BSA Wessex National Competition 27th June 2010

[kkdavids]

Wessex Spearfishing Club invites all spearfishermen to compete in this round of the British SpearfishingChampionships at​

Ringstead Bay, Dorset, on 27th June 2010. Back up 11th July​

The competition will start and finish in the main car park at Ringstead​

(All competitors will have to pay any car parking fees).​

All fish as per national rules.
No Dogfish


Start: 10:00


Finish: 16:00

Weigh In: 16:30




Competition entry will be: £10


Competition Area: To the East – Bats Gap
To the West – RedCliff point

Refreshments will be provided following the competition

Trophies: Senior 1st –10th, 1st Junior, 1st team, Best specimen Fish, ​

About The Area

To the West are numerous reefs, ledges and a wreck, which hold all the usual species. The ledges run both out to sea and parallel to the beach, and hold many Mullet. The reefs can be found straight off the beech and also further out to sea. The wreck lies quite close to the beach and has had a few decent Bass taken from it over the years.​

To the East of the area there are many large rocks and reefs that hold many fish, these can be found all the way down to Durdle Door. The reefs run parallel to the beach and have the large rocks spread along them, various species can be found here including Bass, Mullet, and Pollack.

 

[podge]

Just a really big well done to the members of the BSA for the utterly thoughtless and wasteful taking of 62 Wrasse.
WELL DONE LADS!!! :rcard:rcard:rcard:rcard:rcard:rcard:rcard


http://www.underwaterfishing.co.uk/results/Position%20after%202%20rounds%202010.pdf

 

[devondave]

I had no idea wrasse were still allowed in competitions, to be honest I thought those days were long gone.
It's very difficult to convince people we're a conservation minded, eat what we kill, save fish stocks by eliminating by catch sort of crowd, when some of us are killing fish most people think of as inedible, (apart from that french guy at Budleigh), and good luck to him, at least he eats them.

What is the rational behind this policy?
How would it be perceived by the general public?
How does such a thing effect our case as far as the marine conservation bill is concerned?
There are some 450,000 registered scuba divers in the UK, most of whom would like large parts of UK waters to be no take zones and they're not the only ones.
I just worry this kind of thing will make us pariahs in the eyes of a great many people, leaving us with no leverage when it comes to making a case to allow us to fish in the new conservation zones.

Regards,
Dave.

 

[tonyiannu]

I was in the competition on Sunday,I been told that we could spear the wrasse and I was surprised about that but they explained me that the wrasse where going to be given to the local fishermans for theyr lobster pots so i thought that it was good. I saw a lots of wrasse that day into the water(unfortunately just wrasse) but as a not competitive competitor (I can only do a couple of sunday competitions) becouse i just like to meet nice people and friends on this occasion I did not spear any of them becouse I do not need points. If I was a good competitor I would personally spear all of them to win the comp. or the final classific. It was allowed only on this competition and I dont think anybody can criticize what the organization body did for that day and all the efforts they did. Think just about that nobody of us ever go spearfishing for wrasse so I think is an overpopulated species and for once why you want make feel the organisers guilty for it?

 

[glowworm]

To allow the taking of wrasse in any numbers is a serious mistake. Taking one for the pot is OK if that's your thing but 60+ wrasse that are then used as pot bait!

I honestly thought and hoped we were beyond this.

This has happened on my doorstep at my local beach just 10 minutes from my house which makes this feel almost personal.

I Will not let this or other idiotic actions I see posted on this site go unchallenged.

This sport has no place for numptees.....
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Tunny]

Sorry Tony,

Whole heartedly agree with evreyone's comments maybe someone in the BSA hierarchy should read our comments and listen to our opinions!

I can understand it if you like to eat them or are a new spearo, I took a few when I started out and ate them all.

But....
Where's the sport in spearing Wrasse if you are good enough to compete!? :head:head :head:rcard:rcard:rcard

 

[broughy]

Having spent a lot of time in Brittany, France, when I was younger where they have no problem eating wrasse I introduced them to my family when I got into spear fishing and if filleted properly they prefer them to Bass, so I do take one every now and then to eat.
This said I spearfish predominantly because I enjoy the personal challenge and the buzz of the hunt and increasingly find it emotionally harder to take wrasse as there is no effort involved as they generally come and see what’s going on when I appear and it just feels wrong to take them.

I am not personally interested in competition as I find the sport challenging enough trying to better my own limitations but I also understand that people need this to push the limits of the sport and themselves. All I can say is if I don’t find Wrasse a challenge when I’m only a year into spearing how do competitors on the circuit clear this with their consciences.

Maybe if the point of the spearo comps is to prove who’s the best, we need to set different targets for comps , like more points for quality and not quantity. say double points for a bass speared cleanly head on instead of numbers.

If only a few competitors catch fish in this way then they will have proven they must be good.

Sorry about the Ramblings, hope what I’m trying to say got through, lol

 

[Paul Smith]

Hi Toni,

Very wise & infomative response. *I feel the same as you. *62 wrasse taken by 32 divers is less than two fish per diver. *It is unlikely that anymore comps this year will have wrasse included hence that will be 1.2 wrasse per week taken by the entire BSA - hardly exessive. *
The fish were not wasted, other types of fisherman catch smaller fish for bait only. *The fish is not endangered & it is legal to catch. *I prefer not to catch them & always say so at any BSA meetings however I am more upset by being dictated to by others who cannot find the time to attend an organised meeting & thoughtfully present their views. All are welcome to join the BSA & have a vote on rules & regulations. I look forward to seeing those of you who really care at the AGM.

Happy (legal) Fishing
Paul
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[kkdavids]

I will comment on this as it was fully 100% my decision.
Yes 62 wrasse were caught. I was asked by a local fisherman specifically for wrasse no other fish. He says that they are the best bait for his pots, as they are harder than other fish like pollack.
A pollack lasts a quarter of the time in the pot than a wrasse so the fisherman has to catch 4 times as many than wrasse to sustain his pots.
62 wrasse caught by spearfishermen on one day, compared to x amount of bass, mullet, pollack caught throughout the year.
Worked out at 2 wrasse per diver. Happy to answer any specific questions anyone has about it
I'm happy to discuss this with anyone anytime. I will be at the pairs comp next weekend if anyone wants to discuss it further

Cheers
Dave
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[foxfish]

What is your size limit for wrasse?
There have not been any comps in Guernsey for 20 years but even that long ago the size limit for wrasse was 4.5lb.
Some of broughy comments like a points system & bonus points for head shot fish must be the way forward - if you expect competitions to survive that is?
I am not entirely against spearfishing comps but you need to move with the times - taking wrasse because some potter wants them for bait is not a good way forward in my mind :head

 

[podge]

Especially as members of the non spearing public could probably see bucket loads of dead Wrasse at the weigh in.
The BSA scores points once again and all for the sake of a bit of pot bait.:rcard

 

[kkdavids]

As I said happy to answer constructive questions. Quite happy to take forward the good shot suggestion (sounds a good idea, shame I can't shoot straight)
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[broughy]

I do get the impression that some of the competitors made the choice not to take Wrasse even if this meant them loosing the comp on the day , so opinions must varey even amongst the competitive types.

I also dont like being dictated to so can see why some are feeling agreeved even though they didnt partisipate, so please dont tar everyone with the same brush here. The only change will be by people getting involved with the BSA and trying to change it from within.
From what i have heard it seems to fall to the same few people to keep the BSA going every year and its those same few people who do all the hard work year on year, so people you know what to do at the next AGM , put your time and effort where your mouth is !!!

 

[speardaver]

In response to the grievances voiced above, i can echo KK Davids in saying that the majority of the BSA committee will be present at the pairs comp in Portland next weekend and i'm sure that we are all happy to sit down and discuss this sensibly, but if people have these opinions the only way that you can ensure this is voted on within our organisation is to join, support the organisation and help us to push things forwards to meet the majority of members ideals, ( we are never going to be able to please everybody, that is for sure!).
At the moment there is a tiny body of people who are undertaking the running of the organisation, who have all been trying to move in the best direction for the collective members and image of the sport in recent years.
From a personal perspective, the Ringstead comp last week was the first time that we have shot Wrasse in probably five years, all of the top competitive divers from the country were in attendance and there were only 2 caught per diver on average. As long as these were in fact used for pot bait then i feel that is a sensible use of fish as without it i probably couldn't have bought my grandparents a lovely Lobster Thermidor in the swanky sea food restaurant in Pompey for their 60th wedding anniversary last night!
During that comp i managed to shoot 4 Wrasse in my catch of 13 fish ( and i am quite a competitive spearo who has fished at a fairly high level for a good few years). Those 4 fish were without doubt the most difficult fish that i shot all day, making me wait longer and take longer shots than any others. I nagree that if you are fishing alone in an area they can seem to be quite a friendly doscile species, but without trying to justify myself or that association, i'm sure that a lot of people would be suprised to see how spooky and elusive they can be once there are a few guns and bodies in the area.
Anyway, i hope i haven't bored everybody too much, and i will try my best to get to the pairs comp, if i can find someone to fish with as most of my buddies are away (PM me if you looking 4 anyone to fish with, and i promise not to shoot any Wrasse) Feel free to come find me and we'll grab a beer and air any ideas!

Ta,

Dave,
BSA Safety Officer