Sea Angler

[ryanlee]

cod boom??? it should say magazine for advertising now more pages than angling pages,price has gone up some over the years,i gave away well over 300 mags to an angler on here from the 70s till now there are more of the mags advertising than angling issues.

[Hiram.A.Biff]

I agree on several points on theis post, I dont do any shore fishing in winter now, and only pollack firshing on trips to the mull, It has some good tips for novices and younguns, what annoys me the most are the sexline ads, why?? In an angling mag. I subscribed, but never get round to cancelling. Now they go in the bin still in the wrapper they came in, unopened.

[paulthespark]

when i first started fishing many many moons ago i bought sea angler for a full year and i learned a lot from it, but after a year it only repeted it's self so i have't really bothered with it since. after all there is only so much you can write about catching cod,bass or whatever else to do with sea angling no matter what slant on it you put on it. as far as the fishing goes for this season their headlines are a load of bollocks, iv.e had on codling of 3lbs from the last tweny odd seshes[for me the worst season in over 30 years by far]and thats from the most productive area in the u.k the n.e.coast. the other point i would like to make is people saying you have to use the correct bait ,the right mark ,big tide ,sea conditions ect, when there is a lot of cod about you dont't, cod are easy to catch they will eat anything on the bottom and 9 times out of 10 hook themselves, the big problem for us sea anglers is that there is't a lot of cod about anymore, and thats a shame for all of us .

[treeboa]

i was reading a book on long lining over the grand banks, towards the end of the book it was saying that even then they noticed the catch rates going down, book was about 50 years old, wonder if that was the writing on the wall even then

[Charlton]

have mentioned this before, read a book named "COD" by Mark Kurlansky, you will get a shock

[big_sean]

here is a little taste

Cod
Mark Kurlansky
Random House, 1999 294pp
ISBN: 0 09 926870 1

reviewed by Ann Skea

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"Cod-Head Chowder; Fried Cod Head; Tongues and Cheeks; Cod Sounds; Puerto Rico - Serenata de Bacalao; Saltfish with Cream..."
Six Centuries of Cod recipes

The humble cod: so well-known, so ordinary. As Kurlansky notes, "To most of the British working class, "fish" means cod. And it is the same in many other places around the world.

As we Londoners ate our fish-and-chips from its newspaper wrappings, which of us would have believed that cod had started wars, founded cities, and kept the whole population of some northern countries alive? Who would have thought, as we fed cheap codfish heads to our cats, that cods' cheeks, tongues and lips were delicacies in far off Iceland? And who now, seeing the rows of bottles of cod-liver-oil capsules in the local health-food shop, would believe that cod, once the most abundant, prolific and hardy of fish, is in danger of disappearing from our seas?

Mark Kurlansky's book is both delightful and worrying. Cod, like bread, has been so much a staple in the diet and economy of so many peoples, so easy-to-catch, so ubiquitous and profitable, that it lives in the anecdotes, folk-lore, history, language, art, recipes and, even, domestic architecture of many cultures. Kurlansky raids this vast treasure store for a magpie collection of rich and curious gems. But, whilst he celebrates these phantom cod lives, he also charts the decline of the living cod.

The cod, says Kurlansky, "is not a nice guy": fecund, voracious, omnivorous - "if ever a fish were made to endure, it is the Atlantic cod. But it has among its predators man, an open-mouthed species greedier than the cod".

Cod, once, were so numerous that they could be scooped from the sea in baskets. Cod, once, weighed thirty pounds or more and grew "as big as a man". Now, modern fishing methods have made fishing limits, quotas and fishing moratoria essential for the cod's survival. But still, cod have vanished altogether from some areas where they were once abundant, and the large, most fecund fish are becoming rare.

Does this matter? For fishermen, and for communities whose economy depends on cod, of course it does. But for the rest of us? Kurlansky believes firmly that it matters to us all. Traditionally cod-fishermen know the seas they fish, monitor the presence and absence of cod, and are prepared to protect their livelihood by adopting ecologically sound practices. If greed, politics, and the economic demands of big-business destroy their livelihood, who then, asks Kurlansky, will care about the oceans?

Cod has long been an integral part of human history. Cod once founded thriving cod-aristocracies, and the inhabitants of cities like Boston, Massachusetts, publicly and proudly displayed their allegiance to it. Norwegians, wherever they find their fellows, form cod-bonding societies for regular cod feasts. Entrepreneurs, from un-named Basque fishermen fishing their secret cod-fisheries hundreds of years ago, to the inventive Clarence Birdseye, experimenting with frozen greens in the Lapland winter in 1910, all ensured that cod changed our lives. And cod cuisine, as Kurlansky's magnificent collection of recipes shows, is imaginative, economical and immensely varied.

But as the cod disappears from our seas, cod communities are fast becoming just museums and picturesque tourist attractions. "Are we headed for a world where nothing is left of nature but [nature] parks?", asks Kurlansky. "Are the last gatherers of food from the wild to be phased out?". He is hopeful that science and sense will prevent this - that careful management will ensure the return of the cod. And this unusual, beautifully produced and fascinating little book is his own celebration of that humble but important fish, and a warning of our own fragile place in nature's closely-linked ecological web.

[Red5]

Have just read the book 'Cod' as well as 'The End of the Line, how overfishing has changed the world and what we eat' (now being made into a film) as well as 'The unnatural history of the sea'. All great books, with all the authors advocating MCZ's as well as an end to the most destructive forms of fishing. MCZ's would create areas where the ecosystem could return to the way it was before intensive fishing, with fish being given some form of safety, thus creating overspill into outlying areas that could be commercially fished. A win win situation. It's interesting to see there is quite a lot of anymosity from anglers on this subject, as many believe that recreational fishing wouldn't be allowed. As far as I am aware this is not the case and only the most sensitive areas would have some form of restriction.

[Charlton]

Have just read the book 'Cod' as well as 'The End of the Line, how overfishing has changed the world and what we eat' (now being made into a film) as well as 'The unnatural history of the sea'. All great books, with all the authors advocating MCZ's as well as an end to the most destructive forms of fishing. MCZ's would create areas where the ecosystem could return to the way it was before intensive fishing, with fish being given some form of safety, thus creating overspill into outlying areas that could be commercially fished. A win win situation. It's interesting to see there is quite a lot of anymosity from anglers on this subject, as many believe that recreational fishing wouldn't be allowed. As far as I am aware this is not the case and only the most sensitive areas would have some form of restriction.

I will be asking many questions on Monday, we are all of the same opinion about MCZ's good for everyone if, it is Natural England (once English Nature) that wants the info requested in the surveys, they have been trying to get this info for years, why? Budle Bay rings a bell, they didn't answer my Q's that is why one of the powers that be is phoning me on Monday, hopefully i will get some straight answers, regarding bait digging and fishing within MCZ's. Anybody who has delt with Natural England will know they would love to stop all bait digging and fishing. They should not be allowed to be the ones in charge of MCZ's with their totally biased views.

[northeast1]

It would not bother me one bit if they said 5 years no one could keep a fish as long as we still aloud to keep fishing.

I return 90% of my catch anyway, the only time it would bother me was not being able to keep mackerel for bait fishing in the summer.

I would hate to think i had to pack in fishing full stop, i know alot fish to eat but i fish to have fun and for the sport, sure alot may arguee my views btu ti is my views.

End of the day i am 27 and with to be still fishing at 47 but the way things are going i can see 1 or 2 things happening...

No fish left in our waters worth fishing for

Total ban on fishing all together

Both would be a massive blow to everyone on here i am sure.

[Red5]

I will be asking many questions on Monday, we are all of the same opinion about MCZ's good for everyone if, it is Natural England (once English Nature) that wants the info requested in the surveys, they have been trying to get this info for years, why? Budle Bay rings a bell, they didn't answer my Q's that is why one of the powers that be is phoning me on Monday, hopefully i will get some straight answers, regarding bait digging and fishing within MCZ's. Anybody who has delt with Natural England will know they would love to stop all bait digging and fishing. They should not be allowed to be the ones in charge of MCZ's with their totally biased views.

Hi Alan, it would be interesting to know what the outcome of the phone call is. I can see that you have strong feelings about NE, but I read their report on baitdigging by SL Fowler back in 1999 and I think it was quite an unbiased approach to the subject.
Natural England are one of many groups (as well as ourselves, the RSPB, Commercial fishermen, National Trust etc) who all have a vested interest in bait collection and MCZ's, for varying reasons, and as with anything in life there has to be compromise. If you look at Boulmer that compromise was agreed years ago. Unfortunately people continue to disregard this and don't take other users of the area into account. Digging outside of the boundaries, digging commercially, dogs running riot and chasing the birds, abusing/threatening the fishermen, leaving rubbish all around the carpark. The carpark at Silloth was the same when I was over there last year for peelers, with dead dogfish and rubbish lying around. As anglers we are not all whiter than white. Look at other posts on rubbish , say at Dunstanburgh for example and ask how many walkers have passed by the discarded fishing line, empty food/drinks containers and paper, Or the people walking along the piers in the summer seeing the macky bashing in full flow. MCZ's will in my opinion be brought in. Wether we as anglers are part of decisions on where they are and what restrictions there are can only be done if we work together. Otherwise they may just say No Recreational Angling at all.

[paulthespark]

why do you think all the major cod fishing fleets past and present where and still are based on the n.e coast, not for fun thats for sure.

[bozjc]

i used to buy it all the time when i was younger, just for the tips and to see what tackle is about.

never bourght it for a good 5yrs+ and it has hardly changed. To be honest, i only got it to have a look and see what gear is kicking about now.

i knew the front cover was a load of pish before i even opened it and read it! lol

[Davyred]

why do you think all the major cod fishing fleets past and present where and still are based on the n.e coast, not for fun thats for sure.

I think you'll find most of the major fleets are on the east coast of Scotland.

Btw, there is no way that the NE is the most prolific coast in the UK for Cod, not now.

[paulthespark]

when i said n. e. coast i was refering to the uk ,not only england but scotland .and if you know a better coast line than ours for shore cod fishing please tell me i'll give it a go, ps remember hull and grimsby not petershead where the biggest fishing ports in the u.k .

[mark]

, ps remember hull and grimsby not petershead where the biggest fishing ports in the u.k .

aye, but nearly all the fish landed there was caught north north sea and west towards iceland!