PIKE anglers were celebrating last week as a proposed Parliamentary petition to ban treble hooks and limiting anglers to just one single hook was closed as it had gained just 17 signatures.
But the campaign is still running a petition through www.change.org via its own website and this has attracted 205 signatures.
And it has also amended its position to now allow the use of more than one single hook on a specialist rig.
Campaign leader Dr Stuart McLanaghan, explained: “Discussions are in progress with a range of angling organisations in the UK and abroad, and RIO Products who supply fly lines for game and predator species are supporting the initiative.
“Catch and release regulations, guidance and research studies from around the world have been evaluated in support of the initiative.
“The main findings and feedback will be addressed in an open letter to be published shortly,” added Stuart, an all-rounder and once a member of the Pike Anglers Club.
Anglers Against The Proposed Ban On Treble Hooks
The proposed treble hooks ban, exclusively revealed by Angler’s Mail magazine, raised a lot of debate on social media with a Facebook group formed called Anglers Against The Proposed Ban On Treble Hooks that got over 100 members.
Comments on other predator Facebook groups was mainly against a ban, but there certainly was some support for a ban on treble hooks.
Tackle shop owner and PAC media officer Alan Dudhill commented: “This is an issue that has been around for a number of years and is something the PAC strongly opposes as we know that using single hooks actually increases the chance of damage to pike.
“We are more than happy to debate this with anyone and meet anglers and show them the correct way to handle and unhook fish, which to us is the primary issue.
“There are a substantial number of very serious pike anglers in our organisation and they almost all use treble hooks.
“We are all fish lovers committed to the preservation and conservation of pike and wouldn’t use any tackle that was potentially harmful,” he concluded.
The Angling Trust has already come out against a formal ban on trebles believing there is no evidence they do any more harm to fish than other hooks.
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