Carp Anglers

[Ron Clay]

During the fifties and sixties when carp angling was in it's infancy, what few carp anglers that were around were gentle folk, in the mould of BB and Walker. Most of the time you didn't see them as they went out at night.

BB described carp anglers as big still men who had troubled lives and nagging wifes. Men who spoke always in low tones.

What do you see today. Arrogance, noise, loud T shirts advertising boilies, beer guts, skin headed prats, and bank side booze ups.

You also see what can only be described as aggressive angling. Up to 4 rods cast out to 100 yds plus, commandeering often acres of water. How incredibly selfish!

What has happened to our gentle art?

 

[GrahamM]

Ron, incredible as it may sound there's a bloke in this month's Coarse Fisherman pouring a glass of whisky from an optic screwed to a bivvy table. Bloody disgusting I call it. Even if they enjoyed themselves without harming themselves, anybody else, or the fish it should be banned.

Bring back cane rods and centre-pins, candles in jam-jars instead of torches, plastic sheets round brollies instead of bivvies, dough bobbins instead of swingers, pennies falling in tins instead of electronic bite alarms, parkas instead of goretex. I could go on, but I won't. It just makes you sick.

 

[John Tait]

Was that by any chance a urine extraction exercise, Graham ??


Jonty

 

[GrahamM]

whisky.

 

[Ron Clay]

No, I don't think so Jonty.

Some of us are concerned about what is called "ethos" in our sport. I would suggest that any modern angler should read "Compleat Angler" by Walton, or "Confessions of a Carp Fisher" by BB.

Some of the messages in these books would sooth away those of us with aggressive hearts and noisy temperaments.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Being stuck in Scotland and being "isolated" from the modern carp angler to an extent, I do worry about what is happening down south and on the continent. Booze on the bank should be banned...simple! There will always be someone somewhere who will have one too many. I dont mind if they fall in and drown, what concerns me is if they dropp a big fish in there drunken state!!!

Instant baits, instant pre tied rigs, heavily stocked waters...geez....they will be getting a ghillies to hook the carp for them next and then pass the rod to them (Yep, some salmon anglers still call this fishing)

Gone are the days of watercraft, skill, cunning etc. I know there are still anglers out there, who, like me, would not think twice about visiting a water without there gear and sittng there all day watching, trying to get a "feeling" of where the fish are and where and when they will feed. What happened to fishing under your rod tips? a pound and three quater test curve rods? float fishing for carp?..etc. etc.

I tell u what has happened....the modern carp angler has been blinded by adverts and articles!!! Coz so and so has caught umpteen big fish on "X" bait and "Y" rig and "Z" rod and reel, then I MUST HAVE THEm TOO!! And that will make me a better angler!!

I have seen idiots fishing a 5 acre pond with 3 pound test curve rods, big pit reels, 30 pound braid....for 6 pound carp. They wondered why the hook was pulling on every fish they hooked!!...I wonder!!

I see Nash has brought out a range of light carp rods down to a pound and a half test curve...maybe we will have a swing round to light rods, light line and small hooks...to catch 50's!!!...lol...

Anyway....enough of my rantings. I know there are sensible carp anglers out there, and I appologise for any offence I have caused to them...my rantings are not aimed at u.

 

[Ron Clay]

I think you are dead right Rob. One has only to look at some of the incredibly powerful "carp" rods and those awful "sea reels" to see what we are talking about. They are totally unnecessary. They have been concieved by those with the same sort of agression that goes into modern cars. You know, the "sledge hammer to crack walnut" sort of mentality.

In my life I have landed species which can outfight any carp by a considerable degree on fly tackle!

 

[The Gaffer]

Hi all, before I start I'm not trying to defend the idiots of this world, but I feel I must put a slightly different slant on this.

I have a stainlees-steel pod and bank sticks, 4 rods, 4 Big Pit Long-cast reels holding 400yrds of braid, I like the odd tipple of a good red and a curry, I'll sometimes cast 130+yrds (if that's where the fish are!) and I sometimes shave my head, but I'm a really nice guy, a good angler and enjoy my carp fishing. So why'o'why tarr every carp angler with the same stereotypical brush?

I enjoy my fishing and I'll help anyone at any time, but please can we stick to pointing the finger at mindless idividuals who ruin our sport and try to educate them without making this into a general slur on carp anglers.

There are idiots out there (and that includes all styles of fishing 'cos they've all got them), but I feel that many things contribute to their behaviour, firstly, the media/mags don't help, secondly, some of the (so called) role models in the sport need to clean up their act, thirdly, society has changed/modernised and lastly things are easier and cheaper to buy. (Remember, and I'm only 30, buying Salmon/Trout hooks and bending them to get the right shape?)

Yes, I agree things are changing, but it's not all bad......is it?

 

[Ron Clay]

I wish all carp anglers were like you Gaffer.

You are quite right about the media.

 

[The Gaffer]

Hi Ron, thanks, I wish I had your experience! ;-)

When I started fishing at the age of 7 (1977) I learnt how to fish for Sticklebacks, then on to Roach and Perch, a sort of apprentiship(sp?).
Then followed feeder fishing and so on and so on because the madia/mags etc were full of pictures of Ian Heaps etc, there weren't many if any carp mags.
Nowadays some (not all, just the odd few!) youngsters want to be like an instant Terry Hearn (not a bad example though!) , in other words, straight into carp fishing without learning the watercraft and finesse of trying to catch smaller/silver fish.

I think that in not doing an apprentiship(sp?) some of these youngsters will get into the wrong frame of mind, ie, buying unsuitable equipment.

Just ask some of these people which would they buy first a 13ft 3 1/2tc rod or and unhooking mat?!

Atb,

Gaffer.

 

[Ron Clay]

I think I have had more bad experiences than most when it comes to carp anglers. I have absolutely nothing against carp fishing. I fact I did a bit of it several years ago using floaters (very exciting).

The problem I have is with those carp fishers who consider themselves to be some sort of elitists. Terry Hearn is without doubt a darned good carp fisher. The main reason is that he grows his hair!! No seriously he is a deep thinker who really understands his quarry. Something not many carp fishers seem to take the trouble over. They are too concerned about how far they can cast. And what colour rods are in fashion this season.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Gaffer, I did appologise about tarring everyone with the same brush. I appreciate what u say. I was brought up on the large Essex gravel pits and i was fishing with the Hutchie Horizons at 130+yards before most of the country had heard of long range fishing....but thats because we had too to reach the fish, not because it was fasionable. i started off catching wee roach, then bream, then Tench and finally carp. I learnt respect for the waterside and my fellow anglers.

Maybe it is out fault that youngsters are not reaping the full rewards of angling..maybe it is societies "instant satisfaction" attitude that is to blame.

I just worry for our future.

 

[The Gaffer]

Rob and Ron, I think you've hit the nail on the head there with the word fashionable.
I also think you are right with the term 'instant satisfaction', it's a shame because if one of the first fish that they catch is a 30 or 40 lber then where do they go from there?

I too, like you, worry about the future of our sport and where it is going.

I took my 3yr old son fishing for the first time at our local water where he equalled the lake record for a roach on his first cast with a 4m whip!!
I didn't tell him how big it was because I didn't want it to be a statistic, more a memory!.....well it had to be really as I forgot to take the camera!!

 

[Rob Brownfield]

I know an angler from Scotland who fished for Carp. His biggest was a 19 pounder from a Scottish Loch. A few years back he went to Yew Tree in Suffolk and caught a 40 and 3 30's. His attitude to fishing changed and now he no longer fishes as he knows he will never beat that in Scotland. He found himself treating high doubles with distain, even though this is a bloody good fish up here. Poor sod!

 

[Ron Clay]

How very sad Rob. The guy you mention had one specific problem. He wasn't a real angler. He was also being influenced by the media which says in so many words that weight is the only criteria that a catch can be judged. The vast majority of articles in magazines and newspapers are not written by real anglers!

Everything has to come down to bottom line and cheap commercial concepts.

How wrong these people are.

It's time that the true values of angling be screamed from the roof tops by what few real angling writers are left, and I include Graham here.

 

[Nick Gardner]

Hi Ron,

I think you have a very good point but also agree with the others that not all of use are these mindless prats. I live in Denmark now but am from the UK and lived near many of the RMC carp waters around there and did see some hair raising stuff with other anglers who should not be allowed to own a fishing permit. I have fished since I was 9 years old and now am 30 and have progressed through the stages of roach/bream days to specialising in what I think is a very worthwhile quarry.

I remember on one of my first Carp trips, with a friend who was already very experienced in Carping, was to a famous lake complex in Hants (I will not name it but I am sure Carp anglers reading will know it's name). They have a bar in the middle of the lake and if you are in there, you could see alot of guys with their remote bleepers for their buzzers, so they would have to drop their pint and run back to the rods if their belt started flashing. I was amazed as I thought about the Carp, who by this time had buried himself in the nearest snags or worse. The night was totally ruined by a group of these guys returning to their bivvies completely p***ed and one falling onto my friends brolleys, snapping the main pole and when we made our feelings thought, we nearly got a good beating from him and his friends. This nearly ruined the sport for me and I was about to put my new budget carp set in the local post office window for sale (have updated the tackle since!!) but then found some less popular waters where all was quiet and as it should be and concentrated on learning about how these big lumps could be fooled. Here in Denmark the sport is still small so I can fish almost anywhere on unpressured waters and enjoy my sport but that is just luck.

I was also lucky enough to meet Terry Hearn at Yately Angling shortly before I left the UK and after talking to him about his thoughts of some of the lakes I fished etc you could see that this guys should be an example in this area of the sport.

As far as banning booze, did you ever see the Passion for Angling series on BBC? I saw those guys consume serval bottles of the fine grape without getting nasty, and I must say I do the same if I am doing an overnighter so I dont worry about the Driving. It's like anything, DONT OVERDO IT!!!!!

Nick

 

[GrahamM]

Some excellent points being made. The guy who gave up after catching a 40 from down south just didn't have his values right. He just set too much store on the end result and not enough on how he achieved it. I've had carp to over 50 from France but I still appreciate a carp, of any weight, from a local water, especially if I've caught it on a floater.

I enjoy fishing for carp as much as any species. They're wonderful fighting fish and the only time I object to them is when they've been put in waters where they don't belong, destroying what may have been outstanding fishing for other species.

But that's not the fault of carp. It's man, other anglers, who are to blame for that. Carp are great. Barbel have seen off some wonderful chub fishing on the middle Severn, but I don't blame barbel. Again, man has done that. Barbel are brilliant.

Like Nick said, have a drink but don't overdo it and make a nuisance of yourself to other anglers.

What we are all fighting is over indulgence in one form or another - drink, species, etc.

What we need more of is thoughtfulness, respect, less selfishness and, above all, tolerance.

And whatever you do, do it for fun. When you stop laughing, pack it in.

 

[Leon Foreman]

And I thought it was only a South African Problem. Propably the biggest fishing is that of Carp in our waters. Most Local anglers can be neatly placed in boxes with the following name tags. The Expert/Profesional These are anglers that are kitted with the latest and best equipment money can bye as depicted by what is currently fashionable. They usually drive the latest 4x4 and have liltle regard for any person not sporting at least the same class of kit as theirs. They believe they know all their is to know about Carp fishing and that their knowlegde is theirs allone and that no person has the same right be in their direct vicinity. Next Group is called the ambitionous. These Anglers strive to be like the expert/profesional but do to money shortages can only dream of being what they are not and usually tend to talk about being a profesional and behaving like one rather than being an angler fisrt and foremost. The Drinking Brothers are usually a group that sees angling as a means of escape to some remote place where alcohol can be consumed in vast ammounts without beeing nagged by the old ball and chain. They are usually loud and give a rats ass about anyone that really wants to fish. They themselfs think fishing is a waist of time but good excuse to flee the house. Scattered in between are the few decend anglers enjoying the sport for what it really is - an art form that is to be enjoyed and savored like the firts rains in spings time. Unfortuanatly thes types of anglers are getting to be few and far between

 

[Ron Clay]

Its similar in SA I guess.

Styve Lyne Leon

 

[Paul Williams]

I have this week attended a fishin with a few other guys on this site, we fished all day and early evening we shared a large curry and opened a few bottles of red wine.....it was a social gathering and to tell you the truth it was very relaxing, the fishing was also great so that helped!!
Basically the type who can handle a social drink are not going to cause a problem but those who can't handle it may well so at the end of the day it all depends on the individuals and the situation, but i will admit to taking a beer or two on those hot summer nights!! is that so bad??