| The Internet can be the best thing since sliced bread, or it can be the
devil incarnate. It all depends who you talk to. Paradoxically, I guess both views
are correct. However, as anglers, the Internet opens up a whole new world that we can use
for our benefit. This article is about how the Net has given birth to a new initiative in
the angling world.
It has been my desire for a couple of years to start an all species specimen group. Fishing as I do, for a wide variety of fish, if I joined all the groups that have caught my eye I would now be a member of the Barbel Society, Carp Society, Pike Angling Club and Tenchfishers...not to mention chub, perch and other such groups. As I'm the sort of person that likes to get involved, I would be spending more time in meetings than I would out on the bank.... Towards the end of 2000 I got together with Paul Williams, and we decided to start a local, all species specimen group. As we're both from the part of the West Midlands known as the Black Country, the group was launched as 'Black Country Specimen Group'. We're also both on the Internet and so, as we publicised the group we began to get interested anglers contact us. However, the interest in the group was not confined locally, and so at our first meeting, as well as the West Mids, we had fishermen from Leicestershire and Northants in attendance, as well as apologies from Derbyshire, Hampshire and Staffordshire. It soon became clear, after a short time, that we needed to re-invent ourselves, because the geographical spread of the members was beyond our original area of focus. In addition, all members were on-line. In fact, this was our common link in the first place. So, at the start of 2001, SWAG was born - Specialist Web Anglers Group.
The mission statement of SWAG is 'To bring together like minded anglers, and to promote the catching of specimen fish of all species'. And I suppose we could add to that, that we intend to do so in an environment whereby we all enjoy our fishing. We deliberately want to avoid the politics and hidden agendas that are often associated organisations. I know a certain amount of disagreement is going to happen from time to time, that is inevitable, but some of the things that go on in the angling world are a turn off. One of the ways that we are striving towards continued harmony is that membership of SWAG is by invitation only. All of our (current) 15 members were all known to a number of existing members prior to being invited to join. The criteria for invitation was a friendship/relationship between members and invitees. This is reflected in the level of banter that goes on between members. We have a Yahoo group mailing list, which means not only can we communicate freely with each other via e-mail, but we have chat room facility, a SWAG calendar page etc. Although we are spread widely around the country, the fact we are on e-mail means we probably chat together more than local angling club members. As well as the previously mentioned Counties, we also have members from Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Wales.
We've had a couple of fish-in's to date (article written mid April 2001). Actually, on the strength of those we're not much of a specimen group, as there has yet to be a SWAG fish caught...But after all, we are specimen anglers. Well, that's our excuse and we're sticking to it... Amongst our membership we have a couple of fishing magazine editors, an Angling Times
columnist and other angling writers. But above all, we're a bunch of mates who enjoy one
anothers company. We're not actually after members, so this article is not a recruitment
drive. But I do believe that the Internet has an important role to play in the development
of angling, which is why I wrote this piece, as an encouragement to fellow anglers
to use this very effective medium we have available to us. |
Stewart Bloor with a 20lb 2oz pike
SWAG member Paul Fletcher with a 9lb Dove barbel
The first SWAG Fish-In - it snowed!