Kilcullen anglers 'must police river'
Kilcullen Trout & Salmon Anglers Association is appointing new bailiffs to police the Liffey waters it controls, following an emergency meeting held at the weekend.
The meeting was called to discuss the growing problems of anglers operating without licences, as well as disregard for the rules of the club in relation to barbecues, dogs, and damage to property.
Chairman Charlie Browne said bluntly that if the members don't patrol the river and look after the landowners' rights, the club 'is finished'.
"We only exist with the goodwill of the landowners, and they're not happy with our performance," he told the meeting, which was attended by just 11 of the 200-plus membership. "If we lose the rights, they'll be taken up by Ballymore, or North Kildare."
Outlining the problems, he said that if the club lost the fishing rights, then the blame in the future would come back to them.
"We're working for the future young people, to give them an alternative," he said. "It might be the smallest stretch of water on the Liffey, but it is the best. And if we don't patrol it, we'll be thrown off it."
During a subsequent broad-ranging discussion, details of the problems were trashed out. They included reports of damage to paths and fences, netting of crayfish at the back of Sallymount and Carnalway, and groups of people fishing breaking the 'no picnic' rule and throwing the remains of barbecues and their empty drinks cans in the river.
Instances of 'vanloads' of anglers coming down and fishing with multiple rods were also cited, as were complaints from landowners that anglers bringing dogs were causing problems with livestock.
Carnalway was mentioned as being the point of entry for most of the problem anglers on the upper reaches of the fishery.
Charlie Browne noted that there was also a lot of float-fishing with live bait, something that was banned on this part of the river for more than 40 years.
"There's a problem with some fishermen who actually buy licences, that they don't read the rules," one of the members present noted.
A comment made by a landowner during recent restocking of the river was relayed to the meeting: "They're fine fish," he'd said," but they'll be raked in."
In answer to questions about the rights of bailiffs, the meeting was told they were appointed by the District Court, and could confiscate gear if an angler persisted in fishing without a permit following a first warning.
They also have the right to inspect an angler's bag to make sure they were staying within quota and not taking undersized fish.
It was also noted that any member of the club has the right to ask any angler if they have a licence to fish the waterway.
Some concern was expressed that these times it can be 'very dodgy' going up to a 'couple of young lads' and asking them if they had a licence.
But Charlie Browne said it was the plan that bailiffs would patrol in pairs. "The trouble is, most of the current bailiffs are not active. They don't want the responsibility."
Frank Mitchell said that any new set of bailiffs should be given clear guidelines about how to approach people. He also said that the new bailiffs should be appointed quickly, or the season would be over before any action was implemented.
Charlie Browne said there was no point in anyone putting their name forward if they weren't prepared to patrol on a regular basis.
"But if we do it, we can have the problem solved in a month," he said.
Frank Mitchell agreed, saying that the situation was similar to having pay parking in a town. "If you don't police it, people don't pay."
He also asked if there was adequate signage to tell people that the fishery required a licence. He was told that new signs were 'on the way' but there were already signs at the Square, the Valley, the Jockey Stile, and Carnalway.
The members who have volunteered to be bailiffs are Liam Stencen, Dave Belley, Jim Heffernan, Noel Domican, Charlie Browne, Charlie O'Rourke, Frank Mitchell, Milo Kavanagh and David Carroll.
— Brian Byrne.
