Tackle shops to stock livebaits

What about this lads taken from angling times.



The nation’s tackle shops could soon be selling live fish for use in predator fishing, if bold proposals from within the sport get the go-ahead.

One of angling’s most controversial topics, livebaiting, was thrust back into the limelight last week, after 80 per cent of Angling Times readers said the new byelaw consultation currently before Government should prohibit the removal of any fish from the nation’s rivers.

Now forward-thinking figures from within angling are pushing for the authorities to adopt well-established practices from the US and legalise the sale of certified ‘triploid’ (sterile) fish in a bid to safeguard the future of livebaiting.

Northern piking legend Gord Burton spends weeks every year predator fishing in North America and believes we need to follow the lead of law-makers over there.

“Countless tackle shops in the US have rows of large aerated tanks holding fish for livebaiting. These fish are all certified and clean from reputable fish farms, and I’ve never known a water over there to suffer from any ill-effects. I can’t understand why we don’t follow suit ¬ the Americans are light years ahead.

By licensing the sale of ‘safe’ livebaits in tackle shops, Gord, and others, believe that it would help to stamp out the widespread problem of people using unsuitable fish such as carp for livebait, a species synonymous with the spread of KHV and other diseases.

“If people have no need to operate outside the law, then the majority of them won’t. Gone will be the days of people turning up at fisheries or ferry ports with buckets of carp from dubious sources,” he added.

This is an opinion shared by Tim Kelly, president of the Pike Anglers’ Club.
As well as pushing for current laws on livebaiting to remain ¬ ie people being allowed to use a limited number of small fish from the water they are pike fishing ¬ the PAC is also pushing for the introduction of certified triploid fish in tackle shops.

“A lot of countries allow tackle shops to sell sterile fish for livebaits, including France. We fail to see why the issue is even controversial ¬ it’s just another case of the petty politicisation of an issue by people who don’t understand it. If you make it easy for people to buy them, where’s the incentive in going out and acting illegally? It would also give the tackle trade a boost.” When contacted by Angling Times, Adrian Taylor, fisheries policy and process manager at the EA, admitted the introduction of certified sterile livebaits was an issue it was considering: “The PAC’s suggestion about certified triploids is interesting but not directly relevant to the byelaw consultation, which is about removal of fish by rod and line. However, we will consider the suggestion when developing our new live fish movements regulations next year.”

Both good, and bad...how many die hard pikers are gunna be willing to pay for they're baits, when they could just as easily nip down the river/stillwater where they fish and bag a load of lives,for no cost.
Good for the people that perhaps dont have the time,or inclination to go out and catch their own baits.
Will be interesting to see what this ends up costing.

nixon wrote:Both good, and bad...how many die hard pikers are gunna be willing to pay for they're baits, when they could just as easily nip down the river/stillwater where they fish and bag a load of lives,for no cost.
Good for the people that perhaps dont have the time,or inclination to go out and catch their own baits.
Will be interesting to see what this ends up costing.

True mate but if the new rules come in to effect it will be ilegal and with them saying around 80% of anglers back the new rules it would be a silly boy who takes fish out of a river just incase

does seem like a good idea ,although i'm not overly qualified on the predator fishing front ,it does seem to make sense for baits like this to made available ,then there would be no need for anglers to take stocks from other waters ,although obviously on rivers your only fishing for livebaits ,that at somepoint would probably get eaten by a pike anyway ,if there are in that same stretch ,but would this sort of action here create more publicity by the do gooders ,to tell us haw cruel we all are etc ,its ok saying america and other countries are more advanced than us ,but remember they are all alot more liberal than us ,you know what our set of anorak wearing lot are like if were not upsetting canoeists its the bird lot etc etc .My opinion is good idea ,but be prepared for the crap that will come with it

I can foresee poaching statistics climbing,and this time the europeans may not be the culprits
They would have to be really affordable to deter people from getting their own, maybe 20pence a bait,but I doubt that very much.
The anti's are gunna love this

you know it mate ,like i said before it is frowned upon to take lives from commercials now isn't it ,but not sure weather it is illegal ,but as regarding taking em from rivers ,unless the rivers were getting absolutley hammered ,how could you make it illegal to take a few fish ,that as i said will more than likely get nailed anyway ,your right tim its gonna be all the way

NICHO wrote:you know it mate ,like i said before it is frowned upon to take lives from commercials now isn't it ,but not sure weather it is illegal ,but as regarding taking em from rivers ,unless the rivers were getting absolutley hammered ,how could you make it illegal to take a few fish ,that as i said will more than likely get nailed anyway ,your right tim its gonna be all the way

Its not taking the fish nicho its moving fish from one place to another can you imagine gaz has pike at welham and i bring along some livebaits from a local river that have a disease i fish with a few and let the rest go they then give all the other fish disease and gaz loses aload of stock whereas the sterile fish would have a licence that declares them disease free.

I agree that there are good and bad points here. Selling live baits is at first glance a good idea, but I can see problems with those lets say not so caring anglers, transfering fish from other waters claiming they are shop bought safe baits. Who will check? how do you prove otherwise? Lots of work to be done before it would be a safe option. But I would use them if I could.

Cheers Ken

billy barbel wrote:

NICHO wrote:you know it mate ,like i said before it is frowned upon to take lives from commercials now isn't it ,but not sure weather it is illegal ,but as regarding taking em from rivers ,unless the rivers were getting absolutley hammered ,how could you make it illegal to take a few fish ,that as i said will more than likely get nailed anyway ,your right tim its gonna be all the way

Its not taking the fish nicho its moving fish from one place to another can you imagine gaz has pike at welham and i bring along some livebaits from a local river that have a disease i fish with a few and let the rest go they then give all the other fish disease and gaz loses aload of stock whereas the sterile fish would have a licence that declares them disease free.

i see that point gaz ,and yes completley agree it would hopefully help to cut the risk of contaminating other waters with possibly diseased fish ,but as ken says how will it ever be proven or policed this is gonna be a complicated one

I think its a good idea as long as you stick to this

By licensing the sale of ‘safe’ livebaits in tackle shops, Gord, and others, believe that it would help to stamp out the widespread problem of people using unsuitable fish such as carp for livebait, a species synonymous with the spread of KHV and other diseases.


but what is to stop this person saving some money and topping up his stock with some free ones will have to be watched very carefully

if you ask me its just another way to get me to spend more money. if it comes to it i could use a slice of bread out the cupboard to catch some lives then keep them alive in a bucket by changing the water regularly, costing me a few pence. if i have to start getting them from the tackle shop they will cost an arm and a leg cos of how much hastle it takes to store them, i then have to buy a pump or some way of keeping them alive atleast over night and then there is the fact ill have to travel with them and thats not good for them, small fish dont like having their heads pounded against a bucket.
i also struggle to get to takleshops at the moment as im sure a lot of people do, could you imagin how much hastle it would take to collect live baits on a bus?
i also personaly dont think it would take off properly, the bigger tackle shops may stock them but i cant see the smaller ones doing it.
it also raises the question of what do you do with the left over ones at the end of the day, do you return them to a water they arnt from or kill them? as it is if i have 6 lives and only use 3 i can just return the left overs with no chance of it having an effect on anything.
i personaly think its a silly idea, and lets face it the 80% from the angling times are all old match boys who probably still belive culling pike is the only way.
anyway, thats my rant over. stupid idea

and tim i think your right, too many people will just take fish for lives anyway and in turn it will just make us look like a bunch of hypocrits.

They aint gonna be cheap if they are to be certified as sterile as this is gonna be vet checked,or ministry!! It's a good idea but not with out it's flaws...As already said not that many people are gonna shell out on them and america is alot cheaper than uk.I think it needs more looking into with maybe survays doing or some sort of research! Id like to see what woody says about it!!

i cant see this working to be honest unless the waters that let u livebait actually sell them to u cutting out the tackle shops that way the owners happy you get your live bait fresh every 1 is happy except the antis but lets face it if they fought bogies had faces theyd stop u blowing your nose

i think it "Could" be a good idea as it would save you loads of time collecting baits and give you more time predator fishing then it would all depend on how much they were going to charge you for the baits ? because if it was much more expensive than a pack of dead baits it would deter anglers paying over the odds and just go catch them there selves

it definitely has its pro's and con's but i think the best way is to use live baits caught at the venue your fishing. as long as you have the owners consent of course and his stocks permit it. that way it stops the spread of disease as long as you return any unused lives at the end of the sesh. its been happening like that for years and i think it works just nicely. i don't agree with using carp as lives it sounds bloody daft to me surely you would want a less stocky fish. putting lives in the tackle shops will only aggravate the animal rights bodys and encourage youngsters and noddy's to fish for predators when they are poorley equiped and have little expeariance.