Lots of lost fish

[Dales]

Regardless of who he is, it was very poor angling but I guess it could have been worse. Plenty of match anglers deliberatly pull for a break when they hook a big fish, why waste valuable time trying to land them when there is no guarantee you will get them in. Snap off as quickly as possible and move on for a small Carp or Bream and build that weight.

 

I have little time and even less respect for modern match angling despite being told how much better anglers they are by some. I think the obsession with fish welfare in most branches of angling has gone to far but there is a hell of a lot of room for improvement in match fishing. Fish Welfare and Match Fishing do not exactly go hand in hand. But then again is it better to snap off leaving a hook in a fishes mouth or crush them at the scales?

[Webbo]

Lol @ Elton - but did you catch owt?

 

 

 

Just to clarify a few things, the number of fish lost equated to roughly the number that were landed, I can't remember the exact figure to be honest but my finishing weight was 21lb, two of the Carp were over 5lb and amongst the weigh there was also a few pound of silvers including a very nice Chub of approx 2lb

 

I've never pulled for a break in my life knowing there was a fish on the other end and my match/coarse/carp/fly/speci/bleak bashing career stretches out over some forty years

 

With regards to not owning a rod - obviously you've been listening to my missus too much as that is what I tell her everytime she questions my growing collection of them. In fact a few years ago I gave several away to clear some space (for new ones lol)

 

Those that are concerned about my approach to fish handling and welfare in match fishing are more than welcome to join me for a day out at the same fishery or any other for that matter (bring your own tackle though) and I'll ensure that you have an enjoyable day out hopefully with a few fish to boot <~ whoops, don't take that litterally

[gozzer]

There certainly seems a lot of animosity towards match angling. I dare say if I sat down, and without a great deal of thought, I could find fault with just about any form of angling.

I'm not involved in modern match angling, having not fished them regularly for the last 25yrs, but although I think I would have handled the situation differently, it's a situation you have to experience to appreciate. I'm not condoning or condemning, Daves actions, the initial post, (although entertaining), had, I feel, an air of flippancy about it, and I think I would have acted differently. Not being the one fishing the swim at the time, I have to say "think I would".

I don't have a great deal of concern for the fish in these well stocked match fisheries anyway, because the are considered as 'stock', 'a commodity', and any business allows for, and accepts losses. The issue of fish welfare after they are hooked, is to me a non starter when you consider the initial stock levels. If more concern was given to fish, (ie, stocking levels), before the were hooked, then I would have more concern for their welfare after they were hooked.

 

John.

Edited May 29, 2013 by gozzer

[viney]

 

"Just to clarify a few things, the number of fish lost equated to roughly the number that were landed"

 

I don't think many anglers would see landing half the fish they hook as acceptable especially where it could have been avoided by doing more than "considering a rod and line- but that's as far as it got"

 

 

But then if you are just trying to get as many out as quickly as possible things must be different, there lies the difference between match angling and pleasure/speci angling i guess

Edited May 29, 2013 by viney

[Vagabond]

But what really surprised me was that all the responses were sympathetic.

"sycophantic" is the word I would have used.

[Webbo]

@ Viney - Using a rod and line in that situation/peg would have resulted in every fish being lost and perhaps even tethered as you would have had to try to get them out at an angle of 90degrees to the way that they went in, ie across the sunken branches.

Using the pole mean't a very short line between the hook and the pole tip - less than 300mm when fishing below the surface, hence very little chance of leaving a fish tethered which would have been a greater risk with a mainline

 

 

Anyway, we could go on all day debating the ins and outs; my offer however will stand for a long time

[Anderoo]

"sycophantic" is the word I would have used.

 

Yes, perhaps that is a better word.

 

I remember having a chub session at the end of the season 2 years ago. Unusually, there were a good number of big chub in one spot, which could only be fished from one place. (Unusual, as on the Thames you're normally looking at one or maybe two fish tops.) It was a very awkward spot. I hooked a fish straight away which took me into a hidden snag. I lost the fish but got my hook back. Next cast I gave myself a lot more space between where I dropped the bait and where I now knew the snag was. A second big fish was hooked and lost to the same snag (I did get my hook back again). After that I stopped fishing there. If I'd carried on, I might have eventually landed one (and it might have been enormous), but I considered the risk too high.

 

I'm not telling that story to prove how great I am, it's just that if I don't think I can reasonably land fish for whatever reason (tackle, snags, other circumstances) I don't fish for them, regardless of a pot of money or, in my case, a potential PB. I just assumed that was common practice.

[Andy_1984]

Who dare upset thee almighty forum owner......... Had it been a regular member it would have gotten the same responses as this forum.

 

Webbo, you might have been fishing for 30 odd more years than me but I "think" you would have stood a much better chance against that tree with a fixed spool reel where you have much greater control over how far a fish can go.

 

Stop em in their tracks dont let them get ahaead of you etc.... I suppose either one of us could be right here, it's just "how I would do it"

Edited May 29, 2013 by Andy_1984

[Steve Walker]

I'm not actually so sure that the pole was exactly the problem, except in that it was just not strong enough to stop the fish without breaking the top sections. You can often land fish on lighter tackle with a pole and elastic than you can with rod and line, because you have a wider range of angles you can apply pressure from, including directly above. The advantage of a rod and reel is that you can give line, but I think that in a hit and hold situation as described, the correct pole and elastic probably has an advantage over rod and reel. Basic problem of pole not strong enough for the terminal tackle necessary to extract fish from that hole, in my opinion. Personally, I would have fished further from the snags and accepted fewer bites or (if not a match) fished a different peg. Barbless hooks are much less of an issue with tethering, but it would still concern me, and I wouldn't want to be festooning the snags with mono and floats.

[Vagabond]

I don't have a great deal of concern for the fish in these well stocked match fisheries anyway, because the are considered as 'stock', 'a commodity', and any business allows for, and accepts losses. The issue of fish welfare after they are hooked, is to me a non starter when you consider the initial stock levels. If more concern was given to fish, (ie, stocking levels), before the were hooked, then I would have more concern for their welfare after they were hooked.

I was a bit surprised to read that, John, It doesn't read like your usual style.

 

One could argue that as I rarely visit commercial fisheries, and don't fish matches, then what matchfishers do is no business of mine.

 

However, consider this - if a bunch of tree-huggers want to get together and send fishing the same way as fox-hunting, then they might seize on a post like the one under discussion as evidence to support their case.

Fish deliberately overcrowded to ensure enough bites to generate a "result" even with 50% of the bites resulting in tackle being left in fish ? An eloquent tree-hugger would have a field day. Being tarred with the same brush and having my sport put under threat is not acceptable, so in that sense it IS my business.

 

My memories of matches are probably the same as yours - winkling out a few pounds of roach and dace from a small and difficult river. Stick float and casters.

 

Modern mass production from carp puddles is a long way removed from that, and I want no part of it.