Is this what fishing is now all about?

Is this really what fishing is now all about?
I went for walk today and stopped to watch some carp anglers all with 3 identical rods all pointing out into the lake. I got talking to one the only one that was willing to talk about the lake. It appears that most of the fish were netted and replaced by carp a few years ago. It as now reached the stage were the owner wants any fish under 15lbs not to be returned to the water but put into holding pens. He doesn’t want many if any fish under 20lbs in the water. Why? Because that what anglers now want and expect to catch he as been told.
It also had a strange rule, only fish out in front not to the side. This is because the lake is divided up into swims as shown on the lake map and you are only allowed to fish that swim. To the side is another swim even if the rest of the lake is empty.
There are too many other rules and regulation to go into.
The cost of fishing this place starts at daytime fishing £200 24hour fishing £300 a year no more than 2days a week.
I found it difficult to believe but there is a waiting list to join. So it appears that size really does matter when it comes to fish.

Personally I'd rather be catching 10 carp at 8lb each in a 8 hour session than one or two 20lb plus carp in 24 hours but it's what people want so the market dictates

If that's what the lake owners customer want and the owner is willing to supply it I see no harm in what they are doing, its not something I would care to do but these anglers (and those on the waiting list) do each to their own, to much criticism of other anglers from within angling for my liking, just do your own thing and as long as your not interfering with others or harming fish I see no problem.

It sounds like Thorpe Lea to me, still I expect it's good money and once it gets turned over by disease and the fishes mouths are shredded by the pot noodle Kkkkopycat Kkkkarper brigade the owner can afford to bung in some more farmed footballs over the magic weight.
The good thing is it keeps the "at all and any cost" brigade away from other waters.
Bleedin' circus.

It smacks of lazy fishing to me.

steve2 said:

Is this really what fishing is now all about?
I went for walk today and stopped to watch some carp anglers all with 3 identical rods all pointing out into the lake. I got talking to one the only one that was willing to talk about the lake. It appears that most of the fish were netted and replaced by carp a few years ago. It as now reached the stage were the owner wants any fish under 15lbs not to be returned to the water but put into holding pens. He doesn’t want many if any fish under 20lbs in the water. Why? Because that what anglers now want and expect to catch he as been told.
It also had a strange rule, only fish out in front not to the side. This is because the lake is divided up into swims as shown on the lake map and you are only allowed to fish that swim. To the side is another swim even if the rest of the lake is empty.
There are too many other rules and regulation to go into.
The cost of fishing this place starts at daytime fishing £200 24hour fishing £300 a year no more than 2days a week.
I found it difficult to believe but there is a waiting list to join. So it appears that size really does matter when it comes to fish.

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I would rather catch a cold or worse!!

Do your own thing. Live and let live. Each to his own. You can't argue with that. But I have been a member of clubs which, whilst having a range of waters, still and running, which in theory cater for a broad spectrum of fishing, focus in on developing their "Premium" carp lake, and put all their energies and resources into that. The flip side of the night-fishing, camping-friendly, full-of-doubles super-water can be the neglect of other fisheries on the books - their access, pegs, fish stocks - and anglers who don't want to fish with three rods and a tent can start to wonder why they buy the club book.

Sounds like something I avoid, but I don't care that such places exist. Each to their own. I've got better things to worry about.

mikench said:

I would rather catch a cold or worse!!

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Syphilis is worse or is that too far.

I couldn't care less what goes on where, if folk want that who are we to say they're wrong. They pay the price to do what they like.

Each to their own in my view.

That said, nd being of the "old school" I spent many years trying t catch the "elusive" Carp from my local estate lakes and ponds largely without success.

It took me 6 years before I caught one over 6lbs and then another 3 years to get a "double"

In the late 70's and 80's I fished almost exclusively for Carp and finally managed a 20 pounder that to me, at that time, was the pinnacle of success.

These days it is relatively easy to go to a commercial venue and land Carp of 20 pounds and over, and yet, I often wonder if the angler gets as much satisfaction as I did when landing mine?

Peter Jacobs said:

I often wonder if the angler gets as much satisfaction as I did when landing mine?

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Its possible that they could as angling and the enjoyment/satisfaction an angler gets from it is such a personal thing, my days of grafting for fish have gone now I just want to catch fish but I still enjoy it just the same, in fact thinking about it in the "olden days" it was sometimes just relief that I felt that the blanks and expense were done with but then I would move on to something just as difficult and start all over again

I suppose these waters are about giving someone the best chance of catching a 20lb+ carp and I can see why that would appeal to a lot of anglers and they will pay for that chance. I can understand this but making it easy (or easier) takes the accomplishment away a bit, a high density of one type of fish, no snags etc... I could target a 20lb carp in a couple of rivers I fish, they are there but lucky if i caught one even with a summer long campaign. But I would consider it a real achievement. And no rules as such on these rivers, when do the rules restrict the choices so much that your left with so few options of how and where to fish that any skill or instinct becomes negligible? However, a 20lb carp is a great fish and if you desire one enough and someone sets up a water to feed that desire, then why not. I might pay the money to fish a lake stuffed with 3lb+ roach just for the pleasure of doing it and knowing I caught one but it wouldn't be quite the same as finding one for myself by design or just sheer good fortune.

https://fishingweathergb.yolasite.com/

markg said:

I suppose these waters are about giving someone the best chance of catching a 20lb+ carp and I can see why that would appeal to a lot of anglers and they will pay for that chance. I can understand this but making it easy (or easier) takes the accomplishment away a bit, a high density of one type of fish, no snags etc... I could target a 20lb carp in a couple of rivers I fish, they are there but lucky if i caught one even with a summer long campaign. But I would consider it a real achievement. And no rules as such on these rivers, when do the rules restrict the choices so much that your left with so few options of how and where to fish that any skill or instinct becomes negligible? However, a 20lb carp is a great fish and if you desire one enough and someone sets up a water to feed that desire, then why not. I might pay the money to fish a lake stuffed with 3lb+ roach just for the pleasure of doing it and knowing I caught one but it wouldn't be quite the same as finding one for myself by design or just sheer good fortune.

https://fishingweathergb.yolasite.com/

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Do you live anywhere near to this place? It fills all the criteria for your "lake stuffed with 3lb+ roach." Even a 4-pounder, egad!:wh

http://www.anglingtimes.co.uk/fishing-news/2014/Roach-record-rocked-with-4lb-1oz-specimen

robtherake said:

Do you live anywhere near to this place? It fills all the criteria for your "lake stuffed with 3lb+ roach." Even a 4-pounder, egad!:wh

Roach record rocked with 4lb 1oz specimen — Angling Times

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No I don't Rob but what a picture of a roach, I think I could be persuaded to wet a line in such a place.

While its good for everyone to say ''each to their own, their simply doing their own thing etc'' Surly we are a forum and can and should talk about almost anything, even this?.

It does not appeal to me at all, but I am interested in people that do, or why they do it.

With the conditions placed on you it must be difficult if your not in a going swim. £300 for no fish, how would you feel?

When you do catch, is the pleasure there that we would get from catching a big carp from our local water? It sounds like fish in a barrel if there on it. Forget the cost what about the challenge, is there one do you think?

A fish rolls to the right what do you do?

I feel it would be the restrictions that would put me off, rather than the stocking, or price.

****y123 said:

While its good for everyone to say ''each to their own, their simply doing their own thing etc'' Surly we are a forum and can and should talk about almost anything, even this?.

It does not appeal to me at all, but I am interested in people that do, or why they do it.

With the conditions placed on you it must be difficult if your not in a going swim. £300 for no fish, how would you feel?

When you do catch, is the pleasure there that we would get from catching a big carp from our local water? It sounds like fish in a barrel if there on it. Forget the cost what about the challenge, is there one do you think?

A fish rolls to the right what do you do?

I feel it would be the restrictions that would put me off, rather than the stocking, or price.

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The reasons they do it are I would imagine the same reasons that we all do whatever it is we do, they enjoy doing it otherwise there would be no reason for doing it.

£300 for no fish, paying whatever price doesn't guarantee that any angler will catch fish, I have paid more and struggled granted the stock of fish was much lower but whatever we pay and wherever we fish its always the fish that decide whether we get a bite or not.

I see no reason why they wouldn't get the same pleasure from a capture as any other angler does with their catches, fish in a barrel? all fish and most waters can and do have periods when for some reason known or not the fish are easier to catch, as this is about carp I give an example involving them, my lad once had I think it was around twelve 20+ carp up to 28 something in 3 or 4 hours, this from a water where one fish in 2 days was good going, he would he reckons have caught more if he hadn't had to reel in to chase after the dog that had run off, fish in a barrel?

The challenge, I have never understood why anglers go on about "the challenge" I have fished challenging waters which posed problems but none that could not be sorted given time and that is the one thing given a reasonable amount of competence that needs to be put in on some waters, I have never cared about any challenge other than ones I have chosen for myself those fishing this water are imo no different in that.

A fish rolls to the right what do you do? not all rolling fish are feeding there is no certainty that if they are it will be in the place it rolled.
if you are confident in your bait, rig and placement there is nothing you can do but the anglers fishing there know that when they join.

Or they could do what we did over 40 years ago at Cuttle Mill where casting distance and swim restrictions applied, we cast to wherever we wanted to if no one said anything fine if they did then we pretended to reel the rig back into our allowed area, bloody funny to see a hooked fish swirl where you had originally cast but Cuttle was just a bit of light relief that's all.

****y123 said:

While its good for everyone to say ''each to their own, their simply doing their own thing etc'' Surly we are a forum and can and should talk about almost anything, even this?.

It does not appeal to me at all, but I am interested in people that do, or why they do it.

With the conditions placed on you it must be difficult if your not in a going swim. £300 for no fish, how would you feel?

When you do catch, is the pleasure there that we would get from catching a big carp from our local water? It sounds like fish in a barrel if there on it. Forget the cost what about the challenge, is there one do you think?

A fish rolls to the right what do you do?

I feel it would be the restrictions that would put me off, rather than the stocking, or price.

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I think there is the idea that the fish are crawling up your rods at some of these places. I doubt thats always the case and given that some of them have waiting lists that run into decades let alone years I doubt very much you only have to cast in to catch a whopper.

Not only are you up agaisnt the fish, you are also up agaisnt some very good anglers as well and all of them want the same thing.

Perhaps the challenge is greater than some of us seem to think.

Totally ridiculous comparison but I'll ask it - which is more difficult catching a 3 pound Roach from a river or catching Bazil from Yately when it was there ?

I'd say the 3 pound river Roach was "easier".

There you go.

After all, all you have to do is put in enough time, cast to the right place and wait your turn for a 3 pounder to turn up...the only difference being the Barrel in this case has some flow.

I'm also thinking that some of those passing comment have little idea what some of these big fish commercials can be like. The notion that they are easy has not been my (minimal) experience. In many cases, there's so much angling pressure, and so much bait going in, so many restrictions (minimum breaking strain line, minimum hook size etc) that they can be just as difficult (in a different way) to a huge gravel pit with just a handful of fish. I've known better anglers than I'll ever be suffer many blanks on such waters. Yes, there are commercials set up as runs waters. These, just like many other waters, can be exceptionally easy at certain times. However, the real runs waters tend not to end up with the bigger than average fish. Even these runs waters can bite you on the behind if you get your timing wrong. Big fish commercials are rarely just like match style commercials with scaled up fish. They may aim for that, but it doesn't seem to work out that way.

steve2 said:

Is this really what fishing is now all about?
I went for walk today and stopped to watch some carp anglers all with 3 identical rods all pointing out into the lake. I got talking to one the only one that was willing to talk about the lake. It appears that most of the fish were netted and replaced by carp a few years ago. It as now reached the stage were the owner wants any fish under 15lbs not to be returned to the water but put into holding pens. He doesn’t want many if any fish under 20lbs in the water. Why? Because that what anglers now want and expect to catch he as been told.
It also had a strange rule, only fish out in front not to the side. This is because the lake is divided up into swims as shown on the lake map and you are only allowed to fish that swim. To the side is another swim even if the rest of the lake is empty.
There are too many other rules and regulation to go into.
The cost of fishing this place starts at daytime fishing £200 24hour fishing £300 a year no more than 2days a week.
I found it difficult to believe but there is a waiting list to join. So it appears that size really does matter when it comes to fish.

Click to expand...

Three radio controlled model subs could be fun hook all ther lines and flat out away all at the same time lets see tha panic ...:wh


PG ...

It's fascinating that nobody seems to like the sound of this place very much and seemingly not just because of the absurd price to fish there.

If it was £2 a day ticket, that sort of place still wouldn't interest me. I wonder if it would others? Presumably these places must have a decent custom in order to exist. Perhaps their patrons don't post on fishing forums. I can't think of any other explanation.

For me, the best part of fishing is not knowing what the next cast could bring - minnow or monster. The idea of specially selected fish of a certain type and size, which have been put there especially ready for me to catch doesn't appeal one little bit.

At the local garden centre, they have a big plastic paddling pool full up with massive koi carp. You might as well go and fish that.