Graham Whatmore
Senior Member
First of all let me make it quite clear that I am no longer a match angler apart from the FM fish-ins and havn't been one for the last 15 years though I still have a match anglers viewpoint I suppose. I have always been both a match angler and an angler that fishes for the sheer pleasure of being out there fishing.
When I was younger there was a lot of acrimony between fly anglers and coarse anglers, still is to a lesser degree but it is still there, nowadays we have the same attitude shown by non match anglers to match anglers especially on this forum.
Anything that is faintly associated with match angling is dismissed by quite a few on here as not worthy of the pleasure/specimen anglers and this can include everything from bait to tactics to equipment. These attitudes and opinions are usually prefaced with things like "its okay for match anglers I suppose but it isn't for me because I am a pleasure/specimen angler." Each goes fishing to catch fish and each aims to catch the biggest fish he can, even the match angler believe it or not regardless of what some misinformed people might think. Another oft said view is that match anglers don't give a fig for the fish they catch, complete and utter rubbish, match anglers do care and not only that but they are generally more experienced in handling and unhooking fish doing it both quickly and efficiently. Yes there is a minority that don't show the fish the respect they deserve but that figure is replicated amongst non match anglers as well and not a lot can be done about that. Most match fisheries these days insist on members of their own staff doing the weigh-ins and are extremely careful when doing so, those fish are their livelihood and they understand that very well but you wouldn't think so if you read some of the posts on here though even by those that never use commercial fisheries.
When are anglers ever going to learn that angling, any sort of angling, is done for pleasure and satisfaction, be it the pleasure angler, the specimen angler with his big fish approach, the carp angler with his specific carp approach or the match angler that targets weights and beating his opponents. Each does his own thing for his own pleasure and recreation and it ill behoves anyone to dismiss anything other than that which he does as the best way to approach fishing.
Am I right, or am I wrong?
When I was younger there was a lot of acrimony between fly anglers and coarse anglers, still is to a lesser degree but it is still there, nowadays we have the same attitude shown by non match anglers to match anglers especially on this forum.
Anything that is faintly associated with match angling is dismissed by quite a few on here as not worthy of the pleasure/specimen anglers and this can include everything from bait to tactics to equipment. These attitudes and opinions are usually prefaced with things like "its okay for match anglers I suppose but it isn't for me because I am a pleasure/specimen angler." Each goes fishing to catch fish and each aims to catch the biggest fish he can, even the match angler believe it or not regardless of what some misinformed people might think. Another oft said view is that match anglers don't give a fig for the fish they catch, complete and utter rubbish, match anglers do care and not only that but they are generally more experienced in handling and unhooking fish doing it both quickly and efficiently. Yes there is a minority that don't show the fish the respect they deserve but that figure is replicated amongst non match anglers as well and not a lot can be done about that. Most match fisheries these days insist on members of their own staff doing the weigh-ins and are extremely careful when doing so, those fish are their livelihood and they understand that very well but you wouldn't think so if you read some of the posts on here though even by those that never use commercial fisheries.
When are anglers ever going to learn that angling, any sort of angling, is done for pleasure and satisfaction, be it the pleasure angler, the specimen angler with his big fish approach, the carp angler with his specific carp approach or the match angler that targets weights and beating his opponents. Each does his own thing for his own pleasure and recreation and it ill behoves anyone to dismiss anything other than that which he does as the best way to approach fishing.
Am I right, or am I wrong?
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