In reply to Post #1
Interesting. If you've been in the game a wee while I suspect your thinking on this is quite negative. I have and mine is. However, put yourself in the shoes of someone relatively new to carp fishing. The youngsters have access to loads of good information and access to big fish. When I first started I had limited information and could only fish for doubles with the occasional 20. It's easier to look back and think, it was nice learning the hard way, fishing badly, with crap gear but let's be honest if we'd had access to an easier path we'd have probably taken it.
Interesting. If you've been in the game a wee while I suspect your thinking on this is quite negative. I have and mine is. However, put yourself in the shoes of someone relatively new to carp fishing. The youngsters have access to loads of good information and access to big fish. When I first started I had limited information and could only fish for doubles with the occasional 20. It's easier to look back and think, it was nice learning the hard way, fishing badly, with crap gear but let's be honest if we'd had access to an easier path we'd have probably taken it.
In reply to Post #1
I guess if you avoid anywhere well known that has been fished by well known salesmen, you can still have an element of peace or "the unknown", or even both.
Sadly, often the above is only achievable by being in places you shouldn't. Even that was under threat during lockdown as people went on google earth asking the whole world who/what owned that bit of blue they have found.
Many didn't believe it then, but the likes of Korda ensured that Carp Angling became "cool", which brought all and sundry to the banks. Ever since around 2003, Kordas aim was widespread exposure, so they could fill the lakes with potential consumers, which encouraged greed from many lake owners who have done **** all since 2003 yet put their prices up by 500%.
As said before elsewhere, Linear and it's ilk was no busier than the local club lake until the sheer amount of media on both screen and magazines.
That's progress for ya.
I guess if you avoid anywhere well known that has been fished by well known salesmen, you can still have an element of peace or "the unknown", or even both.
Sadly, often the above is only achievable by being in places you shouldn't. Even that was under threat during lockdown as people went on google earth asking the whole world who/what owned that bit of blue they have found.
Many didn't believe it then, but the likes of Korda ensured that Carp Angling became "cool", which brought all and sundry to the banks. Ever since around 2003, Kordas aim was widespread exposure, so they could fill the lakes with potential consumers, which encouraged greed from many lake owners who have done **** all since 2003 yet put their prices up by 500%.
As said before elsewhere, Linear and it's ilk was no busier than the local club lake until the sheer amount of media on both screen and magazines.
That's progress for ya.
In reply to Post #61
So sorry to hear that Ken, I wish you all the best. It can certainly be dark and scary at times.
I'm recuperating after a couple of operations and not up to fishing yet. Chemo and radio start in a few weeks then its wait and see.
At best I may be able to go fishing in July. My spring French trips are cancelled.
So sorry to hear that Ken, I wish you all the best. It can certainly be dark and scary at times.
I'm recuperating after a couple of operations and not up to fishing yet. Chemo and radio start in a few weeks then its wait and see.
At best I may be able to go fishing in July. My spring French trips are cancelled.
In reply to Post #61
So sorry to hear Mate, take care of yourself, hope all goes well.
So sorry to hear Mate, take care of yourself, hope all goes well.
The best of it?
We have never had it better! It's human nature for older folks to look back with rose tinted spectacles....
So much doom & gloom. It's all out there if you can be bothered to get up and go look for it. I am currently fishing for a carp that will blow the carp community away if it ever comes to public light. Unquestionably the best carp swimming in the UK IMO.
It's free fishing. No expensive tickets, just hard graft. Everyone wants it on a plate.... But carp fishing for the truly special ones does not work that way.
It's all out there....
We have never had it better! It's human nature for older folks to look back with rose tinted spectacles....
So much doom & gloom. It's all out there if you can be bothered to get up and go look for it. I am currently fishing for a carp that will blow the carp community away if it ever comes to public light. Unquestionably the best carp swimming in the UK IMO.
It's free fishing. No expensive tickets, just hard graft. Everyone wants it on a plate.... But carp fishing for the truly special ones does not work that way.
It's all out there....
To Ken & Bean Laden, both of you keep your chins up. There is always hope.
More than 15 years ago now I was at work plastering and I blacked out for no reason. Over the next few weeks I blacked out more and more. I was admitted to hospital. After rafts of tests... At first I was told I had furring of the main artery to the brain. Terminal.
After many more invasive tests. This was a misdiagnosis. I was diagnosed with something called Pheyocromocytoma. One of the rarest types of tumor/cancers. Basically a tumor on my adrenal gland. Once it grew to a certain size, the gland would shoot out to much adrenaline, my BP would go through the roof and I would black out.
I spent two months in a cancer ward. I spiraled into a terrible depression. I had to tell my then teenage son I was very likely going to die in the next few weeks. Because of where your adrenal gland is situated, the outcome for that type of tumor is normally terminal. The tumor was removed. I have been absolutely fine ever since.
I could not work for almost two years, I lost everything. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. While at absolutely rock bottom with no money whatsoever I started SHB.
It changed my life forever.
I wish you both all of the best xx
More than 15 years ago now I was at work plastering and I blacked out for no reason. Over the next few weeks I blacked out more and more. I was admitted to hospital. After rafts of tests... At first I was told I had furring of the main artery to the brain. Terminal.
After many more invasive tests. This was a misdiagnosis. I was diagnosed with something called Pheyocromocytoma. One of the rarest types of tumor/cancers. Basically a tumor on my adrenal gland. Once it grew to a certain size, the gland would shoot out to much adrenaline, my BP would go through the roof and I would black out.
I spent two months in a cancer ward. I spiraled into a terrible depression. I had to tell my then teenage son I was very likely going to die in the next few weeks. Because of where your adrenal gland is situated, the outcome for that type of tumor is normally terminal. The tumor was removed. I have been absolutely fine ever since.
I could not work for almost two years, I lost everything. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. While at absolutely rock bottom with no money whatsoever I started SHB.
It changed my life forever.
I wish you both all of the best xx
In reply to Post #67
Thank you
Edit...this post was pointed at TCs post on good fishing still being out there for all who can be bothered to find it.
Thank you
Edit...this post was pointed at TCs post on good fishing still being out there for all who can be bothered to find it.
In reply to Post #68
It was my fault it was a double post. Typed that out on the beach eating breakfast, two absolute sorts walked past... Got so excited I tapped the submit your reply button on the iPad twice 🤣
It was my fault it was a double post. Typed that out on the beach eating breakfast, two absolute sorts walked past... Got so excited I tapped the submit your reply button on the iPad twice 🤣
In reply to Post #69
In reply to Post #66
Couldn't agree more.
The olschool carping pages on FB crack me up. "Fishing was better when we used to carry everything on our bike" posted by some guy who now only fishes lakes with Lodges and uses a powerbarrow. It seems like most of the things people have fold memories of, there is absolutely nothing stopping them doing it today. It was better when we rolled out own bait on the bank/slept on a deckchair. Nobody is stopping any of these things, just go do it.
Maddock and Nash etc are the ones responsible for making carp fishing commercial. The very people who are lorded by the people who complain about modern fishing, it was literally ruined by their own kind
The hypocrisy is baffling.
The old days of fishing soind absolutely awful to me, unless you were in the clique. People hiding tactics and rigs from people they called friends, full timers living on the banks, point blank refusing to even look or talk to people who weren't in your Carp club. I'm sure it was great if you were among the chosen ones, but for everyone else it sounded miserable.
Anyway, I'm off to get my kit sorted to go chasing after a 50lb common
Couldn't agree more.
The olschool carping pages on FB crack me up. "Fishing was better when we used to carry everything on our bike" posted by some guy who now only fishes lakes with Lodges and uses a powerbarrow. It seems like most of the things people have fold memories of, there is absolutely nothing stopping them doing it today. It was better when we rolled out own bait on the bank/slept on a deckchair. Nobody is stopping any of these things, just go do it.
Maddock and Nash etc are the ones responsible for making carp fishing commercial. The very people who are lorded by the people who complain about modern fishing, it was literally ruined by their own kind
The hypocrisy is baffling.
The old days of fishing soind absolutely awful to me, unless you were in the clique. People hiding tactics and rigs from people they called friends, full timers living on the banks, point blank refusing to even look or talk to people who weren't in your Carp club. I'm sure it was great if you were among the chosen ones, but for everyone else it sounded miserable.
Anyway, I'm off to get my kit sorted to go chasing after a 50lb common
I agree, fishing is what you make of it....
I only fish 2 syndicate waters, One is local to me fish aren't the biggest, but nice lake and nice lads.. the 2nd is a few hrs drive better stamp of fish and again a good bunch of lads.....luckily enough both are only 12 members so you might bump into one other angler when ur fishing, but not that often...we do have calendar apps so you sort of book on, you dont have to, its just we all find it better if you know how many's on before you plan your trip, but generally if 2 are booked on they just book other dates.
So i fish my tactics, some times i float fish on the local water for the carp smaller fish, not quiet a runs water but quiet easy, like to use one of them Polaris floats.if you can get a few feeding you can have a pleasant time on the float, you deffo convert more pick ups into hooked fish.
I understand if you're on the day ticket waters, you do get the idiots, which i do not have to encounter, but each to their own.
Fish as you want to fish and let everyone else do there own thing... there is a few gems still knocking about, a local water literally a 10 min walk from my house, has a lake in the middle of the farmers field, over 35 years ago i fished the lake as a kid, 50p through the farmer letter box to pay, and caught plenty of mixed species, it was a very popular lake at the time, and if you didn't get there early you wouldn't get a swim....every now and then people used to hook into a monster at the time, and i never was there was any of these beasts were caught. I often walk round the lake with the dog, and for the last 10 years at least i have never seen anyone fishing it, last summer on morning i seen a 5-6 carp roaming around the margins, they must all have been 20+ in size, i think some of these may have been the monsters from my childhood when they were maybe lower doubles, the lakes not to big and with no anglers bait fir donkeys, i do intend to try to catch a few of these fish, but don't have the time for a 3rd water. It still only £2 to the farmer per day.
I only fish 2 syndicate waters, One is local to me fish aren't the biggest, but nice lake and nice lads.. the 2nd is a few hrs drive better stamp of fish and again a good bunch of lads.....luckily enough both are only 12 members so you might bump into one other angler when ur fishing, but not that often...we do have calendar apps so you sort of book on, you dont have to, its just we all find it better if you know how many's on before you plan your trip, but generally if 2 are booked on they just book other dates.
So i fish my tactics, some times i float fish on the local water for the carp smaller fish, not quiet a runs water but quiet easy, like to use one of them Polaris floats.if you can get a few feeding you can have a pleasant time on the float, you deffo convert more pick ups into hooked fish.
I understand if you're on the day ticket waters, you do get the idiots, which i do not have to encounter, but each to their own.
Fish as you want to fish and let everyone else do there own thing... there is a few gems still knocking about, a local water literally a 10 min walk from my house, has a lake in the middle of the farmers field, over 35 years ago i fished the lake as a kid, 50p through the farmer letter box to pay, and caught plenty of mixed species, it was a very popular lake at the time, and if you didn't get there early you wouldn't get a swim....every now and then people used to hook into a monster at the time, and i never was there was any of these beasts were caught. I often walk round the lake with the dog, and for the last 10 years at least i have never seen anyone fishing it, last summer on morning i seen a 5-6 carp roaming around the margins, they must all have been 20+ in size, i think some of these may have been the monsters from my childhood when they were maybe lower doubles, the lakes not to big and with no anglers bait fir donkeys, i do intend to try to catch a few of these fish, but don't have the time for a 3rd water. It still only £2 to the farmer per day.
It's what you make of it for sure.
I fished yesterday, only one on the lake, peace and quiet in nature and a 7lb Tench for my trouble. More than happy with that.
But that's the right lake for me and it's taken a lot of time and effort to find it. Some of the places I used to fish I would never go back to. Not just because they've changed but because what I want has changed too.
I fished yesterday, only one on the lake, peace and quiet in nature and a 7lb Tench for my trouble. More than happy with that.
But that's the right lake for me and it's taken a lot of time and effort to find it. Some of the places I used to fish I would never go back to. Not just because they've changed but because what I want has changed too.
In reply to Post #71
** The old days of fishing soind absolutely awful to me, unless you were in the clique. People hiding tactics and rigs from people they called friends, full timers living on the banks, point blank refusing to even look or talk to people who weren't in your Carp club. I'm sure it was great if you were among the chosen ones, but for everyone else it sounded miserable. **
** The old days of fishing soind absolutely awful to me, unless you were in the clique. People hiding tactics and rigs from people they called friends, full timers living on the banks, point blank refusing to even look or talk to people who weren't in your Carp club. I'm sure it was great if you were among the chosen ones, but for everyone else it sounded miserable. **
I must say that I miss the days of when maintenance on a lake didn't mean knocking down all the trees around it and building chip bark swims everywhere. Anybody caught fishing a chip bark swim with a rod pod and a splash mat should also be banned from fishing (along with people who use overwraps on their bivvy).
So I must say some people live in a different world to me.
I remember the rivers running funny colours as dye from paint factories of clothes dyers leached in.
Toxic Chemicals were common place in rivers across the UK. The Seven Trent water catchment was the one I saw the most and it was so polluted in the 50/60s that there were regular fish die offs, I saw this on the Tyne, tees, Derwent, Trent, Colne, etc etc.. Yet now rivers like the Trent and Derwent etc have salmon! well if thats what pollution does, great.
The Rivers are full of BIG fish, I have a friend who was born and raised in south london/kent, reached the age of 70 without a single Barble or chub over 2lb, in the past 6 years he has had his first 6lb chub a a few fives, also he has managed 4 Barbel, all double figure, that would never have happened in the 50s,60s,70s,80s.
Carp fishing has changed beyond my wildest dreams and its not for me the modern form, but they are still waters out there that can be targeted.
New places like Sonning, Yately and Wraysbury are harder to find, but not impossible, I was one of the first on W1 and a few more since and its the type of angling I loved, I dont fish these types of places now, not because they dont exist, but because Im too old to do it.
The Biggest threat to angling now is the over abundance of fish predators and disease in carp. What I will say is this, in my lifetime the fieldsports I have followed and practiced have been eroded by well meaning but deluded politicians following the advice of cranks. They have already stared on Angling and will not stop till all fieldsports are gone.
I remember the rivers running funny colours as dye from paint factories of clothes dyers leached in.
Toxic Chemicals were common place in rivers across the UK. The Seven Trent water catchment was the one I saw the most and it was so polluted in the 50/60s that there were regular fish die offs, I saw this on the Tyne, tees, Derwent, Trent, Colne, etc etc.. Yet now rivers like the Trent and Derwent etc have salmon! well if thats what pollution does, great.
The Rivers are full of BIG fish, I have a friend who was born and raised in south london/kent, reached the age of 70 without a single Barble or chub over 2lb, in the past 6 years he has had his first 6lb chub a a few fives, also he has managed 4 Barbel, all double figure, that would never have happened in the 50s,60s,70s,80s.
Carp fishing has changed beyond my wildest dreams and its not for me the modern form, but they are still waters out there that can be targeted.
New places like Sonning, Yately and Wraysbury are harder to find, but not impossible, I was one of the first on W1 and a few more since and its the type of angling I loved, I dont fish these types of places now, not because they dont exist, but because Im too old to do it.
The Biggest threat to angling now is the over abundance of fish predators and disease in carp. What I will say is this, in my lifetime the fieldsports I have followed and practiced have been eroded by well meaning but deluded politicians following the advice of cranks. They have already stared on Angling and will not stop till all fieldsports are gone.