Is This Fishing?

[Guest Chris Shaw]

Originally posted by Paul Williams:

OK for starters....gorge baiting for pike, rods spread out in two or even three swims, pike and zander thrown up the bank, i could go on, but they are illegal!!!!!

 The water in question does respond to good thoughtful prebaiting, i used three rods when i fished it but often reduced it to two, the use of two hook rigs enabled me to test up to four baits or to improve my chances when the going was slow and believe me the going can get very slow when double figure bream are the target.

 Chris (Shaw) do you honestly believe that it just the gear that makes such captures possible? if so it is readily available as are the waters that hold the fish.

 

 

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Let me explain.

 

You are standing on the bank of a big gravel pit, you know there are big bream in there because you have done your homework, chatted to locals seen the odd big bream roll etc.

 

Next step find features on the bottom etc where the fish could feed/hold up. The sport is fishing so the use of a rod would not go amiss to do this feature finding. A use for the rods.

 

Then bait up found area, once again the sport is fishing so a catapult/spod could help in this. Using a spod, another use for the rods.

 

Then once the above has been done cast, yes cast to found area, is'nt that what rods are for? Yet again a use for the rods.

 

Wakeup in morning, reel in and change baits, once more, another use for the rods.

 

Get run, reel in fish, one more thing for the rods to do, but a fish can be handlined in can it not?

 

The above is fishing.

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Find gravel pit containing big bream.

 

Play around in boat to find the features on the bottom of the pit.

 

Once bottom mapped, go out in a boat and bait up likely holding/feeding area's.

 

Set up gear on bank, row out and place baits.

 

Wakeup, row out and check baits, place more groundbait.

 

So far I see no use of FISHING RODS.

 

Get run, reel in fish, one more thing for the rods to do, but a fish can be handlined in can it not?

 

So in the above I see no need for the use of FISHING RODS.

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Footnote:

 

I have no problems with Terry's method of fishing, if he is happy with it then thats OK. Providing it does not interfere with anybody else around him then that is also OK.

 

I am only trying to answer the original question, is it skillful, I personaly think that it is not.

 

He must be the best winder in in the country

 

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Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.

 

[This message has been edited by Chris Shaw (edited 08 June 2001).]

[Guest Paul Williams]

Had a lot of big bream from gravel pits then have you Chris?

[Guest Oatmealjack]

What is interesting is the differences between the UK and USA. Fishing from a boat is considered normal, in fact in most places the bank fisher is at a decided disadvantage even with public access on even our moderately sized waters. I think nothing of using a boat to scout for fish, chum up an area and then fish from either the boat or the bank. And yes I use a rod for both, in fact there are such things as boat rods

 

 

Oat

[Guest Paul Williams]

Oat,

Now don't you go getting all sensible with us Brits!!!!.....do you sell any good hand lines over there mate!

[Guest Newt]

Chris - all these years and I never knew until now that I wasn't a skillful angler.

 

Of course, I do not row. Trolling motor has made me lazy and I'd hate to try moving my boat far with oars/paddles anyway.

 

I do not use an echo sounder though for locating features and fish. I use two.

 

Oh yes, almost forgot - I do cast. However, that part requires much less skill than the winding in part. See my response on the recent spinner bait thread. Once in a great while I get in a mood to do some serious, almost UK-like, Bait & Wait fishing and only cast a couple times during the day. Otherwise it is more like 700 to 1000 casts during the course of a day's fishing.

 

As far as I can tell, all forms of angling require skill if you are to be successful. Different forms need different skills but unless you are using explosives, you must have skill to consistantly catch fish regadless of what method(s) you use, what gadgets you use, and all of that.

[Guest Chris Shaw]

Ok everyone stay cool, I am not meaning to take anything away from anyone who chooses to fish in this way, I just feel that it would be more skillfull to do it all from the bank in the bream instance here in the UK.

 

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I think some have lost the original question, which was about the skill involved in rowing out your baits to the desired spot etc.

 

Sorry if I sounded like I was demeaning Terry's achievement in anyway, I did'nt mean to.

 

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I have done my share of fishing from boats here in the UK for pike. The point that I was trying to make was in that can anybody not row out in a boat place their baits then row back to the bank?

 

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I was once at a carp meeting many many years ago in Kent and we got talking to Paul Gummer, anyone remember him?

 

He said at the time that he was thinking of giving carp fishing a rest and going for big bream. When we ask him why he said that, they was harder than carp to catch.

 

Is that because there is less of them? As where big carp years ago.

 

I used to fish for river bream on the Thames at Kingston many many many years ago, we used to catch bream upto 4lb and the odd 5 pounder use to come out, maybe that was good for then, I do not Know, but we did not think of it like that we just used to enjoy it.

 

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Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.

[Guest Graham E]

Paul. you miss the point. Anyone could sit for weeks at a water that holds big d/f bream and eventually catch them. Providing that you think they are worthy of the effort!

Just because you may/or may not have caught one doesn't mean you can't.

I could go to a localwater and after 5 days catch a 11/12lb bream. But I would be totally bored with the outcome.

 

Big bream......a waiting game ending with a steady wind in of the reel.

[Guest Oatmealjack]

One thing that is funny in the differences between the "Euro" style and "USA" styles is chumming in fresh water. I dont know how many times I have had people tell me its cheating to chum a river, but, when they go sea fishing they think nothing of chumming to bring the fish in? Sort of a weird double standard over here, ok to chum if there is salt in the water but cheating if its in fresh!

 

I am with you on the rowing part Newt, I have so much chum in my boat that its got to be gas powered now, I dont think I could even row it downriver

 

Oat

[Guest Newt]

Chris - I wasn't in the least bit upset. I was trying to make the point that broad, sweeping statements may catch more folks than you intended as everyone reads and digests this material in light of their own experiences and such.

 

As Oat pointed out, you could find a huge percentage of US anglers who hold the firm opinion that putting out loose feed (chumming as we call it) is NOT a sporting thing to do and removes much of the need for skill from angling. In fact, there are a number of states which hold the practice as illegal.

 

As for me, I have no problems with any fashion of angling as long as it is legal where done although there are some forms that I prefer not to see. That being said, there is no way I could sit for days waiting on the first fish to bite. I have problems waiting an hour without a fish.

[Guest Paul Williams]

Chris,

Have you ever really wondered about the best type of prebaiting patterns....imo they can only be carried out from a boat!!

When i fished the pit in question i did actually bait up from the boat but fish from the bank.....why is a boat any worse than a "fishing" rod to bait up with?

As to rowing baits out, i wouldn't have a problem with that either, i have done just that at times when bait positioning is crucial.

Graham E, all fish can be caught in the manner you sa......i fish for whatever species takes my fancy not because they are the "in" fish or they pull harder, surely there is more to fishing than that????