Law breakers cast anglers in bad light
When we as anglers see harsher restrictions to our pastime being planned and implemented there are always strong reactions and resentment.
However, we seldom look at our own “ship” in this regard and protect our pastime and rights fervently.
Some anglers do err, potentially placing the entire fraternity in a bad light. I am referring to the arrest and seizure of a craft at a slipway of one of the club facilities in Port Elizabeth this past weekend.
It appears to have been a case of gross disregard for the law and the boundaries we have to adhere to as recreational anglers as far as bag limits, size restrictions, as well as exceeding the species allowable daily catch are concerned.
Today’s photograph clearly shows both the size of the catch in question, as well as the sizes of the fish in question.
A secret hatch was also discovered on inspection, where a hatch within a hatch was found and where the excess catch was concealed.
This shows a premeditated plan to poach and not just an error of judgment made due to a good day out that might have fooled one’s counting abilities.
This angler is going to be in serious trouble, I would think. The mere fact that we may not sell or barter our catches raises the question as to why the daily limit was exceeded by such a large amount.
These type of actions also put a bright spotlight on the institutions that control these facilities and the possible future risk the facilities could face by additional regulations.
Perhaps the lack of controls could even result in them having their leases terminated. On to a more pleasant topic, there are warmer waters west of Port Elizabeth at the moment, so going west to the grounds seldom fished would be a wise choice at present. St Francis and beyond would be worth checking out.
The water is about 16°C in the bay at the moment, with a warm water current not far off shore of the bay also presenting good opportunity for the deep-sea crowd.
On the angling scene, there are fish about but the bragging boards of social media seem rather empty, suggesting the hunting season is in full swing.
The winter conditions are also a challenge at this time of year but the rewards are fruitful for the adventurous.
The weather does largely dictate opportunity in winter, as opposed to a planned outing. At the end of the day, there is nothing nicer than suddenly, due to conditions, taking your “pole” and bagging a fry due to good observations and a window of opportunity.
We experience low tide at 10.31am tomorrow with a fresh westerly prevailing throughout the day. Air temperatures are not expected to exceed 15°C, with the prospect of afternoon rains.
There is a high pressure system prevailing, with the new moon on Friday increasing prospects in the next few days; however, we will be plagued by a fresh easterly on Sunday and Monday.
Next Wednesday is a good day to diarise for a throw after work.