Livebaiting ban.....England could be next!

I attended the PAC Annual Members Meeting yesterday, the subject of adversity to Livebaiting from the media...Greens & other tree hugger's etc.. & some Angling societies also, came under discussion. It has been banned in Bonnie Scotland & it could happen to us 'Sasanacks' south of the border, too
Chris Bishop, PAC press & publicity officer gave us the lowdown on it..

The PAC now has a few new committee members. Graham Slater is the new general secretary & "Chico" Winterton is the membership secretary. There is a new webmaster to follow Dave Lumb. I'm not that familiar with most of them but the treasurer & chairman + Chris Bishop remain for now.

I could be glib and say that a livebait ban would not affect me directly as I do not livebait for pike. However, 2 years ago I thought lure fishing was for loonies and now it forms the majority of my time on the bank. I have used live fish on the hooks, a long time ago mind, and I would no doubt do it again if the circumstances were there. The Chinese talk about long journeys and single steps and my fear is that the end of this journey is not pretty for anglers. Should the day come when some Scientist "proves" that fish feal pain in a way that humans can then we can kiss goodbye to a lot more than livebaiting. Oh, and I placed speachmarks around "proves" because anyone do an experiment, get the results published, and "prove" that "wine is good/bad for you" (delete as appropriate) or whatever else suits their agenda.

Andy Webster

I have personally never live baited for any fish, never mind for pike, but don't really have an opinion against the banning of it.

What is more natural for a predator than to grab hold of a fish that is struggling to hang on to the last little bit of life it has left in it or chase one down and attack/eat it?

The following is just my way of thinking and my own opinions. It is not intended to start an argument. (yeah right )

Dead baiting is all good and well as you are presenting a 'meal on a plate' that isn't going to put up a struggle. And the predator doesn't have to use a great deal of energy to get it's meal. That is why it is such a success in the winter months. But this method can be a 'sit and wait, chuck it and see' way of fishing.

In the warmer months, the predator has more energy and is therefore more aggressive in it's hunting methods. You only have to look at the success of lure fishing to see that aggressiveness in action.

To me this means that a more natural way of 'hunting' your quarry is with something with a bit of life in it, something that will send out the all important stress signals and vibrations that predators will pick up on and home in.

The flip side is that your live bait is a living creature that POSSIBLY has feelings and can sense pain in the way that us humans do. If so then it would be deemed cruel to use this method.

If the said live bait was not attached to hooks and just going about it's daily routine then it could take evasive action when a predator comes knocking at it's door. It may just live to see another day.

By live baiting you are only mimicking nature and using it to your advantage. And I for one do not think it is an 'evil' that should be clamped down on.

The rules that are already in place regarding the use of live baits are enough but could do with being policed and enforced more. I totally agree with using live baits that have come from the water at which you are fishing for the pike/perch etc. in order to stop the spread of diseases. And the use of live baits under a certain size or weight so as to allow stocks to be sustained also strikes a chord with me.

It is the tree huggers and do-gooders that always poke their nose in where it is least wanted, and it is these people who think they can alter god knows how many years of using these methods by getting public opinion on their side.

We are a nation of animal lovers (allegedly, please don't get me started on that one) and they see the methods used as cruel and unnecessary because there are other successful ways of catching out there. They already think that fishing is cruel and want to ban it. This could be one of the many rungs to the top of the ladder and they want to climb it all the way to the top.

We anglers have a bad enough time as it is. We don't need this as well.

OK, rant over.

time will tell lads. but i hope it wont come to that for you

in my opinion livebaiting should be allowed, as it has already been said it is mimicking nature.
as for its effectiveness.....over the years i have found that it can be a top method to use at any time of year, and can i also state that there are certain waters i fish where you can sit all day with deadbaits out and not get a run, try lures and not get a take, but fish livebaits and quite literally get 10-15 runs a day.... and i'm not just talking jacks hitting the baits.... i'm talking about fish in excess of 20lbs+!!!!
KEEP LIVEBAITING LEGAL