Gill Net Discovered on the River Ribble - Chub & Barbel Spawning

A crude Gill Net has been discovered on the Mellings Wood stretch of the Ribble. Poaching on the stretch is ongoing with daily visits from groups of Romanian anglers, often using barbaric tactics to kill fish for food. please be vigilant and contact the EA 24 hour hotline on 0800 80 70 60 if you come across illegal activity on our waterways.

[@poorpoora]

I am from Poland and have to admit people in my part of Europe used to see fishing as a mixture of adventure and "bushcrafty" food gathering. It's quickly changed though since we started coming to UK. Polish anglers learned and spread the idea of catch and release back at home too. Overwhelming majority release fish back now but there are still some bad apples. This case however is purely criminal poaching. Good job Ian. These nets can do a lot of damage especially in spawning season.

[@PikerBiker]

Dzien dobry mate! I agree that many Polish people have adopted the catch and release systems now and the guys I have met are some of the best anglers I have ever met. Thanks for the lovely comment sir

[@itsoccamsrazor]

its usually Romanian and Bulgarians , the polish are fantastic additions to our country

[@PikerBiker]

Thanks mate! One day we will all realise mate and perhaps our rivers will be teaming with fish once more

[@shaunpreston2839]

Then go home we don't want you here!

[@lancehall123]

Thanks for the hard work you put in to make the river a nice clean environment. Aswell as educating on what needs to be done should you find the nets. Much appreciated!

[@PikerBiker]

Thanks Lance. Glad we have great people who care for our rivers.

[@johndoh539]

Piker, was out for my evening run down the river tonight, saw what looked like a dodgy tanker dumping something nasty in the river under the motorway bridge, upon further investigation found that it was sucking up the milk from the crash above on the m6 today. There is a rainwater drainage pipe down there that takes water from the motorway into the river and the highways agency had built a small dam and was sucking up the milk before it entered the river. Well done and big shout out to them.👍

[@revellien]

That part of the M6 doesn’t have interceptor tanks like the newer Motorways do. They did a great job with that tanker and some people said “its only milk!!!!”

[@neilgraves5069]

Preston is lucky to have you as resident and champion of the Ribble . Your a great fella mate . Id l9ve to meet you one day ,Or even better on the bank of the river ribble. ❤

[@00markelliott00]

Great work Ian! Thank you 🙏

[@andrewbradley1044]

Great video Ian. Very interesting👍

[@PikerBiker]

Thanks Andrew! Much Appreciated

[@Nick-01536]

Really looking forward to watching your angling adventures this coming season 👍👍👍

[@PikerBiker]

This season is going to be awesome

[@Nick-01536]

@@PikerBiker This the first season for a long long time where I've been filled with so much hope, anticipation and optimism. I wish everyone a great river season 👍👍👍

[@2534will]

should have staked the place out with the local authorities and waited for them to return

[@wesleyjennings7426]

The village front stretch at ribchester is being targeted aswel, yesterday on the way back from clitheroe i decided to stop of with the mrs and have dinner on benches at the village front, i noticed a red rope tied to a stick, i cudent bring it in as it was snagged up so i got a guy fishing further down to cut it off as low down to water as we could, we both tried to pull it in but wasnt moving, it was defo a trap set up, i also asked people around who walk there dogs around that area to keep an eye out, i rang EA and radacc bayliff aswel.

[@mickbrooks8114]

Hi there I caught someone before they set up on shingles near Bridge he chucked his pint of maggots in then left

[@PikerBiker]

Thanks Mick

[@mickbrooks8114]

No thanks needed

[@paulfretwell1571]

cant thank you and all the hardwork and miles you put in. id be quite happy to join ypu on any clean up. ive followed you on my other profile for ages, i know the EA are busy but on the trent i see them out evedryday. with otters etc we dont need these nets or people like them annywhere near our water, will get you a pint next time i see you on the bankj.

[@ulsterscothosy]

It’s as well you’re out keeping an eye on that river Ian.. 👍

[@PikerBiker]

Thanks Ryan! It is much harder to do back across the water where you might not see another soul all day and there are much fewer feet on the bank mate. Happy 40th to Colleen and give my regards to all your family. Many thanks for the great childhood memories and helping me with the EBR, without your family then I may not have fell in love with our coast. God bless mate

[@ulsterscothosy]

@@PikerBiker lovely words mate. Much respect.. will do 🙏🏻👍

[@Jackfrost0415]

I fished the ribble as a kid late 70s and eighties it was amazing 100lb nets chub dace ya couldn't fail to catch! All changed now 😢

[@PikerBiker]

It’s very peg central now Jaimie. Thanks for watching

[@shovelhead4558]

Great channel dam nets dear god.

[@eddietelfer694]

Absolutely love your videos pal. You've inspired me to start my own channel, Eddie on the rods. I'm setting it up today and we are off to the mighty Trent next week. I'm from Chorley by the way. Keep up the good work! ❤

[@PikerBiker]

Wow! I will have to do a collaboration with you Eddie! Will subscribe

[@eddietelfer694]

@@PikerBiker I fished at Woodcutters on Sunday. A lovely roach of about 2lb and several chub plus a couple of dace. Your different species vid was great. On the Trent session opening season week we had bream, barbel, chub, dace, eels, perch, pike, roach, ruffe and zander. I've missed one out, we had 11. 😎 A collaboration would be great! I'll speak to you soon! 🙂

[@DavidcCbrider]

I fished that river for over 45 years and now live in Ireland . Mellings wood was one of the best marks back in the 90s . People have allways left crap on the banks .This is what stops us fishing many good waters . My sons are 45 and 47 years of age and now are members of the prince Albert club and it costs a small fortune to be a member . Now i dont agree with clubs taking over many great waters which stops us pure mortals fishing our fave waters . Over £200 for membership make it imposible for most of us .

[@PikerBiker]

I completely agree with you David

[@darwindarwin141]

There’s no point in taking the net if you aren’t going to prosecute and jail the perpetrators, a lengthy jail sentence may deter others , but then again the enforcement officers don’t want to be called racist when they arrest someone.

[@johnleigh349]

Hello Ian my brother and I have fished the Ribble for years the church bank up from the De-tabley hotel and osboldeston area was a great seatrout/salmon River in its day till the Barbal were introduced sad to say illegally my brother sadly drown in the. Ribble in march as he was going for treatment for the bigC the River took him away from his family

[@Nick-01536]

I'm a River Nene angler and count myself extremely lucky that the club i am in,watches over it's stretches of river really well and doesn't stand for any nonsence. Club members are actively encouraged to report any suspected monkey business and bailiffs attend the scene quick as a flash. I've personally witnessed wrong doers being sent packing etc....

[@PikerBiker]

That is great to hear Nick! A fantastic model for all our clubs to adopt!

[@Jackfrost0415]

Horse shoe bend was the best area dangerous but spectacular landscape

[@PikerBiker]

Still a fantastic area and even more dangerous now. Land slides have taken away most of the trees and bank

[@Jackfrost0415]

@@PikerBiker it was the same 40 years ago we used to fish left of tum Brook! Most landslip was to the right, shallow water to the left very deep to the right, cheese paste and luncheon meat on the ledger 😁

[@robbiebanks9182]

Lovely footage of Barbel spawning on the Ribble .Wish u got em here in Ulster .By the way your doing great job looking after the river .do I detect .a Norn Ireland accent there .If it is .I.m sure you are aware of the rape of Irish waters by the commercials.not all eastern European .Netting of Pike is actually allowed on the mighty Erne .how sad is that .As for the pike .pollan.perch bream .roach and trout and salmon of the River Bann .system lough Beg .and Lough Neagh .All our waters in the North are sad sad .shadows of they.re former selves.Keep up your great work Piker Biker and power to your elbow sir

[@georgegash2936]

im not going to say what i think just in case it offends .

[@user-kf3nd9qd9g]

We need more protection on our rivers and lakes ,EA and anglers alike

[@PikerBiker]

Totally agree Baz

[@kiwi_comanche]

Buddy held his temper well. Not sure I wpuld have been able to. Had a few runins with Eastern Europeans here on the river Bann in NI. Got ugly a couple times.

[@richardjohnson3463]

Well done mate. Good Ulsterman 👍

[@Jack-qv5ru]

Will buying a rod licence help to combat this? The best thing for this river is to put it into the hands of a decent well run club that will have regular people monitor it. These lads are after migratory fish. I know because ive met some lads who do it. No one wants to eat a muddy barbel or chub they’re after fresh run sea trout or salmon. Bottom end ribble is open to anyone and it needs someone to take ownership of the water access to manage it properly.

[@Phillthy59]

It might be worth going into Brockholes to advise them?? They might be able to ask volunteers to keeps a closer eye on the banks.

[@paulholmes9552]

It's such a shame, only another couple of days to go before some people start leaving their beer cans, rubbish and smouldering fires . Such a fantastic place to fish but gets ruined by a few idiots, what an absolute shame.

[@baldvale5418]

Hi Ian, have you stopped making fising video's now as i did enjoy them & it's why i subscribed to you channel : )

[@PikerBiker]

Definitely not and I will continue to make more this season! Thanks for your support. Season opens soon! Lots happening.

[@daveholder3050]

Have you fished Ribble since season opened

[@roygosling2317]

Were are the people checking on licenses £2500 fine for fishing with out a license If this is such a problem then why are they not getting to grips with it I suppose it’s too easy to check licences at a fishery Should be like Canada they take the car boat and you have to pay the fine on the spot or you are off to the nick no sorry I didn’t understand

[@stephenhollinrake916]

Bloody joke,, now the laws need to be seriously increased,, funny how the powers that be are obsessed with climate changes yet are pitiful on environmental crimes and real issues at grass roots! No money in that is there ! Great video and hopefully not to much damage.

[@paulbatson7881]

It's because they really don't give a shit about our environment just how much they can fleece us of our money.

[@mikevoller-fishingfun9095]

Plenty of dodgy anglers on the lower thames,im sure all the fish don't go back.

[@Taz-yt4tj]

Jail 🤬

[@whitetroutchannel]

are they EA any better than NIEA mate? im not even going to begin to talk at my levels of disgust at that net in the river, they where clearing loughs round me flat out but our "community" police (you know what i mean mate lol) kindly stopped them and kindly asked them not to return but they had wrecked the place, that it can happen on the mighty ribble too just shows the cheek of these swallywags and poachin gangs

[@PikerBiker]

We could do with a tougher stance here in England. Harsher punishments and education on entry to the uk. We have volunteer bailiffs in the north waiting for the next part of training to allow them the powers of arrest however, they only progress this on the south of England

[@poacher222]

Enjoy it,,, because it's going to disappear if it carries on

[@ronwhite8503]

Cultural enrichment.

[@ianwoodham3676]

Wrong this its not just polish people poaching theres Romanian and Bulgarian people!!? These people have been given a privilege to come to our country and live and work so start abiding by our rules and laws and anyone caught should be deported but like ive said its not all immigrants thats poaching

[@PikerBiker]

Very true mate