Net limits

[TF_JohnH]

Firstly I must say that I agree with these as they are assisting fish welfare. However when you look at the practical implementation the situation is a little more complex.
I have just been down to W/A( but did not fish the matches) and a few issues emerged.
Firstly the ones using multiple nets to comply with rules mostly had them crammed either to their left or right to free up at least one margin swim, result is nets were literally stacked and restricted from floating around the nearside.
Secondly, how many nets do you need? One angler on Bolingey had 300lb plus but was seriously knocked back by having at least one net with 90lb in it, I think his declared weight was less than 100lb by the time his limits were taken off. Andy at the lake relayed this to me I did not see it myself. The fishery provide back up nets if you need them so technically the angler only has himself to blame.However I am not sure W/A has any back up nets, also some of the lakes are a car drive from the lodge so not so easy to deal with if you need extra nets.
Finally how the heck do you know what is in each net? I saw one young angler get cut back for 65lb in a net when he only had 30lb in his other.
As car space is paramount why don’t they simply say 3 nets and spread your fish then everyone knows where they are?
Twin oaks must be a nightmare to judge as one minute you have 4lb fish next 16lb, only fished it once and frankly it was more prolific than Bolingey which was superb as usual.!

[TF_matchace]

i find the whole thing ludicrous in every sense of the word
i soley blame the owners of there fisherys that DEMAND stupid net limits heres why

1/ when i was born i didnt have scales welded to my arms
2/ why let fish get so big surely they should be retired to other ponds
3/ there should be a member of staff on hand to ensure fair play in is encountered
4/ i dont care who you are or how good you are you start catching over 100lb to 200lb
you loose count

i blame the owners END OFF they impose stupid limits that cannot be adhered and
yet BLAME the angler when he puts a few fish too many in his net
GET A GRIP OWNERS stop blaming anglers for your short comings

[TF_Dr.Phil]

The Net rules are pathetic and get more so as the years role on. How can anyone estimate what they have in their nets when you have possibility of nets of F1’s and Big carp and then you can also have barbel/chub/tench/roach/bream nets .
How many nets must you carry as standard ? 2 or 3 or ?
Why don’t the owners be sensible and just accept the weights in all the nets as long as the angler has tried to spread his load ?
One of the things that get me is when you mix small and large fish in a net which transposes to the weighing net. Heard so many times when the weighing in officer says put the carp in the net with the silvers on top ! what , guess what happens ? The Big carp start moving in the net and start crushing the silvers , how pathetic ! Saying that the same could be true on natural venues when you mix large Bream and Tench with very small fish . I believe that natural angling on rivers and lake where there is a potential for mixed big and small fish then 2 nets should apply, but that is my opinion if we are serious about fish welfare .
Its just my rant but the commercial scene gets worse with stupid rules that do not apply common sense , not all anglers are mathematicians and not all anglers remember what they put in which net with sometimes 3 to 7 nets in front of them ! Whats the next invention , a quick weigh scale before the fish enters the keep net .
Please fisheries , be sensible and apply common sense !

ps Should keepnet limits be based on whether the net is a 3 or 4 or 5 metre net ? or are all nets 50lb limit ? Some nets are larger diameter than others ?

[TF_missabite]

I think Tunnel Barn Farm have got it about right. 50lb limit if you only have one net, 100lb per net if you have 2 nets and no limit if you have 3 nets in for that day when you might cop lucky and be on a shedfull. Putting 3 nets in and spreading the fish takes away the hassle of trying to work out what you’ve got.

I won’t go to one or two places due to net limits because I want to enjoy the fishing and not constantly worry about how much weight is in a net.

[TF_Mike Gorman]

Hi John,

Does this mean that any net weighing over 60lb is reduced down to that limit now at White Acres? If so, I think that is a little unfair on a lot of holiday makers that go down there who might not necessarily fish venues with such strong stocking densities on a regular basis: I think most regular holidaymakers to White Acres will have witnessed genuine club or young anglers having the match of their life. How are such anglers expected to be able to judge what’s in their nets?

[TF_JohnH]

Mike, hope you are well there was lots of familiar faces down there last week.
As I understand it the rules state maximum 60lb per net, if you are over you get knocked back to 60lb. However if you have over 80lb in a net you get nothing for it. I watched one young guy weigh in and he had 65lb in one net and 30 odd in the other so he was on for probably his first ton, only to be knocked back by 5lb, he looked very upset, which in my view was justified. I know lots of professional anglers down there can judge but the average guy does not really have a chance when its so prolific. Out of 20 anglers several had nets of 59lb something so were either very good judges or lucky
I can see both sides of the argument but when you look at how some ram and stack nets to preserve at least one margin, and tie the bottom ends to the bank to stop nets drifting in the swim I question if the fish actually have more room.
Andy at Bolingey told me an angler had 300lb but was knocked back to 80lb after some nets were over the 80lb, Bolingey do offer extra nets and the lodge is easily accessible unlike Twin Oaks for example where you would have to drive back to the lodge, buy nets then drive back. Or pack up once you think you have 60lb in each net you have.
Clint told me he has packed in fishing and sold his gear in part due to upset and argument, this rule IMO is creating a rod for his own back and making fishing matches there more of a chore. A simple 3 net rule would leave everyone clear.
If spare nets were made available on the bank I would change my opinion but I cant see it happening.

[TF_matchace]

BULLSHIT END OFF owners who dont mange

[TF_Mike Gorman]

Nice to hear from you John, everything well your end? We’re down ourselves for the first time in two years the last week of August…

Massive shame for the young guy! I can remember my first ton off the Match Lake, I must have been 13/14 and had 114lb. One net had 90lb+ in it, and the other net less than 30lb purely because we never commercial carp fished anywhere else; I didn’t even have a second next until my friend who had thrown back gave me his! Appalling on my behalf looking back, but I was fishing one of my first matches and using what I had available to me. If someone would have taken that away from me I would have been crushed! I think in many ways the rules and changes in stocking etc since the place got KHV has take a lot of the magic away for the holiday makers that go there.

The way the rules read for the Resident matches are very ambiguous:

‘Anything over 60lb in the net will not count. Two keepnets are required on all matches and three are desired but not essential. Just please bear in mind the 60lb limit’.

Very much reads like an oxymoron more than anything else. Anything over 60lb will be disqualified but then three nets are not essential/please bear in mind the limit: sounds more like a call for equal splitting of fish and sensibility above anything else.

One would imagine that the Bolingey matches are easier to police – smaller venue with a limit of 32 anglers per match. Is the net limit 80lb on there?

[TF_wightangler]

net limits are for commonsense fish welfare and 50-usually 60lb seems fine with 3 nets (2 carp-one silvers/small carp below a pound)- most decent fisheries supply extra should you need – although 4 is increasingly common.
Cant see a problem – dont like their rules – then don’t go- simple.

Its a chore carrying four – but there again its a lot more of a chore for the fish – end of.

[TF_JohnH]

Will send you pm Mike,
My point is Wightangler it does not matter if you put 20 nets in and ram them together to one side as most do you can’t convince me it’s any better for fish than if you use 3 sensibly,
I do sympathise with owner managers as I can see what they are trying to do I just don’t think current rules are giving them that, worse is they are potentially killing future business by discouraging new participants as Mikes note confirms.

[Author]

Posts