New Carp Record

[no-one in particular]

I find that camaraderie still exists in coarse angling on the banks. Where it tends to get a bit silly, and may not be remotely apparent, is online. People tend to say things that they wouldn't dream of on the bank. I don't believe that it's a reflection of any particular discipline of angling, just wider society. People of all walks of life seem rather prone to engaging typing fingers without engaging brain on amazingly disparate topics. Threats of physical harm seem to come alarmingly easily to so many people. Not wishing to excuse them, I'm not wholly convinced that the majority are intended as real threats. What's taken to be a threat is also not always as it seems either, especially when the press are involved.

I do suspect that real life confrontation might be a touch less in sea angling. I do feel that's essentially down to there being a lot more space to do your own thing. The fact that money rarely plays a big part in sea angling will also help. However, I've heard just as many anecdotes of punch ups on crowded piers or on charter boats as I have on inland waters. Bar it being a lot easier to escape from idiots on our coasts, I'm not entirely convinced that it's any more genteel.

Sadly, the only way I've seen to civilise angling on the bank is to somehow make it more exclusive. Terribly snobby, I know, but it works. I'm not just talking about making things expensive here. A vetting system, limited numbers, or even just a damned long walk can do it. It's pretty hard to fall out with someone hundreds of yards away.

Interesting points, I agree with space has a lot to do with it, might be a lot different if the sea was the size of a pond, certainly would be the case but it is what it is. And I agree, on-line is a lot different than what you can encounter on the bank, I have always found anglers on the bank pretty friendly most of the time. I think people just use fishing as an excuse to let off their frustrations in general a lot of the time when on the internet, violent tendencies included for some. And it can warp a view of fishing, mine included..
I have never heard of punch ups on crowded piers or charter boats personally and I have done quite a lot of both over many years and I have never read of any instances either but I am sure it has happened however, I think this must be very rare.
Coarse anglers want their own space, they don't like other anglers to near, and are intolerant of anything that interferes with it but sea anglers don't tend to worry about that much in my experience. Many a time I have sat in a small boat with 6 anglers in it or on a crowded pier and just had a good time and enjoyed the company. Why I don't know, its just been the case.
You would like more exclusivity, which would probably mean more rules, more cant fish here notices, more divisions and money would determine some of that, it already does. It may actually be better, I can see that, everyone gets their own bit of exclusive fishing how they like it, however, I am finding that a turn off these days. It would not be viable in any sea fishing situation I can think of.so it does not exist, there is no exclusivity apart from a few private beaches but they are rare.

 

[steve2]

Carp fishing is now a big commercial business far removed from the old days. This fish will attract the punters through the door and that is what it’s all about.
Just like when the commercial match lakes started 100lb catch soon become common so they had to stock more and more to keep the punters coming back.
It wouldn’t surprise me if at this moment someone were looking for an 80lb carp to buy and stock.

 

[sam vimes]

You would like more exclusivity, which would probably mean more rules, more cant fish here notices, more divisions and money would determine some of that, it already does. It may actually be better, I can see that, everyone gets their own bit of exclusive fishing how they like it, however, I am finding that a turn off these days. It would not be viable in any sea fishing situation I can think of.so it does not exist, there is no exclusivity apart from a few private beaches but they are rare.

I think you misunderstand me a little. I'm not after any greater exclusivity than I have now. It's definitely not about money. A sea angler can get all the exclusivity they may require by going a little out of the way to a deserted beach. A coarse angler can, if they wish, do similar by walking that bit further or fishing waters that few are interested in. I easily get exclusivity on inexpensive waters, mainly because no one is particularly interested. I frequently have miles of river to myself and often it's the same on small club stillwaters. It's not because they are genuinely exclusive. The financial aspect is minimal. The truth is that modern angling/anglers don't have any regard for them and it's too much like hard work, to get to them and to fish them. Not many anglers are going to travel much more than twenty miles to fish the club waters I fish. You don't get that on in demand waters, regardless of the cost of them. The downside is that I'm unlikely to trouble a record and I'm unlikely to have a really spectacular day's fishing. I can live with that, it's a price worth paying. Most don't think so.

I know you believe that a free for all would be a good thing, perhaps it would be a utopian ideal. However, I dread to think where that free for all would leave the latest greatest waters. I suspect that 95% of anglers would end up vying for the same spots. In this modern world, I doubt that's going to end well, it's bad enough as it is.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

It wouldn’t surprise me if at this moment someone were looking for an 80lb carp to buy and stock

Wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't one already in the pool (or one of four similar venues).

You would soon know from the "Au revoir" as they break your 30lb line

 

[swizzle]

The fun and games bemuse me too, but to suggest that it doesn't occur, to some extent, in sea fishing doesn't ring true. I tend not to take too much notice of any type of sea angling, but I'm sure I've seen similar issues surrounding sea fishing records. As they have differing line rating class records that's where the bitching seems to centre.

This is 100% accurate. I know of a 15lb Bass caught locally recently and the furor that has been caused by it is just ridiculous. It's a sad world we live in, that anglers get jealous of another's catch. I am happy to catch a fish of any size and if the bloke in the next peg down catches a decent fish, I always offer congratulations and offer to be the photographer. These people obviously have nothing of any real importance to worry about in their own lives. Saddo's. Well done to the guy, it may have been caught from a carp only water, which isn't my cup of tea, but at the end of the day, he achieved what we all leave the house to do, which is to catch a fish. Being bitter and jealous isn't going to change the fact that he caught it.

 

[thecrow]

Death threats against an angler from other anglers? how carp fishing has changed from how it was when I first started to fish for them, if you were lucky you had a couple of mates that would share information with you (as long as it was both ways) if you were very lucky you got to see some magnificent fish on the bank and no matter who had caught the fish it was just a privilege to be there. death threats? what a sad and weary existence some anglers have nowadays.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

This is the result of carp fishing today, and it is only going to get worse.

More venues will bring in bigger carp.

I don't call it Carp fishing anymore, It's sleeping, Watching TV, Drinking. Everyone likes to be comfortable when fishing, but Carp angling is a joke.

I am sure they have competitions to see who can take the most gear with them

 

[peter crabtree]

Last year I felt a bit apprehensive about making it public after catching a 6oz gudgeon from the canal.
That night I deleted all the trophy shots of this magnificent specimen from my phone pics in fear for my life....

 

[S-Kippy]

I am sure they have competitions to see who can take the most gear with them

Really ? I fancy I could give a few a run for their money !

I'm afraid the whole carp fishing thing leaves me completely cold. They are second only to brim in my book. I'd rather have one of Clarkies eels......at least that's worth a laugh.

---------- Post added at 20:47 ---------- Previous post was at 20:44 ----------

Last year I felt a bit apprehensive about making it public after catching a 6oz gudgeon from the canal.
That night I deleted all the trophy shots of this magnificent specimen from my phone pics in fear for my life....

I can vouch for this. I bought said gudjin off Simon and got 4 zander baits out of it.

 

[maggot_dangler]

So that essentially means no fish, of any species, from a stillwater could qualify. Where does that leave the many thousands of barbel, amongst many other species, that are stocked into our rivers every year? A vast number of salmon and brown trout are also artificially stocked into UK rivers. I'm not entirely sure that you've really thought this through.

As it stands, the records are perfectly simple, if it's caught on rod and line in the UK that's good enough, provided it's weighed and witnessed properly and is of the claimed species. That's as complicated as it needs to be. Only when you try and shoehorn a nebulous idea of merit (of the fish and/or the angler) in there do things get unnecessarily complicated. Does this fish have any particular merit? Probably not, but that's not what the record list is about.

Records are what they are, and have no real significance, unless you give them significance. I'd be delighted to catch a record fish, of any species, but I doubt I'd publicise it in any way. Do I want to catch this particular carp? No, no more than I wanted to catch any of the known big fish down the years. I won't be chasing round circuit waters after big fish with pet names, it's not my thing.

OHhhh people do like trying to twist words to suit i was talking about CARP nowt else zilch zip nada just CARP .. geeeessss .


PG ...

 

[sam vimes]

OHhhh people do like trying to twist words to suit i was talking about CARP nowt else zilch zip nada just CARP .. geeeessss .


PG ...

OK, though I'm not really convinced that could work, especially as there's not really supposed to be a single carp in any river in the country. Those that are present in rivers are either from illegal movements or are escapees from stocked stillwaters. As far as I'm aware, there's not a shred of evidence to suggest that carp are breeding successfully in any UK river. If your criteria are going to be applied to carp, they really should be applied across the board to all species. There may not be any records left if they are.

The bottom line remains. The records are simply a statement of the biggest fish of their kind caught on rod and line in the UK. Only if individuals confer greater significance on them does anything else matter. I well understand the distaste for the now reality of someone chucking a record breaking fish into a small pool to bag the record. However, if we stopped making such a fuss of the records, the venues, the individual record holders and the gear/bait they used, it shouldn't really matter.

 

[no-one in particular]

OK, though I'm not really convinced that could work, especially as there's not really supposed to be a single carp in any river in the country. Those that are present in rivers are either from illegal movements or are escapees from stocked stillwaters. As far as I'm aware, there's not a shred of evidence to suggest that carp are breeding successfully in any UK river. .

I have caught a mirror carp about 4 inches in a Kent river. It was the first one I caught there on maggot I think, only one other I caught about 9lb and spotted one about 15-20lb once. The two other carp were wild fully scaled carp so I don't know how that works out but it was a baby mirror definitely. Could have been put in there but there are no fish farms or commercials nearby.

---------- Post added at 07:47 ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 ----------

I know you believe that a free for all would be a good thing, perhaps it would be a utopian ideal. However, I dread to think where that free for all would leave the latest greatest waters. I suspect that 95% of anglers would end up vying for the same spots. In this modern world, I doubt that's going to end well, it's bad enough as it is.

Actually thinking it through I wouldn't want it, lots of peoples jobs rely on coarse fishing as it stands and it would never happen. The only utopia is sea fishing or as near to it as ever is going to possible, the two, coarse and sea have evolved completely different and it will never change but it is a shame, experiencing the freedom you get with the sea makes one wish there was a bit more of it around. You should try it someday....

I see there is a post about a furore over a big bass so its not all utopia, sea anglers can be just as bad; I still think it is a less aggro branch of angling though from just my own experience of it.

 

[macko]

As I said of the Brangelina split, I don't give a f**k

ATB Macko

 

[thecrow]

I think I could quote maybe 2 UK records, they mean nothing to me they say very little about the angler that caught it and I lost all interest after a valid claim for the chub record was rejected for as far as I could see not being caught by a known angler, self appointed and unimportant I am afraid.

 

[Bob Hornegold]

It's all very sad really, threats to some ones life, there has to something that can be done and I hope they do !!

But it's not just Carp fishing, it has happened in Chub and Barbel fishing, where threats were mad.

Social media has a lot to answer for and this say anything you like by the dim-wits is prevalent.

The Carp record will go the way of the Catfish record and that's a shame for the carp anglers who respect their fishing and the species.

Bob

 

[terry m]

The story here is not the 70lb carp, it is the vitriol aimed at the guy on social media.

A dreadful indictment of the angling community.

The guy went fishing, he caught a fish. Sure it is a particularly large fish that will attract questions from anglers purporting to be purists.

Poor, very poor.

 

[mikench]

Agreed! The human race is not nice on occasion! I wonder how the comics will portray it!