Look Philip,we have been here before,many carp lakes have large stocks(and im not talking commercials here,if you are talking about fishing lakes with low carp stocks I agree,mainly because commitment to the task is a major part of success,any decent angler understands the importance of watercraft,finding bars,holes,snags,weedbeds etc,also work baiting areas,lightly or heavily,all basic fish finding and holding skills,so catching carp isnt that difficult(nor that easy) on many,many club lakes,catching a roach on a float also isnt so difficult,in fact most kids could do it,catch big catches of half tidy roach isnt that easy on most waters and requires similar ability/knowledge,Martin Bowler is a good all rounder,he catches specimens of all species from a multitude of different waters,on an endless amount of methods,to me that is amazing,he does however have access to an awful lot of waters you and I could never get on,but he can only take advantage of that good fortune and enjoy it....
At this moment two of my favourite anglers are both carp anglers,Terry Hearn and Nick Helleuer(spelt wrong,but cant be bothered to google him),why,because I admire their attitude to fishing and can feel the enthusiasm bubbling through,no egos,they remember all the fights of the captures and portray them with gusto...