Bass Fishing - Bag Limit

[Grandalf]

http://fishingtails.co.uk/the-most-significant-change-in-sea-angling-history-a-3-bass-daily-limit/

 

Was sent this today - Never heard anything about it till then.

Any comments from anyone?

Grandalf

[islandgun]

No problem with it as long as there are sensible commercial limits as well

[wymberley]

Thanks for posting, had no idea of this - although it won't affect me as it's pretty much too late here for the shore angler. We must recognise the situation for what it is but are still entitled to ask why this has has been allowed to become necessary. I know some are now farmed elsewhere, but the "fresh local caught sea bass" (I know - tell the restauranters) is a 'must have' on all the local menus.

[Whitebridges]

"One of the most significant changes to affect recreational sea anglers came into place at midnight last night. The EU, have imposed a 3 fish limit for recreational anglers fishing for Bass in most of the UK".

 

Here we go again. The EU telling us what we have to do in British waters. So what the hell are DEFRA doing?

[Blackpowder]

Three fish limit is fine for shore anglers and never saw one on the boat in nigh hand 20 years as a Charter Skipper. Torness warm water outfall, a heavily fished venue has a terrible reputation for anglers retaining undersized bass and selling them via a wet fish shop in Dunbar. Where gill netting takes place for bass I can see a big problem in returning undersized fish alive due to the nature of spines and sharp gill covers which must make them very difficult to remove from a net.

 

Blackpowder

[Grandalf]

No problem with it as long as there are sensible commercial limits as well

There are no commercial limits - I am led to believe.

[Bazooka Joe]

There are no commercial limits - I am led to believe.

 

Quote from an email, commercial limits have been agreed.

 

 

"I met with DEFRA today (26.3.15). The principle of a monthly vessel catch limit has been agreed by the interested Member States and they are aiming to introduce it in June, in time for the peak catching period for most métiers, which is summer and early autumn, according to their figures. The EU has proposed limit numbers for each métier, which are currently being discussed. It does seem that there is a genuine intention to set these catch limits at levels that will have a real impact, not just token amounts - but without having seen the specifics yet, it is difficult to comment further.

 

Also agreed in principle by the interested Member States are: MLS 42cm for commercials and recreationals; gill net mesh size increase to match (probably 110mm); and spatio-temporal closures set for each métier to take out the major catching months. I am trying to get more information on timing of these from the EU Commission - they need to come into force asap if they are to make an impact in 2015."

 

 

Also if members are interested there's a "Save Our Sea Bass" campaign ongoing at the moment.

 

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-sea-bass

[islandgun]

Ack ack knows the story with Bass

[fenboy]

A 3 fish limit is fine and dandy if you fish a beach that is 5 mins up the road .

The ones I fish mean a round trip of between 120 and 160 miles , the year before last I did IIRC six trips for Bass , it resulted in 5 blanks and one session which produced 6 fish .

 

So if this is correct I can make a trip every few weeks and hopefully come away with 3 fish , while the locals can fish a couple of hours a day for 7 days a week and take three on each of them .

 

As usual someone has really thought this through !

 

And the chances of someone being on the beach at 3am to enforce these rules will be somewhere between zero and nil.

[Andy135]

A 3 fish limit is fine and dandy if you fish a beach that is 5 mins up the road .

The ones I fish mean a round trip of between 120 and 160 miles , the year before last I did IIRC six trips for Bass , it resulted in 5 blanks and one session which produced 6 fish .

 

So if this is correct I can make a trip every few weeks and hopefully come away with 3 fish , while the locals can fish a couple of hours a day for 7 days a week and take three on each of them .

 

As usual someone has really thought this through !

 

And the chances of someone being on the beach at 3am to enforce these rules will be somewhere between zero and nil.

Have to agree Fenboy. Unfair and unenforceable. EU bureaucracy at its most ill-conceived.

[Grandalf]

It is impossible to put EU and thinking in the same sentence - Oh, I just did.

[islandgun]

as said unenforceable but its unenforceable all over Europe and employing lots of people to document who will be paying tax, or fiddling their expenses

[hoggysreels]

MCZ have been on the agenda for a good few years. Most fishining organisations would have been well aware of proposals, in turn these should have been cascaded down to the individual members .. its nothing new ..

 

Good idea ...

[hawkfanz]

on trips to florida while fishing in the gulf of mexico there are bag limits on lots of species,ie red drum 2 fish per day,non residents have to buy a salt water fishing permit as well,but they also set minimum size and a maximum size and only fish in between these sizes may be taken I was told by local anglers that since these regs were introduced fishing has got better,so maybe its time to do likewise here.

[KFC]

A 3 fish limit is fine and dandy if you fish a beach that is 5 mins up the road .

The ones I fish mean a round trip of between 120 and 160 miles , the year before last I did IIRC six trips for Bass , it resulted in 5 blanks and one session which produced 6 fish .

 

So if this is correct I can make a trip every few weeks and hopefully come away with 3 fish , while the locals can fish a couple of hours a day for 7 days a week and take three on each of them .

 

As usual someone has really thought this through !

 

And the chances of someone being on the beach at 3am to enforce these rules will be somewhere between zero and nil.

I'm in the same situation Fenboy. Being a bit pedantic here but the new limit reads to me as being 3 Bass a day. I often fish around midnight high tides from the beach so, in theory, I can take 3 before midnight and 3 after because that's two different days.

I say in theory because, in reality, I'm lucky if I catch even one Bass a trip. Usually loads of undersize tings

Edited April 12, 2015 by KFC

[andrewluke]

I'm in the same situation Fenboy. Being a bit pedantic here but the new limit reads to me as being 3 Bass a day. I often fish around midnight high tides from the beach so, in theory, I can take 3 before midnight and 3 after because that's two different days.

I say in theory because, in reality, I'm lucky if I catch even one Bass a trip. Usually loads of undersize tings

 

a day is usually 24hrs

[Buckster]

on trips to florida while fishing in the gulf of mexico there are bag limits on lots of species,ie red drum 2 fish per day,non residents have to buy a salt water fishing permit as well,but they also set minimum size and a maximum size and only fish in between these sizes may be taken I was told by local anglers that since these regs were introduced fishing has got better,so maybe its time to do likewise here.

I think this should of been done for the bass so the bigger fish could go back to be breeding stock.

[islandgun]

As I understand it commercial Bass fishing in Irish waters was banned in the 60s, and currently there is a two fish limit and a close season for anglers, this has lead to a huge increase in Bass stocks and associated revenue from visiting anglers

[Grandalf]

East Anglia - Most of us put the large fellahs back in the ocean.

Anything approaching double figures in lbs goes back on most of the boats I fish on.

So we keep the inbetweenie guys.

[fat_jay]

East Anglia - Most of us put the large fellahs back in the ocean.

Anything approaching double figures in lbs goes back on most of the boats I fish on.

So we keep the inbetweenie guys.

Gandalf, i will be in the next few weeks (solicitors permitting) moving accross the border to North Suffolk, very close to the waveney as i see you are by your signature. I have fished pretty much since i have been able to walk, but never really done any sea angling (apart from makerel on holidays from a boat) would love to try my hand a catching some bass, are any of the beaches near us (assuming we are in the same area) worth a try in the summer for bass?

Any nudges in the right direction greatfully recieved

 

Jay

[windywoody]

@windywoodyIts got to be a good move, most of the the guys I fish with here take one or two fish for the table the rest go back, however there are rods that take 20+ Bass a nite that get sold to take aways etc. But the commercial fishermen will be downfall of the Bass stocks, One boat alone took 50 tonne of fish in January off Coverack South Cornwall !!!!