Whilst not a competition angler I was reading a post on World Championship angling on Lough Mask & I ask the question
Who gives out the right to have competitions on any water & in particular a Wild Trout water & if by the results so far look like anything to go by like many of the big western loughs which are in various states of decline was not the greatest venue to hold such a thing.
It is after all a free water, in so far that no permit is required yes/no
so can anyone just decide to "invade" the water without a by your leave or does one have to make approaches to some authority or like many big events just a windfall week for local hoteliers gillies & boat owners. Same question applies to Loch Awe whilst from time im-memorial was a "free" water & only in recent protection order time has a permit been required. So I ask the same who gives the permission to hold competitions.
Ardbrechnish house who has most/all of the boats. Is he the man who makes the decisions & if so under what authority.
I note The Tweed has been used recently & the Tummel gets hammered from time to time. I guess that the local angling clubs who control the said waters give the necessary authority. My own club Bridge of Weir river gave permission a few years ago for use of the river for a "practice" session for people in a UK championship. Something I was dead against & I would have certainly protested about if I had know beforehand. So what is next the River Clyde.......I only hope not but I can see it coming. Yes I know the local clubs stock but for the sake of arguement it can be fairly classed as wild fishing.
Do not want to start a for & us posting re competition, but for those that do not know me I will summarise my thoughts on competitive angling.

I feel that major competition angling should not play any part in Trout fishing on Wild Waters & as such should be banned. On stocked waters I do not have any problem with it. I do not indulge but have no truck with those that want to.


So some pertinent replys with my question please ladies/gentlemen

Tight Lines

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"The Future's Bright The Future's Wet Fly"

There has been SANA competitions on the river Clyde for a few years now but on a catch and release basis . One of the older guys i worked with said there were plenty of angling clubs holding club competitions on the Clyde with the fish getting killed i think he fished in a miners club and they used gadgers and minnows he even said there was a handicap system where some of the better anglers had to catch so many fish befere they could start counting fish caught. Are you trying to say that there is a difference between club competitions and those held under the World/Scottish banner one is kill and the other catch and release

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I've not lost my mind, it's backed up on disk somewhere.

Campbell

Campell is correct,all the major Rivers/Lochs in Scotland used to be attacked by the Central belt/Ayrshire miners buses for comps every week.this was before the Protection orders.these were not C&R comps,So nothing new.



Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Perhaps Highlander has a point. If only he and his mates could fish the waters ther would be so many more fish for him to catch. But on a more positive note at least he sounds like a tolerant individual open to all points of view.

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'If you're doing things the way you've always done them then you're probably doing them wrong'

Live and let live and each to their own.....thats what i say ..i was just dumbfounded to think that highlander thought that there was no competition fishing on the Clyde

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I've not lost my mind, it's backed up on disk somewhere.

Campbell

In Shetland we have 9 bank fishing competitions a year in 6 areas with between 5 and 10 named lochs in each area to fish,plus 6 fish where you please cups with between 300 and 400 lochs to choose from,so your call to ban all competitions on wild trout waters may work for you but for Shetland its just stupid. p.s. no stocked rainbows here.

I take it you are new to the forum

In view of a few comments I should perhaps note that I was being sarcastic; or at least trying to be sarcastic. Perhaps I was being a bit too subtle for the forum; I should know better. I was just astonioshed at the slefishness and narrow mindedness of the original post. But then once again I guess I should know better.

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'If you're doing things the way you've always done them then you're probably doing them wrong'

I think Highlander probably hasn't been fishing for a while and is looking to get a bite somehow !!

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HKS
www.durhamflyfishing.co.uk