[Have I sinned against the spirit of angling?]

I feel I may have done something disrespectful and I throw myself on the mercy of this noble forum.

 

It's OK, I haven't gone to the dark side and resorted to fish finders or bait boats, but I am a bit worried. You see, I've recently returned from a refreshing 48 hours on my syndicate, where I was lucky enough to catch a 22lb common a 31lb mirror and a 10.2lb tench. The action was fast, furious and incredibly satisfying, with the 31 mirror giving a particularly fine account of itself during a fight that last just short of 10 minutes. So, what's the problem? Well, to the astonishment of my angling chums who witnessed these captures, I declined the option of having a photo done with any of them.

 

I have my reasons, mind. First, as magnificent a fish as that double-figure tench was, I was fishing for carp when I caught it, and I was using seriously heavy gear that didn't give the tench a chance once that chod rig took hold. I'm consistent with my 'accidental capture' stance, and have always declined to claim any of the specimens I've caught while targeting carp.

 

The common was caught next to a snag which contained carp to 50lbs or very near offer, and I wanted to get my trap re-set in the shortest possible time, with the least amount of disturbance. It was a nice fish but I was after bigger ones and 'sacrificed' the photo opportunity to get back into the fray.

 

The mirror was just plain ugly. Yep, a proper minger. I loved the fight, truly appreciated the capture and took the greatest of care with my prize...but a photo? No thanks. One unattractive creature in a trophy shot is quite enough.

 

The thing is, a few years ago I'd have been opening the champers to celebrate catching a 30, and mightily chuffed to bank a nice 20 in the same trip. Have I changed my attitude for the worst? Have I become an elitist git? I'm not a bad person, but there's that guilty itch which only the ladies and gentlemen of the Anglers Net jury can truly scratch for me.

 

Over to you - be gentle with me.

[Is being keeping clean ok for fish]

I think it was W.C Fields that said, "never drink the water, children p**s in it and fish f**k in it". On a more serious note, i understand some fishermen die each year through infection of some kind. Not wanting to go overboard, i was wondering if it is safe (for the fish) to use a disinfectant hand wash. At the moment i wash my hands with my drinking water, but i'm a little worried if i have cuts or, as still quite new to the subtle art of fishing, i still hook my fingers at least 3 times a session! Am i overreacting, advice please.

[slugs and snails (how it went)]

Thanks to all that gave advice on my use of slugs and snails for bait. Just to let you know how it went, firstly make sure you place the lid back on bait as i found out the little buggers can move when they want to. Snails when stuck on a hook let out a horrible green bubbly goo, very hard to grip (like haveing a handfull of snot!). Not a bite or nock, but the little thrush that watched me fish had a great time. As for the slugs, wow i hooked a 50lb+ cat fish and had a stale mate for about 20 mins until it had had enough and spat the hook out minus bait. But the sun shon and the breeze was kind and i saw plenty of wild life so all in all i still had a good day.

[slugs and snails for bait]

I'm an Anglersnet virgin, come to think of it i'm a internet virgin so be gentle with me. I am off to my local lake in the morning and i was going to try a few snails and slugs, i have just read on this site some people have had some luck with these slimey little critters. I've been fishing for about a year and never really targetted any particular fish, i'm happy to catch anything. So i will be happy to let you all know how it went (got a few worms just to give me a chance).