Carp Fishing

Carp fishing

It's almost a dirty word on many sites, including FishingMagic by some of the users of the site ?

I have fished for Carp for over 60ty years and I still enjoy Carp fishing, I like the preparations, the boilie making, the tackle and the fishing.

It takes me away from the humdrum world of retirement, it has been a release from the stresses of work and it's a really good way to pass the time.

Fishing for other species has always been part of my angling year, I no longer Carp fish in the winter, preferring Perch or Pike fishing on a day only basis.

I certainly have not see the ill's of Carp Fishing so often mentioned by some anglers, other than the general decline in modern society and social reflections.

And I have seen this in other forms of fishing, where a great deal of time is spent on the bank and normal life of perpetrators comes into play.

I shall always go Carp Fishing as long as I can and cannot see the reason why so many anglers take pleasure in decrying this section of coarse angling ?

Your thoughts please.

Bob

Bob Hornegold said:

Carp fishing

It's almost a dirty word on many sites, including FishingMagic by some of the users of the site ?
Bob

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Can you give us an example from this site?

I've only been fishing for two years Bob after a 40 year break! Things have changed both by the water but more so in general social behaviour.

I have no axe to grind, these are purely my early observations from fishing a number of commercial fisheries and more recently club waters and a stretch of river. I quite often see (and smell) anglers drinking beer and smoking dope, these anglers are not trotting a float downstream, sitting on a box with a pole or keenly watching a tip, they are sitting or sleeping in a bivvy with a number of rods alarmed awaiting a carp run.

They maybe in the minority but their actions I'm sure tarnish the image of genuinely good anglers like yourself. Before anyone says anything, yes I have witnessed similar on non carp venues but it's rare.

I also love perch fishing, and fishing for tench too, many fishery owners have made that quite a difficult challenge by stocking their venues with too many carp imo and that in turn attracts the very anglers I've just described.

Bob Hornegold said:

Your thoughts please.

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Do what you do, and as long as you enjoy it, don't spend a moment worrying about what other people think.

I don't think Bob meant the actions and behaviour of some anglers, more the "decrying of this section of coarse angling" which I don't recall any examples of on this site.

peter crabtree said:

I don't think Bob meant the actions and behaviour of some anglers, more the "decrying of this section of coarse angling" which I don't recall any examples of on this site.

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Don't you think the two go hand in hand though?

peter crabtree said:

I don't think Bob meant the actions and behaviour of some anglers, more the "decrying of this section of coarse angling" which I don't recall any examples of on this site.

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The majority of criticism of Carp angling on this site has been levied at the behaviour of the marketing aspects of the leading brands pitching their new 'must have' products - many of which have been around for years - see **** Walker's list on another thread. This coupled with the inculcated attitude of 'snobbery' over 'noddy' fishermen exhibited by some carpmen has created a reaction which may be perceived as being 'anti-carping'.

It occasionally crops up with match-fishermen too - and you know what b*ggers they can be!

Usually the site treats us all as 'brothers of the angle' - taking the rip out of each other as best we can!

Sometimes I think its very difficult to convey exactly what you mean in words as opposed to seeing and hearing them face to face.
I presumed when I read the post and saw the final question mark that it was just to gauge FM members opinions and not state that carpers had actually been slated on HERE.

I may be wrong but thats my feel of it.

I know some very nice carpers, barbelers, fluff chuckers and I even know one or two who relish BREAM.
I think and hope that any bantering on FM is just that and no malice intended.
Long may it be so.

I've had the occasional nag about not being able to find enough waters without carp in them, having lost a few favourite waters where carp have been stocked and the other fish no longer get a look in; tench in particular. The trouble - as Sam Vimes succinctly summed up - is that the mania for carp means that silverfish-only waters are poorly attended and the owners have to compete and make a living.

I'm quite happy to catch carp, but they have a habit of butting-in and pushing the other fish off the feed in mixed fisheries, so it almost becomes hard not to catch them.

There's always been an undercurrent of dislike of carp, modern carping and some carp anglers on this site. I see it as more of a reflection of the average age of the regular posters and the general thrust of the forum. I tend to see this forum as a distant cousin to a traditional anglers forum, minus the obsession with cane rods and centrepins made from coathangers sometime around WWII.

Some of the concerns of carping are not entirely without foundation. There are plenty of carp people, tactics and venues that I avoid like the plague too. However, there are river and match venues I avoid along with plenty of individual anglers. Because I'm careful where I go, and when, I tend to avoid muppets of any description. I certainly try to.

I also believe that there's sometimes an element of confusion as to what exactly constitutes carp fishing. I'm not trying to suggest that you have to have a bivvy, three rods and bite alarms to go carp fishing. However, turning up at muddy puddle fishery with general coarse fishing tackle is not carp fishing to me, even if there's little but carp in there and you catch nothing but carp.

I can see why some dislike carp anglers

I've come across anglers with 3 rods that they have managed to spread across three or four swims

Then there are carp anglers who I have spoken to who have no ideas how to set up a float rod the only thing they know is cast out sit back and wait for the alarm to bleep (loudly)

Now the first part of my post I object to this practice, the second part - each to their own even if I feel they are missing out

But there have been carp anglers I've spoken to who have a vast knowledge of all aspect of fishing and are considerate in practice (I suspect Bob is just such an angler)

Maybe if we treat as we find instead of a blanket view it would be better

After the excitement of yesterday I may just be a convert

I vaguely recall some posts that decried carp anglers but I cant remember what was said as I take very little notice of that sort of post and I aint going searching for them

Its a fact that carp fishing whether it be of the bivvying up kind or the commie kind has been and continues to be the branch of angling that has recruited more people into angling over the last 10/15 years than any other branch, because of the amount that have taken it up there was always going to be a certain amount of them that would prove to be undesirable to some other anglers, there are the same types in other branches of angling but as not as many anglers are involved in those branches the numbers are imo smaller but they are there just the same.

As long as I can remember there have always been anglers that dislike other branches of angling although why that is I haven't a clue the more that do something different to me the better I like it even anglers within the same branch of angling are disliked by others because they fish differently.

When someone starts to moan about one branch of angling no matter what branch that is I think its best just to ignore it as it usually doesn't last long nor do most of the members that do it.

peter crabtree said:

Can you give us an example from this site?

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Peter,

There is an example below your first post, and it's not only Carp anglers who smoke pot and have a drink on the bank.

It happens with every long time on the bank angling, Tench, Bream, Eels, Pike, Zander the list is endless, but of course it's always the Carp anglers who are branded as the worse offenders because they are the largest section of anglers nowadays.

Bob

It's not all carp anglers smoking dope and drinking.

I still enjoy a few weekends Carp fishing, or a quick night session here and there.

Carp angling is keeping angling alive, and tackle shops open, thats a fact. We all have things we like and dislike.

As long as I am enjoying my fishing and don't get hassle, and others are doing the same, i see no problem.

Bob Hornegold said:

Carp fishing

It's almost a dirty word on many sites, including FishingMagic by some of the users of the site ?

I have fished for Carp for over 60ty years and I still enjoy Carp fishing, I like the preparations, the boilie making, the tackle and the fishing.

It takes me away from the humdrum world of retirement, it has been a release from the stresses of work and it's a really good way to pass the time.

Fishing for other species has always been part of my angling year, I no longer Carp fish in the winter, preferring Perch or Pike fishing on a day only basis.

I certainly have not see the ill's of Carp Fishing so often mentioned by some anglers, other than the general decline in modern society and social reflections.

And I have seen this in other forms of fishing, where a great deal of time is spent on the bank and normal life of perpetrators comes into play.

I shall always go Carp Fishing as long as I can and cannot see the reason why so many anglers take pleasure in decrying this section of coarse angling ?

Your thoughts please.

Bob

Click to expand...

No mention here of carp fishermen? Your question appears to imply carp fishing as a practice, hence my question..

Bob Hornegold said:

...There is an example below your first post, and it's not only Carp anglers who smoke pot and have a drink on the bank....

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Fair does Bob,
But the comment you refer to was made after your assertion - possibly even in response to the bait you loose-fed!

I wish people would leave the word "Carp" out of it. Why should the fish get bad press. There are inconsiderate anglers. its as simple as that.

I watched a carp fishing programme on ITV 4 recently about three chaps who have, or still are travelling to various spots around the globe in search of big carp. I watched with interest the setting up of rods multiple, the rowing of boats so some distant spot 300m out to place baited hook and feed, the setting up of bivvies and once this was done it was a case of sitting back ( or sleeping ) until the alarm sounded.
At this point someone dashed down the bank to a rod that was close to being pulled in ( once or twice ) and a large carp was pumped in. Not to say some skill was involved, but it seemed ( to me ) to be more than boring...Others will think differently, though !

Obviously much of the fill-in filming was done for the programme, as was the general larking around but to my mind I thought the fish ( seemingly ) spent far too long out of the water just for ' shot ' and I couldn't see the point of all three finding it necessary to kiss the fish prior to release, BUT that doesn't mean to say they were doing anything wrong or that the programme wouldn't have some appeal to some anglers - just not for me I'm afraid....

Had this ' set - up ' taken place along the bank from me ( minus the cameras ) I would've found the whole thing too much, but then I rarely find this to be the case with carpers fishing some of my waters, with most sitting quietly reading, making tea or suchlike.

No, it's a case of speak as you find and not one of ' all carpers are this, that or the other ' IMHO......Good and bad in all sport and angling will have its share of those who fail to respect those around them, be they carpers or whatever !

I carp fish from time to time, but mine is sneaking along the bank searching for fish to cast to with a single rod and a loaf of bread PROVIDING I'm not disturbing others, which didn't apply to the chap along from me yesterday who, I understand, was ' roach fishing ' but decide to use a mallet to fix his rod rests and made more noise than I would when doing a bit of DIY !!!

TBH I'm still at a loss to see where ' carp anglers ' get such a bad press, but then I don't read the weeklies, and I don't recall this happening on FM in the past ??
The last time 'carping ' was in the news on FM was around the chap who caught ( or not ) a big carp in Toronto, or was it the UK ? I found that totally boring, BUT others, and good luck to them, found it absorbing - and why not !!!



ps I sometimes wonder if Bob Hornegold doesn't enjoy putting out threads such as this just to get a reaction ( or stir the ***** ) from those who will react vehemently, if that's not too strong a word.....Might be wrong, though...( add winky smilie here )

In the past I have done a great deal of carp fishing, it is great, amoungst the blanks I have had some wonderful sessions. However; there are now some very weird practices creeping in which I fail to understand:
why do some anglers have to kiss the carp?
why do some anglers, after they have landed a carp, have to don chest waders and get into the water with the carp to have their photo taken?
why do some carp anglers think that other anglers are "noddies". Actually big carp are generally easier to catch than many other species.