Anglers deliberately casting at boats

I'll state my case now, I'm a lifelong angler and spent years as a commercial fisherman, but I can't believe the number of idiots who think that harbours and pontoons are there specifically for angling from! It's as if they dont realise that if there were no boats then half these venues wouldn't exist...

Most anglers are pretty accurate at casting, its really not difficult, but having seen some of the efforts of our European cousins who are staying here maybe thats just a British skill?

I had the very sad misfortune to fish on Falmouths Prince of Wales pier one evening a month or so ago, should have known better, never again! Full of chav kids and middle aged p155heads winding each other up. Shamefull.

If people cast at boats and their occupants they should be charged with a serious offence, a lead weight at that speed would kill someone, and has in the past.:mad:
 
Angling is permitted on the pier and they pay to do it. Probably make more from anglers than random strollers - I hope you each paid your 20p toll. ;) The bait tables are provided so that they don't cut bait on the seats, planks etc.

I know they are permitted..... still does not make me warm to them... and yes I paid my 20p but was pee'ed off I couldn't get a refund
 
I'll state my case now, I'm a lifelong angler and spent years as a commercial fisherman, but I can't believe the number of idiots who think that harbours and pontoons are there specifically for angling from! It's as if they dont realise that if there were no boats then half these venues wouldn't exist...

Most anglers are pretty accurate at casting, its really not difficult, but having seen some of the efforts of our European cousins who are staying here maybe thats just a British skill?

I had the very sad misfortune to fish on Falmouths Prince of Wales pier one evening a month or so ago, should have known better, never again! Full of chav kids and middle aged p155heads winding each other up. Shamefull.

If people cast at boats and their occupants they should be charged with a serious offence, a lead weight at that speed would kill someone, and has in the past.:mad:

good response Simon, at the end of the day I am sure there are loads of lovely folk just like you, but as with every aspect of life nowadays... some idiots mess it up for everyone..
 
Quite agree. Often have a friendly wave from anglers on the lake. Sometime tell them if I've seen fish on my fishfinder.

But some of these cabals of regular fishers are just there for the crack.

Go to Arnside on the Kent Estuary (Morecambe Bay) and see if as a stroller you can get near the small pier. No. It's last of the Summer Wine with rods out there.
 
thanks for everyones replies.
When it first happened I assumed it was an accident but reading the Yarmouth news and now these responses it is very clear it was a deliberate attack which could have turned out nasty.

Be careful and be ready with a camera !
 
Quite agree. Often have a friendly wave from anglers on the lake. Sometime tell them if I've seen fish on my fishfinder.

But some of these cabals of regular fishers are just there for the crack.

Go to Arnside on the Kent Estuary (Morecambe Bay) and see if as a stroller you can get near the small pier. No. It's last of the Summer Wine with rods out there.

yeah I am one of those too and have enjoyed some great flattie bashing from the pier and beach - but there should not be any generalisations coz you get good and bad mobo owners as well as good and bad anglers - either or both do not respect each other sometimes and vica versa. But some of both persuasions are very respectful of each other. Being a member of both communities I do see both viewpoints....and we all do share the global commons neither own them!!
 
I don't think the problem is confined to piers :(

Going down the Witham in the past few weeks I have been confronted with pole fisherman sat on one bank with their poles reaching to the complete opposite side of the river. So I can't even politely/begrudgingly steer around.

On one occasion I was getting closer and closer and they weren't lifting their pole. With nowhere to go I slowed down and gave a quick toot on the horn (assuming the chap was maybe asleep). He stood up and gave me a bunch of abuse before lifting his pole just enough to clear the boat, so I had to limbo underneath it. Which was extremely intimidating to say the least.

On the flipside, the fisherman who frequent the fishing platforms at Five Mile Bridge and near the Fossdyke residential moorings always swing their poles/rods to the side.

...and I'm not bashing fisherman because my little lad loves nothing more than pole fishing off the back/front of the boat whilst we are moored up waiting for the BBQ.
 
Going down the Witham in the past few weeks I have been confronted with pole fisherman sat on one bank with their poles reaching to the complete opposite side of the river. So I can't even politely/begrudgingly steer around.

On one occasion I was getting closer and closer and they weren't lifting their pole. With nowhere to go I slowed down and gave a quick toot on the horn (assuming the chap was maybe asleep). He stood up and gave me a bunch of abuse before lifting his pole just enough to clear the boat, so I had to limbo underneath it. Which was extremely intimidating to say the least.

You push a school of fish along just ahead of your bow, leaving the pole until the last minute can be productive.

If you slow down the school of fish disperse.

keep central where possible and maintain course and speed.

Some will fire maggots from catapults at you, take a note of the peg number and report to EA.
 
I don't think the problem is confined to piers :(

Going down the Witham in the past few weeks I have been confronted with pole fisherman sat on one bank with their poles reaching to the complete opposite side of the river. So I can't even politely/begrudgingly steer around.

On one occasion I was getting closer and closer and they weren't lifting their pole. With nowhere to go I slowed down and gave a quick toot on the horn (assuming the chap was maybe asleep). He stood up and gave me a bunch of abuse before lifting his pole just enough to clear the boat, so I had to limbo underneath it. Which was extremely intimidating to say the least.

On the flipside, the fisherman who frequent the fishing platforms at Five Mile Bridge and near the Fossdyke residential moorings always swing their poles/rods to the side.

...and I'm not bashing fisherman because my little lad loves nothing more than pole fishing off the back/front of the boat whilst we are moored up waiting for the BBQ.

We went down the Witham ten years or so ago had some issues with anglers then .. I found a small rock with a length of line attached that I had thought(suspiciously it may be said ) was a casting error (edit till i later found the rock) ,It had gone over the boom and the line had snapped or been cast off !So its been going on for a few years.
 
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:confused::mad::(

Yep, some Anglers, from my experience, can act in very nasty selfish and dangerous ways :mad:

A few years ago I berthed on the Kent Stour, and the local Angling Club were, quite 'pushy' about their angling rights, and used to use local Boat Clubs grounds to fish from.

This often resulted in Maggotts being thrown aboard boats, and casting from opposite banks underneath boats moored accross the river (broken boat windows etc).

T'wos not a happy boating place; unfortunately some of the local Boat Club committee were also anglers, and security gate numbers were circulated, enabling Anglers access to Boat Club premises.

Re Angling on the Norfolk Broads - a couple of years ago there seemed to be a concerted pressure by some Angling Groups to gain access rights onto Boating Jettys and piers (provided by the Authority for Boats to moor up to) and various Angling campaigns were launched against the Authority.
 
We've had a line and tackle cast over our boat on the Mersey at Liverpool Marina, the fisherman concerned must have known we were there, no one asked for their gear back.

We recently went over a line we couldn't see in the same place and the rod, reel, the whole lot jumped over the rail into the drink. We had an interesting "discussion" with the fisherman afterwards.
 
Just for clarity... What are the actual rules as far as anglers Vs boat? Who should give way to who?

I am sure I read that Anglers have to give way to boats, no matter what (although I'm all for being fair and changing course where it's safe to do so). But being new to this I have read so much and can't remember where I read that info. I'm also assuming that that is the stance boaters take on the issue and anglers have the opposite biased stance? A bit like cars and cyclists :p
 
Just for clarity... What are the actual rules as far as anglers Vs boat? Who should give way to who?

I am sure I read that Anglers have to give way to boats, no matter what (although I'm all for being fair and changing course where it's safe to do so). But being new to this I have read so much and can't remember where I read that info. I'm also assuming that that is the stance boaters take on the issue and anglers have the opposite biased stance? A bit like cars and cyclists :p


Right of Navigation in most port areas, docks and waterways I would have thought
 
Not wishing to start a debate on the grounds of class attitudes, but it does seem a Working Man Against The Rich Yottie perception.

I'm not sure that anglers could be comprehensively described as working men. Perhaps professional fishermen may adopt that title but then again as a yottie I'm a "working man" as well. I just choose to spend my ill gotten gains on a boat rather than in the pub or on fishing gear. In the past I have known fishermen that are at loggerheads with everybody including other fishermen when it is reported that lobster pots and fishing gear are often stolen or damaged by their fellow activists. In Chichester Harbour, we often find fishermen in small craft with lines out both sides, drifting on the tide in the very narrow entrance, but have not had any confrontation as yet and we do tend to avoid them as much as we can. I guess that some sort of respect from us, for them. I would be horrified to have experienced the issue that was the reason for this original thread by Daka.
 
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