Lots of lost fish

[Webbo]

Just goes to show that people shouldn't judge others by what they read

I did have a rod with me but if I had used it the fish will still have swum to the right into the tree and then I would have had to pull towards the bank dragging them through the sunken snags which would have resulted in a few issues re fish welfare.

As it was I was pulling them back out the way they went in. Alas some seemed to shed the hook against the sunken branches, or slipped the hook

My account was a lighthearted account of a frustrating day, more written for the reader than a full and accurate description of the day's events lol

 

Thanks for the show of support Newt and Philocast

Regards

Dave

 

aka Red Leader , maggotdrowning.com

[Guest twofoottwitch]

The guy who wrote the post is a good angler who does care about fish welfare so all I can figure is that I understand match fishing about as well as my cat understands algebra.

 

It does sound like his gear wasn't up to the task on that day in that swim and he lost quite a bit of money which makes me even more sure I don't understand.

 

Since he was fishing with fairly small and almost certainly barbless hooks, I imagine the fish didn't have much of a problem getting rid of the hooks so I'm not sure how you figure that he was damaging fish.

In my opinion the welfare of the carp was the last thing that concerned him, and even with a barbless hook mouth damage is a factor, still I am not getting on moral high ground here, but to lose that amount of fish was simply bad angling. Why oh! why did he not revert to rod and line is beyond me. The problem was that he was fishing a snag with a pole set up and had no chance of turning the carp, he would have had a better chance with a rod, but it still would have been difficult.

 

This for me sums up match angling on commercials, of course the carp seek such cover through pressure, and the Angler still has the balls to faff around with a pole and elastic, pathetic.

 

However, he wrote up a good account, although clearly condemning himself.

[Guest twofoottwitch]

Steve,

 

Of course your right. As mentioned twice using the RIGHT equipment is the first order of business. I bet most don't know how to "skip" a bait into place like Newt and his pals.

 

Phone

 

Oh! we would, the problem is normally the other way around , and the art of casting a float will soon be a forgotten art, that's a dink is it ?

[Phone]

A question for everyone.

 

Do you find, as I do, hooked fish always swim against the applied pressure?

 

Webbo,

 

It's hard to tell from the photo. Could you have encouraged the fish to up and to the left using applied pressure? Your gear is SOooo much lighter than ours I really haven't a clue what I might have done.

Very nice post, come by more often.

 

Phone

[Guest twofoottwitch]

Just veeeeery slightly off-topic ... but I wonder how many posters on here realise that the O/P on MD's - 'Dave' - the guy under critique / criticism in this thread - is actually the owner of MD's?

Come off it...an owner of a fishing forum who actually fishes...

 

Yea! sure

[Vagabond]

I stumbled on this post earlier. Thoughts? Either on the post itself or the responses...

Thanks Anderoo - I clicked on your link out of curiosity, and was reminded why I no longer fish matches, only fish for carp occasionally (and then only with floaters), and have long since ceased visiting the forum in question.

[gozzer]

A question for everyone.

 

Do you find, as I do, hooked fish always swim against the applied pressure?

 

 

 

Phone

 

Mostly yes phone, but not always. When fishing near to a snag, I've used the 'pull towards the snag' method, and had the fish swim straight into it!

 

It's many years since I fished the Willows, but I remember back then it was overstocked. This shooting out of cover, grabbing a bait and shooting back again, says hungry, but spooked fish to me.

 

I wondered when Dave would be on here to comment, it was only a matter of time. I have some sympathy for his situation, having been in a similar match situation with barbel. I kept increasing the strength on my gear until I ended up with a 9ft heavy spinning rod and 10lb line to catch a few. The shorter rod helped because the bend in the longer rod was enough to enable the fish to reach the snag.

 

John.

[Phone]

gozzer,

 

Frankly that's what I expected from Newt. A jerkin' rod and 50 lb power pro puts a stop to that. On rare occasion you pop their eyeballs out but they are only fish.

 

Phone

[Elton]

Come off it...an owner of a fishing forum who actually fishes...

 

Yea! sure

 

Oi! I went once.....

[Anderoo]

Elton, don't boast

 

I just thought it was bad angling, losing fish after fish in exactly the same way. There are lots of ways it could have been avoided after it had happened once.

 

But what really surprised me was that all the responses were sympathetic. Maybe that is because the OP owns the forum (I didn't know that) or maybe it just illustrates the modern match angler's mindset. I'm certainly not militant when it comes to fish welfare, but in my opinion leaving that many fish with hooks in them is irresponsible, regardless of whether money is at stake.