A big fish.

Derek Gibson · Jul 10, 2017

Would the capture of such a fish, regardless of species change your attitude on future outings.

I have heard many say no, but in the fullness of time this has proven to be untrue. And I often wonder why their negative answers are so rapid. It's as though they're too proud to admit it, or there is some stigma attached in their eyes,

I'm puzzled, it's an innocent enough question and there are no penalties.

We all have different opinions, what's your take on this.

David Rogers 3 · Jul 10, 2017

I'd probably be fooled into thinking that an identical bait, method and swim would be likely to produce another, equally big (or bigger) fish next time out.

And then be disappointed...

mikench · Jul 10, 2017

No it wouldn't! I take as much pleasure from catching small fish as i do large ones although i have had enough after a dozen or so tiny roach on maggot!

I am often amazed at how many small fish will go for an 8mm pellet and a carp will take a single grain of corn or a couple of maggots. On most of my waters you do not know when you are going to catch or what it will be!

I do enjoy the savage take though when the rod bends in two or moves a yard to the left or right. This sadly is not reproduced by the 2oz roach or perch but they do try

sam vimes · Jul 10, 2017

Yes it does for me. However, possibly not in the way the op is hinting at. If I catch something a little special (for the waters I fish), I tend to go somewhere new, or fish for different species or in a different style. The prime example for me is pike. I haven't fished for them properly in a good twenty years. This is primarily because I've not found a venue (locally) where I'd reasonably expect to better the fish I had all those years ago. In this case it's not all about size, pike were never really my thing anyway.

103841 · Jul 10, 2017

When I had four perch over 3lb the winter before last I did become a bit obsessed trying for an elusive 4, caused many blanks and plenty of disappointment. Had to give the quest up in the end , it was destroying the fun, plenty more fish to catch.

This winter however................

Peter Jacobs · Jul 10, 2017

I have been fortunate enough to have caught a lot of so called "big fish" in my time fishing, but I rend to adopt the same approach to Sam . . . . inasmuch as once caught then I tend to leave them alone and in peace afterwards as repeat catches have never really given me much satisfaction to be honest . . . . . . .

Derek Gibson · Jul 10, 2017

Peter Jacobs said:
I have been fortunate enough to have caught a lot of so called "big fish" in my time fishing, but I rend to adopt the same approach to Sam . . . . inasmuch as once caught then I tend to leave them alone and in peace afterwards as repeat catches have never really given me much satisfaction to be honest . . . . . . .

I apologise if my thread appeared to be encouraging repeat captures, ''nothing'' could be further from the truth, in fact I personally deplore the practice.

What I was attempting to establish was that having captured a fish which was out of the norm, would/could that inspire you to seek out larger specimens. Not necessarily from the same water or even by the same method.

binka · Jul 10, 2017

The only fish that occasionally takes me close to an infatuation with larger and larger of the species is the Perch.

For everything else, and for the vast majority of the time with the Perch too, I'm happy to just enjoy the fishing and take the better ones as they come.

It goes without saying that I'm always delighted with a big fish, big also being defined against the average for a water, but I'm no specimen hunter.

Philip · Jul 10, 2017

Derek Gibson said:
What I was attempting to establish was that having captured a fish which was out of the norm, would/could that inspire you to seek out larger specimens. Not necessarily from the same water or even by the same method.

I think it depends on the capture. If I had set out to catch a target & then caught it I would probably change target species either on the same water or somewhere else.

i suppose it depends on how much you are enjoying it. If your having fun then you may try for an even bigger one or perhaps just more big ones of the same species. If your not enjoying it then you can change to something else for a while till your enthusiasm picks up again.

Thats the great thing about angling, there are so many different angles to take with it.

108831 · Jul 11, 2017

The answer is no in my case,when I caught my pb barbel back in March 2012 I continued to fish the stretch,it took me years to catch the fish and many other good fish were on there back then,I find it strange,if you caught say 3 2lb+ roach from a stretch,you surely wouldn't stop going there in case you caught one again,who are you protecting the fish against,not from other anglers...

peterjg · Jul 11, 2017

Many years ago I really wanted to catch a 20lb carp (in the '70s they were quite rare) and when I finally did I then wanted a 30lber and then when I did I then wanted a 40lber. Three 40s later the intense need to catch big carp had waned.

Now I try to target big roach but the difference being that I really enjoy the methods and unexpected accidental catches. Realistically the chance of me catching a 3lb roach is just not going to happen - still it's fun trying!

Tee-Cee · Jul 11, 2017

So many times I have suffered disappointment by returning to a swim (the following day or even some days later) that I make a concerted effort not to do so. You know the story; Half a dozen roach well above the 1lb one day, and nothing over 4ozs the next...
The only exception I make to this is still water winter fishing where I will return to the same spot several times if it is yielding fish, if only to catch something in the cold!
I fish very few different waters and I am in a position to fish them regularly and in different 'chosen' swims at each venue. I suppose I do get a 'feeling' about a swim on certain days and nothing else will do, but generally speaking I fish where I fancy these days and the catch will be what it is.....
Well, not quiet that slapdash.............

maurice walsh · Jul 11, 2017

here in the land of eternal wind n rain i have been blessed with some great catches over the years on very local waters that throw up a special fish now n again, as our local waters are fished regularly by most of us, we tend to have a favourite swim/run/eddy/area that we go to often in the hope that today will be "the day" the fabled monster of the deep will take our baited hook! sometimes it happens, more often than not it wont! i know some will say that they targeted a single monster with a special rod/line/bait/method/research and have got their just reward for their effort, BUT, lets face the truth of the matter!!! if said monster is in your swim? A, it might not want your bait of the day, B, all the best gear in the world will not stop the child with a bit of bamboo n line n no skill catching said same monster on the right day(we have all herd or seen it happen), C, we can prepare as best we can but 99% of the time its pure n simple luck!!!!! inho im a firm beliver in the old addage "if you not in you cant win" it applys to fishing well, the more you fish the better the chance of the monster , lets not kid ourselfs, this is a sport, why turn it into a job with specimen hunting when for most of us it just wont happen that we capture the MONSTER!!!! sorry for the bit of a rant

steve2 · Jul 11, 2017

I have caught big fish big that is by my own standards. If I didn’t catch another one it wouldn’t worry me or spoil my fishing.
I did have a fishing friend that became so obsessed with a big carp that he gave up once he caught. I remember him saying I am glad that over with and with that gave up fishing for years.
When I read some of big fish list “experts” say they have caught they are in many cases filled with repeat captures. Just how many different large Roach, Pike, Carp etc are there in a section of water? By now I could have far more big fish on my big fish list but I don’t count repeat captures. I once caught the same large pike twice in a day and the following week to me that’s one fish to others that 3 fish. I gave up fishing there.

rayner · Jul 11, 2017

Occasionally like most I hook bigger fish, never intentionally. Had I been fishing for them my tackle would be more capable of landing them. All larger fish that take my bait are nothing more than accidental. they take an age to get in.
My tackle suits me just fine.
I expect to go heavier would cost me smaller fish, that would be counter productive.
I have always preferred to keep busy instead of what I would call wasting time waiting for fish of a particular size.
There are plenty trying to catch bigger fish without me joining them.

stillwater blue · Jul 11, 2017

Derek Gibson said:
Would the capture of such a fish, regardless of species change your attitude on future outings.

It has.

I was a carp angler and fished for nothing else. I dearly wanted to catch a common carp as big as RW Clarissa and early one spring morning I awoke to a twitchy bite and landed a huge common. It was a massive anti climax. I took the obligatory pictures, returned the carp, packed away and I've not been carp fished since then.

I think I enjoy the thrill of chase and in catching the carp I'd always wanted to catch the chase was over.

bracket · Jul 11, 2017

Derek Gibson said:
Would the capture of such a fish, regardless of species change your attitude on future outings..

Can't say it has done yet. As far as I'm concerned big, little or inbetween it's all part of the journey. Pete.

Neil Maidment · Jul 11, 2017

I was going to say categorically "no".

But a long campaign chasing double figure trout with an ultimate target of a 20lb+ fish, preferably a brown, came to an end when a stunner of 21:04 finally lay in my net. My addiction to stalking such fish finished (well almost) there and then. I still manage perhaps one trip a year but content to target a specific fish regardless of weight.

On the other side, I'm pretty certain I will not be topping my PB's for barbel, chub, crucian carp or grayling anytime soon but that doesn't stop me still fishing for them!

tigger · Jul 11, 2017

I just like to fish, especially in nice out of the way water and if a bigger fish comes my way then that's just the icing on the cake! I like to know that at any time (as happened to me recently) I could catch a new PB without actually trying to do so, it makes my fishing much relaxing and enjoyable than if I where to be targeting a big fish, that would be more like work to me.

S-Kippy · Jul 11, 2017

Never really been driven by numbers. I have occasionally set myself modest targets but once achieved that hasn't really altered my fishing.......probably because my targets are so modest.

The thought of pursuing a particular fish or a fish that might make a certain weight fills me with horror. I like my space and solitude too much to join the circus.

A big fish.

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