Poacher's Rod

[Wildfisher]

I am paid to police it.

It sounds like a very rewarding job. You could also get yourself a drone and save a bit of leg work. I'm pretty sure the courts  accept video evidence these days. It has been used to convict a few gamekeepers for illegally killing raptors. They are not expensive, a decent one can be had for about £1000 and the licence is easy enough to get. It's a 40 question multiple choice exam that is done on the CAA website. You also need a flyer ID, no exam for that and  costs £10 / year.

If I was doing that job I'd be asking the boss to buy a drone for sure. You can scan a huge area without breaking a sweat.

[Laxdale]

We have plenty nifty gadgets to play with. Drones too, if required, but they are of limited use in the pitch dark, with a gale and possibly rain. ie, Usual working environment.

[Wildfisher]

A drone would certainly be the way to go in daylight. Look at the view of this river in Philip's latest video at around 0.15. You could spot a poacher a mile off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgcMPaUK11A&t=15s

[Guest_8]

Laxdale, I sympathise, and it's good to hear the old bill are on board, good stuff.

But as ohers have said, it's entirely different from an hour on a hill loch that some estate owner hasn't an interest in, but doesn't want you to fish just because his ancestors came across the land by whatever means half a millenia ago.

[johnny boy]

Just buy your tickets, seek out your permissions, or feck off is my advice to visitors now.
But do as you wish, just dont whinge if it ends badly. 

Quite right Gordon, it's not like 30 years ago when it was nigh on impossible to get a decent day permit for migratory fish, almost all estates now offer decent fishing at some point of the season.

[Guest_8]

We have plenty nifty gadgets to play with. Drones too, if required, but they are of limited use in the pitch dark, with a gale and possibly rain. ie, Usual working environment.

A bit more expensive, but way more useful is a thermal imaging drone, we use them in Mountain Rescue, fantastic for finding a missper in wooded area or on a hillside if they are wearing 'natural' colours, where a standard camera will struggle to pick them out. You could literally scoot along the river at a fairly fast speed, if there's someone there they stand out like a whisky nose.

https://www.dronesdirect.co.uk/p/buncb.20220317025083210/dji-matrice-30t-drone?utm_source=google&utm_medium=Free%20Listings&utm_campaign=shopping%20feed&utm_content=free%20google%20shopping%20clicks&refsource=ddadcenters&mkwid=IRPpTuST_dc&pcrid=74560787989047&product=BUN%2FCB.202203170250%2F83210&pgrid=1192970877979923&ptaid=pla-4578160327490031&channel=bingsearch&msclkid=c6daee13272c1d9744b78cc2042c8710&utm_term=4578160327490031

[Wildfisher]

A bit more expensive, but way more useful is a thermal imaging drone

Aye, expensive,  but protecting these 7 inch troot is worth every penny. 

[Wildfisher]

thermal imaging drone, we use them in Mountain Rescue, fantastic for finding a missper in wooded area or on a hillside

It had not even occurred to me the MR were using drones. Pretty obvious application of the technology really. Just getting up a few hundred feet quickly must make a huge difference.

With the massive decline in migratory fish and general angling demand it's easy to forget this has been more than made up for with the huge demand for more general (some would say more wholesome) recreation; hiking, wild camping, Munro bagging, photography, bird watching, NC500 etc etc. Just a quick look at Youtube and the number of regular hillwalking and climbing contributions from people like Murray and Robin confirms this.  No need to deal with idiotic archaic  rules and impossible permit nonsense either - these activities are there for everyone - all you require is a bit of imagination and a strong pair of legs.

Interesting too that countries like the USA and NZ do not seem to be suffering this demise in angling. In the USA fly fishing has achieved almost cult status and popularity.  Might that be something to do with patterns of ownership and attitudes? There is no doubt that the general public's profiling of UK game fishers would be more privileged crusty old Tory than Brad Pitt and his River Running Through It.