Is Carp fishing becoming too easy

[Old fisher]

It's nice to fish a lake where if you do target carp and catch a big one, no other angler comes up to you and says. Oh !! you've caught split tail or gut buster or pop eye. Pet names for fish SO!! hungry that almost everyone catches them and can tell you the weight before you've even got your scales out to weigh it. How sad.

 

[riverman]

It's nice to fish a lake where if you do target carp and catch a big one, no other angler comes up to you and says. Oh !! you've caught split tail or gut buster or pop eye. Pet names for fish SO!! hungry that almost everyone catches them and can tell you the weight before you've even got your scales out to way it. How sad.

yes agree with this.wasnt there an 84lb carp in a french lake called 'scar belly'.

 

[@Clive]

I liken it to those painted scenes at the sea side where you put your head through a hole and you were photographed as a strong man or other manly character. Same fish, same lake, different angler.

 

[Alan Whitty]

This subject all depends on what sort of carp/carp fishery you go to,if you go to one that produces 10-20 fish a season,then no,it's bloody hard,if you go to some of the fisheries that the fishery subsidiary of Korda run then mostly yes,chuch a bucket of bait over one of the many features and you will catch a fair few decent fish...

 

[Old fisher]

This subject all depends on what sort of carp/carp fishery you go to,if you go to one that produces 10-20 fish a season,then no,it's bloody hard,if you go to some of the fisheries that the fishery subsidiary of Korda run then mostly yes,chuch a bucket of bait over one of the many features and you will catch a fair few decent fish...

Hi Alan I like your post, but in the type of fishery you mention (10 to 20 fish) you can say that every fish caught has been caught multiple times and almost certainly given a pet name. Surely in angling there has to be some kind of mystery or one just keeps catching the same fish in the hope it's just bigger than the last time it was caught. I love fisheries with low density stocks as I've said in previous posts but the weight of the fish is unimportant compared to the joy finding fish and then trying to catch one. I know we all have our own ways of enjoying our sport and that's good. If we we're just after weights we may become indifferent to smaller specimens or species. If I'm fishing for carp and I catch say a bream I don't mind. I wouldn't think it annoying, its shows my method etc. is sound and works. I'm sure you feel the same, and what you wrote was just an example.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Low stock venues would have names for the fish and would have been caught a few times,but that would be over years,not 10 times a season,but that would be true in the vast majority of waters,even those with loads of carp,the biggest have names,do I like it,most certainly not,nearly all of my fishing is done for species other than carp,which often are a nuisance,try fishing for 2lb roach and catching carp to 27lb on float gear,an achievement,possibly,a pain,definitely,lol,I do enjoy catching carp opportunistically however,when I see one creep into a swim....

 

[Keith M]

If you are aware of certain very large Carp in a water then it is quite normal for it to be given a name when it’s talked about; but that doesn’t mean that it won’t take a great deal of effort, perseverance and skill to catch it especially if it only gets caught once or twice per year if at all.

I couldn’t spend many months and months trying to catch a particular fish no matter how big it was, however I do have a lot of respect for someone whos willing to put in the effort and know how and perciverance and eventually manages to fool such a beast into taking a baited hook.

One of our lakes once held a fish (Toadless) which was recognised as being the largest Leather in the country at one time (after Heather the leather died); however few anglers fished for it as it was extremely hard to catch and it only ever came out about once or twice per year at most and took a great deal of effort and perciverance and know how to track it down and then to actually get it to take a bait.

Definately not my idea of having fun; but like I said; I do respect someone who’s willing to put in all the time and effort and skill in order to catch such a hard target. To me life is just too short for that sort of thing.

Keith

 

[@Clive]

If you are aware of certain very large Carp in a water then it is quite normal for it to be given a name when it’s talked about; but that doesn’t mean that it won’t take a great deal of effort, perseverance and skill to catch it especially if it only gets caught once or twice per year if at all.

I couldn’t spend many months and months trying to catch a particular fish no matter how big it was, however I do have a lot of respect for someone whos willing to put in the effort and know how and perciverance and eventually manages to fool such a beast into taking a baited hook.

One of our lakes once held a fish (Toadless) which was recognised as being the largest Leather in the country at one time (after Heather the leather died); however few anglers fished for it as it was extremely hard to catch and it only ever came out about once or twice per year at most and took a great deal of effort and perciverance and know how to track it down and then to actually get it to take a bait.

Definately not my idea of having fun; but like I said; I do respect someone who’s willing to put in all the time and effort and skill in order to catch such a hard target. To me life is just too short for that sort of thing.

Keith

Its like the difference in somebody buying a lottery ticket and another spending a grand on them.

 

[peterjg]

Of course carp fishing has become too easy! It's all been done, rigs of 30 years ago are now being reinvented and given fancy names and carp are now virtually everywhere, stocked to the point where they are just a bloody nuisance! I feel sorry for the youngsters, all the mystique has gone, there is nothing left to invent or try out.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Isn't that really the same within all angling,when I was thinking about starting match fishing a zillion years ago I bought Billy Lane's Encyclopedia of float fishing,the shotting patterns in this book are vastly different to 99% of what I use today,why,because in those days most feeding was done via groundbait,so fishing on the drop wasn't done much,loose feeding was limited to how far you can throw it,be assured carp fishing will be totally different in twenty to thirty years time,tackle will continue to be developed,there are still loads of waters that haven't got massive populations of carp,sadly not enough,but they are there.We must also remember that with the development of quality shop bought boilies,good tackle and sheer numbers of carp anglers these fish find it hard not to be caught,after all,they are only carp....

 

[The Sogster]

I think that carp fishing in essence is no different nowadays to way back when, however the propensity for stocking them makes it much easier to find a water with some stock.
It's certainly easier to buy dedicated carp tackle now, although I'm sure the MKIV Avon has been around since before my time.

I know a few 'carp' only anglers and they are not interested in a water unless the fish are giants, I don't think many dedicated carp anglers are likely to turn up at a small pool fishing for sub 10lb carp purely because of their love for the species.

In reality it's just a game of numbers now. How many, how big and how much? Is the usual question they ask when any water involving carp are mentioned.
The same question how big, how many and how much also comes in handy for discussing the price of a carp anglers set up/ bait.

As for the owners of such waters it's a licence to print money, I recall my mate paying £1200 a few years ago to fish a water on which he was limited to one bank and 36 hours every 7 days just to up his 'English' personal best which was somewhere in the mid forties at the time. Not to mention fishery approved boilies, hooks, leads and rigs in some instances.

 

[sam vimes]

There's carp angling and then there's angling for carp. The difference may be semantic, but it's quite different to a dedicated carper. Outside of novices, or the odd more experienced carper in winter, few carpers would be seen dead on a stuffed-to-the-gunnels match-type venue. That might change over time as the venue matures, and the fish get to a decent size, provided the management doesn't relocate the bigger specimens.

I've rarely found particularly easy big carp fishing. Even the modern commercial big carp venues tend to get rather difficult in reasonably short order. They tend to get hammered and the fish get increasingly difficult to catch when pressured. Big, low stocked waters can be incredibly difficult unless you've got a lot of time on your hands, a fair amount of disposable income and a very tolerant family. Of course, there are easier "big" carp venues. However, they are rarely the sort of place that dedicated carpers want to fish too regularly. That's because they are easy by virtue of having high stock levels. High stock levels invariably mean that the maximum size of the fish will be limited.

Whilst I'm not particularly convinced that big carp fishing is any easier than it was. However, it's undoubtedly easier to find places where carp, big and small, are present. Unlike some, I don't think that's a huge problem other than when perfectly good mixed fisheries are taken over and changed completely by their introduction. I'm also less than impressed with the way some fisheries are trying to create carp monocultures. However, I'm fortunate enough to be a member of a mixed fishery syndicate where the carp have no greater priority than any other species.

 

[Alan Whitty]

That also depends on what we regard as big carp Chris,thirty,forty,fifty pound plus fish,Danny Fairbrass I believe has bought a company,or started one up that is based on very well stocked carp lakes where several are bookable for a few days on a day ticket philosophy,the way I'm reading it they are filled with fast growing strains of carp,hoping to create waters where fish of the size I've mentioned are available in numbers,maybe trying to create fisheries like Gigantica in France which are extremely popular with British carp anglers,the niche is there,especially if they do as they do in Gigantica and supplementary feed the fish to push them along...

 

[Old fisher]

Hi Alan With waters like the one you mentioned, does this not ask my original question. Is carp fishing now, even for big carp, getting too easy. Only it now adds to the question. Has it now become. If you can afford it, Can you now just be a big carp catcher after trained carp ? The words CATCHER, now replaces FISHER. You know they are there and you know what they are fed on and there must be little to do for you , but reel them in. You pay the highest money knowing that it's just a case of waiting till these big fish move into your swim, no searching for them, even areas of of the lake bed in front of each swim, designed with feeding spots i.e. raised areas where most carp seem to prefer. Surely it shouldn't be like that. OK you have to learn a few different terminal setups, but they are all in books. These setups are mostly ones where the carp hooks itself and then finds it difficult to eject. I am sure the average angler would become bored with this process in time. This type of carp fishing could be done by a complete beginner with little knowledge of the subject. Again I ask. Is carp fishing becoming too easy. I think I've personally come to the end of my original post and will now leave it to others to carry on with if they so choose. I thank everyone who has contributed to it. The Sogster said it all very well in his post

 

[peterjg]

Carp fishing for either big or small carp is easier than it used to be, it's undeniable. Apart from the fact that so many waters are now full of carp the baits and tackle has all been fully developed and readily available.
I can't believe I'm actually writing this, I must sound like a right miserable old git (not really!) but the whole carp fishing scene has totally changed. I started carp fishing in 1975, then boiled baits were virtually unheard of and the hair rig had not been reinvented and made known until the late '70s. There was hardly any carp tackle in tackle shops, my first carp rod I made from a North Western glass blank. Now 'carp anglers' can walk into a tackle shop and buy everything they could possibly need (or want) to go and catch a carp - even ready tied hook links (unbelievable but true). Waters with carp even in the south were comparatively few and far between and stock levels and sizes were usually a guess.
I was extremely fortunate, I lived near the Colne Valley and was a member of three clubs which were extremely difficult to get into which contained even in the 80s 40lb carp. I caught my first 40 in 1991, it was quite a rare fish then but now 40lb carp are caught from lots of waters virtually on a weekly basis. As for small carp, they are now everywhere and are a just commonplace. It's such a shame because carp in themselves are wonderful fish but now they are as common as signal crayfish!

 

[Alan Whitty]

Hi Alan With waters like the one you mentioned, does this not ask my original question. Is carp fishing now, even for big carp, getting too easy. Only it now adds to the question. Has it now become. If you can afford it, Can you now just be a big carp catcher after trained carp ? The words CATCHER, now replaces FISHER. You know they are there and you know what they are fed on and there must be little to do for you , but reel them in. You pay the highest money knowing that it's just a case of waiting till these big fish move into your swim, no searching for them, even areas of of the lake bed in front of each swim, designed with feeding spots i.e. raised areas where most carp seem to prefer. Surely it shouldn't be like that. OK you have to learn a few different terminal setups, but they are all in books. These setups are mostly ones where the carp hooks itself and then finds it difficult to eject. I am sure the average angler would become bored with this process in time. This type of carp fishing could be done by a complete beginner with little knowledge of the subject. Again I ask. Is carp fishing becoming too easy. I think I've personally come to the end of my original post and will now leave it to others to carry on with if they so choose. I thank everyone who has contributed to it. The Sogster said it all very well in his post

The scene has changed only if you want to follow that path,the more normal approach is still available,the only difference being more anglers wanting to camp out on a riverbank for 2 or 3 nights,which is their choice,videos sadly have highlighted the 'social' side of carp fishing,which could attract the wrong element,but again,that is the individuals option,for me,if I went carping I'd want peace and quiet like in years gone by...
As for reading about rigs,you can do the same about float/pole/feeder fishing on YouTube and get a step by step explanation,as with all angling educational videos or books,it still leaves you way behind,but it helps your own mind and ability to formulate tactics for yourself,I had two lessons from Ivan Marks and Roy Marlow,which because there were a few of us meant I learnt a very small amount(Ivan pulled me to one side to tell me that)purely as the others were a little bit behind my knowledge so they had to help everyone(I had been match fishing for 5-8 years and was winning a few matches),so my fishing was self taught,either by reading(lots)and watching other anglers trying to glean as much knowledge as I could,which I still try to do today,a questioning mind is useful...

 

[Steve Arnold]

The scene has changed only if you want to follow that path,the more normal approach is still available,the only difference being more anglers wanting to camp out on a riverbank for 2 or 3 nights,which is their choice,videos sadly have highlighted the 'social' side of carp fishing,which could attract the wrong element,but again,that is the individuals option,for me,if I went carping I'd want peace and quiet like in years gone by...

"if I went carping I'd want peace and quiet like in years gone by.."

Plenty of that here! If you don't like commercial carp fishing there are plenty of "free" waters in France, rivers and lakes, that have some huge carp.

I moved to the Lot as I remembered reading about the fishing 50 years ago. It does not seem to have changed much, some great but often difficult fishing, I have the river to myself for at least 6 months of the year. Even through the holiday season I hardly see an angler much of the time here!

Maybe it's my bait additives (that Monster Crab is something else!) .....Getting lonely now!

 

[nottskev]

Isn't that really the same within all angling,

I think that's right. Large swathes of coarse fishing have developed in ways comparable to carp fishing.

Peter speaks of inventing and testing rigs and baits as part of the interest and challenge. That was a different world to my fishing, but it was common that we made floats ahead of what could be bought, made feeders, bought blanks and made up rods, spliced in quivers, made swingtips, bread punches, catapults, plummets. Anglers with fabrication skills or mates in such jobs had platforms, rod rests and bait trays they designed themselves. When poles came in, we made bushes, bungs, feeding cups and tiny floats. My first two or three seatboxes were made in the garage with help from my dad. There's a world of initiative and inventiveness there that's very different to coming out of AD with your arms full.

If finding carp was a different matter back in the day, finding some decent general fishing, or even some fishing in some areas, was a different game. By bike, then motorbike and then car I'd scour the area for miles around, just nosing around, or with OS maps or on pointers from other anglers, with ponds, pits, canals, estate lakes, mill dams, streams and river stretches all on the agenda. We'd have a stock of "big day out" waters that were maybe 50 or 60 miles away but worth the trip, getting you to beautiful places like the Upper Severn or Middle Wye or some sleepy estate lake in south Shropshire. A world of exploring, seeking and finding and changes of scene. I know anglers in their twenties who are happy to get all their fishing at one of a couple of local complexes where concepts of beauty and exploration are irrelevant.


It's not only in carp fishing that getting yourself equipped and tracking down some fish have changed. Short cuts are available in abundance. I'm glad I got here by the scenic route.

 

[Steve Arnold]

I think that's right. Large swathes of coarse fishing have developed in ways comparable to carp fishing.

Peter speaks of inventing and testing rigs and baits as part of the interest and challenge. That was a different world to my fishing, but it was common that we made floats ahead of what could be bought, made feeders, bought blanks and made up rods, spliced in quivers, made swingtips, bread punches, catapults, plummets. Anglers with fabrication skills or mates in such jobs had platforms, rod rests and bait trays they designed themselves. When poles came in, we made bushes, bungs, feeding cups and tiny floats. My first two or three seatboxes were made in the garage with help from my dad. There's a world of initiative and inventiveness there that's very different to coming out of AD with your arms full.

If finding carp was a different matter back in the day, finding some decent general fishing, or even some fishing in some areas, was a different game. By bike, then motorbike and then car I'd scour the area for miles around, just nosing around, or with OS maps or on pointers from other anglers, with ponds, pits, canals, estate lakes, mill dams, streams and river stretches all on the agenda. We'd have a stock of "big day out" waters that were maybe 50 or 60 miles away but worth the trip, getting you to beautiful places like the Upper Severn or Middle Wye or some sleepy estate lake in south Shropshire. A world of exploring, seeking and finding and changes of scene. I know anglers in their twenties who are happy to get all their fishing at one of a couple of local complexes where concepts of beauty and exploration are irrelevant.


It's not only in carp fishing that getting yourself equipped and tracking down some fish have changed. Short cuts are available in abundance. I'm glad I got here by the scenic route.

"I'm glad I got here by the scenic route"

A fine choice of words! I am sure that feeling is common amongst older anglers, most of us started working in an era where workers were properly trained in a variety of manual skills - but the pay was not too good!

I did an engineering apprenticeship. You would often find me on lunch breaks (or quiet night shifts!) making various bits of fishing tackle. Sometimes the tackle would be my inventions, but nothing that made me any money!

Half the fun of angling for me was finding a new technique or bodge up some weird bit of tackle. Nothing much has changed for me, never had enough money for the very best tackle so I have to use what is picked up 2nd hand or buy cheap gear and try to improve it.

I still have an awful lot of gear, but much of it has been adapted or "customised" to suit quite different purposes to which it was originally manufactured.

There were so many from my generation with a high level of practical skills. It saddens me now to see how much has been lost!

 

[Ray Roberts]

"I'm glad I got here by the scenic route"

A fine choice of words! I am sure that feeling is common amongst older anglers, most of us started working in an era where workers were properly trained in a variety of manual skills - but the pay was not too good!

I did an engineering apprenticeship. You would often find me on lunch breaks (or quiet night shifts!) making various bits of fishing tackle. Sometimes the tackle would be my inventions, but nothing that made me any money!

Half the fun of angling for me was finding a new technique or bodge up some weird bit of tackle. Nothing much has changed for me, never had enough money for the very best tackle so I have to use what is picked up 2nd hand or buy cheap gear and try to improve it.

I still have an awful lot of gear, but much of it has been adapted or "customised" to suit quite different purposes to which it was originally manufactured.

There were so many from my generation with a high level of practical skills. It saddens me now to see how much has been lost!

I had a similar route. I did a full five year apprenticeship in motor engineering, gaining full craft C & Guilds followed by full technicians qualifications. I managed to fit them all in as I was on an accelerated learning course. In my mid twenties I returned to college and passed the full IMI exams and joined the Institute as a full member, at the same time I sat and passed the NEBSS diploma for supervisory studies.

I was pondering this only yesterday, as I scanned and packed all of my shopping in Sainsbury’s. Ffs, eight years of post school education to not only be a checkout dolly but do the bloody job for free.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk