Coarse Fishing and nature by Dave Hayes

Coarse fishermen in general are a pretty down to earth bunch of people from absolutely all walks of life - from rock stars, TV celebrities and famous sporting heroes down to us ordinary mortals. Fishing is a great leveller as fish don't bite more for the stars than they do for us. Granted, they may be able to afford better tackle and fish some exclusive waters, still the rule applies - they have days when they blank along with the rest of us.

Most fishermen are also naturalists in some big or small degree. You can't help but notice the array of wildlife around you on those magical quiet summer mornings when the mist is drifting gently across the water and the world seems as it should. When I say fishermen I do mean REAL fishermen, not the mindless minority who leave litter and cause damage and annoyance.

Because we sit still and quietly for long spells we sometimes become semi-invisible to the wildlife around us. Once when fishing at dusk I almost had a Heron drop into my peg alongside me - it saw me in the last few seconds and lifted up and over me, missing me by a couple of feet. Another time I had a Water Vole for company on the bank preening its fur and treating me with complete indifference, and all within 6 feet of me. I have absolutely hundreds of similar encounters such as these.

Other people who enjoy the countryside such as walkers and birdwatchers etc are rarely afforded the glimpses of wildlife the average fisherman enjoys almost daily, and as such an awful lot of us care deeply about our wildlife and surroundings. It is not unusual to see such things as RSPB stickers on the back window of a fishermans car. You will also be surprised how many fishermen carry a small pair of binoculars too.

I am not perfect, but I do class myself as a proper fisherman and not one of the other kind, and as such it is up to us all not only to try and educate the mindless minority as to the damage they are doing to the good name of the sport we love, but to also introduce new blood into the sport. A kid who is fishing and with responsible adult supervision is a kid who isn't getting up to something he shouldnt.