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andrew jackson
Guest
Nowt wrong with brash Northerners, I have to say that being one myself. The irony is, I catch more Bream and Tench than Carp.
P
Paul Williams
Guest
Not another one!!......i should have know!! 
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Gary Knowles
Guest
Andrew,
Sorry mate but I still disagree. The only thing I agree with you about is that I'm not talking beavers and that in a small way I could appear to be hi-jacking the thread.
However your assumptions are incorrect, I don't hate or even dislike the carp themselves, how could I they like all other fish are unthinking lumps of cold flesh that exist purely on instinct, they just don't do it for me. to be 100% honest I find carp are no real challenge. But I do strongly beleive that misguided anglers are causing ontold damage to some of out natural waters and to other indigenous species by the legal or illegal stocking of carp to suit their own personal and selfish goals. This isn't as you say, my personal opinion thats a fact. If you can't see that then I'm afraid your the one who's outlook is biased. I have a real and genuine concern that in 20 years time there will be nothing left in this country to fish for other than carp. and that, in anyones eyes would be a tragedy.
If you look through this website you will see that I have fished for and indeed wrote articles on carp fishing in places like Canada and France, so I'm certainly not opposed to their existence. But I will repeat myself here. Once carp are in a water there is no turning back, with a few exeptions the carp thrive to the detrement of most of the other fish in the water. They are eating machines, nothing more or nothing less.
Sorry mate but I still disagree. The only thing I agree with you about is that I'm not talking beavers and that in a small way I could appear to be hi-jacking the thread.
However your assumptions are incorrect, I don't hate or even dislike the carp themselves, how could I they like all other fish are unthinking lumps of cold flesh that exist purely on instinct, they just don't do it for me. to be 100% honest I find carp are no real challenge. But I do strongly beleive that misguided anglers are causing ontold damage to some of out natural waters and to other indigenous species by the legal or illegal stocking of carp to suit their own personal and selfish goals. This isn't as you say, my personal opinion thats a fact. If you can't see that then I'm afraid your the one who's outlook is biased. I have a real and genuine concern that in 20 years time there will be nothing left in this country to fish for other than carp. and that, in anyones eyes would be a tragedy.
If you look through this website you will see that I have fished for and indeed wrote articles on carp fishing in places like Canada and France, so I'm certainly not opposed to their existence. But I will repeat myself here. Once carp are in a water there is no turning back, with a few exeptions the carp thrive to the detrement of most of the other fish in the water. They are eating machines, nothing more or nothing less.
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andrew jackson
Guest
Ok but how does that affect my oppinions on beavers? I am strongly against the illegal movement of any fish, and I have no input or never had any input, into the stocking of any waters. I think your veiws on the impact of carp being stocked into waters although having some merit, is a little alarmist. Many carp waters I have fished are superb all round fisheries, and I have caught some clonking tench and bream whilst fishing for carp. In fact although my information may be out dated isnt the bream record held by Jim Shelly a carp angler fishing a carp lake, so the very big eating machines in that lake havn't flourished at the detrement of the other fish. A poorly managed lake is a poorly managed lake irelevent of the species stocked. I have fished many overstocked pool with stunted poor conditioned fish in my youth, yet this was before the carp boom.
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Gary Knowles
Guest
Andrew,
Sure, some big bream and tench are caught on waters containing carp that's why I said "with a few exeptions". and yeah your right about the record tench, but to be honest that is always going to happen with the amount of pressure put on waters by carp anglers, using quality bait and effective self hooking rigs. But I have seen many waters where fishing for bream and tench has been ruined by the stocking of carp.
"A poorly managed lake"? - surley a real lake doesn't need management, it's self regulating. Only a lake where the stock is interfered with requires management..
I really, really, hope I'm wrong and that your right in that I'm just being alarmist. I really do, however only time will tell.
I think were going to just have to agree to disagree on this one and for once I've got my fingers crossed that I'm in the wrong !!
Lets let people get back to the beavers...
Sure, some big bream and tench are caught on waters containing carp that's why I said "with a few exeptions". and yeah your right about the record tench, but to be honest that is always going to happen with the amount of pressure put on waters by carp anglers, using quality bait and effective self hooking rigs. But I have seen many waters where fishing for bream and tench has been ruined by the stocking of carp.
"A poorly managed lake"? - surley a real lake doesn't need management, it's self regulating. Only a lake where the stock is interfered with requires management..
I really, really, hope I'm wrong and that your right in that I'm just being alarmist. I really do, however only time will tell.
I think were going to just have to agree to disagree on this one and for once I've got my fingers crossed that I'm in the wrong !!
Lets let people get back to the beavers...
C
Chris Bishop
Guest
Carp have already changed the entire face of fishing in this country, not to mention a lot of waters. With them gaining a foothold in several river systems, it remains to be seen what's going to happen.
Beavers are far fussier and there are few habitats suited to them. They certainly aren't going to spread like the mink, because they are a highly specialised animal, which requires the right blend of surroundings.
As the Welsh experiment a decade or so ago shows, they can be stocked into seemingly ideal habitat and still disappear.
They're also vegetarians, so it's hard to see what damage they could do to fish stocks.
Otters are making a comeback and there are far more food sources available to them than there were in the 1960s and 70s - before they went into sharp decline - because of the number of gravel pits which have been dug, most near to rivers.
For example John Wilson's first Go Fishing book, published in 1973, contained around 40 stillwaters. The new edition, out a week or two back, catalogues 300-odd.
These days most pits contain large fish, which are semi-dormant in the winter like bream, carp and tench.
This is precisely the time when otters find it harder to feed, because river water is coloured-up and they hunt by sight.
Most pits which are no longer worked tend to be clear in winter, so they're an easy source of food.
Beavers are far fussier and there are few habitats suited to them. They certainly aren't going to spread like the mink, because they are a highly specialised animal, which requires the right blend of surroundings.
As the Welsh experiment a decade or so ago shows, they can be stocked into seemingly ideal habitat and still disappear.
They're also vegetarians, so it's hard to see what damage they could do to fish stocks.
Otters are making a comeback and there are far more food sources available to them than there were in the 1960s and 70s - before they went into sharp decline - because of the number of gravel pits which have been dug, most near to rivers.
For example John Wilson's first Go Fishing book, published in 1973, contained around 40 stillwaters. The new edition, out a week or two back, catalogues 300-odd.
These days most pits contain large fish, which are semi-dormant in the winter like bream, carp and tench.
This is precisely the time when otters find it harder to feed, because river water is coloured-up and they hunt by sight.
Most pits which are no longer worked tend to be clear in winter, so they're an easy source of food.
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andrew jackson
Guest
"A poorly managed lake"? - surley a real lake doesn't need management, it's self regulating. Only a lake where the stock is interfered with requires management..
Agreed, but how many such waters exist? Even many of our rivers have been stocked by man, after the filth subsided. Over stocking is the problem not the species. You only have to look at the specimen fish other than carp, that well run carp waters throw up for proof of that. I also hope I am right, fortunatly our climate particulary in the north is not conducive to the mega reproduction of carp, experienced in countrys like Australia.
Agree to disagree I can always manage that!
Agreed, but how many such waters exist? Even many of our rivers have been stocked by man, after the filth subsided. Over stocking is the problem not the species. You only have to look at the specimen fish other than carp, that well run carp waters throw up for proof of that. I also hope I am right, fortunatly our climate particulary in the north is not conducive to the mega reproduction of carp, experienced in countrys like Australia.
Agree to disagree I can always manage that!