Tweet
a couple of years ago i was digging on the wrong side of the boulders which mark the boundry and was taken to court for it. as the council couldnt prove i had no legal right to occupy the beach and was collecting bait for my own personal use they couldnt prosecute me! hence if you are collecting bait for your own personal use they cannot enforce the bylaw.
you know as well as me alan that the real problem with budle bay stems from a warden who has no concept of how a beach ecosystem works and has it in for anglers in general. if you remember the original agreement for budle said we could have holy island and now he has reduced the digging there to one small area, how long before that is closed as well? how can a man who gets excited about a sandeel because he has never seen one before be put in charge of a marine nature reserve!
ell, the problem goes a lot further than boulmer.
every time i have seen people digging where the tractors go down or around the boats and moorings i have gone over to talk to the people involved and explain the situation as they are affecting a friends livelihood. without exception they have all been from south of the tyne. some have moved as they didnt realise the situation but others just carried on regardless.
i talk to people from all over the country through the casting circuit and whenever you talk to the scots the subject of bait diggers comes up. they have the same problems there, litter, abuse and digging areas until they have little or no hope of recovery. they call the diggers geordie ba$tards, i suggested they check the tax discs and explained what a geordie was..........no prizes for guessing where the tax discs originated?
the diggers graft hard for their money, i know i used to do it! but a little respect and thought about the areas you dig and the people who live there goes a long way to maintaining both worm stocks and good relations with the locals.
as i mentioned in my first post i know the fishermen very well especially john mcq junior as i fished with him in a small club we used to have some years back so have every sympathy with their situation and the only solution i can see is is to make that area impossible to dig!
you know as well as me alan that the real problem with budle bay stems from a warden who has no concept of how a beach ecosystem works and has it in for anglers in general. if you remember the original agreement for budle said we could have holy island and now he has reduced the digging there to one small area, how long before that is closed as well? how can a man who gets excited about a sandeel because he has never seen one before be put in charge of a marine nature reserve!
ell, the problem goes a lot further than boulmer.
every time i have seen people digging where the tractors go down or around the boats and moorings i have gone over to talk to the people involved and explain the situation as they are affecting a friends livelihood. without exception they have all been from south of the tyne. some have moved as they didnt realise the situation but others just carried on regardless.
i talk to people from all over the country through the casting circuit and whenever you talk to the scots the subject of bait diggers comes up. they have the same problems there, litter, abuse and digging areas until they have little or no hope of recovery. they call the diggers geordie ba$tards, i suggested they check the tax discs and explained what a geordie was..........no prizes for guessing where the tax discs originated?
the diggers graft hard for their money, i know i used to do it! but a little respect and thought about the areas you dig and the people who live there goes a long way to maintaining both worm stocks and good relations with the locals.
as i mentioned in my first post i know the fishermen very well especially john mcq junior as i fished with him in a small club we used to have some years back so have every sympathy with their situation and the only solution i can see is is to make that area impossible to dig!
Comment