Today an article appeared about 52 licence dodgers in Wales.

Over 50 licence dodgers in Wales get their day in court

Isn’t it about time that we have a nationwide database of anglers who have been up to no good. This would deter anglers from partaking in dubious practices and allow the shunning/banning of all the wrong types that we can all do without.

Recently there was a story about a casting instructor who was charged with making a false insurance claim but such an event doesn’t directly reflect upon his angling skills or ability to teach. However, if there were an instructor/angler who had been banned by the EA, a fishery board, angling club or riparian owner then surely a person who was found guilty of such an offence should be publicly named in order that others can know what they’ve been up to and allow them to protect their fisheries.

Last year a syndicate operator asked me about a person and I responded neutrally because although I had met him personally I had not seen him fish etc. This year that syndicate operator informed me that he had found out too late that he had been banned for foul-hooking salmon, obviously this could have been avoided if there was a database he could check. This may well be quite a problem because I know of a few syndicates that have had vacancies for years, just because they need to trust anglers and without good recommendations they won’t take the risk.

Did he have a tie on though?

I'm all for this, I put a lot of effort, and money, into making sure I'm professional, insured, legal, so I'd quite like to weed out the ones who aren't.

I disagree about the insurance fraud though, if people are prepared to break one law, they're normally prepared to break lots. So does he have a CRB check, is his first aid up to date, is he insured? If he's prepared to lie for his own gain, is he going to be giving good advice to the pupil ( his fishery is rubbish, come to mine, that instructors rubbish stick with me etc etc ). Either an instructor has integrity, and can be trusted with your money for his advice, or he isn't.

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http://www.flyfishinglessons.co.uk
http://www.aapgai.co.uk

What counts as "doing wrong"? Who should have access to this information? What information should it contain? etc, etc, on and on ...

As there is typically no legal system involved with "wrong do'ers" the judge, jury and executioner is formulated by a fairly one sided method; "he dun it", "right, yer banned".

A particularly disgruntled angler could have "defamatory" law suit fairly easily I'd imagine. Right idea, complex implimentation.

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Now sporting a respectable hair cut for a limited time only!

What next - pointy hats and lynch mobs ?

Big brother is watching you.

No thanks, not for me. I'd rather live with more risk and less regulation.

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

But at the moment the various Angling bodies/clubs don’t know whether an applicant was thrown out of one or more angling clubs for committing offences. A database would simply flag such persons and allow people to then investigate the matter and allow them to make an informed decision, though obviously someone who was caught foul-hooking twice won’t get much sympathy. Someone who committed another type of offence, say bait fished in a fly only area, may get a little sympathy if they were a beginner but if they claimed to be experienced then their excuse evaporates.

Bailiffed/ghillied waters can be policed quite easily but club/association/syndicate waters are a different matter, these organisations need to trust their anglers more and yet they get little help in checking out the background of anglers who apply.

I think you might possibly run into one or two problems with the Data Protection Act.

Surely you have indicated all of this by going through the effort of obtaining the qualifications you have been awarded. These bodies require these levels of protection don't they? Therefore the database for those who want to gain suitable instruction already exists in the guise of these professional bodies.

In terms of the broader point I think that it is a crazy idea. Who would be the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong, especially when you (RPS) appear to be as concerned about getting the 'right sort' rather than simply weeding out the criminal element. Eye of the beholder stuff really.

For example some folk might think that you are a decent sort but you come across as a sanctimonious prig to me.......you'd be royally screwed if I was administering your database.

Not to mention the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act if the offence(s) in question were ultimately criminal convictions eg prosecution by the EA.

Seems to be a 'hammer to crack a nut'. A national database to ascertain whether someone had wrong-hooked 2 salmon? Whatever next? And what limits need toi be breached to equal "wrongdoing"? Who sets that, how is guilt established? Kangaroo court?

The Government has seen fit to compromise my personal information a couple of times now and I'm getting tired of it; my opinion is that we all should be and that our information should only be kept in a minimum of places by a minimum of people.

Licence dodging is a criminal offence, of course, and we already have enough bullying adverts on television (like the TV Licence ones) without this kind of thing. Isn't it strange that the most offensive public adverts (Fishing Licence, TV Licence, Road Fund Licence) are the ones that people are cheesed off with and are contentious to say the least.