Simon Atkinson wrote:
: new rules for all anglers, every one must now use only split cane
: rods and cat gut as all other materials have been deemed to give the
: angler an unfair advantage over the fish however the use of hazel
: branches is an acceptable alternative to split cane.
:
: Anyone who fishes is to only wear brown cord trousers (tucked into
: their socks) and tweed jackets, and a soft floppy cap if required

hope your not being cynical there, Simon?
:-)

PS theres not *only* two types of angler, -
1) goes fishing with over 8k worth of tackle including fishfinders,
baitboats, bite alarms and many other expensive items.
2) goes with a broom handle, string, bent pin and bucket of worms.

There are thousands of 'middlemen' who have *some* bits of fancy gadgetry
*along with* old fashioned techniques, these are the forward thinking
anglers, who over the years have accepted new tackle, only when its proved
its worth.
If something they've had in their box for over 30 years still does what it
was made to do, why change it?
I'm not one to shun a piece of new tackle simply because i think its not
going to work, i look at what others do and what works.
Let me ask you this, considering you've been an angler for a long time, and
these fishfinders have been about for at least a decade, how many times have
you seen anyone use one?
If they did what they are meant to do, everyone would have one.

Beleive me, i could think up a piece of crap like this, get a patent on it,
get it manufactured and some anglers would buy it if they were told it would
catch them more fish, whether it actually did or not is irrelevant, because
when tackle companies produce anything at all, they dont have to prove that
it works, they only have to make you think that it does.

BTW, i already have a fishfinder, in fact i have two, as the fish i go for
(carp) are usually visible when near the surface, and when bottom feeding,
theres also visible signs that they are disturbing the bottom.