Sense of history

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Ron Clay

Guest
I get the impression that many anglers, especially the younger amongst us, have virtually little sense of the history of our great sport. For example I asked a young angler (about 20 yrs) the other day if he had ever heard of Isaak Walton? He hadn't.
When I was in my early teens I read all the books I could get on fishing, from Walton to Sheringham, fom Cotton to Halford, I read them all. After all angling has more history and great literature than any other sport on earth.
What do the younger anglers amongst us think? Do you have a sense of the history of our sport? Do you read the old books, or are you more comcerned with bagging up at all costs?
 
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Paul Williams

Guest
Ron, i think that kids today read far less anyway, they have so much more to occupy their minds than i ever did, i always had my head stuck in something, comics, mags, book's you name it i'd read it, even under the bed clothes with a torch after lights out!
I think kids nowadays only think of reading as a source of refrence where we say it as a pleasure and pastime.
 
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Andy Davis

Guest
Ron, I read more now than I did when I was younger, currently reading Mr Crabtree. I read fishing book, mags and loads of stuff on the net, and I do agree with Paul about the kids having much more to occupy their minds
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Good for you.
Mind you I think the net is a most marvellous creation. I think, I hope it will get more young people to write and read more
 
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Birds Nest

Guest
Ron, I disagree. Asking a younger angler if he has heard of Walton, is like asking a yong footballer if he has heard of Stanley Matthews... Both without doubt great tallents but what real relevance to the modern sport (or game).... I think people are too keen to jump on the back of the youth who haven't heard of the greats of the past...
 
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Philip Inzani

Guest
Ron to be honest I think at the beginning they will be more interested in bagging up...at least to start with. As with anything I think as your interest grows then you start looking into the other aspects of it like its history.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
I get the impression that with instant baits, pre tied rigs, bagging waters etc, we are losing the true nature of fishing.

Piting ones skill against nature, never knowing from one day to the next how the river is going to be, weather the fish will feed, where the fish are, what the fish are feeding on, how a fish reacts to a certain presentation etc is why I fish.

To go to a tackle shop, walk out with a complete outfit with bait, go to a bagging pool, cast out anywhere and catch from the outset must be so awlful. I learnt the hard way, I never had anyone to show me...I learnt by mistakes...and by hard work and reading countless books. As I got older I would sit behind anglers and watch, or walk the pits and rivers round my home to try and get a *feeling* for what nature was up to. You learn sooooo much by walking a river in the close season...when it existed.

I love to teach youngsters to fish, but on there first trip, a good couple of hours are spent walking and watching for signs of fish, explaining why Pike like drop offs, why carp bask in the sun, why chub love to get under rafts of flotsam etc.

Teach them the watercraft and the knowledge, and they will be hooked for ever!
 
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STUART JOHNSON

Guest
I agree with most of what has been said to some degree. I to used to read a lot of books on fishing. But have you tried to get books on fishing to day. I have two young children and they are getting into fishing and they are always looking at mags etc. but books No. The main reason being that when you go into a book store there are very few books on fishing, those that are in stock are usually on fly tieing etc. So unless you have acess to a specialist supplier you have no chance. Ok you can order a book if you happen to know what you want but would young kids know what they want, I suggest they would not but would like to see, feel, browse and have a choice.
 
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Carp Angler

Guest
Rons opening asked do we read old authors or are we more concerned with bagging up?
I'd say neither.
Just because I don't base my waking life on the writings of Walker or Stone, doesn't mean I must catch at all costs.
I go fishing for many reasons, not just to catch.

To be perfectly honest, the writings of Walker, the Taylor brothers, Stone etc etc, I've found to be largely irrelevent to todays fishing/society and when I do read them it's for historical reasons, not for a sense of nostalgia or for tactics.
 
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Alan Cooper

Guest
I have always been and always will be a bookworm. My favourite fishing author (and I like all his books) is "BB." But please someone, clear up a mystery for me - who WAS "BB" - I've always wondered but have never been sure. I thought it was Denys Watkins-Pitchford but I remain uncertain.
 
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Jonathan Faro

Guest
Hi
I'm 17 and have heard of old ike. I have some memory froma book about him being amoungst the first to use slugs and telling people to use them as a bait. I have a shelf on a full of fishing books and magasines.On the bagging waters. I enjoy them and have visited them a few times but I also spend time down my local river which is hard fishing for anything other then tiny silvers. I'm still after a chub I saw a few years ago. It was about 5 lb but it was huge compared to what I had seen before in the rivers. I always look for it but sadly I think it's been killed by one of the many pollution incidents. It looked half dead anyway as it had a big scar on it. Next weekend I'm going to try quivertipping for some chub as the rivers far to fast for float. I do share your fears thoguh. Theres a young lad who I help with fishing lending him books and mags but he told me when I took him to a carp pond that the only fish he's ever caught was a carp from a carp farm. I realise I'm off teh original thread but you can't expect parents to let there kids down the rivers on there own. Even since I was about 10 and old enough to fo on my own the society seems to hae got worse and parents are quite rightly concerned for there kids. If anyone fell into a river in the state it was in I have no doubts they would die. A adult would struggle as well. I know the force of the river as I was stupid enough to cycle a long a heavly flooded path with the water up to my handlebars. I ended up dragging my bike out along a fence and then going back to pull my mates out.

Humm OK better leave it there as I've covered about 4 subjects

Jonathan
 
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Alan Roe

Guest
Alan you are correct it was Denys Watkins Pitchford he also wrote a book under the name of Michael Traherne "Be Quiet and Go A' Angling"
BB was his favourite shot size for wildfowling.
Cheers
Alan
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Jonathan,
You don't mention where you live or the river in question, but If you saw one chub I'll bet there are many others. If you want to catch some of those chub, beg or borrow Tony Miles book In Search of Big Chub". This is probably the best chub book ever written. If your river is a small one, get yourself a pair of polariod specs and wander the banks looking for chub. In winter try baits like lobs, breadcrust or cheese paste, in summer - slugs or floating crust.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Dear Carp Angler. I am really sorry, but I really must disagree with you. The books by Walker, Stone, BB, etc have loads of relevance to the modern angler. They teach todays angler watercraft, respect for the countyside, the behaviours and feeding patterns of fish, and even some of the old rigs are useful. I *re-dicovered* 2 pike rigs that Modern anglers supposidly invented, and found out the hair rig had been used by tuna fisherman for years before Len Middleton and Kevin Maddocks claimed it.

I think modern anglers, especially carp anglers, have lost the ability to think. They see baits and rigs used by the big names, and thats the way they go. Please dont think I am tarring every carp angler with the same brush, I most certainly am not, but far to many times I see guys arrive, set up a bivvie, bedchair, stove, 3 rods, cast to the horizon, sit there for 5 hours, pack up and leave. They are not anglers in my eyes. They are going through the motions, and if thats what gives them pleasure, good luck to them...but thats not for me.

Come on Carp Angler, get down to the library, read some of these books, and give the old par-boiled potato a bash!! *wink*
 
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Carp Angler

Guest
I agree with most of your points, especially the part about 'anglers' going thru the motions.
Points I am not convinced about are as follows.
BB cannot teach anyone about respect for the countryside, that comes from the type of person you are, if you are generally disrespectful and selfish, then no amount of reading is going to turn you around.
Fish behaviour and feeding patterns are now covered to the Nth degree by scientist and such like that make any previous writings obsolete.

As I said previously, I have read some of the old books and authors.
Now risking the wrath and anger of most people who read this but I found the later writings of Peter Stone to just be the grumblings of a crotchety old man.
I understand and respect the advances and strides he made in angling in the early years but his later writings used to annoy me.

And yes Rob, I have used par boiled potatoes and I've caught on them.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Carp Angler...fair comment. I still feel that a lot of the articles I read are actually incorrect or ill advised. Quote from IYCF *Tench cannot be caught of the surface as they are bottom feeders and have underslung mouths.*..Tell that to the Tench I used to catch on floating crust in a small pond in Epping Forest.

There are some excellent articles and anglers out there...but there was in the past too. However, and this is where I shoot myself in the foot...In one of my **** Walker books, there are plenty of pictures of dead carp from Woldale and Redmire!!

Anyway, there is nothing like practicle experience really...so...leats get out there and teach the youngsters to fish.
 
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Carp Angler

Guest
A lot of the articles written today are just following tested themes.
They are either rehashings of previous works or follow tried and tested opinions.

As you can probably see from my articles and writings, the way I tell it, is the way I fish.

Take holding spots for winter carp.
10 years ago everyone was saying fish the deepest part of the lake as it's the warmest.
Nowadays, everyone says fish the shallowest as it warms up quicker.
They're all sheep and don't want to contradict each other.
I say, be it 18 inches or 18 feet, fish where the carp are.

I too have caught tench off the surface on mixer, I ve also seen barbel taking flies on the surface of the Avon.
 
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Paul Williams

Guest
Never caught a surface tench, but i would like to say i have seen barbel take surface objects too and i have caught them on well up baits when trotting.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Carp angler says that the writings of Walker, Stone, BB et al are irrelevant in todays angling world?
I don't agree. If you want know how to catch a big roach or chub for example, Walker's advice is bang up to date, with the possible exception of designer baits.
 
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