Back on the banks?

[hurricane]

On my FB feed its awash with comments on weather we will be allowed to fish from Wednesday and what owners will be open and how rules will be adhered to,Yet not a peep on here,again shows the fall in traffic on all forums is down to the popularity of FB.
Anyway guys,as far as I can make out,theres still no definite answer and many water owners are still unsure,My view is that if you can do it in a 100% safe manner,then you should, but if in doubt .then wait a while longer(don't use the supermarket ques for reference,you HAVE to eat,its nice to fish) getting it wrong could put everything back, Personnaly I will wait till things improve a LOT more,if I miss a full season then its not the end of the world,if I catch COVID19 it probably will be for me AND my Wife.
So whats your thoughts folks???????????????

[Sam Vimes]

It seems to have been confirmed (by government ministers and the ATr) that angling is allowed from Wednesday. What individual clubs and fisheries do is another matter entirely. Some waters may not be able to maintain adequate social distancing. Until the complete guidance document has been issued and digested, we'll not know if there are any caveats. I'll be a little surprised if there are no travel restrictions whatsoever. Someone travelling from somewhere north of the Humber to an Oxfordshire fishery certainly doesn't sound like a particularly good idea to me.

As to whether you choose to fish, that's entirely down to you, your circumstances and the fisheries you have access to. Just because we can go fishing doesn't mean we have to. My own circumstances mean that I will be going fishing. That's largely down to the fact that I live two miles from a water that is both large enough and has few enough members to make social distancing very easy, even if every member turned out on the same day. If my access were limited to one of the big commies, the decision to go wouldn't be so easy. I'll be safer on the banks of this venue than I am in a supermarket, out for daily exercise or even in my own home.

[Brian G]

At no time did the PM say its OK to go fishing, it seems to be the MEDIA that is making the HEADLINES to suit theirselves. Ok its just possiblethat it may be they had a press handout to accompany the PMs statement. Personally I dont think its yet safe enough to go fishing. We may be over the peak but its far from under complete control. It might be fine to go as Sam outlines, but we all know that on a commercial those situations dont apply.

[rjays]

Just out of interest Bri...why would you think that .... Getting into my own car alone, Driving to Manor Farm Havington, Putting the exact cash into an envelope and putting it into a collection box, Going to a peg and fishing ....is not safe enough??

[rjays]

Official...Weds is good to Fish again...

[Brian G]

Rob I have underlying health conditions so will be more wary than most. In the last 2 months I have only been out the house twice, both times to pick up a mower and a hedge trimmer,after the pold ones packed up, both times it was done in a totally safe way. Now it does seem that angling will be allowed, fine if you can do it as you suggest, however I doubt on commercials the social distancing will be kept to. Maybe its because I lived through the old close seasons that I have the view that its too soon.

[jethro]

If you feel it safe enough then do what you feel to be right. I'm in a similar situation to Brian, health issues put me in the at-risk group. I don't think I will risk it at least for a while.
Fishing is just as important for me as anyone else but not if there's any risk. If we don't get another spike from this virus by lifting restrictions too soon I'll be closer to getting back on the bank.
Either way, I feel better by staying home for now.

[paul k]

Gold valley opens from Wednesday for fishing-anglers only- no non fishing visitors.
guess who's going fishing Wednesday then?
🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

not sure how they'll issue the day tickets- but they'll have a sensible,safe way around it.
park behind the peg- no need to see or be near anyone else.
Can't wait!!!!

[MT NET]

Gold valley opens from Wednesday for fishing-anglers only- no non fishing visitors.
guess who's going fishing Wednesday then?
🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

not sure how they'll issue the day tickets- but they'll have a sensible,safe way around it.
park behind the peg- no need to see or be near anyone else.
Can't wait!!!!

You hold your pole at the thick end,hope this helps😂

[Rick b]

Lets face it gents, the virus is NOT going away and no matter what you do , you will become susceptible, there is no safe alternative except a vaccine, so yes you can prolong the inevitable which is getting it, and maybe you will be lucky enough to avoid it long enough for a vaccine to be produced. The government have been clever in most thing they have done to be fair, but now our hospitals are scaling down and the theatres are being returned from covid wards back into elective use again. Its now time to start and lift the lockdown nice and easy, our hospitals will not be overun by the second wave which will be 5 times worse than the first wave because all new cases will be admitted directly to the nightingale hospitals which as yet have been empty.
so my personal thoughts are,be as careful as you can, no matches no matter how they are run travel alone, keep washing/ sanitising, go to less popular places, ones where no body goes because its not hook a duck water, there are a few about, even canals where you never see anyone else, you can be just as safe doing this as you can popping to tesco or the local co op if not safer tbh.
so get out while you can it can have a massive impact on an anglers mental health, just to be out there or even for some just to know than can go and the shackles are off, enjoy the short advantage because i have no doubt restrictions will yet again be put in place, proberbly by June the 16th lol.
for me its a damn site safer than going into work twice a week which is a hospital and the good wife working every day in one and coming home.

[paul k]

You hold your pole at the thick end,hope this helps😂

It's been a while mart lol

[hurricane]

Great to see a few responses and even better is the fact that they are ,considered and more importantly .responsible in there content,
Every single person has to do what THEY think is the right thing,every post so far advocates common sense,the problem I have is,there are WAY too many out there that don't possess it,under normal circumstances I can deal with stupidity(dont suffer it gladly) but I cant combat COVIDIOTS.
If youre goin out,then, enjoy by all means but stay safe,not just for yourself but for ALL your family and friends as well as many you dont even know.
Just remember that not everyone has or will abide by the rules,as the risk increase you need to increase YOUR level of vigilance.
Stay safe please folks,enjoy your hobby if you can.

[MT NET]

I run our club matches and have cancelled them all till new year,stay safe chaps.

[hurricane]

I run our club matches and have cancelled them all till new year,stay safe chaps.

Many venues have banned matches for the time being,it would be logistically "difficult" to adhere to the regulations,but at SOME venues ,it could be done,but again its about common sense,and people adhering to the rules on the day.

[rjays]

Correct Pete...It's all about common sense, however some of the things I am reading on forums is bordering on paranoia,for interest I will list a few that I don't understand

1: When I am walking anywhere and someone is walking towards me, they make an almighty swerve to maintain the 2mtr distance because as we know...any closer and we will get infected...what would have happened pre decimal? 2yrds would have got us to within infected range...2 mtrs is safe according to the scaremongerers out there...what about 6ft...or 5ft 9ins...or even 5ft? do the germs think mmm I cant jump that far..and if the wind is in the right (or wrong) direction, how can 2 mtrs on a normal day be enough?

2: Seems people are afraid of catching something from exchanging money!!..Oh please...when was the last time someone died as a result of handling dirty money (other than a drug dealer)...never!!...and those rubber gloves would soon come off if the bloke down the road started handing out free tenners!

3: Those masks are no good...surely breathing through the things for any length of time is more of a health risk...your breathing in the same air you just breathed out for gods sake..how manky is that?...all they achieve is to make everyone look like a goose!!

4: Seen the strangest thing in a long time the other day...20 odd year old girl and at least 20 stone over weight (you know the typical chav) wearing a mask!!..I so wanted to ask her "when did you become so concerned about your health)!!

5: When will they start giving us the TRUE number of deaths BECAUSE of Corona and NOT WITH Corona...you would be amazed

I'm in no way being flippant here just fed up with this total lack of common sense and blatant scaremongering....Oh and I hold all top trump cards regarding health issues by the way..and would be as vunerable as anyone in the country....

Now let me get my tin hat on and then we will discuss in a pleasant civil way..