Carp good or bad for angling

Just a thought, I wonder how much the closing of shops is now down to the preoccupation in this country with one species.
What do you need 2 rods 2reels some boilies a few bits and pieces then of you go chasing carp.
If match fishing a pole, a feeder rod and some pellets.
My local shops were once busy with people buying bait etc for the weekend
because they fished a different venues now it’s just the local carp water.

I know some people say that stocking carp as saved angling in this country but as it?

steve2 said:

Just a thought, I wonder how much the closing of shops is now down to the preoccupation in this country with one species.
What do you need 2 rods 2reels some boilies a few bits and pieces then of you go chasing carp.
If match fishing a pole, a feeder rod and some pellets.
My local shops were once busy with people buying bait etc for the weekend
because they fished a different venues now it’s just the local carp water.

I know some people say that stocking carp as saved angling in this country but as it?

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to my mind the decline of tackle shops is due to the fact that todays 'instant anglers' are an idle lot, ebay, amazon and other places are fast replacing the local shop cos who wants to drive or catch a bus when you can order from your armchair, maybee the reason that a lot of anglers today are fat bas###ds as well

as a carp angler myself i dont agree with your analysis of the gear needed as i can spend up to £20 per week even when not fishing, granted it doesnt sound a lot, but it totals over £1000 per anum and then there is the stuff that you have to replace and the stuff that you need and the stuff that you just gotta have and the................. oh jeezzze, stop it!!

i am a member of a club that has 8 lakes + other venues on rivers and cuts but only one of the lakes are dedicated to carp, and when i go i take three carp rods, 1 feeder, 1 float, 1 spinner, 1 pole, and 2 fly rods, i find that this combo gives me the best chance of not blanking :wh:wh

They were great for the match scene,and still are for a lot of anglers,although a lot of match anglers are now veering back towards silvers,personally i love fishing matches on carp venues,everyone says these venues are easy,but they are talking out of their A-holes if they think that....Carp and F1,s are a lot harder to catch than roach,perch,gudgeon etc....Gazza

steve2 said:

Just a thought, I wonder how much the closing of shops is now down to the preoccupation in this country with one species.
What do you need 2 rods 2reels some boilies a few bits and pieces then of you go chasing carp.
If match fishing a pole, a feeder rod and some pellets.
My local shops were once busy with people buying bait etc for the weekend
because they fished a different venues now it’s just the local carp water.

I know some people say that stocking carp as saved angling in this country but as it?

Click to expand...

No ones stopping anyone buying a pint of maggots and a few floats and still going fishing for other species. Carp get allot of bad press when they are just another option...plus their popularity has kept the tackle industry afloat. No one forcing anyone to fish for them and even on so calld "carp waters" there is often amazing fishing for other species to be had.

We need more match anglers to buy live baits, they are the ones to save our shops!

I reckon the internet plus the explosion of the commies has created the perfect storm, people buy , boilies and pellets where the once used to use maggots, add to that the difference in overheads and the shops dont stand a chance. I do reckon the explosion in Carp fishing is a bad thing, although i love Carp fishing as wel, the old match brigade have basically switchedto carp and new anglers seem to start at that position, lots of skills never learned and big fish never fully appreciated because there is so many.

To expand on what I said above. If it wasn't for selling live baits to bring anglers in, a lot more tackle shops would have already gone under, but its not just carp anglers that are to blame. Most go in to buy rig bits while pricing up some tackle and then buy online.

I could never have envisioned a world without its corner shops, tackle shops, pubs, cinemas and libraries so what went wrong?

Blame the..
1. Supermarkets/big discount retail stores
2. The internet
3. TV and home entertainment (if you consider the decline in cinema goers)

The one big advantage of buying from a tackle shop is you get good local advice and cheap live baits. But selling live baits don't pay the rent as most now buy other types of bait as well. We need more match anglers to buy live baits, they are the ones to save our shops... theres little profit in it but it brings em in!

If it wasn't for the internet a lot of tackle shops would be still in business. But that's the price we pay for convenience and wanting stuff cheap. Those shops that also sell online stand a chance but the truth is, a lot of smaller independent tackle shops would do better if they just held stock in a warehouse some place and sold it all online with fewer overheads instead. No public liabilities, big staff bills to pay and worry about, employers contributions and all that stuff.

There is little profit involved selling maggots and worms (not the first choice for most carp anglers) and I think part of the decline is due to this fact that carping is more popular today and growing, but its not the whole story. Live baits are a lost-leader but it brings a few in, in the hope that they buy other stuff that has a better margin.

For me the impact of carp on angling has been something of a double edged sword. There has been an influx of new anglers, but in the main they are only interested in catching carp, to the exclusion of all other species, which is somewhat sad. This demand has led to the creation of commercial fisheries, offering a good chance of sport, with full and safe facilities. It is understandable that this is very attractive to some. For me the downside has been the demise in anglers fishing the Rivers, particularly match fishing the rivers. In my younger days my club would fill a 54 seater coach on a Sunday club match. Open matches would cater for 80 to 150 pegs. They were an event and attracted a wealth of competitors. Nowadays, looking at the Open match results, which are virtually all from carp pools, huge weights are recorded, but the field is often less than twenty-five anglers sitting around the same venue week in week out. I don't question these anglers ability for one minute, they would lose me. But personally I find it all rather mundane. During my match fishing days, the club's match calendar would include venues on the Rivers, Trent, Witham, Welland, Nene, Soar and Severn, plus a raft of stillwaters and canals. This gave you the opportunity to catch a variety of species using various methods. Today that scenario has long gone. Carp fishing have been very successful, both for those who indulge and those who have invested in it, but I feel overall angling has lost something. For me there no longer seems to be the craic or camaraderie there once was. Maybe that's because I am getting old, grey, grizzly and morose or, as I prefer, it's all the Carp's fault. I am really not a fan. Pete.

The internet has more to do with the decline of tackle shops (and many other independent retailers) than carp fishing. Quite the opposite in fact. Many tackle shops survive mainly on the trade from carp anglers.

laguna said:

Most go in to buy rig bits while pricing up some tackle and then buy online.

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My local tackle dealer is willing to match internet prices on most tackle so I browse on the net to see what I need and buy it from my local tackle dealer anyway.

The shop also does loyalty cards which gives you a further percentage off of future tackle when you buy something.

The shop has been doing well but unfortunately the owner is retiring in two years time so we may not have another local shop when its gone; my nearest then will be around 5 or 6 miles away.

Keith

Carp angling imo hasn't been responsible for the demise of some tackle shops, as others have said the internet has done some damage, other shops deserved to shut with there " i'm doing you a favour being here mate" attitude, others haven't moved with the times and to be honest the one that Keith uses sounds as if they have come up with ways to keep customers coming through the doors. If they can do it why not others or do they just expect the same old anglers to come through the door?

I don't Carp fish nowadays but there are some bits that come from Carp anglers that I use, no local tackle shop stocks them so its either the net or a 40 mile round trip to a shop that I know will stock them, I would prefer to use a local shop but if they wont stock it I have no choice, this particular shop has now altered (shortened) its opening hours so I suppose it wont be long before that closes.

The introduction of carp into a lot of venues has nothing to do with tackle shops closing!Easy for people to blame introducing carp as the cause of all the worlds problems..Anglers wanted it in the first place,now theyre winging,we want more silverfish venues,we,re fed up with carp...blah,blah....

Tackle shops have been going bust for years - well before internet and the carp revolution - usually due to them being one-man bands with such a short profit-margin they are unable to support 'the next generation'.

Tackle shops of my childhood were all closed-down by the end of the 60s - 1 or 2 new ones opened-up but these barely lasted past the 80s.
The last one from that era - specialising mainly in game tackle closed last year - he retired and had nobody to leave the business to!

Part of the problem is due to the way that the major brands supply the displays and stock them - and finance this - it's all at the behest of the supplier - rather than the request of the customer!

I'm a little surprised that some members who have worked in the trade haven't commented on the difficulties foisted on retailers by the major suppliers but have been content to blame t'Interweb sales - and mail order stores in the previous generation! mg:

Comments?

greenie62 said:

Tackle shops have been going bust for years - well before internet and the carp revolution - usually due to them being one-man bands with such a short profit-margin they are unable to support 'the next generation'.

Tackle shops of my childhood were all closed-down by the end of the 60s - 1 or 2 new ones opened-up but these barely lasted past the 80s.
The last one from that era - specialising mainly in game tackle closed last year - he retired and had nobody to leave the business to!

Part of the problem is due to the way that the major brands supply the displays and stock them - and finance this - it's all at the behest of the supplier - rather than the request of the customer!

I'm a little surprised that some members who have worked in the trade haven't commented on the difficulties foisted on retailers by the major suppliers but have been content to blame t'Interweb sales - and mail order stores in the previous generation! mg:

Comments?

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Spot on Greenie.

I've been in both my local tackle shops and innocently ear wigged whilst trade reps have been in the shop and it sounded more like an interrogation to me.

The problem with it is, unless all the independent dealers act as one, they'll never have the individual clout to tell the brand names where to shove it.

The obvious solution is for the independents to form a co-operative with their own terms and if the brands want to deal with a not insignificant size of the market they will have to meet the dealers terms instead.

The obvious problem is that invariably independent shops are run by someone who is inevitably an angler and as we all know anglers can't collectively agree on anything no matter how much to their benefit it is

The above pretty much covers it but it isn't just tackle shops closing down.

Retail is changing and bricks and mortar shops need to change to survive, they will never be able to compete with Amazon or other online giants on cost or convenience. They need to provide something that we can't get online.

There is also the fact that if a tackle manufacturer is supplying a big tackle shop it can be difficult for smaller shops in the area to get supplies from the manufacturer, doesn't help the smaller guy survive.

Many have hit nails squarely already. Essentially, all i need a tackle shop for is maggots and casters, heavy items like groundbait and maybe local season tickets for club waters (although i could probably get those in the post).

Everything else is easily obtained online.

In practice, i dont get much online other than secondhand gear, old float patterns or particular lines etc that are hard to source locally.

The carp thing is probably a red herring so far as tackle shops are concerned, but i would agree it is sad how a once varied pastime with diverse tackle requirements has largely become a one trick pony job for most. Mind you, there a lot more demand for camping related gear.

dann said:

The above pretty much covers it but it isn't just tackle shops closing down.

Retail is changing and bricks and mortar shops need to change to survive, they will never be able to compete with Amazon or other online giants on cost or convenience. They need to provide something that we can't get online.

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I work for John Lewis, its called, product knowledge and customer service and a massive reputation for honesty and integrity, difficult on the internet.

I think the carp serge has been responsible for getting many young anglers into fishing. Would as many get interested without it? I dont know but, I dont think its carp fishing.
One thing despite this I think angling is declining, apart from commercials I don't see hardly anyone fishing these days. Sea fishing, hardly ever see beach anglers as well; nothing like I used to see. Another problem is, fishing gear lasts for ever, I have enough to last me for rest of my life. Once, it all degraded or broke and needed replacing quite often. Tackle shops cannot survive on maggot/bait sales and a few hooks etc.
And, I think carp anglers are more likely to want all the newest gear etc; they probably help to keep the tackle shops open more than your average pleasure angler and they probably go fishing more often. So owners and suppliers probably fawn to them a bit, cannot blame them for that.
My town has three biggish tackle shops, they probably struggle whereas one might do quite well.

greenie62 said:

Tackle shops have been going bust for years - well before internet and the carp revolution - usually due to them being one-man bands with such a short profit-margin they are unable to support 'the next generation'.

Tackle shops of my childhood were all closed-down by the end of the 60s - 1 or 2 new ones opened-up but these barely lasted past the 80s.
The last one from that era - specialising mainly in game tackle closed last year - he retired and had nobody to leave the business to!

Part of the problem is due to the way that the major brands supply the displays and stock them - and finance this - it's all at the behest of the supplier - rather than the request of the customer!

I'm a little surprised that some members who have worked in the trade haven't commented on the difficulties foisted on retailers by the major suppliers but have been content to blame t'Interweb sales - and mail order stores in the previous generation! mg:

Comments?

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There is one thing I can never bring myself to do that is purchase tackle on the net.

For one I hate putting card details over the net way too much MS Windblown for safety

For second I like to handle the feel before I buy.
I am fortunate I have a few tackle shops around me one of the big chains and a few other smaller ones that so always go to purchase gear


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