What constitutes a 'good days fishing?'

Peter Bishop · Aug 21, 2007

Old Des Taylor will ruffle a few feathers again with his column in AT today. Des highlights the bloke who won a match with 661 lbs (using the Shock Stik pole) while his mate on the next peg didn't catch enough to win -he onlyhad 410lbs.

Des speculates on how crowded it must look underwater to sustain such ridiculous stocking levels and makes a very valid point about where angling is going and that we have become brainwashed into believing catching obscene bags of carp are the saviour of the sport.

Is that what its all about now? Catching the most or the biggest? A thousand pound of carp between two anglers? They must be packed in like battery hens.

Personally, I can be delighted by a day when I catch just one or tworeasonable fish, 10lbs of pristine roach or crucians; even a perfect dayon the blank as long as it's shared withgood company at a beautiful venue.

So what consitutes a 'good days fishing' for you?

NomadPaul · Aug 21, 2007

Any day on the bank has to be a good one.....but especially if you're meant to be at work butyou're throwing a sicky !!!

Ron 'The Hat' Clay AMIMechE (SA) MIFE (SA) (ACA) · Aug 21, 2007

A good day's fishing to me is about the company I keep and the people I meet rather than the fish I catch. Of course the fish?I catch are important too, especially if I succeed with the fish I have been targeting.

But to want to catch 600 lbs of carp!!!!!

Yes Peter it is obscene, and?totally against what any reasonable angler would desire to get pleasure and satisfaction from a day's fishing. At any rate, once you have caught a few carp of that size, do you need to catch more? what the heck are you trying to prove? Catching such fish with such ease ceases to become the angling challenge it should be. And creating waters where this is possible is equally aborrhant.

And I fully agree with Des. The whole concept of sticking such huge catches in a keepnet is an indictment against "anglers" and fishery managers who seem hell bent on creating?such hideousness in our sport.

???

Gav Barbus · Aug 21, 2007

Well I agree it is not something I would choose to do every week but it is there choice at the end of the day and if that is what floats there boat good luck to em.<br />But what makes a good days fishing can range from watchingmy mates have mares as it can be entertaining like nothing else to watch your pals suffer mishap after mishap all in good spirits though,to chillin out with a beer and waiting for the alarms to sing their beutiful song to a days intense wandering on a new stetch of river I find this is very satisfying to the soul and lifes little troubles seem a long long way away .I also find the challenge of a new species and venues is more what keeps me going now but getting a pb is always nice .A great question Peter as I could go on and on.

Peter Bishop · Aug 21, 2007

Just a rider to this Ron, a couple of weeks ago I fished a?commercial called Woodston Manor in Worcestershire after realising the banks on the Teme between Tenbury Wells and Eastham Bridge were too treacherous for a non swimmer to risk (there was caravan in a tree at one location!).

The first hour was fun but thereafter I was bored stiff. Even a plonker like me could catch with his eyes closed and in a three hours I amassed close on 100lbs, at which point I packed in. I could of stayed into the evening and would probably have caught a PB haul of these 4-6lbs carp. But what would be the point?

The following day I fished a club match on Larford specimen lake and caught 19lbs of bream on the tip and that gave me far more satisfaction, but as you say Gav its whatever floats your boat.

BAZ (Angel of the North) · Aug 21, 2007

Getting to my chosen swim and perfect conditions. Catching is a bonus. To make it absolutely perfect, two anglers would approach me and say, here you are Baz, just to save you getting off your ar$e, we thought we'd hand our cards in to you. We have'nt done anything wrong, but we know you're going to snatch them sooner or later, so you might as well have them now.

It'd save all that arguing wunt it?

Ron 'The Hat' Clay AMIMechE (SA) MIFE (SA) (ACA) · Aug 21, 2007

OK, whatever floats your boat as you say. But for goodness sake, sticking fish in such vast numbers in a smallish lake to be caught in such vast numbers, returned and then caught again, and again and again, goes right against the whole sportsmanship of angling.

Come on you know it does - it's bloody morally and philisophically wrong. The whole idea, especially the making of some sort of triumph of this sort of thing is obscene.

Just to imagine 600 lbs of fish in a keepnet is gut wrenching to the real angler. As I have said, what are people who do this trying to prove?

If this is the future of angling, then I want none of it, and neither should any real angler either!

Jeff Spiller · Aug 21, 2007

I think Ron hit's the nail on the head, who would want to put 600lb of fish in keep net's.

Money is the answer, I would prefer to catch none than do that, but each to there own.

Perfect day, quiet river, sat there with rod in your hand waiting and willing the tip to bend round and if it doesn't, ah well have a cup of tea.

J K · Aug 21, 2007

I quite agree Jeff it's the anticipation of waiting for when a barbel comes knocking.

Ron 'The Hat' Clay AMIMechE (SA) MIFE (SA) (ACA) · Aug 21, 2007

"Each to their own" as you say Jeff.

I would like to?get inside the sort of mind some of these people who sit and fill a keepnet with one carp after the other?possess. Think about it, they are?chucking a bait at a starving fish that is living in an environment where the only food they have for survival is the angler's bait. That's what makes it so wrong.

The true sport of angling should mean the persuit of a wild animal. And that persuit should mean the stalking of the fish, the skilled use of watercraft?and the persuading of that fish to take a bait it really doesn't need to survive. The overcoming of a wild fish's natural caution is what angling should be all about. Not splodging in an overgrown goldfish bowl for overgrown goldfish that are so heavily stocked you can't miss them, no matter where you put your bait.

No wonder the Americans often laugh long and loud at us!

This is NOT fair angling with rod and line, this is murder, a form of piscatorial mugging that is as much divorced from our noble sport as hunting a wild antelope in the bush is to shooting cows in a pen with a machine gun!???

??

Jeff Spiller · Aug 21, 2007

That would be the two foot tap then JK, asa mate mine said to me.

J K · Aug 21, 2007

Thats it Jeff, brilliant when it happens.

Richard Wilson 3 · Aug 21, 2007

I went on Sunday to a local lake, i met a mate there, it rained, it blew, was freezing, i blanked, i got things covered in mud, he had 3 pasties, but i had a really good laugh, we met a match noddy who was a great guy (for a match noddy,lol) and when i got home i thought, that was best 10 hours ive had for a long time. I usually fish alone so it made a really good change to get with a sound mate, laugh, drink tea and fish. its not all about catching.

Peter Bishop · Aug 21, 2007

Spot on Richard.

I dont disagree with anything thats been said about the morality of stuffing 600 lbs of fish into God knows how many keep nets(who owns more than two?), but I was more interested in what makes for a 'good days fishing' for the lads and lasses on FM.

I dont think any of us would say catching and retaining fish in this barberous manner is pleasurable, but what is? Is it the degree of difficulty, the surroundings, the company, or the solitude? Have you ever enjoyed the perfect day fishing and yet never even caught a fish?

Ron 'The Hat' Clay AMIMechE (SA) MIFE (SA) (ACA) · Aug 21, 2007

What to me makes a really good day's fishing?

Angling is all about solving problems and the pleasure had from angling should be in direct proportion to the size of the problems solved.

Coupled with nice surroundings and good company of course.?

Jeff Spiller · Aug 21, 2007

Peter every time I go fishing wether I catch or not is a pleasure and time well spent.

JK a mate of mine showed me how to fish with your rod sat on your leg, it is great, you feel ever touch and tap and then you can feel the fish, when it does go round

Neil Maidment · Aug 21, 2007

Without doubt, the best days fishing I've had for many a year was the FM Grayling Day on the Upper Kennet last November.

Although I had not previously met any of the people there, the company, conversation and banter was brilliant.? The venue created a great backdrop for all of the above and we even managed to catch a few fish as well.? It was over in a flash but the memories of that day are superb and will be hard to match.

Neil Melton · Aug 21, 2007

Such large catches bring into question the ethics of the angler, the water's owner, the match organisers and ultimately the Environment Agency (aren't they responsible for licensing fish stocking in such waters?).? Kind of pangs of shooting fish in a barrel!

?To me, a?good days fishing is one which brings reasonable weather (I've given up on good weather for this year!), picturesque surroundings, lots of nature to watch when the fish aren't biting and if I'm lucky enough a fish or two!? Not to mention the escape it gives from the stress and strains of the working week!

Jeff Spiller · Aug 21, 2007

Neil can't wait for the next one, what a good day that was and I caught bugger all.

Peter J lent me a center pin to try and try I did, what a pleasure just trotting a float, I'd forgotten about that Neil and Nigel put on the food, hope the next one is half as good.

Steve Spiller · Aug 21, 2007

600lb in the net equals a pools win and fame!? Is that what it's about for match anglers?? I've done my fair share of match angling and I hated it!?

Fishing for me is about getting out and relaxing, not a care in the world, we all work bloody hard and should take time to chill out.? ?and as Ron says solving the problem is so satisfying.? Reading the swim and catching your chosen target is brilliant.?

I also love to see the faces of happy captors, I've seen Jeff beeming and my wife Wendi too.? It's fantastic and makes my day.

600lb of carp......................shove it!

I'll carry on the way I am thank you.

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