I've been fishing since i was a young lad, granted I'm only 26.
fishing was my sport due to being an amputee, its something that i can do as well as they guy next to me without feeling at a disadvantage, legs don't effect your fishing ( apart from when you've had a few to many jars and you forget you don't have your prosthetic on when getting up to a take ).
i listen to the ''older generation (no offence)'' and i imagine that carp fishing was just so much better back then. the sense of true comradery and a community of like minded people only out to catch fish.
i hear about socials on yateley and days on savay, i wish i could of experienced that! the stories I've heard from YouTube, stories I've read in books and stories I've been told by anglers who i fish with make me wish i'd been born 20 years earlier.

am i the only one who feels like carp angling has taken a turn for the worse?
i don't understand why people are not happy just catching fish anymore! i still go all funny when my alarms sound or the float goes under the water like i did 20 years ago when my dad was teaching me.
but i think I've hit the nail on the head, my dad taught me to be respectful, to treat fish this care, to enjoy the moment as we only ever had limited time to do what we loved.

i might be talking out my arse in anyone else's eyes.
just my 2p's worth.

In reply to Post #1
Most will agree with you on here I expect mate.
I would disagree. I love angling as much as I ever did. It's different yes, but every water I've fished has had a good group of genuine anglers that have fun.
Angling is what you make of it imo.
The biggest source of negativity I see in carp fishing is FB and unfortunately this forum.

In reply to Post #1
Too many instant carp anglers imo,they watch all this social media and think they can go straight into catching big fish.I started fishing when I was very young and have done most types of angling.I love sitting watching a float all day,catching all different species.I take my youngest stepson now and my daughter comes too,I love watching them catch fish and learning as they go like I did

In reply to Post #2
I agree Yonny
however it can depend on where you fish, i belong to 2 syndicates both of which are pretty good and the members are ok although mostly older and experienced anglers.
However I have fished some day ticket waters where quite a few of those fishing are total knob heads

You certainly have to sift out the negativity and **** from social media, but like you I am really enjoying my fishing and just keep out of the way of the moaners and idiots.
I've been carping since the late 70's so have seen a lot of changes

In reply to Post #4
Certain day tickets serve a good purpose,they keep the idiots on them and leave some better run waters to like minded anglers.I have a couple locally where I would never fish

In reply to Post #2
im not slating anyone at all mate, i love my fishing regardless.
the question I'm asking i suppose is was it different 20 years back.

In reply to Post #6
It was no different 20 years back , 40 years yes it was , we were the minority in angling a secret society if you like.viewed by match anglers as weirdos,As you get older you do see things through rose coloured specs and i loved it back then .However the carp were much smaller and in the north very sparse.I love my fishing now but im alone on a huge loch targetting pike 👍

In reply to Post #6
For sure mate I realise you weren't slating anyone
It was different 20 years ago imo.
But it wasn't all better than it is today as most would have you believe.
Anglers getting absolutely slaughtered on the bank through booze and smoke was rife (more so than now imo), rods were regularly left unattended as guys wandered around the lake, bent hooks and 8 ft of lead core were considered normal..... etc etc.
Swings and roundabouts. Things change. But the angling itself is what matters most to me.

In reply to Post #8
spot on that mate.

i just love my angling, i just love being outside, having a rod out is a bonus.
i have found a massive difference now im on a syndicate, seeing the same faces its nice to be ask round for a cuppa or having a good chinwag into dark.

In reply to Post #3
Unfortunately they can. There is a very successful commercial fishery in my area with a large tackle shop. It has been dug and stocked to make catching 20lb plus carp ridiculously easy.
It would be possible to turn up, buy all the necessary, pick a spot, cast in and catch a fish with no knowledge, experience or
skill whatsoever. It's the way it's gone. Can't be a good thing for the soul of angling.

In reply to Post #10
i know of people who call themselves anglers who cant shot a float!

In reply to Post #1
wait for next few years when matured (moldy) baits and double rigs (chod and normal rig at the same time) will be the norm... problem is that all newbies think that they will catch few fish and live on sponsors... they think that many anglers actually get paid to go fishing...

In reply to Post #12
ill take up golf......

im already getting sick of ''alright bruv, many in here?'' if it was a genuine angler looking to put some time in id happily sit down and tell them about the stock , id tell them that the lake is really old and that there are still some fish 40+ years old swimming around, but i ask myself will this person actually put time in like me, will he respect the small group on the lake? the answer most the time is no

In reply to Post #1
I still get excited every time I am driving up to my syndicate, or even to a complex for a social fish with mates. And the sound of the buzzer or the dip of the float still does it for me too, I'm 59 and been an angler since I was 8 But saying that, I still get a buzz when I get on my motorbike or buy a classic car to do up, I love life.

In reply to Post #10
So long as them waters exist it is a good thing imo,it keeps them type of anglers off the waters im on

In reply to Post #13
I'm happy to chat to anyone tbh.
The lakes I fish tend to be tricky and those that don't truly love angling for what it is soon realise they don't have the drive or the patience to succeed. The wronguns always end up walking away with their tails between their legs in my experience.

As for mature baits and double rigs.... have we moaned about todays angling so much that we're now onto moaning about things that might or might not exist in the future? Come on lads..... you need to take a look at why you're doing this angling malarky. If you hate it just walk away.

In reply to Post #14
Spot on mate.

In reply to Post #14
hit the nail on the head.

i cant wait for the day i have a nipper, wishing my life away i know but i still remember hooking my first fish like it was yesterday.

In reply to Post #16
certainly dont hate my fishing, hate what it is becoming... not all can run away to private syndicate lakes unfortunately...

In reply to Post #19
i waited 7 years for my current ticket.
im like a kid at Christmas Fridays until i fish work. then i know the next 24 hours are mine.

Carp fishing has always been a unique aspect of angling. Back in the day a lot of anglers both successful and unsuccessful would do anything they could to keep things under their hat. For them, success was achieving a goal for themselves and maybe a small group of friends. The only time that you could hear of other anglers experiences was through the bank, pub and literature.

The single thing that has changed the modern scene (for good and bad) is technology!
It is so easy now to pick up your phone and get synchronised to the rest of social media (I am doing this right now)! Although it has helped everyone in one way or another through training and education. It has also created the need for anglers to want to be famous, which changes the way that certain people conduct themselves. Also, I have been on the end of and have witnessed anglers making fun or looking down at other anglers just because their tackle aesthetics do not conform with trends. This, IMO is because of the many tackle firm's marketing strategies on social media which has the effect of potentially creating elitism.

When I was a kid, I grew up reading Rod Hutchinson and Rob Maylin books. Not once did these books ever make me feel like I wanted to fish for a living.
Where as these days, I cannot help to feel that the younger generation watch all of the media on their favourite tackle firms and they aspire to be like the sponsored anglers... which of course, there is nothing wrong with this!

In essence, I feel that people these days focus too much in taking themselves too serious. But on the plus side. I like the way that anglers are more educated on fish care.

In reply to Post #21
Good post mate.
I also think there's nothing wrong with kids dreaming about being a sponsored angler. These kids get absolutely slated on here but at the end of the day it's no different to young fans of any sport or hobby dreaming of being one of the best in the game. That's what kids are supposed to do. For sure it'd make more sense to want to be a millionaire footballer but we don't get to choose what sport or hobby we fall in love with do we. It just happens.

In reply to Post #21
Back in the day a lot of anglers both successful and unsuccessful would do anything they could to keep things under their hat. For them, success was achieving a goal for themselves and maybe a small group of friends

I think you have properly nailed it there mate it was over 25 years before I ever publically mentioned or posted my old pictures

In reply to Post #2
Im with you on that Yonny. Of course 60'year olds,look back 40'years with rose coloured specs
They were 20 lol

There are still plenty of quiet waters. Ive seen people on here complain its all a circus then go set up
A carp tshirt business lol

It is perfectly doable to keep your nut down, catch some fish and avoid the marketing , names, drunks, newbies etc.

In reply to Post #23
it was over 25 years before I ever publically mentioned or posted my old pictures

That's only because we had to wait 3 months to use up a roll of film, find 2/3rds of the pics were crap, buy a scanner to upload them and wait a week on dialup for them to appear

I started when I was five years old,so been mad on angling,the countryside and the great outdoors for fifty years..

I also wild camp,bushcraft in some lovely wild places,my enthusiasm grows,the older I get..I also want to fishing as long as I can so I am a practised isometric and calisthenic exponent,...

There are lots of wild places left,you have to do the research,and sometimes knowing 'people' helps..

The people I helped years ago have repaid me tenfold,as I fish four waters that have zero,or little angling pressure...

Its all about the journey, not the destination,...I listen to what people say ,andlearnfrom them,young or old

In reply to Post #14
You remind me of me Daveman, we're the same age and have a love of motorcycles, cars and fishing 👍

I was around 8 when I was given my fist little rod and reel, caught everything from minnows to chub on the rivers then started carping when I was 17

I don't think it was necessarily better back then, it was quieter yes, but there weren't the waters and fish available like there are now.

But I would say those of us on nice syndicate lakes are fortunate, but then again we do have to pay handsomely for the privilege.

In reply to Post #25
I thought most fisherman were sponsored , sponsored by us lol
There on the sick but can still manage to cast 140 yards😂
At least twenty years ago fishing nights was hard work now it's so comfortable
I hate laying on my own bed in comparison
Anyway I manage to get out and fish a few ponds that others don't bother with
and do more fishing than catching and never post on facey book
Even my own family think I'm crap😂 but I still enjoy it 👍🏻 Also fish a local
members lake and enjoy the odd chat ,not the had anything , seen anything , how many wraps stuff either

In reply to Post #25

In reply to Post #29
Luxury. We had cold gravel for breakfast, if we were lucky.

In reply to Post #30
Being careful to save some for dinner

In reply to Post #24
Ive seen people on here complain its all a circus then go set up
A carp tshirt business lol

Made me chuckle
And I bet they are the first to say these young'n's are "everything that is wrong with modern carp fishing". Lol.

I don't think much has changed. My first ever night Fishing (1975) I caught a coot First light yesterday morning I got a screaming run from a coot which luckily dropped the bait.
Seriously though I remember one of the old fellas telling me in the early 90's how carp fishing had changed and how people with no skill could just buy carp these Days, people are still saying it now.
Oh and also fellas used to bury their **** now they just cover it with grass

In reply to Post #1
Probably have to rewind a lot longer than 20 years, everything changes over time, fewer carp anglers, less information so having to work at it more, making items of tackle, starting fishing from chasing Sticklebacks, Minnows, Roach, Perch etc all through to the elusive Carp.

Carp anglers were vastly outnumbered by general coarse anglers, this is now the opposite.
Conversations on the bank were interesting and varied, now many are stale, like talking to clones, some even talk in cliches!

I think the good old days for me refers to a time when we could pretty much do as we pleased within reason, we had a bloody good laugh doing all sorts, much of which would be frowned upon nowadays.

Above all find a way to enjoy it, it's a wonderful hobby.

I'd expect there are more anglers overall these days but definitely proportionally more carpers than 20 years ago, I'd expect a combination of marketing and exposure (most TV series seem to be carp orientated) and ease of access in terms of all the ready tied rigs etc.
Always had some of the instant carper 'all the gear no idea' types 20 years ago who would rock up with their new carp porter, solar stainless pod and FBI alarms and catch f all, just easier to be 'instant' and catch these days.

In reply to Post #33
There's merit in what the old guy said back then in my view. It was 79' when I first "found" a hair rig with a boiled bait on. At the time we were all fishing pastes and other softish baits with the point showing and you had to hook the carp yourself most of the time. Hard really, ment you always had to be attentive to your rods, you were never sure the bait was still on etc. So leaving rigs in for long sessions wasnt practical.
Think my pb was 12.4lb at the time, within weeks it was 18.8lb a couple of years 25lb. It was a short step to adding a shot behind the lead or fishing the lead between 2 swivels, cause we were decent feeder anglers which we often did as it was. The rest is history. No way would I have caught the fish I have since without the hair rig and boiling bait's, it definitely made carp fishing easier.

In reply to Post #2
Absolutely spot on.

In reply to Post #1
20 years ago the tickets were cheaper, the proper ones were plentiful, the banks were quieter, there were less idiots, the waiting lists were smaller, and there was still a sense of mystery around some waters. I used to walk past the Big & Tip on the way to the Long Lake and saw these grown men with their TXI's fishing for "proper ones", and I looked upto them. That complex was one of the best in the country. Go and visit it nowadays, or go and visit a few other well respected waters from the 80's and 90's, and look at what they let on there these days.

Yes, things have got easier, but it has only allowed easy access to many who have got zero interest in wildlife, zero etiquette, zero morals, and those who, dare I say it, are only angling because they aren't allowed to let their dogs chase hares around a field.

Plus, When you have certain people being lorded over on Instagram, being given sponsorship deals and looked up to by kids, you need to assess where your morals are. Maybe these companies aren't aware? Who knows, but I find it amusing watching these people look up to drug dealers, con artists, woman beaters and even clothing companies who done bird for errrrr selling moody clothing.

Yes, none of us are perfect, but Christ people do love to worship a wide boy or a wrong'un just because they catch a few fish.

In reply to Post #38
Think it's been said already but I used to fish alongside complete strangers during the winter
And it was tough going , we used to help each other and were genuinely glad when others caught
These days it's a completion and people love to stuff it down your kneck when they catch
I try to ignore this crap and fish for myself
Think the old days are gone sadly , it's catch at any cost these days
It's only fishing , but I still get wound up sometimes
I'm going France next year pending some random virus , never been, me and tel never get time😂
It's already agreed that swim swaps will happen if someone's struggling
As I see it it's just a holiday and they don't count anyway😂

In reply to Post #39
I've been fishing since ,68 caught my first 20lb carp in ,75 and my best moment in fishing was when I helped my brother catch his pb at 29.15
he said let's call it Thirty and I said no way ,it's not a thirty. Unless you catch it while I'm not here.

In reply to Post #1
Hi Jay

Firstly referring to the older generation being 20 years ago is a little insulting to the 40 year ago old buggers on here

Early 80's we were all secret agents smothered in secret sauce, the books and tales from back then certainly paint a romantic picture, but back then secrecy and denial were paramount.

There's no doubt that places like yately and savay hold special memories for many, and those stories have been well written and enjoyed by many and rightly so.

The fact you are disabled should not stop you writing your own story, especially with the amount of info you can get from the net.

I used to reguarly fish with a friend who has a deaf son, we got him "disco light alarms" and a mega vibration alarm handset so he could fish nights ( prologic I think)

We still laugh about the night his dad farted in his sleep and young Lucas thought he had a run, he ran out the bivvy and struck into nothing, priceless!!

Best

Jon

One word. Commercialism

Used to be more a cottage industry as opposed to big business and big hype. People just used to get on with it. No social media as such, if you had a result it was the papers, angling times, anglers Mail, carp mags.

The difference now is that it's big business, everybody is trying to cash in on it and make a killing. Couple this with social media and all the advertising campaigns and the pastime is being hyped up beyond belief

Then add social media and self promotion and it brings out everything that is wrong with the pastime, people seeking fame at any expense, often at the cost of others, lot of bitterness and it creates a horrible atmosphere that transfers right down to the waters edge in a lot of cases, horrible

If we flicked a switch today and said there would be no such thing as a famous carp angler or there was nothing to gain from it other than pleasure we would be back to where we were. The numbers would reduce drastically and people would just crack on with their fishing. How it should be

Fish for yourself, nobody else

It's fishing, nobody can tell you what to do, it is a very personal thing

In reply to Post #42
No need to flick a switch, are any carp anglers truly famous? Most non carp anglers wouldn't know who most of the names are or care, many of the names I see mentioned on here I haven't a clue who they are or care either. Any wannabe that thinks they will earn a fortune purely from carp angling is sadly deluded.

In reply to Post #43
Yep, makes me sad thinking that many kids aspirations is to work in a tackle shop and stick photos on "the gram". I've said it before, but there will be quite a few kids who will only see the flaps of a fast and lite through their teenage years

In reply to Post #44
I seen the flaps of many a woman who were fast and not so light in my teenage years...

In reply to Post #43
Flick as switch as in if we did, there would not be all this bollox, bull**** and competitiveness because nobody would be interested, there wouldn't be the hype and there wouldn't be the responses. Peole would just be getting on with their fishing