In reply to Post #58
You have touched on the essence of the argument for or against the things we use to make fishing easier - it is not whether they are used or not (Bait boats, Bite Alarms, Self-hooking Rigs), nor is it the implied lack of merit in any related capture, but it is their miss-use that is the issue. A few thoughts:
I personally have used a bait boat, but used it only for creating a baited area and cast my rigs into place. That's just me. Never used one to fish in dangerous situations, or to put rigs at extreme range to save me actually moving a ton of kit to a better swim. My choice. The guy (or girl) next door is welcome to put his rigs out with a boat if he wants, as long as he fishes his own water, and fishes it safely.
I have used bite alarms for over 35 years to fish at night, with a remote receiver for the last 10 years. I used the remote to allow me to keep any action quiet rather than enabling me to socialise with mates in another swim, or sit at the bar across the road.
The descriptions in posts here describing angling situations where people use boats to fish at range may be valid. However, experience tells me that every situation never boils down to a single issue that needs to be overcome and other variables will need to be considered.
Bans of any sort are never a good thing. It all boils down to the enforcement of them. I think it is also true that bans (not just in fishing) get put in place as it is easier to ban than educate. This often leads to the majority being punished for sins of the few ..
You have touched on the essence of the argument for or against the things we use to make fishing easier - it is not whether they are used or not (Bait boats, Bite Alarms, Self-hooking Rigs), nor is it the implied lack of merit in any related capture, but it is their miss-use that is the issue. A few thoughts:
I personally have used a bait boat, but used it only for creating a baited area and cast my rigs into place. That's just me. Never used one to fish in dangerous situations, or to put rigs at extreme range to save me actually moving a ton of kit to a better swim. My choice. The guy (or girl) next door is welcome to put his rigs out with a boat if he wants, as long as he fishes his own water, and fishes it safely.
I have used bite alarms for over 35 years to fish at night, with a remote receiver for the last 10 years. I used the remote to allow me to keep any action quiet rather than enabling me to socialise with mates in another swim, or sit at the bar across the road.
The descriptions in posts here describing angling situations where people use boats to fish at range may be valid. However, experience tells me that every situation never boils down to a single issue that needs to be overcome and other variables will need to be considered.
Bans of any sort are never a good thing. It all boils down to the enforcement of them. I think it is also true that bans (not just in fishing) get put in place as it is easier to ban than educate. This often leads to the majority being punished for sins of the few ..
In reply to Post #61
Great post and I totally agree with what you say totally
Personal point of view I have used them in the past and would do so in the future,
It's another tool in the box just like a lot of the other bits of gear we use yes they get abused but also a bit like everything else that's done in fishing,
To me there's a lot more to every capture than just one thing, yes the boat will get you closer to feature etc, the rig, feeding etc still has to be spot on to catch the fish and the fish have to be there in the first place.
Great post and I totally agree with what you say totally
Personal point of view I have used them in the past and would do so in the future,
It's another tool in the box just like a lot of the other bits of gear we use yes they get abused but also a bit like everything else that's done in fishing,
To me there's a lot more to every capture than just one thing, yes the boat will get you closer to feature etc, the rig, feeding etc still has to be spot on to catch the fish and the fish have to be there in the first place.
In reply to Post #62
Watched a vlog of a 60+ from Holme Fen , bait boats , whole world of discussion there 😜
Watched a vlog of a 60+ from Holme Fen , bait boats , whole world of discussion there 😜
I dont really understand the comparison between bait boats and bite alarms or anything else. Bait boats are a substitute for a skill ... Bite alarms etc do not
In reply to Post #64
Use of a bait boat is a substitute for skilled casting - true.
They all make fishing easier was the point I was making.
I would also argue that bite alarms are a substitute for the skill of monitoring for a bite. You no longer have to spend extended periods watching the line/rod top/float/bobbin, and that definitely is a skill having spent many hours doing just that when I was young. If you didn't have that skill you missed bites and caught less - try it ...
Either way, the key point is I think it is a personal thing - Bait Boat use, Bite Alarms, Self Hooking Rigs - and providing you are not adversely affecting others fishing and fish safety, I have no problem.
What other people think of fish caught by the use of a bait boat, well if it was being used sensibly, then that's their problem ...
Use of a bait boat is a substitute for skilled casting - true.
They all make fishing easier was the point I was making.
I would also argue that bite alarms are a substitute for the skill of monitoring for a bite. You no longer have to spend extended periods watching the line/rod top/float/bobbin, and that definitely is a skill having spent many hours doing just that when I was young. If you didn't have that skill you missed bites and caught less - try it ...
Either way, the key point is I think it is a personal thing - Bait Boat use, Bite Alarms, Self Hooking Rigs - and providing you are not adversely affecting others fishing and fish safety, I have no problem.
What other people think of fish caught by the use of a bait boat, well if it was being used sensibly, then that's their problem ...
In reply to Post #65
didn't have that skill you missed bites and caught less - try it ...
Ive spent many a night in the 80's watching bottle tops with isotopes secured with blue tac , or days watching a spring/quiver tip, wagglers, stick floats etc ... Bite alarms are just an audible alternative, easier yes, on my eyes .... but my Delks have never put a bait on a spot
didn't have that skill you missed bites and caught less - try it ...
Ive spent many a night in the 80's watching bottle tops with isotopes secured with blue tac , or days watching a spring/quiver tip, wagglers, stick floats etc ... Bite alarms are just an audible alternative, easier yes, on my eyes .... but my Delks have never put a bait on a spot
In reply to Post #64
So what particular skill are Dave Lane and Terry Hearn etc missing?
So what particular skill are Dave Lane and Terry Hearn etc missing?
In reply to Post #67
ive not suggested the skill was missing for everyone .... but boats remove the need for some ....... I dont care who uses them, its the individuals decision/conscience as to whether the resulting catch holds credibility/satisfaction.
Using a bait developed and rolled yourself holds more credibility/satisfaction than buying ready mades. Tying own rigs against buying pre-tied is the same, as is fishing heavily stocked day ticket puddles vs wild waters .... there are always short-cuts we can take to put fish on the bank and we all have to draw the line somewhere .... For me it is baitboats & sonars etc ..... It doesnt mean I would never use them in the future but i would be honest with myself and admit it isnt the same achievment as doing it all myself. Bite alarms, bedchairs, nice bivvies, and all the other modern day fishing paraphanalia has no bearing on the art of the actual catching of fish .... and that is the difference imo
ive not suggested the skill was missing for everyone .... but boats remove the need for some ....... I dont care who uses them, its the individuals decision/conscience as to whether the resulting catch holds credibility/satisfaction.
Using a bait developed and rolled yourself holds more credibility/satisfaction than buying ready mades. Tying own rigs against buying pre-tied is the same, as is fishing heavily stocked day ticket puddles vs wild waters .... there are always short-cuts we can take to put fish on the bank and we all have to draw the line somewhere .... For me it is baitboats & sonars etc ..... It doesnt mean I would never use them in the future but i would be honest with myself and admit it isnt the same achievment as doing it all myself. Bite alarms, bedchairs, nice bivvies, and all the other modern day fishing paraphanalia has no bearing on the art of the actual catching of fish .... and that is the difference imo
In reply to Post #67
I'm not saying they, or anyone else are missing any skill.
You can still have the skill and choose not to use it ...
I'm not saying they, or anyone else are missing any skill.
You can still have the skill and choose not to use it ...
In reply to Post #69
You can still have the skill and choose not to use it ...
I know, i already said that in first few words of my last post
You can still have the skill and choose not to use it ...
I know, i already said that in first few words of my last post
In reply to Post #66
So we both understand the skill that was required, and that alarms make bite detection easier.
And I don't disagree with your delks comment either - my Nevilles can't cast too
Casting and location are the most important - I agree with that, but a number the skills I learnt and relied on in the 70's and 80's now have things that make them easier too. We all have more choice in how we do things now ...
So we both understand the skill that was required, and that alarms make bite detection easier.
And I don't disagree with your delks comment either - my Nevilles can't cast too
Casting and location are the most important - I agree with that, but a number the skills I learnt and relied on in the 70's and 80's now have things that make them easier too. We all have more choice in how we do things now ...
In reply to Post #70
I wasn't replying to your comment - I was replying to Chuffy ...
I wasn't replying to your comment - I was replying to Chuffy ...
In reply to Post #72
Apologies
Apologies
I've no problem with bait boats. I have used them before and would use them again if I could. As others have said, as long as they are used in the anglers swim and sensibly (not everyone has etiquette!) Then live and let live.
If an angler catches your target fish down the other end of the lake that you're fishing, and hes using a boat, it's you that's in the wrong place. Not just luck or cheating, as some say, of using a boat.
If boats are m classed as cheating for some, then where to we put the deeper fish finder as that can be cast about to find fish and features taking everything out of watercraft!
If an angler catches your target fish down the other end of the lake that you're fishing, and hes using a boat, it's you that's in the wrong place. Not just luck or cheating, as some say, of using a boat.
If boats are m classed as cheating for some, then where to we put the deeper fish finder as that can be cast about to find fish and features taking everything out of watercraft!
The only skill it removes is casting, which isn't exactly rocket science to start with. I best most boat users can cast accurately anyway, I wonder if most casters have the skill to use a boat properly?
It reminds me of how rock guitarists all went mental in the late 80s / early 90s about dance music producers having no "skill" because they used computers and not guitars to make music. They were wrong - they just didnt like that a new method came along and made the "skills" they'd been practising for years and years defunct.
Lots of folks don't like change it's part of some peoples nature.
It reminds me of how rock guitarists all went mental in the late 80s / early 90s about dance music producers having no "skill" because they used computers and not guitars to make music. They were wrong - they just didnt like that a new method came along and made the "skills" they'd been practising for years and years defunct.
Lots of folks don't like change it's part of some peoples nature.