dumb greenies abuse fisherman

[row]

While fishing a local Habitat protection zone at Little Beach (line fishing from beach only), for flathead, I struck up a conversation with a visitor also flicking soft plastics around, he relayed to me a story of a couple of days ago he was fishing for flathead at this spot when he was approached by a woman with a pommy accent who started to yell abuse at him and tell him he was not allowed to fish here, she called authorities and stormed off to look at the zoning maps sign, the authorities including police came and spoke to the man and left, happy that the man was not breaking any laws, probably shaking their heads at the crazy extreme greenie fruit loop who had just wasted their valuable time. Maybe the dumb greenies should check the zoning maps before they start to abuse law abiding visitors at our beautiful beaches and waste the time of our already stretched police resources..

[CEO]

  Row, there are a number of legal options available to ECOfishers and all citizens of the state. You are entitled to take out an AVO against the complainant. The Police can identify her, because she has to give the police her name and address, when making the spurious complaint.
  Locals in the Bay, local fishos that is, have already been to the local magistrate and justifably sought an AVO against raving, extreme greens, who are blow-ins anyway. That tactic has worked well here, besides giving the greenies a very bad name - again!

[billfisher]

Fishermen have been assaulted in the UK by activists. There is an interesting thread on this on a US site:

http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=639999&highlight=police

Ever had an encounter with an anti while fishing?

Was discussing this with a friend today and it brought to my mind an incident that happened a while ago. Was fishing Long Branch New Jersey and minding my own business. Around 9 am, a man with his 6-7 old son came strolling down the beach and stood uncomfortably close to me. I asked him very politely to step back a few yards to avoid being hurt by my plug when I cast. He said something like "sorry, am I standing in the way of your animal torture routine?". I looked at him, then to the young boy, then calmly took my bag and started walking away.

I stopped about 200 yards, put my things down and made a cast. The man came again and stood to my left and started making one statement after the other saying stupid stuff that I won't repeat not to spread those moronic arguments. I decided that I'm not going to walk away again, and ignored him and kept retrieving the line. Then when I was about to cast again, he moved to my right blocking my way. I can't cast from the left, and his action meant that I have to move again if I wanted to cast  I'm not exactly the size many people would want to mess with, and I could have pushed him to the ground with one hand. Yet I took a deep breath to slow the blood rush into my head and looked at the young boy one more time, then collected my things and headed to my car deciding to call it a day. They followed me with a victorious smile on the man's face, and stood there while I turned the key. Before I drove away I looked at the young fellow and said "don't let anyone fill your head with garbage boy, when you are old enough you have to think for yourself". The man gave me one of the dirtiest looks I've ever seen, then I could see him in my mirror moving down the beach again heading to another fisherman 150 yards from where I was standing

Ever met one of those?

[CEO]

.....and we all wonder what message the young boy got from that "incident?" Was it that bullying works? If fishers don't stand up for their rights, they will be continually mugged and  robbed! (Metaphorically)

[Nete-Quette]

Maybe he lernt that sometimes its best to just walk away and that most people have standards and respect others rights.

Im sure like most I wouldn,t have been able to compose myself as well as billfisher and would have said all the wrong things in a brief moment of temper. Sure I would have felt better in the moment but after calming down and thinking about it I would soon realised my error and tried to correct it.

[billfisher]

He could have called the cops, or pretend to. As was discussed it is actually illegal in the US to obstruct or harrass a fisherman or hunter under US state fish and wildlife laws.

[CEO]

   Don't fihers have rights anymore? Are we expected to slink away? That is almost an acknowledgement of having done the wrong thing in the eyes of the accuser. If fishers don't stand up for their rights - no one else will!