Asking for a friend..

Fishing INTO snags, overhanging trees on the far margin, braid, leadcore, backleads. By INTO snags, I mean boating rigs across maybe 70-80 yds, pushing the rod tips into the trees underwater and lowering the rig.

Yay or Nay??

And why..

In reply to Post #1
If the snags are under the water then defo a no no

In reply to Post #2
PLENTY of snags are underwater mate..

Btw, this is a serious question, and is available for all to see on you tube..

In reply to Post #3
If fishing upto a snag then it's ok, aslong as there safe if they kite either way left or right,

If you fishing in a snag as such and they can become tethered instantly then as said definatly no.

I snag fish as such almost weekly, never use a back lead you need direct contact. Never have a slack line. Have it like a guitar string. And Zero clutch.

You're fishing for a single beep, then walk back with the rod without winding. Get them free and then play the fish as normal.

I'm also against leaders where possible as any snag fishing brings risk. And to reduce risks I don't like have the potential to lose a leader with a fish attached.

Braid is ideal for maximum indication but then a leaders required. Personally I use 20lb x line

This has to be a wind up, or your being selective about the info and baiting us. Backleads and underwater snags says it all unless 1lb leads and pin tight lines.

The latest Nash video almost had me posting on the forum, absolute morons. Fish did me in the snags, didn't use a heavy enough leader, like that will help, it's a living creature and it's lips aren't made of steel, but nevermind, I'll hold it to camera on the side that isn't damaged then accidently show you later. But like it got me in the snags...yeah mate tell them why...oh I was trying to get to my rods and couldn't, I didn't realise the inflatables Tether line was stopping me.. .ffs...and people look up to these people

Then there's Carl's latest film. I know I'll fish over booms in the water with back leads to snags...and wade through the submerged bank the booms are meant to protect multiple times.

Who let's these people out there on their own and who in their right mind would want to emulate them

In reply to Post #4
Thanks guys, like I said, pushing rod tips into the tree branches underwater..

In reply to Post #5
Vossy, that Carl film is the one I am actually referring to..

This has to be pulled off of you tube, he, and any others, can not be allowed to promote this type of angling for personal gain, simply no way..

I have repeatedly asked him to respond to my comments, which he has declined to do..

Regrettable, it appears he has many adoring fan boys out there, which worries me, a lot..

In reply to Post #6
Then No , you don't no what's in and around it. If the lines super tight they'll tend to kite and if there's branches then it's game over for you and the fish.

As said upto snags where they can kite without becoming tethered is the only way.

Heavy lead and as mentioned your fishing for a single beep.


I've also message them before over snag fishing. Tips up and a drop in the bobbin, clutch not fully wound up. Then they say it done them in the snag

I've got around 98% land ratio from snags this year. 2% was one I lost in open water and as mentioned I fish 3 rods to snags every week on my current lake

In reply to Post #7
I've always enjoyed watching Carl (and Alex) films however he does seem to take a lots of risks with fishing these days. One of his more recent US films ends with a fish seemingly tethered in snags, I believe his farm pond film has a few losses in weed and rwsulta in him ending up swimming across the lake whilst playing a fish. The latest film in the Nederlands sees him lose multiple fisj and again end up in the water trying to retrieve fish.

In defense of carl, fishing is a bit rougher and tougher in holland than most nurtured lakes, sometimes there's just no way around it. Which brings me to why not use the boat to go to the other side and fish from there. The canal in my proverbial backyard now has metal plates 3 meters out to protect the borders making fishing impossible. Annoying as hell, because a few years ago the governmental experts decided on natural borders, but that's not in vogue anymore, sigh. Anyway, fishing can be tough due to circumstances and imo you have to change your approach to avoid snags, boats, birds, people, law enforcement, other anglers, swimmers, dumb asses etc etc, and carl didn't. More specific to that carl video, locked up, close in, within a short time they go out of those snags. What a nice hobby we have:P

In reply to Post #8
Snag fishing is the only time GCSE Geometry comes in handy, especially if there are snags to the left and right of your chosen spot!

Funnily enough watched the same video today and thought the same thing as they were pushing rod tips under trees to drop baits and getting done in the shags time and time again.

In reply to Post #1
Saw this video the other day and sat there shaking my head. Anyone with half a braincell would know what was about to happen. Placing you rigs into the snags was a no no. Being in a situation whereby he was unable to be on the rods immediately ( technically off the rods) made him look a complete tool. The fact that he had to go for a swim in the snags in a failed attempt to rescue a tethered fish, cut his hand quite badly on the Zebra mussel infested branches which accounted for him losing a few other fish due to them cutting his 'leadcore' says it all really. I suspect Mr Fairbrass will be having a word in his ear shortly.
Shame really as I like his content.

In reply to Post #4
Spot on advice.

These type of people need banning from all fisheries.
I stopped watching Carl a long time ago due to his 'fish at all costs' attitude.

In reply to Post #1
?Bad angling in my opinion, How many did he lose in those snags

Is it the video called The Secret

I've just been watching that and as soon as I saw him placing the rigs the way he did turned it off. Shocking fishing and is certainly a catch at all cost.

So, Carl has blocked all of my comments and requests to offer some more insight as to why he feels it is acceptable to promote this form of angling on public channels, along with all of the other 'negative' comments.

Setting such a bad example when in fact, he could have used this situation to promote good, conscientious, fair angling for others to learn from. One comment he did make when questioned was that he did place rods away from the snags but didn't get a bite, and that would make a very boring film. So, it's catch at all costs yet again..

In reply to Post #19
It's a waste of time . They just call anybody who points something out to them a hater. How many times do you see YouTube so called anglers running towards a take. Boating baits under snags. Rods in more than one swim. Watched a little clip of Omc latest vid . He says it about the twig thing . Wont admit it was a mistake. . Tackle industry is just about money now .
Every fish seems to have to spend half a day in a net plugged the ground waiting for perfect light. No wonder they sometimes have 3 nets. They would be banned from most club waters I fish in days.

How many videos do you see of where they catch the fish just as it gets dark, then see pictires on Instagram in full daylight

In reply to Post #17
Yes, it is.. No idea what the secret is though, any ideas?

In reply to Post #16
Thats the thing, we will never know the full story of how many he hooked and got cut off by, I lost count on the video, several, one after the other at one point, then put rigs back out exactly as before, i.e. he learned nothing from that experience, and applied zero thought to what the situation was telling him. Just very very BAD ANGLING imo..

Question remains, how to stop it?

In reply to Post #22
No,not a clue

They delete any negative comment. Very poor

Have to agree with most comments made here.. as soon as I saw him dropping rigs under thick branches and overhangs I knew it wouldn't end well.

Some of his videos are enjoyable.. some are a little bit over the top and catch at all costs

In my opinion if you're having to rip the fishes head off to stop it from cutting you off every take, then really you need to assess your approach

The entire video is annoying. He's out in the boat without a life jacket at some point too.

In reply to Post #27
Thought same- Catching at all costs like a lot do and ruining it for others. Do like some of Carls vids though there is a slight grating annoyance with some of the Nike Air wearing erps.

So the pubescent tik tokkers have gone rogue.

We spend years telling everyone that fishing is the way to teach young kids care, life skills and keep them away from grand theft auto only for those same kids to plaster our sport across click bait channels showing the worst type of all costs behaviour.

Do you fish for carp, looks exciting I've seen the Essex boys with their baseball caps round the wrong way in the park and those well spoken chaps on my tablet, looks fun.

Maybe he should go back to living out the back of a Ford Fiesta, squirrelling some nuts, foraging some nettles and buying fat and over forty magazine.

I had gibbenson - paisley and the like - now we've got north face, stone island - black ops gangstas ripping the face off farmed fish.

Click below to subscribe - click above for midget porn and please support my sponsors.

Anyone know if he is still involved with Korda?

In reply to Post #29
What you describe is one of the reasons I spend more time fishing in Europe, mainly France as I love it there, but these days all of these tubers have realised there is a whole new world where they can roam riot and fish how they like with little regard for the locals, fish safety, or those of us that have been quietly chipping away at it years before some of these kids were even born.

Currently awaiting feedback from YT as to whether they deem this as acceptable to keep online, I described the endangering of wildlife and the example it sets, including the safety of those responsible. I doubt they will pull it, but if enough reports are lodged maybe they will?

In reply to Post #15
He is no longer welcome on certain waters around Sussex and Yateley..

The problem is with a lot of these video's, is that it is all about overcoming the odds, in some gladiatorial way. The amount, (and Korda etc are also just as bad imo), of video's that are literally serving the EGO's of those involved, using Hans Zimmer type soundtracks that frankly has been done to beyond death if there is such a thing. Would a film, if really well shot, narrated, the angler really working his finely tuned skills to the max, only to eventually be outdone buy his quarry, not be enjoyable? Look at Paul and Bob, Yates and Bob James, they caught the odd few fish but it wasn't about being the best and slaughtering the stock of their chosen water was it?

In reply to Post #33
Someone on here will remember but in the days of the old CAA meetings (Dunstable I think) there was a slideshow called (I think) The Germans Are Coming, my God it was awesome, loud ck music, beautiful photography the lot, had the auditorium transfixed.

Pretty sure it was the same show as Jim Gibbonson explaining why the CV helicopter bead wasn't safe and why it wouldn't work in weed - oh how times have changed.

In reply to Post #32
Pm for you.

In reply to Post #35
Just responded..

In reply to Post #31
Whilst i do agree with most if not all of your previous comments on this thread,

This comment does worry me a bit - Currently awaiting feedback from YT as to whether they deem this as acceptable to keep online, I described the endangering of wildlife and the example it sets, including the safety of those responsible. I doubt they will pull it, but if enough reports are lodged maybe they will?

Don't you think this is a bad idea and adding fuel to the fire for the anti fishing brigade? To an outsider, fishing snags or not fishing snags, they'll see what you're saying and think you agree with them :D

In reply to Post #37
The anti's won't have access to the complaint since it's not public, unless they're reading this forum. However, my main concern isn't with them; it's with the promotion of a 'catch at all costs' mentality, which could be emulated in local waters, including those that are home to historic fish populations.

YouTube + carpfishing = ego ...,which will lead to ruination..

Example ...guy moves locally ,sets up YouTube channel,starts to expose all the local lure and Rock marks...gets asked repeatedly ,stop exposure of beautiful coastline ..locals mortified...


I urge anyone to PM me and I'll tell you who they are and block them from this type of content .

In reply to Post #34
If I remember correctly, I think that was an early spring or winter Carp Society conference at Dunstable - I think - early 90's.
The Germans Are Coming. That was the best slideshow I've ever seen, before or since, you are correct it was awesome

In reply to Post #39
ruination = too true these days Wandle.

Fish at any cost, the sad drive to succeed.

In reply to Post #40
I may have been there but was probably snorting Kemp and Hutchy flavours at the time, that's all I can remember from those gatherings..

In reply to Post #37
There's far worse on YouTube - they're not going to care about this.

I believe it's the lad he uses as the cameraman on this film that also has a bit of a YouTube presence.

He put a video out very emotionally explaining why he got banned after catching one of the clubs biggest fish

15-20 minutes to establish that he'd publicised images in complete breach of the non publicity rule.

It's all about content & monetisation they don't really care for etiquette. The comments on that video were 95% people saying other members of the club were jealous. Their audience are not people who care about rules or etiquette.


Just a side note, how annoying is it that almost every video certain anglers (for a certain brand) have to use a boat even on the tiniest waters. It's as if the hobby is boating not angling

In reply to Post #44
Why even fish a no publicity water if your livelihood depends on producing pictures of your captures.
I doubt he will ever get into such a water again. I have zero time or respect for people who break rules, and dont care about etiquette.

In reply to Post #18
I was playing a fish yesterday and it was about 25 yards from the bank when it picked up a line that was connected to the snaggy bushes opposite. It all locked up and the fish was floundering on the surface with a line coming up out the water behind it that was buried in the snags. I had to peg my rod down, wade out with a pair of scissors and cut the line connected to the snags to free the fish. I got it in safely and it swam off fine. The other members always fish in the snag or right next to it and will leave them there all night. I was talking to a guy last week who had lost 5 fish in there and caught 10 and he just shrugged it off as one of those things, I dread to think what it's like under there for broken off lines and rigs. Catch at all costs seems to be the norm these days, with no care about the fish they are angling for.

In reply to Post #45
I've watched the video on question, it's him telling a story from before he was involved with any kind of angling as a job

If you believe his account or not, he said he shared the pictire of a capture with another member, and that's what he got the boot for.

I feel his story has been slightly twisted in the hate bandwagon on here

In reply to Post #46
Well done for taking the risk and landing that fish and freeing it from the tethered line; have had this a lot over the years, as recently as this June, luckily the use of a boat, my brother steering, and some pretty quick thinking meant it all worked out fine. This particular fish was hooked at least 60 yds from marginal snags too, in open water.

My preference if I can get it working, is always to try and get the fish to feed on a safe area away from snags, and have learned how to do this, it can be done, and by Carl saying his rods off the trees didn't get a bite just shows where he is at with his limited angling knowledge and skills.. That was pretty obvious with his bait choice too IMO.

In reply to Post #48
It's crazy and tackle companies are quite willing to sponsor these guys promoting fishing like this.

In reply to Post #49
Well look at the official videos they are putting out them selves, Nash puts out some really dodgy stuff

Funnily enough Korda are promoting his new video the obsession came up in my fb reels. If enough people comment on it saying hope there's no snag fishing in this one sure they'll get the message. I did and it went direct to Korda.

In reply to Post #51
I admire how naieve you are

In reply to Post #52
Why DF is all about fish welfare look at his new range. If they had cut the part where they're actually putting their rods into snags to drop rigs this post wouldn't be here. Would just be a lost fish to a snag.

In reply to Post #53
Danny has personally made probably 20 videos telling people to squeeze their swivels so they pull out of lead clips, so safety isn't forefront of everything he does

In reply to Post #51
Good call..

In reply to Post #54
He will not advocate fishing the way this guy did though, he has a reputation to uphold.

In reply to Post #54
As much as i admire mr fairbrass. I have to concede it is a bit of a change from when the original lead clips came out, stating that it was imperative the swivel was clipped into the clip. To ensure a safe rig. Now it doesn't seem to matter. Personally I have gone back to the running rigs I used before lead clips came about. What goes around comes around. If you stand still long enough, the whole world will pass before you.

In reply to Post #54
How is turning a lead clip into a running rig the same as this?

In reply to Post #58
Because its a literal death rig. The only people who watch videos about how to tie rigs are novices and younger impressionable anglers.

In reply to Post #59
Running rigs have been around for years. How is that a death rig?

In reply to Post #60
it defeats the point of a lead clip if you are just using it as a running rig. The lead cant discharge off the clip, whereas a running rig can be set up to drop a lead.
Remember this a the guy that made little plugs to keep swivels in and then fused swivels in to lead clips to better the lead discharge and stop the swivel pulling from the clip.

Begs the question why hes done a U-turn on his thinking...

As someone who has done next to none true snag fishing and at the risk of being slated on here for being a moron maybe.

Reason for no back lead when snag fishing? Is it because there is essentially more line than necessary between your lead and Rod tip and when a fish picks up your bait, they may have an extra 3ft to X amount of length before they actually hit a tight clutch? (depending on the depth water your back lead has fallen through?)

to parrot what others have said, social media has destroyed other hobbies of mine, i was very big into the car modifying scene when i was younger but when people started recording and uploading meets, everyone wanted to start doing stupid ****, caused a lot of problem and people getting seriously hurt. I stopped going to the meets and lost touch with a lot of people.

In reply to Post #62
Nothing wrong with asking mate and yes thats the reason buddy.

In reply to Post #62
Back leads are a nightmare for getting good indication on the alarms as well (because of what you mentioned) and since you ideally want to be on the rods the second you get any indication, it's not good for fishing so close to snags.

I watched the Youtube video and was a bit shocked at how different this one felt compared to some of his older videos. Spending 2k Euros on a floating platform that he'll likely never use again plus the catch at all costs, not good.

In reply to Post #64
yeah to spend that much on the platform and tbh, other than assisting them getting into the boat due to it being out in open water, i didn't really see any other use for it. he could have bought a step ladder, tied it to one of the posts and that would have sufficed.

I have watched many of his videos and recommended his channel to beginners because he does some great content on the beginner stuff, tying rigs etc. I've also enjoyed watching some of his "films".

Definitely interesting to see the perspective shared on here though because if im being completely honest, I may have used a back lead when fishing a snag, since i use them all the time in my fishing and may not have given it enough thought. Another reason why I like coming on this forum because the advice you can garner here is earned through much more experience compared to say the likes of social media "experts".

In reply to Post #61
Sorry if I'm missing the point but if the mainline breaks and it's ‘running' the lead will be discharged anyway won't it cos the swivel slips out of the lead clip so the fish is only trailing a rig with no lead?

In reply to Post #66
Not necessarily. It only takes the slightest bit of weed or something behind the leadclip to jam in the tail rubber meaning the lead and clip can't come off. Using them running can be deadly

In reply to Post #67
ok thanks

In reply to Post #64
i asked him about the inflatable - he sold it once he got home.