Is this a never ending struggle ?

I have recently been elected onto the committee of my local club and was saddened but not surprised at the very strong anti carper bias that exists their.This club has over 400 members 35 of which are serious matchman who have their comps and get together twice a week through the warmer months .this involves closing one or other of our waters every other wednesday or Sunday.But not content with that they moan when the few carpers want to hold a carpmatch two or three times a season.One bloke committee man stood up and said "pretty soon these Fu*king carpers will run the club"This was in reply to the request that the newly appointed water bailiffs show a modicom of tact when asking to inspect carpers rigs,ie not watch him throw out a pva bag full of bait and set his rod and then walk up and expect him to reel it back in again.Carpers are leaving our club in droves and it was at the request of four matchmen who proposed and seconded me that i was asked to go on the committee to help redress the balance so their not all like it ,but the most of the committee that are leave me wondering whether its just ingrained dislike that cannot be changed or whether i really can help fight the carpers corner.My point and i know i have rambled somwhat is can we all get on ?or will matchmen and carpers always be at loggerheads?

Bill, why would the bailiffs want to check carp anglers rigs whilst they are fishing?
Do the bailiffs check match anglers rigs whilst a match is in progress? A well run club should be able to cater for ALL its members even the minority sections.

Ian ,the barbless hook rule applies here on lines 2.5lb and over or hooks bigger then 14s.Matchmen dont fall foul of this only carpers or pleasure anglers who also predominantly fish for carp.this year just gone one of the bailiffs has been a bit over zealous in checking this rule and this has led to many bankside confrontations and complaints to the committee.There has not been one case to my knowledge of anyone found abusing this rule.This was just an example of the tenseness that exists between the factions within the club .the bailiff in question is of course a matchman and untill he got a smack seemed to almost revel in making people waste their bait and pva.the same on the subject of 15 feet from the rods and thats not even a club rule .I was once present when he had an arguement with a bloke about 20 feet from his rods in full view of them should he get a run .the angler was just trying to get a good signal on his phone.the bottom line is the committee and therefore the club is run by a closenit group of matchmen who are intent on squeezing out any true carpers and restricting pleasure anglers into fishing for bits.

It's a sad fact of life where fishing clubs are concerned that the only anglers who need any great degree of organisation within the club are the match anglers.

This does tend to lead to clubs being run by match anglers and the rest of us either have to put up with their funny little ways,(like going home as soon as the light starts to go),or you have to put in the effort and join the committee and help them see the error of their ways.

It seems that you have taken the first step,can't say I envy you,I'd rather go fishing,but therein lies the problem.All you need now are a few more friendly faces on the committee.

Question!!!!

How many pegs (as the matchmen call them) has the lake got?

Another question!!!!!

How many swims are there available to the Carp boys?


I'm hedging me bets here, but I bet it's a small lake which is trying to please all aspects of it's members.

By small, I would guess around 20 Acres.

Hi lads, Apart from myself there is one other carper on the committee ,thats 2 out of thirteen elected officials(this includes 3 bailiffs who are not technically on the committee.)We have 5 waters all of which are small the match lake being the biggest at about three or three and a half acres.We are also in the process of negotiating with a local council over a piece of land to build a new lake which will be about 5 acres in size and will be stocked as a match lake,though this is probably two years away from completion.We (the carpers ) would like the old match lake turned into a specimen lake but even that it seems is going to take some agreeing to.In answer to your questions Ian there are 29 pegs on the main lake and only 7 of them are biviable,all the others are set out for the matchemans boxes.It is my hope to get the lake turned over to carp and pleasure only (no matches)then set about ensuring the main bulk of swims are biviable.The lake holds carp to thirty pounds ,loads over twenty and shitloads of upper doubles,depths vary up to 35 feet deep and it really is a great place.Get more high protine bait going in and who knows!

John said...

'It's a sad fact of life where fishing clubs are concerned that the only anglers who need any great degree of organisation within the club are the match anglers.'

No John, the sad fact is that often, the only people who can be bothered to get off their backsides and do something for the club ARE the match anglers.

Who organises the club funds, the work parties (AND turn up for them) the rent and rate payments, the upkeep of amenities, the notice boards, the membership administration, the meetings and on and on and on.

Like you, most would rather be fishing.

Apathy and division are the two single biggest threats to our beloved sport at this moment in time.

Until anglers understand and respect each and every facet of the sport, I fear that situations as described above will remain all too common.

PS We all have our 'funny little ways', it just depends where you are standing.

A lot of generalisation here.A small club I am now lucky enough to belong to used to be totally dominated by match anglers on the comitee.The carp anglers got a raw deal despite always attending all meetings and works parties etc.Every year at AGM's the carp anglers would vote to gladly pay more subs but the match anglers would have heart attacks.Every thing was against the carp anglers even membership to them was restricted and often refused.This was in the 80's.Now the membership is nearly all carp anglers and the match angler is discriminated against.Not a single match this year has been attended by more than a dozen people.All of the swims have been changed to suit a bivvy,the water being small can be completely sown up by half a dozen people carp fishing.Any fisheries managment also reflects this change in power base.

As an all round angler my point is WHY?Why should either party have ever had to suffer?We all go fishing whats the problem???

Lets get together and buy our own lake and.............................

Ban matchmen Cake?

From a different point of view.

Yes i'm prodomanantly a match angler but also enjoy all other aspects of coarse fihing.

Here is an example of why SOME match anglers appear against Carp anglers.

On Sunday myself and a friend fished a local pool which is around 3 acres in size with a central island and around 30 swims.

You can drive all the way around the pool as well as park/bivvie in every swim.

Now we come to what i see as the main problem between the 2 groups of anglers.

On Sunday there were already 8 anglers fishing when we turned up 4 were "Carpers" with 3 rods out each spread in all directions and 4 were fishing for carp with 1 rod each (no problem so far) as all seem to be fishing how they enjoy and fair play to them.

But (always one of them) as we drove around the pool we came past the first 3 rod "Carper" well his gear anyway as he was asleep in a caravan parked to the side of the drive way, same with the second "Carper" both with all their rods in the water.

Now before everybody jumps on me saying i'm being biased to me these 2 guys were NOT what i call a carp angler but wannabe's but my point is it's this type which most match anglers come across.

Now we drove around the pool and set up our poles in "match style" and by the time we set up it was around 9.30am, we'd been at the pool for around 1?hours by now and neither of the (i'll now call the Wannabes) had appeared from their sleep.

At about 10am 1 of the other anglers who was fishing 2 pegs away from the first wannabe knocked on the caravan door to tell him his alarm had been going off for ages (at this time we had not heard the alarm but could hear the conversation).

What makes Sunday even worse is the fact that the pool in question contains mainly carp in the 2 to 8lb bracket with only a handfull into mid double figures.
Not exactly what i would class as a carp water.

The guy in the second caravan was even worse than the first he appeared out of the van at around 11am reeled in his rods rebaited them then cast back out got in his car and vanished till nearly 1pm.

When he did return he walked over to me and my mate and asked what we'd had when we told him between us we had 17 carp to around 8lb he said and i quote "i've been sat behind 3 rods since Friday Night and not had a B###dy thing. I'm moving round here".

I know 90% of "Carpers are not like these 2 pratts but as i say it's this type that we as match anglers come across more than the proper carp anglers who i have full respect for and count many as friends and i learn plenty from them.

At the end of the day both side's be it "Match or Carp" have it's share of pratts and each group only ever respond to the idiots we come into contact with and forget about the good guys which are among each group.

I'll shut up now as i've waffled on a bit.

Malc

8 anglers on a 3acre lake would of turned me around and looking for somewhere else,but 30 swims blimey what do you do,all hold hands ?

I suggest that every one read the articles by Jeff Woodhouse on running a club as a business. In it Jeff states what everyone probably knows but the Carp and Match anglers refuse to accept: That is the biggest majority by far of any club are neither, but just plain old pleasure anglers. Its usually them who make up most of the committee, do most of the work, AND contribute most to paying for the waters for the two warring parties to fish.

Ur right Cakeole,

my dads mate(carp angler)had some difficulty from a match angler.he carp fishes at a prince albert water with kilos of boilies and pellets.he fished the same spot that he always fished but a pole angler was next to him "trying out a new method"and shouted at him for heavily baiting his swim .if your a carp angler youll like the ending.he asked the pole fisherman for his p/a card and he had forgotten it and the carp angler confiscated his gear and escorted him off the lake.


a typical match vs carp angler story.

all anglers helped me during the summer holiday when i learnt to fish . match anglers and carp anglers.Fly fishermen are nicest by far though.

Michael, I could be wrong, but y0ur dads mate could be in trouble. No matter what PA rules might say, I think that only E/A officials and police are allowed to confiscate tackle, and then only in extreme circumstances, ie; Salmon/sea trout poaching/illegal fishing methods or fish theft. Even vehicles can be taken.

yeah ,give it back.

it was in fact a small private club but i thought i might spice it up a bit and Gary Knowles is a predator professional apparently.his face is in a fishrite catalogue free with advanced carp fishing.

why is there trouble between match men and carp anglers anyway?

Advanced carp fishing?

What the hell is that?

Anyone who reads this kind a mag should always bear in mind that there's no shortcut to experience.

Hate to burst anyones bubble.

'advanced carp fishing' what a load of old b****x.