Mackerel bashing - Sea Angler

[basscatcher]

See page 126 of Sea Angler magazine.

Thanks a lot to them for putting up my letter. Hope it may (as per some earlier threads) educate some anglers into being a bit more sporting.

Thanks "SEA ANGLER"

[tiawow]

Have no Idea and I do not buy sea angler but I can more or less gatehr waht was in your letter!!

[ritchieboyd]

erm I don't and can't get Sea Angler on this side of the Atlantic.

But if you'd be so kinda to scan a copy and post it that would be much appriciated (spelt bad I know)

If anyone has any old copies they wanna send me then even better...

[basscatcher]

[taffthebass]

I know what you mean, I was down at West Bexington the other day & it was mackeral bashers every 10 yards or so as far as the eye could see, & it was a weekday!. A barrage of lead was being launched into the sea & some of the casting styles were interesting to say the least.
I was attempting to try out some bottom fishing with braid for the first time but I had to pack it in because the macky bashers kept throwing feathers over my line.
The converstation they had went something like this... pulled out 160 yesterday & pulled out 120 the day before.....

I use a camper van for fishing & cannot leave it out of sight without having everything in it nicked, so I either use a camp site within cycling distance of the mark or park right on the beach where possible. The trouble with easy access is that you get the crowds of all sorts, macky bashers, bathers, jet skiers, surfers, screeching kids, ghetto blasters, you name it.

I rarely see people returning mackeral, they seem to keep them in buckets or bin bags as trophies.
Angling clubs who organize competitions should in my opinion stop the practice of handling, weighing & measuring mackeral & garfish, then putting them back to die & float around for all to see.

[tango]

Mackerel bashes on Llandudno pier are my personal hate, on one sunny afternoon recently I counted 26 on the pier end, not one with a shock leader, leads and hooks flying all over the place. Sooner or later a serious accident will happen and another venue will be lost as a result of these occaisional anglers

[bass]

the Admiralty Pier Dover for me is a no go area when the Mackerel are about which is a shame because it produces some very large Bass.A couple of years ago (the last time I fished it during the day) some fisherman were filling up dustbins which were then being taken by trolly to another person outside the Western Docks station where they were selling them from wooden wallpaper pasting tables.On the pier itself they were catching them by the truckload.Catching Mackerel six at a time for me isn't sporting and doesn't do justice to what is an extremely sporting fish.Spinning,floatfishing and flyfishing are great methods.Anyone on this foram who has caught mackerel on light equipment would agree that if they grew as big as Bass then most anglers probably wouldnt fish for anything else.I was once told by a wise old angler I met in this pub once when we spoke of conservation he looked up from his pint and said "catch what you need,not for greed"I guess that about says it all

[blueboo]

Due to the education I have received from this site I now flatten the barbs on my feathers with pliersand target other species once enough bait/table is caught .I tried this a few weeks ago with AlanC he lent me a yak must say found it much better sport and easier to return without touching a gentle shake done the trick, so why don't we contact the manufactures why do they have to use barb,d hooks surly this would not effect there sales and they would also be giving something back I know the angler is responsible at the end of the day but to the holiday angler I think this wold make a difference in catch rates especially from piers so How about starting a petition to send to mustard etc before there is nothing left for anyone !!! My boy is only 2 and I want to take him fishing when he is old enough we need to do something here guys Gilbo nice one mate and well done to who ever it was posted re penmon the other day re making the other anglers aware of this problem think it was nige nice one anyway ......Jon