Bank Side Etiquette – Part 1
Apr 10,2008 00:00
by
Stig
Over the many years I have been an angler, the nature of the sport has changed and even more so some of those who are now amongst our ranks that cannot understand how things used to be and why it was like that. Question is, how it should be?Where have all the years gone; it only seems like last week that once July arrived we were all on tenterhooks awaiting for that last day of term and the six whole weeks of freedom plus the odd day or two if we were lucky. Plans amongst my brethren and myself as to just where our push bikes were going to be taking us through the summer. Laden down with all the fishing tackle we had acquired over the few years of Christmases and birthdays we had experienced so far in our short lives. Pre-arranged family holidays usually meant we were all away at the same time leaving us 4 or 5 weeks of solid summer freedom and so what if it rained - we came from south Manchester where they go out for picnics in the rain! If we didn’t go out in the rain we wouldn’t ever go out never mind eating sandwiches and stale-ish pork pies while sat on gingham table cloths!
Our little gang of 7 to 10 contained three of us who had fathers who were avid anglers, mine was also a shooter of pheasants, etc., and all 3 to varying extents were of a military background. Therefore we three had served our long hard angling apprenticeships and were all well versed in how we were expected to behave when guests on farmers/estate owners land. Also drummed into us was that we should show these landowners or their tenants /agents the utmost respect when approached or challenged as to our presence on their land, as how we conducted ourselves when out roaming the countryside of north Cheshire would reflect directly on our fathers good names with said farmers and land owners.
That left 4 to 7 members who were some what uneducated in how you should conduct yourself while out roaming rural areas. When 1 or more of them stepped out of line, then the fathers pupils had to step in and become teachers in how to conduct yourself while visiting ponds, pools, lakes, rivers and streams, whilst on other peoples land. A hasty countryside code was passed on very quickly, allowing enough for us to get by for the moment - the polish could be added to finish the education at some point in the future.
My now late father drummed into me the importance of shutting gates and not damaging fences, along with the good manners I should show to other users of the countryside, but most importantly the respect I should have for other anglers while actually on the bank fishing. So often this was told to me when I was out fishing or shooting with him, that it became simply a natural thing to do - like putting on your boxers before you put your jeans on! Another thing he also told me was if you are ever unsure as to whether or not you have closed a gate, no matter how far away that gate may be back across the fields or down the track, you must go back and check to be certain you have not made what could be a very costly error to the farmer who has been good enough to let you fish on his land or cross his land to get to where you want to fish.
The place he first told me this was a wild and desolate Scottish loch named Loch Fionn, up in the highlands near the town of Gairloch about 15 miles south of Ullapool. We arrived at Fionn after what seemed like a 4 mile very slow trundle up a very rough gravel road during which I had to get out of the car and open and close numerous gates to enable us to proceed on our way . As we arrived, mum got the kettle on for a brew to go with a sandwich before my father and I started fishing. It was then that my dad said;.
“Did you close that last gate when we came through it?“
I thought I had but was not certain and said so, “Well get yourself back down that track and either check it has been shut or go and shut it. Make sure its shut properly”
“It’s miles away" I moaned”
“It’s 7 tenths of a mile away” I was told in a stern voice. How does he know that? I thought. The tone of the voice said it all to me - Get your butt back down that track and check that the gate is shut! So, off I trundled, I rounded a corner and the gate came into view about 50 yards away I looked and saw the gate shut and turned to walk back when the “ Make sure it’s shut properly!!” echoed through my head. A quick about turn and I scampered the 50 yards to the gate to find that I had in fact not put the chain loop back over the gate post so the gate was merely pushed to and not shut properly. So with the chain loop correctly over the gate post I trundled back up to the loch to find my parents enjoying their sandwiches and coffee.
“Was it shut?”
“Yes”
“Shut properly? Did you walk right up to the gate and check?”
“Yes”
“And what did you find when you got there?” Hmmm - Should I just say I found it shut properly or tell him that I had forgotten to put the chain loop over? Something in my head told me to tell the truth, probably because I had been grounded the week before for telling a porky pie, so I said, “The gate was shut but the chain loop had not been put back over the gate post to close it properly”
“I know”
“How?”
“Well why do you think I sent you all that way there back to shut it?”
“If you knew, why didn’t you tell me when we were back there then?”
“Because I know the importance of shutting gates, and I’m not the one learning like you are son. I don’t think you will make that mistake again will you?”
A good days fishing we had in the end, I caught my first Ferox along with my 2nd and 3rd, plus several sea trout and some brown trout. As night fell we trundled off in the car opening and closing gates as we went and I made sure the chain loop was over the gate post or the bolt was pushed home every time, as I really didn’t fancy a walk back in the dark to make sure I had shut a gate properly!
I see little of the above in the majority of up-and-coming anglers today. Perhaps carping has become a victim of its own success? Some of the stories I hear about run- ins fellow anglers have had on the bank beggar belief. When I arrive at a water I do so attracting as little attention to myself as possible. Even when we used to arrive all those years ago on our push bikes, we did so in silence, especially if anyone lived anywhere near our proposed venue. These days I roll the car up as quietly as I possibly can, then open and close doors as quietly as possible, load up the barrow and move off silently, usually cursing every time I break a dry branch underfoot!
Trash Talk
Always be very conscious of litter, rubbish or trash - whatever you want to call it. Now this should again be a natural reaction to anyone & everyone who calls him/herself an angler. I now tie a bin bag to an old rod rest by the side of where I am fishing; anything and everything I either no longer want or is just rubbish like old cans or spent line goes into that bag - and the bag taken away!
A friend and I once arrived at a farm where there were a couple of pools we used to fish. The farmer charged a pound a day and only let those on who he knew. In our case he knew someone’s dad,uncle or whoever, and because of this we were allowed to fish. Once we had stumped up our quids, the farmer handed us a couple of old blue fertilizer bags, saying, “Give the place the once over, I’ve noticed some litter around the big pool”
“It’s the first time we have been here this year so any litter can’t be ours” Said my friend.
“It donna matter whose litter it is. My pools, my rules. Leave the bags by the fence and I will pick ‘em up later, or you could ‘ave your pounds back?”
So we trekked over to the bigger of the pools and my pal set off one way round and I set off the other way picking up anything we found. We met at the far end, each clutching a blue fertilizer bag about half full of plastic bags, tin foil, hook packets and many yards of spent line. We both looked at each other and both said at the same time “Was I bit of a mess wasn’t it?”
We then placed the bags by the fence that surrounded the pool, clambered down to our swims and got set up and fishing. An hour or two later another lad arrived panting a bit after carrying his gear the long-ish trek from the road. We had seen him on there the year before so knew him well enough to let on to and pass the time of day with.
“Hiya, had owt?”
“Had a few” I replied, then added “The farmer gave us two bags and told us to give the place the once over for litter, we haven’t been on here this year so any rubbish aint ours”
“No, but you fish the place and in his eyes we are all responsible for any rubbish no matter who leaves it. I see you have done the litter pick” He said nodding towards the two bags by the fence.
“Yeah, wasn’t really a problem only took five or ten minutes walking round in opposite directions and meeting at the far end”
“If you hadn’t done it you would never have got back on here again. I bet you got the ‘my pools, my rules’ speech?”
“Yeah” And the three of us laughed together.
Many anglers I know spend a good amount of their bank time picking up rubbish and generally clearing up after those too inconsiderate to do the right thing and remove their rubbish from their swims when leaving . Also too selfish to remove any debris left by anglers like themselves from adjoining swims.
Then there are those who think that by bagging up all their rubbish and either hiding it in a bush or carrying it to the car park and leaving it there, they have somehow done their bit!? The hiding in a bush angler is not much better than those who just leave their swims like a pig sty. Whether your swim is strewn with rubbish when you arrive or spotless, leave it the way you would like to find it - and that would be litter free – just as nature intended!!!
Courtesy and Space Invasion
When I arrive at a venue and see other cars parked in the car park, with my tendency to fish swims furthest away from other anglers or if I have a specific swim in mind, I always walk the bank before hand usually carrying my rucksack or/& rod holdall to place in whichever swim I fancy. I then walk along the bank passing the time of day with any other anglers I meet, and should there be anglers in the adjacent swims to the one I feel is the best on offer I will go and talk to them and find out where their baits are positioned etc as I don’t want to be getting anyone’s back up by crossing lines etc.
Also, if I ever get it into my head that I will prebait a water I will find a swim which is a long way from the car as there is less chance of anyone stumbling upon my prebaited swim and should there be anyone else fishing the water when I go down to bait up I put all the necessary bait in my big poachers pocket of my barbour coat. If I am intending to put a large amount in, I put the bait in a small rucksack along with my mug and a small flask and will walk the bank passing any anglers saying hello, had anything, etc, until I reach my chosen prebait swim. I will have a chat, tell them I’m just down to see what’s going on and ask if there is anyone further up the bank. I then pour myself a brew out and offer a brew, thus giving a reason for me carrying a small rucksack. After my brew I will wander off up the bank to my isolated swim and do what I came to do; put down a bed of bait for the following morning.
If there are anglers in the swims either side of you or within a few swims of you, you should only really fish the water in front of you and not cast across another angler to put a bait in on the lillys or snags that are 2 swims distant on the far bank - even if the angler in the next swim is fishing the margins - as they may decide to put a bait out in the middle or on that same bed of lillys or snags. You should never purposely disturb the water in another anglers swim or encroach on their space with any of your actions unless he’s a good mate, then go sit on his bed chair and fish his swim properly! Classic example being when I arrived at a water to find a good pal of mine fishing (well, a few good pals to be exact). I set up next to my mate and he told me there was a bed of bait over near the island & I was welcome to share it. So there we were both fishing the same bed of bait using identical end tackle and line and both using maple boilies - over the day he had 16 carp to upper doubles I had one bream and that was on his rod - So yes yet again I blanked!
Opening Times
Due to the popularity of angling, especially carping, some waters become very sought after and swims are in big demand. Many land owners allow anglers to camp overnight while fishing however just as many do not allow night fishing and lock the entrances at a certain time, by which everyone has to be off the water, and then reopen again at a certain time in the morning. These opening times vary from month to month being as early as 3.30-4.00am in the summer months and as late as 7.00 or 8.00am during the long nights of our winter. Come half an hour before the gates are due to open, and being a nation of queuers, a queue will often start to form at the main gate. The anglers waiting in line may get out of their vehicles and have a chat and in an ideal world they will discuss which swims they wish to fish and obviously the anglers in the first car will have pick of the swims. On the occasions when I have found myself in situations like this, I broach the subject with others waiting in order that I don’t tread on anybody’s toes.
There have been occasions when other actions have been taken, but I will discuss more of these in the next part,
Until Then,
Tight lines my friends…
Stig.
Piscator Non Solum Piscatur – There’s More to Fishing than Catching Fish.
Thanks to the few who allowed me to use snippets of their experiences in the writing of this article
Copyright 2008.
Northwestcarp.co.uk