Am I the only one left ?

S-Kippy · Jun 24, 2010

I love my fishing but its as important to me how I fish as what I catch. I love trotting for roach,margin fishing with a float [!] for tench and fly fishing for trout,sea trout and grayling. I dont own a pole,carp rod,bivvy,buzzers or a baitrunner. I have never spodded anything or anyone in my life and I dont keep my rods set up. I dont specialise in any one species and I dont set myself targets other than say "catching a tench". I have no idea what a chod or zig rig is and I dont feel my life would be particularly enriched if I did. I did catch a carp on a boilie once but I cannot for the life of me think where I got it from.

If I had to use one bait for the rest of my life it would be bread.

I think I'm what used to be known as a "pleasure angler". Am I an endangered species or are there any more out there ?

Paul Boote · Jun 24, 2010

Nope, not the only one. Alive, kicking and only too happy to deal it out to blinkered "Pros".

Pros?

Hmm.

As in "think I've arrived", but, in truth, in the great majority of cases, still yet to even start.

Morespiders · Jun 24, 2010

S-Kippy said:
I dont own a pole,carp rod,bivvy,buzzers or a baitrunner.

Yes Mr Skipwoth, sounds like you are

The Bone Collector · Jun 24, 2010

No your not alone Skip but you are now in the minority which was once the majority.

Tee-Cee · Jun 24, 2010

No,definitely not alone,but yes,a dying species....

I have to say I have followed trends and used the some of the items S-Kippy mentions above in trying to improve my catches but,truth be known,I don't really think they have....
In checking my records I can honestly say my use of boilies(of various shades and hues)for example has been an abject failure....when I think of how many I have slung into various waters the return has been poor to say the least.....and although I still find myself concerned about what they are manufactured from I have continued to use them.....pretty poor show really...but its down to me...

Anyway,I am a bread man deep down(or lets say a 'naturals man from the 60's')and if I have a choice I would rather catch a10lb fish on floating crust than a 25lb'er on a boilie....in fact my fridge is always packed with bread in various forms with 'sheets' of crust cut from a tin loaf just ready to go!!

Perhaps you should form a group S-Kippy-similar to the'Golden scale Club' (as in Chris Yates)..............you might just get enough members to have a waiting list!!!

ps I still regard myself as a 'pleasure angler'(but lucky enough to have caught many specimen fish)and can honestly say its never just been about size of fish but more to do with 'being out there'....

The Monk · Jun 24, 2010

angling should be about pleasure, not trying to prove things to yourself or others, its all about enjoyment, or should be and I think the older you get the more you enjoy it, and then your dead, lol.

Fred Bonney · Jun 24, 2010

Certainly not alone, I got tugged into the single species game for a while. Adam's Mills fault.
I have now decided, what I really enjoy is just plain simple coarse fishing.
That is, sitting by a pond or lake from the crack of dawn, or by the river probably from autumn onwards.
I've never really found any benefit from night fishing.Never put myself out enough to match fish, or to sit watching a pair or three matching carp rods

Catching fish really is a bonus, added to a day in the sticks.

I may well have another crack at fly fishing, but I'm unlikely to have a serious go at carp, or pike.

the indifferent crucian · Jun 24, 2010

No, not alone at all....you just described my attitude to fishing.

I would like to catch a barbel one day, but not if I have to get all serious about it.

I do the odd bit of fluff-chucking but I don't like having to kill them and if you go to a catch and release establishment they are SO hard to trick.

I do have a little dream about catching a crucian on a buzzer...sometimes they get very fixated, even airborne after them, and I think that might be a fun approach.

But on the whole fishing is a hobby, a pleasing pastime, for me. Turning it into a sport would take that pleasure away, for me at least.

dezza · Jun 24, 2010

And here's another one.

There was a period in my life where the catching of very big fish - specimen fish, became paramount. I even formed a specimen group in the 60s. But as time passed I realised the ability to produce long lists of big fish and those ever boring "trophy shot" photographs did not always demonstrate how skillful an angler you were. Some of the biggest fish I have ever caught in my life came quite easily, yet others, many somewhat modest fish according to some, came as a result of having to extract every particle of skill that I possess.

Richard Farrow will remember me spending a whole afternoon trying to extract a few medium sized dace from a tiny Norfolk stream. I got more satisfaction out of eventually tempting a couple of these fish than catching 4 double figure barbel from the Trent in one session some years ago.

So I tell many not to worry if the roach in their district do not exceed 8 oz. That the chub in your river do no exceed 4 lbs, the trout in your reservoir do not exceed 5lbs and that the carp in your lake do not exceed 20 lbs.

If you are catching fish like this on a regular basis from average waters you can stick a very large feather in your cap. I would much rather read an article from people who catch fish like this from modest waters than from those who produce huge fish from fisheries that were specially stocked prior to the "stars" arrival.

In angling today, "success" is often dictated by the size of your bank balance, not how skillful you are.

And yes, I fish for pleasure. Not only that but "how" a fish was caught means more to me than how much it weighed

Stealph Viper · Jun 24, 2010

Remember, that 1 mans enjoyment is another mans hatred.

Do not dismiss the other ways of fishing as they can, and do, bring enjoyment to others. It may not be your cup of tea, but to list them as less enjoyable or Pleasureable would be fool hardy.

If i could afford to do so i would have many different set ups to suit my mood on any given day, whether it was Carp fishing, Tench fishing, Barbel Fishing or even Whip Fishing on my Local canal for Gudgeon and Greedy little Perch.
Even Fly Fishing would get a consideration although i am sure that learning that new skill would do my napper right in

Oh, and for the Nostalgic Pleasure anglers out there, i would use all modern tackle and equipment also, might as well have the best if i am going to dream

S-Kippy · Jun 24, 2010

The difficulty I have at the moment is finding somewhere to be what I am. Nearly every water my way is either a commercial or an out and out carp lake. I dont do "proper" carp and though a commercial can scratch the itch when it gets too much to bear I do get seriously bored catching small/med carp after carp after carp.

Where have all the tench lakes gone ? Before carp got de-mystified and became so dominant tench were everywhere...now I am struggling to find a water that contains enough to make having a go for them of an evening worthwhile. I just dont have the time to pitch up for a day or more or the inclination to fish bolt rig feeders a mile out surrounded by carp anglers in bivvies. Its just not what I want to do with the limited time I have.

This time of year I find really difficult...I've had a terrific spring on the trout and now I find myself longing for winter so I can go roach fishing.

Graham Whatmore · Jun 24, 2010

It doesn't mean you get more enjoyment out of angling because you don't use modern equipment or baits, all it means is you enjoy the type of fishing you do. Perhaps Skippy, you should bear in mind that the rods and reels that you use are considered too modern to use by some traditionalist anglers.

I used to be a float only angler until age, a bad back and maybe laziness got me into using a feeder more often though I used them when match fishing dictated, I even think of polefishing as a form of float fishing which is exactly what it is, fishing a float at a set distance doesn't make it any the less effective or less pleasurable. Angling is a skill that requires the angler to employ whatever tactics and bait is available to catch the fish that he is hunting and if all the angler requires is to sit in the fresh air and enjoy the 'being there' he can do that without a rod and line.

Dave Burr · Jun 24, 2010

Fishing is all in the head, the tools you use are just that -tools.

My attitude is all about enjoying each fish, if I find that I am not eagerly anticipating the next bite for any reason, I go home. But I will not harness myself to any sort of method or bait.

But I do miss a good tench lake.

S-Kippy · Jun 24, 2010

Dave Burr said:
But I do miss a good tench lake.

Where did they go ? Is it simply that they are now the good carp lakes ? Blenheim Palace excepted [and that's not practical for an evening] I know of only one lake anywhere near me where tench are the predominant species. I know others with tench in but they're not what I would call tench lakes.I fished one t'other evening...not a sniff.

Maybe I am just completely out of touch. I'm not looking for huge fish or huge bags...just somewhere I can spend a summers evening with half a chance of a couple of tench. When I was a lad that meant virtually any lake you could get on.

904_cannon · Jun 24, 2010

Tee-Cee said:
No,definitely not alone,but yes,a dying species....
Perhaps you should form a group S-Kippy-similar to the 'Golden Scale Club' (as in Chris Yates)..............you might just get enough members to have a waiting list!!!

...or a group representing specialist/specimen anglers/groups, as the AT certainly ain't fulfilling that function.

But no, no, no; that would never work foolish boy. Someone tried that in 1965 and where is it now

cg74 · Jun 24, 2010

S-Kippy, you are certainly not alone in your outlook to angling as others have posted.

Me, I fish for me and me alone, purely for my enjoyment.
Whether that be 48 hours+ sat behind bite alarms, matching rods and reels (got to be all matching, Fred

) for carp and/or tench.

2 rods aimed skywards for carp and/or barbel on the Thames.

One rod on an alarm, another on a tip or float for tench.

A tip rod for chub.

A single rod for barbel on a small river.

Or a stickfloat for grayling, dace and roach.

Basically the world is your oyster, if you let it be!

I've heard too many saying they're getting disillusioned and bored of their style of fishing, simple, change it or quit!!

Regards tench lakes, a good tip would be, try hard carp waters that have tench present, works for me.....

klik2change · Jun 24, 2010

"I did catch a carp on a boilie once but I cannot for the life of me think where I got it from."

How did you fish the boilie [whatever that is]?

Did you use a "rig"?

You obviously know more than me....

cg74 · Jun 24, 2010

klik2change said:
"I did catch a carp on a boilie once but I cannot for the life of me think where I got it from."

How did you fish the boilie [whatever that is]?

Did you use a "rig"?

You obviously know more than me....

I hate to hear of a fellow angler struggling, just go to your local tackle shop and ask for a bag of boilies, the 'best' 15mm ones.

And side hook one onto a size 8 or 6 hook.....

Alternately be real new fangled and fancy, try a 'rig'.
This link may help; Know your knots

Back to the cane catgut and bone hook, eh??:j

jcp01 · Jun 24, 2010

The massive rise of the angling blog is a strong force for diversity, mostly because there is nothing more boring to read than a diary with daily entries all about the same species caught with the same approach. Too many entries on the trot around the same subject and viewing stats crash unless what you are doing has genuine interest value as a story with a beginning, middle and end - a campaign for instance.

Since I have been keeping mine I've forced myself to do interesting stuff just so that I have something interesting to say. One day I am after crucians, the next I am out trying to pin down silver bream or fluking wild brown trout on maggots. I love fishing like this, and writing it down seems to encourage yourself to be less precious about targets, figures and stats and more out for quality of experience.

I also think that in a recession people are more inclined to look out for local fishing opportunities rather than incurring the expense of traveling all over the country targeting monsters. This year I have fished local free waters almost exclusively just because they are so much fun - small streams, little ponds, canals. I love em!

In short, I think that the future is bright and I hope that we are actually at the beginning of a renaissance in serious pleasure angling, if you know what I mean?

cg74 · Jun 24, 2010

Rufus, I like your term "serious pleasure angling", I think this best describes me and my fishing.

Am I the only one left ?

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