be better for us and better for them in the longterm but the greed within many of them fails to see further than the next box of schoolies.

The amazing thing about Ireland and you lads is this;
What you guys already have over in Ireland makes our paltry pipe dreams of a slight increase in MLS, a slight increase in mesh sizes then hopefully 2 fish limits carcass tagging etc seem like a tittle tattle and a mere drop in the preverbial ocean compared to what you guys already have!
Bass fishing of Irish standards is the stuff we can only dream about, and if you want to keep it you need to start pressurising the government to make the funds available to enforce your "great on paper" laws, otherwise you will start to lose it,...as these scumbags grow fat at your expence.
We have personally noted a demise in the quality of the bassing in certain areas along your Southern coastline, over recent years, recent years where we have seen and reported more and more massive nets.
Nobody it seems is doing much about them, cos the nets are always there...the bailiffs know where they are and know whose they are, but still they are there.
Hundreds and hundreds of bass. Your bass. All getting removed from under your noses....it is so so wrong.
Sorry to sound so doom and gloom - Irelands a wonderfull country with wonderful fishing and wonderful people. People who generally speaking seem to have a lot more respect that what people have over here, and most of the Irish anglers I have met are the same.
I'm gutted that these morons with nets are making fools out of every one else, you have to stand up and be counted, like we are trying to do here.
Heck we are fighting a hard battle against legal nets, surely the battle you should be waging against illegal ones oughnt to be nearly as hard???
All the best...

I tend to agree with Rapala, when you see the maturity,strength and patience exhibited by the Stop Now campaign and their group members we as sea anglers should ask ourselves 'What can i/we do?'
At the moment there are hundreds of similarly asked and mulled over questions about sea bass and poaching but thats it, a lot of mulling,frustration and muttering into our beards.
There are several responsible postings on this site from mature people who display passion, concern, frustration and a host of other emotions in relation to sea bass and their illegal exploitation.
If any person is interested - in forming a concerned group - and i realise there may not be, then please e-mail me to share ideas of how we might start/begin to form something (not earth shattering) but perhaps to sow the seeds and to demonstrate that we are genuinely concerned as anglers, naturalists and conservationists
Jim

I'd be up for that :!:

If I can help, I will.

Hi kstaff,

Just like to say I am delighted you caught such a beauty. Glad that you tried to return it and hope that you continue to enjoy your sport as I do. Sometimes a post can be hijacked to make points about conservation which we are all concerned about but hey I have never caught a 13lb bass and I am delighted that someone did.

Well done mate and may ther be many more.

Keep up the good fishing

Pat

I'll second that.

Mind you, having to look at kstaff with that lunker on screen for the last week nearly drove me mad with envy.... :lol:

Sure Sandman don't you know that when St.Patrick was getting rid of the snakes he also banished bass from Donegal :lol: ! Well thats my excuse for not catching them!

I think what Jim said about organising a concern group for the bass is an excellent idea, the game fraternity have shown us sea anglers the way....

By the way Kstaff that was a wonderful fish...fish of a lifetime.

Pete

I'd be up for helping too lads!
John D

hi
count me in if needed
art/

yep, its a smashing fish alright. the trouble is the fish you catch in future you will probably always be comparing to it. imagine being drunk off landing a 10 pounder. '10 pounds, i don't know why i bother' etc.
dave

Jim,
I would be interested in lending a hand as part of a lobby group or similar. Unfortunately I am in exile in the UK at the moment so my input may be limited in that regard. However, letters to Ministers, and TDs are a good way to start a campaign and bring it to their attention, as long as enough people participate. The idea is vto make enough of a nuisance of ourselves to force the Minister to take notice.
Perhaps a media campaign could be organised - letters to newspapers, coverage in the angling sections, perhaps a slot on the radio (5 7 Live or similar). It would be helpful if there was some direct evidence - photos of nets or illegal trawling etc. No names necessary at this stage, just something to illustrate to the public that these guys are being allowed to blatantly break the law for their own personal profit (and I'm quite sure they're not declaring the income for tax purposes!) because of apathy and incompetence of the agencies responsible for enforcement.
It's about time we put a stop to this - let me know what I can do.
Jonny