Birmingham Anglers Association

Viewing 1 to 20 (50 Total) illegal Fishing
FrankBeglin Total Posts: 11 Joined: August 29, 2017	Just so that the BAA are aware there appears to be illegal fishing going on at Cropthorne in the meadow after the Railway bridge(meadow 10) . I had a walk along this section last week and seen remnants of campfire .Today i turned up to fish this section and ended up in a nasty situation with 3 person. Van and Car parked in meadow and tent and camp fire going strong. The situation was difficult as i had a trolley loaded with tackle ,but asked the individuals if they were members of the BAA .They said no and it was none of my business. I asked them politely if they could refrain from fishing as it was a BAA water . One of the individuals threatened that he would throw me in the river...more bluff than substance ..as he would have gone in before me but not a situation i want to be in when i just want to fish this section of river as i have fished it before and had great Bream bags out.The van was orange similar to an RAC coloured van and the car was red.They said the police had been there the night before and said they were fine to stay.I hope that is not true as it makes a mockery of paid up members.They also said that somebody called Scott allowed them to be there?? and they were not actually fishing even though they had rods set up next to the tent. This ruined what was supposed to be a nice days fishing , Cautious that this may get out of hand i had to wheel trolley back to car park and find a new venue , eventually ending up at Mythe Farm. As the situation was becoming a bit tricky i only managed to get a section of the van registration..V...EUK. Hopefully something can be done on BAA waters as i feel this is becoming more than an isolated incident reading other posts. I am willing to come up with ideas and assist the BAA if it prevent incidents like this ...as just like all members we just one to enjoy the waters we pay for Tags: Posted on August 8, 2020 at 8:02 PM

MrChub Total Posts: 45 Joined: April 1, 2020	Re: illegal Fishing Although I am a BAA member, I live in Hertfordshire. Our local waters have seen an increase in similar incidents. As Frank found, the current covid-19 crisis has sparked a massive increase in angling related activity, and inevitably has intensified illegal angling activity. Poaching on privately owned waters is theft (of legitimate fishing rights) and a criminal offence under S1 of Theft Act 1968. Report it to the police (101) unless there is a real threat of violence (then 999). The EA should also be informed as it is reasonable to suppose that the perpetrators of criminal activity may not have EA licences. The BAA as owners of the rights should be taking action to report such incidents to the authorities and through targetted bailiffing discouraging the threat. Interestingly as anglers we longer have the right to demand the production of EA rod licences. The EA have recently announced a resumption of their activities (the clear admission that since mid March they have done nothing). Whilst I have some sympathy with their ability to effectively enforce angling law with reference to licenses and legal angling practices, because of persistent cuts to resources, the facts suggest that in the main they have adopted a 'see nothing' approach, which in effect makes them complicit in illegal angling practices. The EA has a statutory duty to enforce the law and they are choosing to disregard it. A 'benefit' of covid-19 has been an increase of EA rod license sales of close to 300000 - that's approximately an additional £9m in revenue so the inadequate resource excuse increasingly lacks credibility in the short term. As we have found in the Thames area, unchallenged illegal angling activity merely encourages its growth.Its up to all of us to put pressure on the authorities to enforce what the law intends. Disregarding such practices merely encourages their growth. Posted on August 10, 2020 at 8:41 AM
stew83mul Total Posts: 663 Joined: May 30, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing Agree with all the above,we have been flat out bailiffing the middle Severn,as said above the massive increase in angling activity combined with the good weather it unfortunately brings out the idiots that have no respect for rules or the venues they fish.Hopefully it dies down a bit when the hot weather comes to an end Posted on August 10, 2020 at 6:32 PM
KenL Total Posts: 280 Joined: December 27, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing Sadly, large sections of the community feel that laws, rules and permissions don't apply to them, and if there's no will to prosecute, there's little chance of anything changing. There are very few pike left in the middle Severn because they've been poached by people who know they can fish for free, steal their catch and not face any consequences. Carp are going the same way. Posted on August 16, 2020 at 1:00 PM
Hornyoldtoad Total Posts: 73 Joined: February 17, 2018	Re: illegal Fishing Would it not help the baa And the bailiffs if they collected member vehicle registration number plates? Bailiffs could pretty well do their job from the car parks, members could report bad behaviour or any over concerns at the time with a chance of identifying people, Would it not help the authorities track down the bad boys? Sure there is 20 reasons not too, but it is frustrating when more and more get away with it! Posted on August 16, 2020 at 9:32 PM
Haddon Total Posts: 53 Joined: July 27, 2020	Re: illegal Fishing I went to Cropthorne today to have a look at the pegs. Apart from an initial sign at the top of the track nbext to Jubilee bridge, there are no signs at all that advise you its BAA water when you drive down the track. I followed it to the first field. Apart from a small cutting to park about four cars (again no signs) nothing stops or advises you not to continue onto the meadows or where the BAA water is. Totally confusing. The waters as you drive down the track that belong to Girling ACC are clearly signed in English and Polish. It seems to me that the BAA have just given up on the waters in some places. The same can be said at Sidings Lane where again the signs are very poor and i went down the wrong track again due to complete lack of signs. Also the level crossing is automated not as stated on the BAA website. come on guys, you can do much better than this !!! Posted on August 18, 2020 at 6:57 PM
stew83mul Total Posts: 663 Joined: May 30, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing So basically it could do with more signs?Doesn’t really amount to the fishery being “forgot about” does it?Also the instructions on the where to fish guide are to use the phone to check if it is safe to cross,what does it matter if it’s someone you speak to or a recorded message telling you what to do?Really don’t see what the issue is.When I visited there last year I spoke to someone so maybe they have modernised their system?I also had no trouble finding any of the car parks despite visiting it for the first time.Just out of interest,what other fisheries have apparently been “forgotten about”?Wouldn’t mind visiting a few to have a look Posted on August 19, 2020 at 9:47 PM
stewpar Total Posts: 191 Joined: May 3, 2016	Re: illegal Fishing I can understand people's frustration with the associations attitude regarding this subject, for a while now I've concluded the baa don't give a toss about the things that really matter, it's all very well putting padlocks on gates but how long before they get pinched. Posted on August 20, 2020 at 12:20 PM
stew83mul Total Posts: 663 Joined: May 30, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing What can be done to stop a padlock being stolen?If the padlocks weren’t there you get problems with non members and dog walkers using it and also fly tipping. Posted on August 20, 2020 at 3:00 PM
stewpar Total Posts: 191 Joined: May 3, 2016	Re: illegal Fishing That's the problem isn't it, the only remedy baa come up with is a padlock, locks only keep honest people out I'm afraid. Posted on August 20, 2020 at 3:47 PM
Robaylen Total Posts: 17 Joined: February 14, 2016	Re: illegal Fishing I haven't posted on this site for a long time primarily because of illegal fishing etc. and not wanting to give dodgy people any help whatsoever. I have to admit I'm regularly seeing people fishing who I suspect are not members and possibly not license holders either but im not keen on challenging groups of people when out alone based purely on a suspicion. Litter is a big problem nationwide it seems since lockdown, a lot of people seem to be fishing who don't care for the environment which is such a shame. The way I see it, if you can carry the stuff to where you are fishing, then you can carry the empty packets, tins, bottles etc. home with you surely?? Its frustrating but I'm not really sure what the baa can do about it when there is so much water to police... Posted on August 20, 2020 at 4:45 PM
stew83mul Total Posts: 663 Joined: May 30, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing Remedy for what?Please elaborate.Brook Section is a prime example,constant fly tipping in our car park,remedy?Put a padlock on the gate,no more fly tipping on the car park!I don’t understand how a member can have a problem with having a locked gate that only paid up members have access to?Would you prefer to share our car parks with dog walkers,people having picnics and piles of rubbish that cost the club to move? Posted on August 20, 2020 at 4:48 PM
stewpar Total Posts: 191 Joined: May 3, 2016	Re: illegal Fishing I'm not saying padlocks don't help, they're effective till they get pinched.Surely the only solution to the bigger problem is with the help from the ea, more bailiffs on the bank would help,its been a long time since I had my rod licence checked. This year with the covid situation the problem is far worse, stew were only voicing our concerns because we're passionate about the sport not to get the mods backs up. Posted on August 20, 2020 at 5:10 PM
Ollie Total Posts: 161 Joined: October 22, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing stewpar, become a BAA bailiff, put your own signs up if you think the venue requires them, report and remove anyone you challenge who doesn't have a BAA licence, report any fly tipping, advise the fisheries team of work required, report any broken or stolen padlocks on gates, I could go on and on. But you could solve most of the problems you've stated by taking on that role. Posted on August 20, 2020 at 5:45 PM
stew83mul Total Posts: 663 Joined: May 30, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing I appreciate that,but it does get my back up when people throw criticisms like lack of bailiffing for example.I am out at least 3-4 times a week bailiffing a variety of venues,I’m not the only one either that since lockdown was relaxed have been flat out bailiffing,putting signs up,bank clearing,picking up other people’s rubbish etc.Not just in the afternoon either for an hour or so,we are out til past midnight some nights,all voluntary too.This year has been worse than any in recent times. So can you appreciate why I might get a bit pissed off with certain criticism when I know the hard work me and others are putting in out of our own time? With regards to EA bailiffs I agree it’s a joke how few of them have to cover such a vast area and are massively underfunded,when I have reported stuff to them in the past they have generally been pretty good and have met me for joint patrols.But like our bailiffs,we can only act on situations if we are told about them when they are happening or as near as possible.Unless it’s a regular occurrence at the same spot it’s no use telling us about illegal activity 3 weeks after it’s happened! Posted on August 20, 2020 at 6:01 PM
onelastcast Total Posts: 820 Joined: July 4, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing Feedback from members should be considered a positive, either a compliment or an observation, not a complaint Stu ,wouldn't want you to explode!, If there is a problem with signage, surely that is a simple fix. And yes we know what a wonderful job you all do, but there is always room for a few tweaks. Posted on August 20, 2020 at 8:46 PM
stewpar Total Posts: 191 Joined: May 3, 2016	Re: illegal Fishing Yeah that seems like a plan, ld be up to bailiff some waters. Anybody want to send me more information or shall I contact baa hq? Posted on August 20, 2020 at 9:52 PM
stew83mul Total Posts: 663 Joined: May 30, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing V. Stewpar....contact Kevin Pearson if you are serious about becoming a bailiff.I’m not sure where you live but I would be happy to have more people on my middle Severn team but if that area isn’t suitable there are plenty of other area Bailiffs that would appreciate more help. Posted on August 20, 2020 at 10:05 PM
stew83mul Total Posts: 663 Joined: May 30, 2015	Re: illegal Fishing What a surprise Neil has popped up.....you have literally repeated what I’ve just said...”more signs is a simple solution”.....like I said above the lack of a few signs doesn’t mean a venue has been forgotten about Posted on August 20, 2020 at 10:10 PM
Haddon Total Posts: 53 Joined: July 27, 2020	Re: illegal Fishing Thursday Evening I have just sat down @ 9.22 after fishing at Cropthorne meadow 12 from 8.30 this morning after finally getting to understand where to park and where th e pegs start. At 6.30 this evening we drove off only to find the track completely blocked by a fallen tree about fifty feet in from the bridge end. This was a serious bit of wood that needed a chain saw. I luckily had a signal and phoned the BAA office that gave me a recorded message and emergency number. So I rang at thankfully got though. When I explained the situation all I got was "nothing we can do" even when asking if there was a local bailiff or contact who could get us help - just the same reply "nothing we can do" so two cars are literally stuck there all night with the drivers 40 plus miles from home. Thankfully I saw the Girling AC mobile number on the gate and rang it. They guy on the end from Castle Vale was tremendously helpful and he rang someone who fishes there and rang me back explaining we could use one of the tracks over the fields that bought us out into Siddings lane. If I had rang reporting illegals fishing would someone have come out ? They certainly were not bothered with two members being stranded in the lane. And by the way while we were fishing TWO cars drove down the fields towards the railway bridge even thought I was informed you couldn't take cars onto the meadows. I am really saddened by the way the BAA seems to be just going through the motions re illegals fishing, and not bothered with proper signs. Also when members are stranded like we were not even bothered to try and be helpful. The irony is that no matter how many signs you put up on the entrance as shown on the BAA website there are other routes into the fields that are easily accessed... Posted on August 21, 2020 at 8:59 AM