What is "Classical Coarse Fishing"?

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dezza

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A few of you may have noticed that on our sister website: "Fly Forums" they have a section on the forum called "Classical Coarse Fishing".

Just what is "Classical Coarse Fishing"?

Does it mean going out dressed up in Edwardian gear with cane rods, horsehair lines and tins of "gentles", hailing each other in Waltonian language or something like that.

One bloke spoke about barbel fishing on the Hampshire Avon or Dorset Stour. Sorry, there is no classical barbel in those rivers, the barbel were introduced!

The only true classical English barbel rivers are the Thames, the Trent and the easterly flowing rivers of Yorkshire.

Sorry for digressing somewhat, but it would be nice to find out what classical coarse fishing is, from a classical coarse fisher of course.
 
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The Scarlet Maggot

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A feral angler’s point of view, partly in jest;

If you take classical by definition you have a somewhat “conceited conservative angler”

It’s an unavoidable shame simple angling gets tarred with either the traditional or the classic brush…

Your classical angler would “probably” slag off commercial waters, you know your handy day ticket farm pond full of small carp, even though they often provide safe sport for youngsters or the elderly, and not just your stereotype instant specimen hunters or overnight anglers they loath… I think the worst classical anglers are those who left the sport and on their return, donning rose tinted Polaroid’s find things had evolved.
 
Bluenose

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Classical coarse fishing is using red tipped floats in water which has a greenish tinge.

Species, baits and venues don't matter, it's all in the sights, smells and the anticipation.
 
Sean Meeghan

Sean Meeghan

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Right you asked for it!

Classical is often taken to refer to a golden age, all Hovis advert-like golden dawns, misted meadows and sit up and beg bicycles, or even purple edgege, toga wearing orators. Many of the responses on here refer to techniques (such as long trotting) or states of being (such as skint). These are just as current today as they were in the past so how can the be classical?

I prefer to think of classical angling as I do classical languages. Classical languages are dead, preserved in aspic and really only of any use in torturing some of our brighter school kids and giving fusty, tweed-clad university dons something to get exercised about. Replace fusty, tweed-clad dons with fusty tweed-clad anglers and you'll get what I mean.

Choosing to use a cane rod or an old centrepin reel isn't indulging in classical angling it's a user choice. As a choice it's just as valid as choosing to use a carbon fibre pole or a fly rod made out of a carrot. However, if you then make the lifestyle choice of wearing tweed jackets, breeches, referring to maggots as gentles and trying to look like a modern-day incarnation of Faddist (or what you fondly imagine Faddist to look like) then you've crossed the divide into Classical Angling. Next stop the padded cell!

I suppose Classical Angling is a harmless affectation, but it really ought to be discouraged by sensible, thinking anglers.

---------- Post added at 13:00 ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 ----------

You'll notice that I have substituted Angling for Coarse Fishing - is this the start of the slippery slope?
 
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dezza

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How about the River Test at Horsebridge being fished by Brigadier Sir Oswald S.H.I.T. Trisslethwissett-Plunge with a Blue Winged Olive!

:D
 
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thagamest1

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spanish pete

it requires a definition of meaning and , taken strictly, there is no possible definition that can apply "classical" to fishing ( unless we choose to asign a meaning )

Lets do it then, using music as a base starting point

Baroque period = Early stuff = Greenheart rods, wooden starback type reels,silk lines, floats from bird quills -- bread worms and maggots for tea + berries etc

Classical period = we are up to the 20th century -- tonkin rods, metal centre pin reels, mono line, more modern baits in addition to all the old favourites and crucially, the appearance of papers and periodicals such as AT spreading the message Gurus ( many ) appear in weekly print. First casting reels. Influence of post war Japanese manufactured tackle with prices plunging. travel by bus and train to natural water
Write your own list

Modernism. Carbon rods and poles, Shimano reels, hair rigs, boilies and pellets commercial ponds Tackle with names ! discount houses. Again write your own list ( where are we going ???? )


I still hold to the view that Ron is being mischievous and there is no such thing!!
 
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The Scarlet Maggot

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Classical tackle and classical coarse angling, aren’t they two different things entirely? Those I know of who fish in the classical sense, use state of the art rods as well as expensive old tat, usually mixing the two.

I think classical coarse angling is a conservative approach with traditional methods, utilizing any kind of rod or reel; this was up until the “catch the fish at any costs” changed the face of coarse angling for better or worse. Those who shun advances in advanced end tackle and chemical warfare bait are still I think classically coarse fishing…
 
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The bad one

The bad one

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I'm still of the opinion that this thread is yet another attempt by Ron to give us All Our Yesterdays.......Again!

Where he can tell us about Dear old ****......that's the dead one btw. Or some Fabian de Grand Flufflechucker who fished for dace on his vintage fly tackle on the river Frome in 1896.

God, times have moved on Ron, they are justs footnotes of history!!!!!!!
 
preston96

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A rod n reel, enough hooks to get u by....so long as you dont lose more than 1, ...6d worth of maggots, bottle of squash, couple of jam butties, and a trusty pushbike!!
 
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