Fishing to start

The Government recently announced that fishing will again be allowed in England as of Wednesday, May 13th. Most waters will be available to fish. You may want to follow some simple rules to help make fishing safe for everyone.  These rules are set out below and follow the guidelines issued by the Angling Trust.

COVID-19: Some General Rules

COVID-19 is spread when an infected individual or carrier, who may not have any symptoms, releases the virus into the air by coughing or sneezing, or even breathing.  A person in close contact can inhale the virus and become infected. Also, the virus will settle on surfaces and can live there for days. Someone can become infected by touching that surface and then touching their face. The virus can be killed by soap or by appropriate sanitising agents.

Some  general rules:

• DO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING: do not stand within 2m of anyone and maintain a distance of 15m from other anglers when fishing.
• DO PRACTISE GOOD HYGIENE: use hand sanitiser BEFORE and AFTER touching gates, locks, etc and of course when you have finished fishing. Disposable gloves or a carrier bag over the hand provide alternative protection.
• DO GO FISHING ON YOUR OWN: only travel to venues on your own or with members of your household.
• DO NOT share fishing tackle or touch fishing tackle other than your own
• DO NOT leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19: follow Government advice on self- isolation.

If we remember and adhere to these general rules, the virus will be contained, and we can enjoy fishing safely.

Stay safe.

For more details and how the rules could affect your fishing visit the Angling Trust website; link below:-

https://joinanglingtrust.net/angling-support-hub-phase-one/?

The Angling Trust has submitted a proposal to the Government to get us fishing safely again.

Full details can be found on the Angling Trust’s website.

Here below is an interesting article from the Fly Fishing and Fly Tying magazine.

Sports such as angling and golf have been mentioned as ones that could be at the forefront of the easing of lockdown, once that process starts. At the latest Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Giles Watling MP put the case forward for non-contact sports “angling to bowls to golf” to be at the forefront of any decision to ease lockdown restrictions.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport responded by saying that the government was “gathering evidence” on how the lockdown might be eased, and that the points Giles Watling had made were “all valid”. The Culture Secretary stressed he wants “to ease restrictions as quickly as we are able to” and he would be making the case in representations to the government’s Cobra (the Cabinet Office’s emergency briefing rooms) committee, suggesting that “the nature of the evidence will then determine the next step we take”. He added that this could only occur whenever public health evidence allows it.

Giles Watling, MP for Clacton, said the sports he mentioned were ones which many could enjoy and involved no close social interaction, and he proposed local clubs could open if they took responsibility for social distancing. He suggested that this would be good for the mental and physical health of the nation.

The Culture Secretary issued the caveat that any easing of lockdown would only happen when the government’s ‘five tests’ had been met. These include the NHS’ ability to cope with critical care; a sustained and consistent fall in daily death rate; decreased and manageable levels of infection; confidence that testing facilities and protective equipment levels can be met; and there is no risk of a second, overwhelming peak of infection.

On hearing the news, an encouraged Angling Trust said it, “has been working hard behind the scenes to make the case for the safe resumption of fishing, once the Government decides that some restrictions can be lifted.”