Have we peaked?

[Frothey]

After having a “few” years away from fishing, it seems that little has changed - indeed little changed in the 10 years or so before that! The same “popular” baits are still being used, the same rigs (or the “new” ones are still just re-hashes with new names), methods are the same.
Only difference is that I can remember when £100 for a bedchair was mad...... but £570!!!! Oh yeah, they are “sleep systems” now ?

Or am I wrong?

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Not wrong at all Dave . . . boilies still rules the roost and although there have been minor tweaks to rigs there is not all that much new . . . other than the prices that is . . . .

 

[Keith M]

I still wouldn’t pay anything near to £570 for a bedchair Dave, £100 to £150 is about the most I would pay for a bedchair

You could buy a leather three piece suite with reclining seats for that sort of money, however if the bedchair was super super super light and even a bit lighter and was very strong and very comfy then I could possibly be tempted, but I still think that I would have to be drunk to spend that sort of money on a simple bedchair even if it did have the word ‘Carp’ in its description

Keith

 

[Philip]

Welcome back ! ....no nothing has really changed ....its always going to be recyling of ideas over and over. Lets face it , at the end of the day it boils down to a line and a hook so until they find an alternative to those two I doubt anything will really fundementally change in the future either.

 

[steve2]

Sleep system just about sums up modern carp fishing. Apart from that the word carp means double the price.

 

[Frothey]

I still wouldn’t pay anything near to £570 for a bedchair Dave, £100 to £150 is about the most I would pay for a bedchair

You could buy a leather three piece suite with reclining seats for that sort of money, however if the bedchair was super super super light and even a bit lighter and was very strong and very comfy then I could possibly be tempted, but I still think that I would have to be drunk to spend that sort of money on a simple bedchair even if it did have the word ‘Carp’ in its description

Keith

IKR - it was part of the kit I bought off someone, I planned to sell it (along with the other bits I don’t need) to offset what I paid, but couldn’t believe it when I saw what they go for. And no, not light! 24kg. Quite comfy tho. Sold for a silly amount about 30 mins after I put it on the bay.

The bits I’ve kept are nice and tarty tho, which is 97.6% of the battle ?

 

[Frothey]

Sleep system just about sums up modern carp fishing.

What do you mean by that Steve? And if it’s the time bandit/buzzer/camping thing, that’s hardly a “modern” thing.......

 

[steve2]

Agree but it seems it's the only way carp anglers now know how to fish. Get to the lake setup base camp and retire to bed no matter what time of day.

 

[Frothey]

As opposed to staring at a float/quiver tip/etc? Rocking up at an overstocked silvers lake, pole cup on the end and just keep dribbling bait in, dragging in 3oz bream after bream in the rain? They’re obviously skilfull enough to trot rivers for dace as they aren’t carp anglers......

Lots of lakes don’t allow stalking If you’re set up in another swim, for example, so what’s wrong with sitting on your bed watching the water? And who cares if people do just chuck the rods out and have a kip? It’s meant to be a relaxing past time - and leaves more fish for those that want to work for them. So long as they’re happy and not hurting anyone else, who cares?

And you’re also assuming that carp anglers only fish for carp, tarring them all with the same stereotypes. Some do know how to fish......

 

[Philip]

Oh ...yes thats another thing you will find has not changed...the anti Carp element on FM...they are still rocking...

 

[Bluenose]

Same old fish, same old rigs, same old baits with the odd tweek here and there I reckon. Same old carp tax (you can add barbel there now too). There's probably more drug use on the bank and the instant carper is very much in the ascendency (imo).

The carpers (old and new) probably now account for the vast majority of sales in tackle shops and club membership, and most importantly, always tell you where the tench are and what baits the tench love/hate. Carpers are sound in the main.

 

[Frothey]

Same old fish, same old rigs, same old baits with the odd tweek here and there I reckon. ............and most importantly, always tell you where the tench are and what baits the tench love/hate. Carpers are sound in the main.

Aren’t most (Specimen) tactics these days carp based? Like Graham M used to say, fishing has become a 1 method pastime

 

[Bluenose]

Aren’t most (Specimen) tactics these days carp based? Like Graham M used to say, fishing has become a 1 method pastime

Yep. I remember the article. One rig, just change bait and hook size or wtte.

 

[Philip]

I messed up ...please ignore..

 

[steve2]

Oh ...yes thats another thing you will find has not changed...the anti Carp element on FM...they are still rocking...

I for one am not anti carp I am anti the way carp now rule the roost. I fished for carp for many years along with other fish it as never been my number one species. That does not make me anti carp. They certainly have not saved fishing like some would have you believe.

 

[seth49]

I like carp fishing, especially margin fishing, it’s one of my favourite ways of fishing nowadays, there good hard fighting fish what’s not to like, still catch other species as well in the margins, and I still have day’s fishing for tench etc, which I also enjoy, plenty of time to fish for silvers and Grayling in winter, weather permitting. Only fish in daylight nowadays, so no sleeping for me.

 

[mikench]

I like floater fishing for carp using the Tigger method. I'd reveal all but he knows where I live.

It's exciting and fun and believe it or not I can actually do it. I catch carp wherever I go as they are prolific and stupid enough to get caught by me. I'm not fussed about bloated behemoths much preferring low double figure commons.

 

[Philip]

I for one am not anti carp I am anti the way carp now rule the roost. I fished for carp for many years along with other fish it as never been my number one species. That does not make me anti carp. They certainly have not saved fishing like some would have you believe.

I dont exactly know what you mean by Carp rule the roost but I bet that the majority of anglers posting on FM catch more Roach than anything else every year so does that mean Roach rule the roost ?....and in either case what difference does it make to me ? ...no one is forcing anyone to fish for Carp or use "Carp tactics" whatever they exactly are because you can catch a Carp just as well on a float as a bolt rig and buzzer.

I agree that Carp may not have not saved angling but they are not the ruin of it either. 30 or 40 years ago float fishing with maggots was the standard way of fishing…if you walked round any day ticket lake most of the anglers would be fishing like that. Nowadays the standard way is to sit behind some rods on buzzers...I didn’t see anyone complaining about float anglers back then so why are some people complaining about Carp tactics now ? ....no ones stopping anyone else fishing however they like.

Carp have not taken over the planet either as some want to try to make out. I fished in the UK for many years, in the South East too which was jammed packed for Carp yet I never had any trouble whatsoever in finding venues were I would be pressed to find any Carp anglers. I had a number of widely available club cards such as LSA/Cemex, RDAA plus a few others and I had miles upon miles of water just for me where I could float fish for Roach or Perch until my heart’s content and never see a bivvy or a Carp angler.

It appears at times some people want to basically put these impossible parameters on their angling...they say something along the lines of ; I must fish one specific water and I want it Carp free with no Carp anglers and I want to fish fine line and I only want to catch Roach etc etc etc . Well too bad, unless they own it they need to share it with others and once again no one’s stopping them fishing however they like. If they simply can’t hack having a Carp angler on the same water then find somewhere else, and before anyone says that there is nowhere else I don’t subscribe to that at all. They need to get off their backsides and look. For example, I suspect every single angler in the UK has a river or a Canal within easy distance of them with miles of Carp angler free bank to choose from.

The other point people also appear to miss is that on many occasions the very fish they are targeting are there because of the bait the Carp anglers are piling in….Specimen Tench, Bream, Roach, Perch and so on ….they want to fish for them but they don’t want the Carp anglers as well..cake and eat it springs to mind.

My advice to anyone sick of Carp is to get out your float rod, find yourself a nice bit of river or canal, which I am quite sure you will have with a reasonable distance of you and float fish in perfect solitude for whatever comes along and let others carry on as they want as well.

Good luck.

 

[Aknib]

Oh ...yes thats another thing you will find has not changed...the anti Carp element on FM...they are still rocking...

I think you'll find that very few, if any, are as you put it 'anti Carp'.

The point that seems to be so often overlooked is the fact that so many mixed fisheries have been ruined to the all round angler due to the trend in overstocking with Carp so that those who want to rock up and fill a keepnet or two every time they fish can do so.

It's not the Carp that's the issue, it's what so many clubs and fisheries have done with them that irks so many.

And it's been popular, very popular in fact and market forces will be market forces whether I like them or not but I reckon many are now getting bored with it and when all the mixed fisheries have been ruined what is left as an alternative to rekindle those anglers' interests?

Not a fat lot.

I reckon the whole thing has been trade driven, they've had a good supper out of it and as is often the case when someone makes a bit of coin they disappear over blue yonder to leave everyone else to pick up the pieces and sort out the mess they left. For me it's been nothing more than what is, in the grand scheme of things, a short lived artificial 'hit' but as with everything what goes up must come down.

I love Carp, handsome things if ever there were some but what many have done with them, and to the consequence of many others, is nothing less than short sighted, mono-thinking ignorance.

I don't want to visit waters where I know what will tug my string every time I get a bite, or that the fish I caught has been caught three times already that week, or fish for other species on comparatively crude tackle due to the likelihood of Carp coming along.

That is what has been taken away from the all round angler and that's what so many begrudge, it's not the species so much as the mentality behind it and whilst the Carp angler will always be able to visit his water and fish for his target with his regular methods and means, the all rounder has been denied their own pursuit on so many of these affected (not infected!) waters.

 

[Philip]

Aknib ; I suggested stocking policy was driven by supply & demand in the past and you took me badly to task for it so I am very surprised to see you now saying its trade driven.

Yes I agree a tipping point will be reached eventually and we will see more fisheries catering for the all round angler...I get the feeling thats already happening & we are seeing more clubs & day ticket fisheries designating at least one of their lakes to silvers for example. Whether that trend continues will depend on if the demand continues.

I think you and I have debated this already in the past and I dont see much good coming of debating it all again so for the sake of harmony that will be my last word to you on this thread.