Cod size limit, woeful.

[topbanana]

if you fished an open for say £500 and had a skip full of codlings at 35cm you would put them back????????????????? i think not.

That's the point, peoples greed has a lot to answer for, hence depleted stocks. Yes anglers put no where near the amount of pressure on stocks or come anywhere near that of the commercial fleet BUT what happens when there's no fish left ? The same people saying they'll keep what they want, which is fair enough, will be the same people whining that there's nothing left. This wasn't intended to be a dig at match anglers, however, going by their attitudes, well.

 

[Kartonkel]

I completely agree with you that size limits are woeful. Where I disagree, is that you go on to criticise anglers for obeying the rules.

It's like saying that a driver doing 29 miles an hour in a 30 mph zone is driving carelessly, or an angler who keeps 5 trout on a 6 trout ticket is somehow irresponsible.

There are enough people in this world quick to judge others who do wrong without adding to to it by criticizing those who follow the rules/laws.

Very poor argument by your standards, Mark!

It is perfectly legal to take 500 mackerels out of the water and put them straight into the dustbin.

Would you do it or allow somebody doing it just because it is legal??????

Legal or not legal....

how does it make any sense to put a fish back, which is lethally hooked???

how does it make sense to take legal sized fish and then not use it???

 

[ChrisH]

Just tossing a bait in the water here to see if it attracts any attention;

What if the size limit was at the other end of the scale. I mean; it's not the small fish that breed, it's the bigger ones. So would it be better to have a size limit much larger and anything over that limit had to be put back to be able to breed?
I know it would be difficult putting back that doubler or fish of a lifetime, but if it was the law!!!!!

 

[Pighunter]

Just tossing a bait in the water here to see if it attracts any attention;

What if the size limit was at the other end of the scale. I mean; it's not the small fish that breed, it's the bigger ones. So would it be better to have a size limit much larger and anything over that limit had to be put back to be able to breed?
I know it would be difficult putting back that doubler or fish of a lifetime, but if it was the law!!!!!

I agree with that 100% all the female cod full of roe should be returned,

 

[RossW]

The impact of rod and line on stocks is negligible. I disagree that a 14in cod has no meat on it. I generally return any fish that will survive, except size cod which I love to eat, but if the fish are being eaten by anglers it's far better than eating commercially caught stocks and is certainly better for the World than eating beef, lamb, pork etc.

 

[Kartonkel]

Just tossing a bait in the water here to see if it attracts any attention;

What if the size limit was at the other end of the scale. I mean; it's not the small fish that breed, it's the bigger ones. So would it be better to have a size limit much larger and anything over that limit had to be put back to be able to breed?
I know it would be difficult putting back that doubler or fish of a lifetime, but if it was the law!!!!!

Not an unusual suggestion

in America they have a size limit for White Sturgeon — No fish less than 40 inches fork length or greater than 60 inches fork length may be taken or possessed

 

[Kartonkel]

The impact of rod and line on stocks is negligible. I disagree that a 14in cod has no meat on it. I generally return any fish that will survive, except size cod which I love to eat, but if the fish are being eaten by anglers it's far better than eating commercially caught stocks and is certainly better for the World than eating beef, lamb, pork etc.

The Atlantic cod is classified as vulnerable (just alike Porbeagle) and should be treated by everybody with utmost consideration.

Its also the message that we send around by being disrespectful or wasteful with living creatures.

However...if an angler takes small (but legal) cod home and eats them panfried with his family....perfect use!

 

[kayos]

Very poor argument by your standards, Mark!

It is perfectly legal to take 500 mackerels out of the water and put them straight into the dustbin.

Would you do it or allow somebody doing it just because it is legal??????

Legal or not legal....

how does it make any sense to put a fish back, which is lethally hooked???

how does it make sense to take legal sized fish and then not use it???

Haha, it's early in the day and I'm not warmed up yet Norbert. However I am equally unimpressed by your response. I did not mention binning fish, all I said was, I don't think we should criticise somone who has broken no rules. Would I keep that size fish? No, but I'm not a shore angler really and certainly not a match angler, so what I'd do is irrelevant. Would I take 500 mackerel? No, I watched an Indian family take over 100 Mackerel the summer before last off Blairmore Pier. I did say they were taking illegally sized fish, but they ignored me. As to numbers they took, legal and therefore none of my business, whether I liked it or not.

Let's not slate people, (or worse, try to stop them as you seem to suggest) who behave perfectly within the law, anarchy will ensue!

The whole issue has a miniscule affect compared to commercial fishermen, quotas and "by catches." Lets increase protection of fish stocks without having a go at anglers who have done nothing wrong.

Off to work now.

 

[Kartonkel]

Haha, it's early in the day and I'm not warmed up yet Norbert. However I am equally unimpressed by your response. I did not mention binning fish, all I said was, I don't think we should criticise somone who has broken no rules. Would I keep that size fish? No, but I'm not a shore angler really and certainly not a match angler, so what I'd do is irrelevant. Would I take 500 mackerel? No, I watched an Indian family take over 100 Mackerel the summer before last off Blairmore Pier. I did say they were taking illegally sized fish, but they ignored me. As to numbers they took, legal and therefore none of my business, whether I liked it or not.

Let's not slate people who behave perfectly within the law and certaily not start suggesting they are binning them.

The whole issue anyway has a miniscule affect compared to commercial fishermen, quotas and "by catches." Lets increase protection of fish stocks without having a go at anglers who have done nothing wrong.

Its perfectly legal to burp, fart and vomit next to Lynn on board JFK 2 and then take the W..ly out and have a wee

 

[IANG]

fish stocks

fish stocks

Just been looking at club results and the fish being weighed in must be just size. Now I'm not against match fishing but the two fillets off a just size fish are utterly pointless IMO. For me having your name at the top of the pile and 10 or 20 in your pocket in these club matches means nothing. I think a major shake up in size limits is needed. I reiterate this is not a 'hate match fishing thread' as the size limits are the size limits, I just think weighing in small fish, as that's what they are in my eyes is uncalled for.

If you want to make an impact on fish stocks in our seas then you need to be concentrating your efforts on the EU until the mesh size of nets is significantly increased and the subsequent unnecessary slaughter of millions and millions of undersized juvenile fish then Im afraid that what you propose wouldn't help at all.Our angling clubs and their members need supporting not knocking,once you start causing a split in anglers then it wont be long before we begin to lose the use of piers and promenades to anglers.Lets face it Tynemouth,South shilds,Sunderland,and Seaham piers are probably still open because of angling clubs input.Having said all that I do agree with your thinking in a perfect world,but it isn't going to happen.youd probably have a better chance of success stoppig our foreign friends taking anything that swims legal size or not.Im old enough to remember when the shore fishing was great and clubs had thousands of members and fish stocks weren't affected.The decline coming quickly when commercial fishing became big business,and until that changes you are beating your head off a brick wall.

 

[kayos]

Its perfectly legal to burp, fart and vomit next to Lynn on board JFK 2 and then take the W..ly out and have a wee

Actually you can do the first three, but not the fourth, as it's "public exposure." Only if it's big enough mind! :red:

 

[Kartonkel]

Actually you can do the first three, but not the fourth, as it's "public exposure." Only if it's big enough mind! :red:

Whats the legal size exactly?


By the way Mark

Good decision not to travel !! Not a single boat out. We would have all blamed you!

 

[kayos]

Whats the legal size exactly?

Love it!! Really am off to work now!

 

[hound hunter]

My local club nearlly got a hefty fine from the council,the members were dumping black bags full of ytin n flatties(cod were taken home)in the street,the black bags were"stacked high"just left nxt to the public waste bins.Cats/rats etc had ripped the bags open,well you can imagine the mess come Monday morn on the high street.not what the public want to be seeing.

 

[bandit]

The impact of rod and line on stocks is negligible. I disagree that a 14in cod has no meat on it. I generally return any fish that will survive, except size cod which I love to eat, but if the fish are being eaten by anglers it's far better than eating commercially caught stocks and is certainly better for the World than eating beef, lamb, pork etc.

Well said people forget at one time the size limit for codling was 12" and no body complained about taking bags full of just size fish from the tyne

 

[pablo]

I fished the last newbrigging open and you could not weight wrasse in,good measure I thought as they mostly get chucked also!

 

[safc]

I agree like, a 35 cm fish is far too small to keep

Should be put up to 40/42

 

[Dilbertd]

Just my two-penneth ... I hate to take small fish and I try not to do it but the size of the Codling I keep sort of depends upon where I am fishing, the drop to the water and how the fish is hooked.
I always return undersize Codling but often if I am fishing off a pier or in the river at low tide then the drop to the water is often a good 12 to 30 feet and the fish do not survive the drop so they twitch on the surface until a seagull picks them up. I will not normally keep a Codling intentionally unless it is above about 40 cms as there is not enough meat on small ones to make it worthwhile. However, if a Codling is between 35 and 40 cms and I think it will not survive the drop or is deep hooked and bleeding then I will keep it rather than make fatter seagulls

 

[Dilbertd]

I know the thread is about Codling but just one more thought (and I am certain many will call me stupid ).
I have never caught a Bass yet and I know there are arguments about the minimum size and whether it should be 36, 41 or even 48 cms. I have already set myself a rule that if (when ) I catch my first Bass then I will release it regardless of the size purely because wild Bass are so rare on our coast and we need them to thrive. If I want to eat Bass then there are plenty of small undersized farmed Bass in Sainsbury's.

Problem is first I have to catch one to test my will power and release it

 

[kayos]

I have fished on charters out of New York. Here is there size and bag limits. Size is in inches. Boats with inspectors onboard patrol popular areas.

Fishing laws, regulations, and size limits for fishing the waters of new York and Long Island