Birmingham Anglers Association

Not sure that I agree that the close season is now obsolete and a throwback to a bygone age when fish needed protection during spawning. Imagine the impact on stocks, and in particular vulnerable or declining species like barbel, if we had all-year round fishing? Three more months of matches with barbel in keep nets? Three more months for circuses like Lower Trent where barbel are fished for 24 x 7 - especially with those big old girls full of spawn and potentially reaching record sizes. Three more months of fish being prodded, weighed and made to pose for a series of photos? One big bonus of the close season is that we do not have to see more photos of every bloody babel ever caught for three months. Except for those anglers who spend close season reposting photos of their prizes from last season. Predation seems to be given as a main reason for decline of barbel, but I cannot but think that cameras on mobile phones in conjunction with social media platforms does not help the situation. Week one of close season and grumpy already. Have a good day folks - I'm off to the canal at Hinksford.