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Mike McHugh

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Hi,
Im Michael McHugh. I am 15 years old. I live in Massachusetts, in the United States. I am an avid fisherman who, to satisfy my hunger for the sport, is looking for different ways and techniques to perform it. While online, I found out about the intense sport of coarse and match fishing. I would like to help bring coarse fishing to the United States so everyone over here can enjoy it. To do that though, I must learn how myself to coarse fish. I have been on many sites across the web (as it is hard to find someone over here to show me how necause I live in a small rural town in the middle of Massachusetts)but most of the sites vary in opinions and dont give any of the most basic basics that anyone under the age of 5 in the UK would know because it is expected that one would already know them. So I was wondering if anyone would want to give me advice on how to go about this? Thank you in advance.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Mike, as a British born person who has fished in many parts of the world for nearly 60 years, I truly detest the term: "Coarse fishing". It implies something crude and without any form of subtlety.

As an all round angler who has done just about every style of angling you can imagine in my life, I would suggest that you first of all acquire a typical English style rod of about 13 foot long, a small spinning reel, some 5 to 6lb line and some floats.

If you PM me with your address, I would be delighted to send you a few floats, shot and the sorts of hooks we use for general fishing in the UK.

But remember one thing,

Most of the species of fish we have in this country are cyprinids, ie: members of the carp family. Most of the species of fish you have in the USA are not. This means that the methods we use over here might not be entirely successful with your species for much of the time.

However I have caught vast numbers of Bluegills using UK style float tactics and worms for bait in my life. Most of the methods used in the USA for such fish as crappies and blugills are quite crude - bobbers, big sinkers and strong lines. Refine this method by using UK float fishing tactics and you will outfish most of your friends.

Give it a try.
 
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Mike McHugh

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Thank you
And I am sorry for using the term coarse fishing, I am very new to the sport, I was just using the term I found generally accepted. Also, I actually didnt expect to catch many fish at all, I figured that it would help my current technique like fly fishing did. A lot of technique and other things i learned from fly fishing helped my other fishing. And who knows? Maybe a smallmouth might take to a maggot on a float rod. I dont know but I think It will be fun whether i catch a record crappie or maybe just a few kibbies on better technique than my friends. Thank you again

PS I actually have caught a few chub on the Nashua River, it looked pretty weird the first time as I was used to catching trout and smallmouth
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Don't be sorry about using the term: "coarse fishing" at all Mike. The name has stuck here since it was coined about 100 years ago, although I would like to throw the guy who invented it into the deepest lake with a stone around his neck!

I have caught smallies on nightcrawlers (Lobs to the poms) by the way, and I am sure they will take maggots.

The best method I ever used for bronzebacks was fly fishing with a slow sinking line and a fly tied to imitate a bait fish such as a sculpin. I have also had a great deal of success with slider worms.

I think what you call "chub" are different from the chub we have in Europe. Here they can grow as big as 8lbs
 
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Frank "Chubber" Curtis

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First of all Mike, welcome to the FM forum. It's great to have one of our friends from across the pond join us and I hope you'll stay around and join in some of our discussions.
There are quite a few sections of both the forum and the main site where you gain an insight into how we fish over here and the tackle that we use. For now though I think Ron's advice is the best to get you started.
 
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Steve Eddy

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Hi Mike,I posted your question to a friend from your side of the pond and he replies .

Try here,loads of information and I`ve no doubt they can help sort you out with tackle you`ll need.

http://www.carpanglersgroup.com/forum/index.php


They have members from all over the US and while the primary thrust is carping, they can help him with the rest of it as well. Quite a few Brit Ex-pat members and I know there are some avid pole anglers along with quite a few who did match angling when they lived in the UK. I think there are 3-4 CAG fish-ins a year in his home state.
"
 
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Mike McHugh

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Thanks Steve,
I really appreciate the community helping me out. I didnt even know that there were match fishing leages around where I live. Ill probably sign up as soon as I get my next paycheck ( I work shoveling horse crap on a horse farm). Thanks again.
 
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Mike McHugh

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Yes, yes there is. I actually love to use worms even though there are a lot of fake plastic reusable ones on the market. To me, its just not fishin if, at the end of the day, your hands aren't covered in worm guts
 
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Terry D

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I think the "coarse" was coined from using coarse live baits like worms and maggots. Just not fishing to the landed gentry that used "artificials" for their fly fishing.
There are some great books about that would stand you in good stead, some of which have been mentioned in several forum threads, just do a search. No doubt you could get some of them more cheaply on eBay.
 
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Lord Paul

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I say Terry old boy - I'm landed gentry but I too coarse fish.

I was told that the term "coarse" came from a word meaning "live" bait as Terry said, I think this was saud on "Tight Lines" by Keith Arthur

Tally Ho
 
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keora

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Mike, about fifteen years ago, I read in a weekly fishing newspaper (Angling Times, new website available) of an English company that was planning to introduce English fishing methods into the USA. I never heard anything else about the project, so I assume the company didn't succeed.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Actually I have struggled to find out the origin of the term "coarse" when applied to certain species of fish. The term wasn't around at the time of the Mundella Act in 1878. In those days they called non-members of the salmon family as "Freshwater Fish".

However Trent Otter in several of his books written in the early 20th century uses the term: "Coarse."

I read somewhere years ago that "coarse" referred to the coarse scaling of the fish. But tench have just as small scales as trout. It may also refer to the edibilty of the fish, but perch are as good eating, if not better than trout.

As Terry says, it may refer to the methods used to catch the fish.

Anyone know more?
 
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Mike McHugh

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I was wondering if anyone knew of any match fishing online stores that more easily cater to the US so I could buy some supplies without paying $30 for shipping? Thank you in advance. Oh and we have a ton of Perch and Trout. One lake in Vermont I went to once was almost completely filled with Perch (even though we did catch a pretty sizable catfish, but thats a story for another day).
 
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MarkTheSpark

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Coarse just refers to the quality of the flesh; as in 'too coarse to eat' - at least, that was Falkus and Buller's take on the subject I seem to remember. Who cares anyway; they're all worth catching.

Micky Thill tried valiantly when he was with Lindy Lou tackle to get some UK methods into US angling. Wherever he demonstrated his methods, he blew everyone away, but US anglers, it seems, were pretty conservative and didn't want to use 13 foot rods, etc. He's still trying though, right here and the site looks like it has some good information.

Mick led the USA team at the World Championships for a while, and in fairness they didn't do too badly. Mick is a very good angler.

If there's any kind of fishing they don't understand in the US, it's using size 16 hooks and two maggots. Just find some roadkill, wrap in it newspaper for a week, and bingo - the best all-round bait there is! Don't tell anyone what you're doing - you might be arrested under health laws.

Nice to hear from you, and good luck
 
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MarkTheSpark

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You can't go too far wrong at that price Mike, but check the shipping costs out.

Also, try this but I will let you into a secret; we pay much more for fixed-spool reels here than you do through Cabelas/ Bass Pro. You may be better off buying the rod and accessories from the UK - I'm sure Davies would cut you a deal - and getting a much better reel in the States.

You'd get a pretty decent rod for ?40 - about $80? - and I suspect rods, floats, catapults, hooks and other British accessories would cost less to ship than reels because of the weight.

You can get line where you are, and fishing weights, and possibly split shot? Anyway, I'd kill to pay the prices you pay for reels.
 
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MarkTheSpark

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And maybe a stupid question, Mike, but have you bought yourself a book on the subject?

There are loads on ebay; this is not bad. There are loads more; a book's got to be the way ahead.

If you have any trouble buying one, for any reason, let us know and I will pick one up in a charity shop and send it over.
 
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Ford Buchanan

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I envy you, Mike.

I was born in Florida and now live in the UK. I've been fishing here for over 15 years now and only wish I'd had some knowledge of the methods used here when I was still fishing there.

Fishing here is refined to the point that it makes all I'd done before seem crude. I can't imagine the success I'd have enjoyed with English style fishing in Florida's abundant fisheries.

Good luck to you.
 
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