As a carp angler of over thirty years standing…yes even after all these years I’m still addicted to this great sport of ours! In my day there was very little in the way of carp fishing books and information, it was the days when most carp anglers were very secretive, keeping them self’s to them self’s…especially the more experienced carp fishermen.
Though there were some good points in those days…that are a total rarity today…less crowded banks!
It was nice turning up at your lake knowing full well you could get any swim you wanted, even if it had an float angler in it, as he was sure to pack up before dusk. This is unbelievable to the present day Carp angler.
The methods and baits that were used in those days were pretty primitive compared to the terminal rigs of today and not to mention the wonderful discoveries of bait ingredients, flavours and additives of today.
Maybe that’s why it was so difficult in those days…
But back then once a general angler decided to progress to carp angler he never gave up, unlike the beginning carp anglers of today, judging by my local waters…
You only have to have a quick glance in the fishing weekly’s classified sections or ebay and you will see tons of near new carp fishing gear being sold off…I dare say that the majority of this gear is being sold by newbie carp anglers, who say carp fishing is really too difficult…
Why do most novice carp anglers struggle?
I believe that most new or beginning carp anglers, I’m sorry to say…are very narrow minded and stereotyped, this isn’t to say I think it’s entirely their fault, no far from it. My observations and from chatting to newbie carp anglers show that they are swayed by everything they read in the monthly ‘carp’ magazines.
They read so and so are catching on the latest ‘Boilies’ so they rush out to buy a few kilos…Only to find they still fail to catch!
And this is a case in point, why do most newbie carp anglers think of only using boilies as bait, when there are plenty of equally if not better baits to use…So I suppose in a way we can put some of the blame on the carp fishing media for portraying this stereotyped way of thinking…Success equals the latest super duper matching carp rods that you can cast out for a mile and a bag of boilies!
After a long succession of blanks the novice carp angler is convinced that the carp is impossible to catch as it has hereditary intelligence, as found in human beings.
This of course is untrue.
However, it is true that it gains from experience, a form of education.
To return to the intelligence of the carp, some appear to have larger brains than others just as in human beings, which mean that certain individuals learn quicker than others. Successful big carp fishing is about understanding the fish and its environment, NOT the latest bait or fancy rig seen in a glossy carp publication, the angler must also remember the older the carp the greater its knowledge.
My observations have shown anglers who have a definite won’t budge type attitude tend Not to be as Successful as those with a flexible easy going open mind attitude. Confidence in your approach, tackle and preparation give the success orientated angler the correct attitude.
Good Luck and Tight Lines…
Dennis R. Black…A Keen Carp Angler with over 30 years experience.
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