Roach - The Close Season Paradox

[@petehoar365]

Good technique there Mark ! Great videos .

[@andrewjackson9603]

Yes. Finding them is a big part of it on a flooded river. 👍

[@andrewjackson9603]

Emotive subject but personally I think, with the changing weather, there's a case for moving the closed season rather than abolishing it. I'd keep it open until the end of April then close in May and the whole of June. I do think we might get some good fishing in April, and the rivers would most years have settled down and be fishable. As you know, regular river fishing in winter is becoming a thing of the past. Just as it settles it's the closed season! 😅

[@MarkWintleFishing]

One thing about our climate is that there's no predicting it. Last year was exceptional but I reckon most years the rivers locally will be fishable most of the time in winter.

[@imapotato4343]

I think closed season should be June and July

[@grahambobyk1090]

I don't think it matters how good or bad the fishing is its having the choice like others have said let the clubs decide. I watch all your content on here keep them coming very good stuff

[@johnmcilrath3637]

A very interesting debate tackled in a sensible way. I am from Northern Ireland but live in Hampshire and fish the Stour for roach and pike. If the close season was lifted people would find out where the roach were spawning and fish there for big catches. They then serm to disappear for a while and the fishing becomes poor again. This is what happens every year on lough erne in northern ireland. If the two main festivals are timed right like this year then big catches. Some other years many people struggle for bites. By august/September the roach catches improve again. I am over in northern ireland right now and caught some beautiful roach and rudd from the river quoile last night. Roach had already spawned and in beautiful condition but the few rudd we caught were leaking milt when caught. No fish had tubercles on them. Some parts of the stour do fish well for roach early season. Tidal river and Christchurch harbour are superb for roach right through the summer.

[@raycowx9127]

His , no hesitation, reply was; “Get rid of the closed season “ . @ 4:25:00 on Guru podcast # 039 with Dave Harrell. The whole conversation is very engaging by the way! Mr Harrell very eloquently explained the case for ending the closed season ruling on rivers. I totally agree with him. The rule is unfit for purpose. Angling is very conditional upon numerous variables. I would relish the challenge and opportunity to pleasure fish for any obliging river species of fish during spring. I’m not dashing to get rid of the closed season just for the sake of match fishing. It is simply a very outdated, not fit for purpose, archaic ruling. It really is indefensible in the modern day context of angling. All other river activities carry on regardless of season. So should angling. Matt intimated there may be a separate podcast in the future to discuss this subject further. It really needs to go. It serves no useful purpose.

[@drumbatter100]

Personally I am still an advocate for the close season. It’s just not about the fishing, it gives the banks a chance to recover at a time of year when everything is starting to grow. It also gives the nesting birds a chance to breed in peace without anglers beating the reeds down to make a fishable swim. June the 16th was always magical date in my diary. After all with all the commercial fisheries available, you can always get a days fishing in the close season.

[@stew7711]

Totally agree.

[@andrewjackson9603]

I think sometimes we want perfect conditions but maybe 'getting over that' and just going fishing ( as long as you can actually get to the river) is the way to approach it. Thinking about it, I've caught some good fish in high coloured rivers over the years. I once won my section on a match on the River Yeo at Ilchester with three clonking Roach fished right down the edge on a very light bomb to let it swing into the bank. The bites were almost imperceptible. 🙂

[@MarkWintleFishing]

About a decade ago we also had high conditions a lot in winter and I found a swim at Sturminster where I could consistently catch the odd bream plus decent roach even when the river was up to 3ft above normal.

[@PatrickJHNewman]

In twenty or years' time there won't be hardly any river anglers left - the few of us who are alive now aren't getting any younger - so no government's going to bother scrapping the river close season.

[@MarkWintleFishing]

As I said in the video, there are so few anglers on many stretches that the close season has little or no impact, and, as you say, those numbers are dropping.

[@dangerousdave668]

I am a great fan of letting the controlling clubs or syndicates etc being left to manage their own fishing. It seems to work on still waters . Either way on the still waters I fish in the spring the fish seem to look after themselves. An example is Perch that just seem to go missing from late March to mid May . Presumably they are spawning and then recovering. Bream too do the same mid May for a couple of weeks. As a Tench angler I always expected a bit of a silly season from the 16 th of June for a couple of weeks before they seemingly vanished for a week or so.

[@davepenton4137]

From a fishing perspective, it may be right, but I was having this conversation with someone a while back. Personally, I don't like the fact that coarse fishing is allowed all year round on lakes, etc. I'm not sure if any studies have ever been undertaken, I doubt they have, but the reason we had the conversation was that the person was saying about the lack of wildlife / birdlife on lakes now, my own, opinion is this could be down to no actual break at a crucial time, for wildlife. I think the abolishing of a river closed season, on an already stressed system, could be the final nail in the coffin. With ever changing weather systems from the traditional of 50 years ago, it's very difficult to actually predict, the right time. But certainly from a wildlife view it currently covers the right period.

[@unionjakjakson]

Let the clubs decide. Just got back from a month fishing the Shannon & Blackwater in Ireland( April/May). Caught hundreds of Roach/Dace, never bothered them. The national blanket ban is outdated, silly & patronising. Well overdue for change.

[@MarkWintleFishing]

Where did you fish on the Blackwater; I have happy memories of exceptional dace and roach fishing at Mallow.

[@unionjakjakson]

@@MarkWintleFishing Fished at Fermoy(in the May festival). Had a great 1st day, then the rain came & the fishing became very peggy. Never drew any of the slacker pegs, which became essential in the angry chocolate river. Still had a fab time though.

[@tonymariner5519]

The closed season gives the cormorants 3 months of uninterrupted gorging, on an other wise river attended by anglers. This influx of these beasts was never an issue back in the 1800s. I've always been an advocate if the close season but believe a rethink is long overdue

[@tonymariner5519]

....... Oops, that was not meant to be a reply to your comments