The factors are many and varied I believe.
Firstly we have the general decline of the Rivers that in a great part were responsible for the initial growth of the Commercial fisheries. Within this sub-set then you have the polarisation of the pleasure angler versus the Match angler.
Next to consider is the single species approach brought on by the growth of single species societies and the rampant growth of Carp fishing in particular followed some time later by Barbel, then Pike and more lately Zander.
So followed the common misconception that in order to pursue one particular species then you would need very specialised rods, reels and terminal tackle and then of course baits as well.
If your rod didn’t have a transfer of a Carp or a Barbel then it surely wouldn’t be any good fishing for one or the other, would it?
Tackle manufacturers were swift to realise that a ready market now existed where previously one or two rods would suit all purposes and then coupled with the “star name” in a glossy magazine that would support their claims by a myriad of infomercials posing as articles.
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Within these sub “species” then the general financial power of the individual angler took over where only the latest and most expensive Nash or Trakker bivvy would be acceptable thereby splitting even the single species angler-types even further into almost splinter groups.
Further sub-divisions then became apparent by the type of baits that an angler uses, whether or not these are projected by a spod-rod or gently placed in position by a bait boat; all of these factors being to hand to polarise angling further.
All this occurring before the inauguration of the Angling Trust which in many ways had the opportunity to bring anglers back together into one broad group but even that seemed doomed to failure by the introduction of Kayak anglers and the lack of a proper Specimen group from the earliest of days.
And so it goes on and on, as if hell-bent of self-destruction by polarisation.
Gone are the days referred to above, where one would fish for Rudd and Roach and Dace, or have an early morning session for Tench followed by maybe a late breakfast then a move to a river for a spot of long trotting for smaller species but nonetheless prized because of their lack of size.
So, here we are today, a more diverse and polarised lot you would be hard put to beat, and yet in the simplest of analyses we all just dangle a piece of bait on a hook in order to, hopefully, catch a fish.
Would we could return to those simpler and gentler days of just . . . . . . . . Fishing