tiddlertamer
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Posts posted by tiddlertamer
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Once representitive of everything challenging, maddening, inspirational and mysterious in angling, they are now symbols of laziness, profit, selfishness and convenience.
[adjusts bobbin; sets baitrunner; waits for run
]Nice one. If my original question was verbose, this was a succinct answer. And erudite. And made me lol.
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Chris Yates, perhaps angling’s finest author, spent many years of his life chasing carp across the UK including Redmire’s monsters, before targeting other species. Much of his early writing was about the quest for monster carp.
The celebrated author Arthur Ransome, who wrote Swallows and Amazons, was also a fishing author of repute. He compared the feeling of striking into a carp to being "dragged out of bed by a grappling iron towed by an aircraft".
He stated that although the salmon may give a faster fight, no fish can compare with the dour, stubborn, raw power that a carp has.
Well I don’t think there would be many who wouldn’t agree that many carp fight like stink and are also a cunning species.
Carp have become the mainstay of modern angling. The majority of commercial fisheries stock carp and the fishing weeklies and magazines dedicate a lot of space to the species.
I don’t have figures but the rise of the commercial fisheries and the move of match fishing to such venues probably mean that the majority of fisherman target carp.
The tackle business certainly recognises carp’s popularity and many of the tackle shops I visit stock a great deal of gear focusing on carp fishing.
In the past thirty years it has become ubiquitous to the British angling scene.
However the amount of idyllic secluded ‘secret ponds’ stocked with ‘wildies’ are as rare as hen’s teeth.
I have also noted disquiet among some Anglers’ Net denizens at the rise of the all conquering carp.
The carp itself isn’t indigenous to these isles though it been here for over 600 years having been introduced by medieval monks for food.
Some resent their presence. Some lakes with high stocking densities take on a brown soupy appearance and completely change in character as a result of the carp’ feeding on the bottom.
Others don’t like to see them competing with natural river species.
So what do you all think about the subject? Potentially a subject it is possible to get hot under the collar about so let’s conduct the debate in the normal polite and reasoned way that Anglers Net is renowned for.
A case of donning helmet and entering foxhole! Just joshing. Keep it clean kids...
Carp – good, bad or a mixture of both?
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Hi again guys,
I just got myself a new job working as a lifeguard literally round the corner from my house! I start tomorrow. Anyway this will leave me with a lot of surplus cash, so how better to spend it than on some good quality angling DVDs? Which of the series of 'Catching the Impossible' would you recommend I buy first? I know that the first one is airing on Channel 4.
I thought that episodes 4-6 and 7-9 were the best of the series. Not the first three episodes which felt like they were trying a bit too hard to be all inclusive. Good to know Hugh Miles wants fishing to reach out beyond its traditional target audience but that doesn't equate to good fishing tv sadly. Apologies if I am being an inverted snob but the footage in episode 2 of the posh girls in their mid teens fly fishing was excruciating...
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I don't know TT, I'm too tight to buy them!
This is one of the reasons I prefer river fishing in winter - the little bits and pieces leave you alone. However, as we haven't had a single flood yet this year(!) the streams are looking good for a bit of chub stalking, so that's going to be my next plan.
What bait and tactics will you use?
I'm back off to the river tomorrow and thinking of leaving the float in the tackle box for once.
I'm thinking of freelining lob worms or perhaps trying some feeder fishing with maggots and casters in a weir pool. Effective tactics at this time of year or are there more successful ways of angling that I'm missing out on?
I guess stalking involves polaroids and spotting fish or are you just putting baits in likely spots?
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I went after work and fished until about 10.30pm. I baited 6 swims up with hemp, pellets and pieces of torn up luncheon meat and fished them in turn. Final tally was 1 trout and 2 chub - no barbel, but that wasn't a surprise!
It was OK, I didn't enjoy it that much to be honest, I think any summer river fishing should be a more light-hearted affair involving a trotting rod and a box of maggots rather than being all serious.
Well I tried trotting maggots on a river in southern England I had never fished before. The river looked beautiful but sadly the fishing was not what I had hoped for.
I was completely plagued with minnows. The first one wasn't so bad. A first touch with nature. By the tenth minnow I wish I had brought some smelly ledgered baits.
I had lobs with me but stupidly persevered with maggots and float fishing. (Well I'd spent good money on the maggots!
) A roach and chub did in fact follow - but at approximately one ounce and one possibly threatening to challenge the ounce mark, I really did live up to my soubriquet of tiddlertamer A friend suggested casters don't attract minnows to the same degree as maggots in summer. Any truth in this theory or would I be better switching to ledgered baits?
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Before the AN Pin Fan club declare a fatwa on me for questioning the use of PINS, I'm not in any way knocking them, I'm just curious what is it about a mechanical object that can induce such love and admiration and bring people to part with so much cash to own one?
When I have seen anglers using them, it does have a kind of old worldly romanticism to it and does bring back happy memories of my early fishing trips for Trout with my uncles in Ireland which were the only times I used a PIN, but it also reminds me that I used to wonder why I got the duff old boring fashioned looking reel that just went around and around while they used the flash looking fixed spool reels.
So is it posable to put in to a few lines what is so great about the PIN or is it more etheral then that and hard to sum up. You either get it or you don't. Is the presention of a bait that much better that it should be the first choice for serious river anglers? Or is it the engineering and craft in making the reel that appeals and wins admiration?
Are you just old fuddy duddies who like using old out of date style tackle? (Maybe I should not have typed that)
Or is it just simply the best tool for the job and you are using the best tackle available for a fishing situation.
Can the PIN Heads please give me a head start before you hunt me down for questioning the cult of PIN
A well phrased and amusing post.
It does seem at times as if there is a real centrepin cult on this board.
Enough to make me join the band of centrepin users in fact.
I'm far from being an expert so others can have the last and more definitive say.
But what I would say that in certain circumstances they are great fun and very effective. As I have yet to master the art though, especially casting a long distance to a tricky spot, they are not the only game in town.
I take both centrepin and fixed spool reel to the riverbank and enjoy both according to conditions.
But on their day, the centrepin does offer a direct contact with the bait without going through gearing allowing effective presentation. And when the fish is on the line, every single pull and charge can be felt directly by the angler which is a really enjoyable sensation and also offers direct contact with the fish allowing more sensitive and effective control of the fight.
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It was on a mayfly nymph cast upstream (I could see it feeding near the surface).
The blob of floating putty is cheating a bit, but the upstream nymph is hard!
I've never fly fished in my life but I hope I will soon. Next season for sure.
But should I be a classicist and adopt upsteam dry fly tactics or adopt that darn Skues minor chalk stream tactics as adopted by Anderoo? Nymphs
With putty
Dry fly purist Halford would turn in his grave...
Coolio fish or fishes though!
And definitely brownies. I fish the Kennet and Hampshire Avon regularly with coarse fishing tactics and though a slightly different tinge, these all look like the brownies that regularly fall hook, line and sinker for my maggot bait. It makes you understand why the 19th century gentlemen came up with the art of fluff chucking such that the olde trout got a sporting chance.
Nice fish or fishes mate. And well angled.
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I’ve not witnessed many people changing views here when issues are debated. In fact I’m sure it’s far more common, almost obligatory to dig one’s heels and start throwing even heavier ammunition.
But I’ve decided to make a public volte face over my earlier statement on supporting a ban livebaiting.
I haven’t changed my views completely but I have changed them.
Put quite simply I don’t like bans unless there is a good reason for them. Livebaiting should be up to an individual fisherman to decide upon when choosing his tactics. Which doesn’t mean it would be a tactic I’d adopt nor approve of but neither should it be banned.
What I would support was a ban on taking livebaits from one water to use on another.
I have read that roach were introduced to Ireland by pike fishermen using live baits and considered an invasive species by some. Is that true?
I also suspect the Environment Agency is opposed to this practice for very good reasons...
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Care to expand on that a bit more TT?
Moving live baits from one water to another can spread disease and decimate fish stocks. Not recommended.
And in an age where we use unhooking mats for carp, how do we set that against using a silver fish as bait for a predator...
Is it simply size of fish that dictates fish welfare?
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The real irony is that he is one of the proprietors of Predator Angling Center - Kiddlington, Oxon a tackle shop that claims to cater for the pike angler! When a very experienced mate of mine from the PAC contacted him reference these comments he replied ""Well you ain't a proper pike angler if you have to revert to using livebaits".................
Not only does he obviously know nothing about pike fishing (or at best have a very narrow experience of it) but worse simply has no idea of the wider implications of spouting such rubbish.
I hope pike anglers in general will remember his views when they are next considering a purchase....
Full respect to this guy who has called for an end to livebaiting. In 2010 livebaiting is an anachronism. As for those live baiters who move their live baits from one water to another, they need to know that they can cause really serious damage to our waters.
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Homygod! Anglers Net is now the place for a right old fashioned barney. Over the subject of knots!
Keep it clean lads!
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This is an interesting area of fishing, and I confuse yself when I try to make sense of how I feel about it.
I love fishing for carp, and used to spend all my summers stalking round the edges of local gravel pit and small, interesting lakes nicking out a fish here and there on freelined crust or float-fished corn or meat. It was impossibly exciting, and most of the skill was getting close enough to a wary fish to present a bait. When it was taken - all hell broke loose! I can't do this any more as I don't know any lakes that contain carp that aren't packed 24/7. My style of carping needs a lot of space and a lot of peace.
Sitting behind 3 rods on alarms fishing for carp does nothing for me at all. I've tried it and hated it.
However - and this is where I get confused - I love fishing the same way for big tench or bream. Everything is the same (bivvy, bedchair, cooking stuff, 3 rods, alarms, pellets, mini boilies, etc...) except the species of fish.
Why is that? Is it just a case of snobbery, like someone who won't listen to anything just because it's in the charts?
It just occurred to me that the reason I love my winter chubbing so much is because it's virtually identical to my old summer carping, except for the temperature
PS big carp can be caught on the float. The reason most aren't is (1) no-one does it, and (2) on lakes packed with carpers lobbing big leads about, stalking a big fish from the margins is virtually impossible. However, have a look at the Catching the Impossible episode where Martin Bowler catches a 40lber on the float and pin...from a quiet lake.
An interesting answer which aroused my curiosity.
I can understand the attractions of stalking carp and I guess it is sad that on so many lakes now, this is difficult to undertake any more, partly because of the popularity of angling in 2010. Especially carp angling.
I can also understand how stalking carp can also feel similar to winter chubbing and putting a bait like ledgered cheesepaste or lob worms into a likely spot.
My own preference is for trotting a float through a swim though next winter I intend to make up a devilish cheesepaste concoction and try this technique too. And on rivers, whether ledgering or trotting, both techniques involve a lot of activity which appeals to me.
The thought of setting up base in a bivvy with three rods and electronic bite alarms doesn’t appeal, partly because it doesn’t involve so much activity as river fishing once you’ve set up. Then again, whilst I have only ever caught one carp, it fought like absolute stink. The 9lb common which gobbled my lobworm (under a float) intended for perch on the Grand Union canal, put up an incredible fight.
So whilst I avoid targeting carp it’s partly because I prefer to float fish rivers and because I like the active style of fishing.
And yet you enjoy sitting behind three rods and a bite alarm but only if its tench and bream. Surely the fight put up by carp must have some appeal? Or are they simply beyond the pale because carp fishing has become the most popular and most catered for style of fishing?
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Damn you TT, that's not fair
My initial reaction was, that's easy - float fishing on a small river. But when I think about it, the fishing I enjoy most of all each season is the winter chubbing - quivertipping. But how could I choose the tip over the float? That's the answer of the worst kind of scoundrel!
I love it all, but I'm afraid I will have to bow to my coarser instinct and choose legering on small rivers, as I value my beloved chubbing over everything else. (Sorry tench, bream and perch!)
Last winter I went fishing with a pal who was quivertipping with cheesepaste and saw first hand what a devastatingly effective tactic it can be for chub on small rivers.
Meanwhile my float fishing with maggot on the same stretch of river resulted in scant reward.
But there is something intrinsically pleasant about the tactic of float fishing.
And as the old saying goes - the only thing more pleasing than the appearance of a float is its disappearance...
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Alongside Anderoo’s intriguing thread on which of rivers or still waters are more difficult, I thought I’d start a complementary thread.
Bur rather than concentrating on ‘difficulty’ as the measure, I thought I’d target another measure. I pondered on ‘effectiveness’ though decided to concentrate on another measure though feel free to bring either ‘difficulty’ or ‘effectiveness’ into it.
The measure was ‘pleasure’.
And the question was which is more pleasurable – float fishing or ledgering? On river or still water.
For me, nothing can match the pleasure of watching my float drift downstream as I battle to maintain natural line control. But I have also witnessed how devastatingly effective ledgering can be whilst fishing for chub and river bream.
95 per cent of my fishing is river fishing and 95 per cent of that is float fishing. It’s what I enjoy. But perhaps I’m missing out on other enjoyable and ultimately more rewarding tactics.
Views on a postcard please! (Actually – just get typing in the box below please.
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What - like this one?
PB from March 09 all 6lb 6oz of it...
C.
Now that's just showing off!
Seriously though - what a super fish.
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2 kg each, caught at Khancoban, in the Snowies
And another @ 2kg
Respect.
I'd love to catch something that big. What size do the 'stripeys' go to in Oz?
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Watatoad,
I think you've grabbed the wrong end of the stick. I'm 99.99% sure Tiddlertamer meant another member on this thread.
Can we please draw a line under this and get back to the original topic?
My own opinion is that there are some fantastic schemes out there to help wayward youths get back on track before it's too late. The people who run them deserve the utmost praise. I'm sure it can be very rewarding at times, but equally as frustrating at others.
I don't think these schemes should replace any established corrective measures, but should run alongside them.
I'd also like people to realise that anyone can go fishing. We were a poor family when I grew up, which is possibly even the reason why so many of us fished. Forget the adverts, the hype and the general bull that comes with this quick-fix society; if you're a youngster wanting to fish, get down to a boot sale, grab yourself a cheap rod and reel, find some free water and enjoy the outdoors. As you grow older, the pressures of life often mean you can do this less and less, so do it while you can.
Elton is right with respect to each of the points he makes above.
There are many schemes being run in our communites which rely on hard working volunteers to help youngsters find out about the joys of fishing.
And these schemes will run alongside other established corrective measures which our society has in place.
And I'm sure everyone here wants to see more youngsters find out about fishing whether they do it through a scheme or find out for themselves. (That is of course unless they find their way on to our favourite swims...
)I can't finish on the subject without apologising to the rest of the forum though, for brown-nosing our great leader Elton quite so much!
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Actually practicing Christians are now a minority religious group in the U.K.
(with less than 1.5 million attending services even on an irregular basis),
(how often do you go to church?).
Just as whites in America are now or about to become a minority group.
Just thought you would be interested and they are not my figures
Everyone should have their right to freedom of speech, even those who propound horrible racist views. Sadly, from perusing other fishing websites, I have become aware that certain contributors on this site and at least one on this thread are supporters of the BNP.
The good news is that their virulent views will undoubedtly be rejected in a month's time at the next election.
The vast majority of people who use this site here will vote - conservative, labour and liberal democrat (and for the celtic nationalist and green parties too) and will embrace democracy.
And undoubetdly, the party of holocaust deniers will be ignored by the electorate. Yay!
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I see Rae Borras who was in the excellent 'Compleat Angler' with Geoffrey Palmer is presenting a couple of new programmes on the channel. Which is good news. A talented presenter so good to see him get more opportunities in front of the camera. I believe the new programmes include sea fishing in the Arctic and fluff chucking on a couple of rivers in the Ripon area of Yorkshire. Hopefully he'll get a programme on UK coarse fishing soon.
Mark Barrett, who regularly posts here, as well as writing a regular predator column in the Anglers Mail, also gets a chance to showcase his skills. I'm going to sign up via Elton's link and enjoy what's on offer.
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I'm thinking of signing up for online fishing TV.
It works out at under a fiver a month and includes classics such as A Passion for Angling along with some of its own exclusive shows.
I do enjoy angling TV and Discovery Shed has its moments but I've seen most of its shows quite a few times!
On the whole I'm only really interested in coarse river fishing but it looks like there's a few gems on the site including some early John Wilson after Norfolk river roach and a newer show looking at chub fishing on the Loddon.
Methinks the Fishomania shows aren't for me but I guess the channel owners have to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.
This subject may have been covered before but I'm sure the channel changes over time so any up-to-the minute views are welcomed. Anybody here signed up to it and what do you think of it?
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Yay! Every time I look it cheers me up. It keeps on going down.
Imagine if it stood still or flipped into reverse...
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Umm, the Magic Mushroom Bread Punch, that brings back memories!
Remember drinking some of this at the 1980 Stonehenge free festival. Never been the same since.
If you remember it, you weren't thereIt puts a whole new spin on a fishing trip...
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A pity that this is not more widely known.......
Well now this is more widely known!
Start a thread on the subject on Anglers Net and it will be picked up by google.
The horrid technical term is search engine optimisation.
But chat about this online and the next time someone google serches dear old Isaac, your wise words will hopefully get noticed.
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I heard a rumour that a number of clubs based around London were putting together a Consortium to bid for the fishing rights for Fishers Green.
Can't remember which ones but it sounded like half the clubs in the South East, I seem to remember that Kings Arms & Cheshunt & Verulam were supposed to be involved. I have no idea whether this is true or not. It may well be wishful thinking by some members.
It would be good if its true and they were included on club tickets.
Any one know if there is any substance to this rumour?
Barnet & District A.C, The Civil Service Angling Society, Hertford Angling Society, Hollow Angling Club, The Kings Arms & Cheshunt Angling Society, The Metropolitian Police A.C, Palmers Green Angling Society, Potters Bar A.C, The Red Spinners Angling Society, Verulam Angling Club and Ware A.C.
See:
http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en/content.../news/news.aspx
Carp
in Coarse Fishing
Posted
Aside from all other matters, are carp the hardest fighting fish to be found on these islands?
(cue someone proposing gudgeon as the best pound for pound fighting fish.![:)]()
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