The Fishing was Rubbish and a Warning!

I decided to grab a few hours fishing yesterday and wanted to see if the Mackerel had arrived in the Plymouth area yet. I took my spinning rod a bum bag and a handful of spinners and initially headed for the Hoe foreshore, visiting West-Hoe pier, Elphinstone and the rocky area's in between before getting the water-taxi to Mountbatten Pier. Apart from one small Pollock I blanked rather spectacularly. I guess it's the case of being in the right place at the wrong time, and this was certainly supported by a few people saying that they had seen Mackerel being caught in the last few days.

Unfortunately this blog entry isn't just about the fishing being rubbish, it's also about the subject of anglers leaving so much rubbish laying around when they finish fishing. At West-Hoe, there was line, feathers, packaging from frozen baits, and bags tied to the chains, all this despite litter bins being available a short distance from the entrance to the pier. This was repeated at various marks all along the route I took. I finally arrived at Mountbatten, which when I was a teenager growing up in Plymouth was off-limits to everyone unless you served at the base. All that has changed and the pier has been refurbished, providing everyone with a fantastic recreational asset. From the anglers point of view, the local authority have provided stainless steel bait cutting trays, and litter-bins dotted along the entire length of the pier. On arrival the pier was busy with families enjoying the fine weather, individuals walking their dogs, and numerous fishermen dotted along both sides of the pier. I found a gap and before I could start fishing had to clean up my spot of packaging, line, a baited hook and two beer bottles. It didn't take long as the litter bin was only thirty feet away, but I guess that's my point. My actions caught the attention of an angler and a passer by who both expressed their concerns about the mindless actions of what I hope is a small percentage of anglers. I fear that if this continues then venues just like this will be closed to all anglers as it's just matter of time before a child or an animal is injured.

The warning comes from a conversation I had with Ian, the fisherman I met at Mountbatten, and refers to lone fishing, but this not about the usual safety advice about tides and weather. He told me of an experience a friend of his had when he decided to snatch a few hours fishing late one evening at another popular venue. On arrival there was no one else fishing, but a short while later two young men arrived and initially seemed to just want to chat, but the conversation changed and they started asking how much the gear was worth and attempted to walk off with his second rod becoming threatening. Fortunately this was interrupted by the arrival of another angler. This incident has left the angler shaken as he felt it could have turned nasty, and as a result he now plans his fishing sessions with others and will not fish alone, and this is after 50 years of fishing. I have to say that a few times, I have felt very vulnerable myself when fishing alone from a venue that is safe from the usual point of view, and this isn't the first time I have heard of an angler facing aggression while pursuing their hobby. It is sad that we now have to add this to our list of concerns to keep ourselves safe when fishing, but it wont stop me pursuing the sport I love so much.