The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Shaun Harrison wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:41 am George is an incredibly intelligent man who loves to dig deep, research and still be able to think totally out of the box.

He was our British Carp Study Group Scientific Officer until quite recently, a position he stepped aside from after many years due to health issues but still contributes regularly to our bi annual magazine.

I felt for George a little as his marvelous tomb of research and experimentation moving carp angling forward was an incredible book when first released but soon overshadowed by that dreaded 'Carp Fever' that was to change carp angling for ever more, turning it from a minority pastime, for let us say 'characters,' to the soulless monster it is to-day.

The fact that a lot of it was written about my local pool and my friends as well as being fortunate to catch a few fish from it's pages, I guess made it even more special for me. An incredibly advanced piece of work, but released a few years too late for the impact it should have had.

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:57 am

Shaun Harrison wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:41 am George is an incredibly intelligent man who loves to dig deep, research and still be able to think totally out of the box.

He was our British Carp Study Group Scientific Officer until quite recently, a position he stepped aside from after many years due to health issues but still contributes regularly to our bi annual magazine.

I felt for George a little as his marvelous tomb of research and experimentation moving carp angling forward was an incredible book when first released but soon overshadowed by that dreaded 'Carp Fever' that was to change carp angling for ever more, turning it from a minority pastime, for let us say 'characters,' to the soulless monster it is to-day.

The fact that a lot of it was written about my local pool and my friends as well as being fortunate to catch a few fish from it's pages, I guess made it even more special for me. An incredibly advanced piece of work, but released a few years too late for the impact it should have had.

Spot on Shaun. I read it when I was considering a move to doing some serious carping but Carp Fever hit the shelves and it all changed. I have to say that Carp Fever both inspired and repelled me in equal amounts. I became bait focussed which put so many doubts in my mind about my baits it actually sucked my confidence almost dry. Soon it became a casting competition on my local waters with days long waits for bites - which did not fit in with my life - I refused to join the fashion and I returned to the rivers.

Doing my best to catch up now though

Gary Bills wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:39 am I suppose the one point I'd make is that we don't really have to fish for carp one way or t 'other - we can make choices. We don't have to fish for known fish on circuit waters or on commercials were carp have been stocked big and tend to be reliant on anglers' baits. We can still fish waters where no else is fishing and we can catch fish without names - how we want to catch them. Following the edits of Carp Fever was never compulsory, after all. I think Sharman's book was the best of the Old School journey - the final destination - and how fresh it reads, and how exciting. Perhaps that does point to a division, between what Chris Yates called "the heavy industry" of the modern carp scene and "classic" carp fishing - the domain of the carp fishing purist? This thriving site is evidence enough that a lot of folks feel uneasy with the modern scene - and I suppose an obsession with Mitchells or cane can be seen both as an eccentricity and - I think - a minor form of protest. If we go down the traditional path of seeking solitude and fish without names, we are unlikely to land fish comparable to the monsters of The Monument or The Avenue, for instance; - but does that really matter so much? Last Saturday, while fishing a mere farm pond with my nephew, I managed three carp to low double figures - and nothing remarkable in that. The fish were not large even by my own low standards..! But look at the condition of this low double - one of the most gorgeous commons I've ever seen, and completely unmarked. (You'll need to use the "magnifying glass" app to bring it up...!)
http://www.carpinggnome.com/197224951

These are the sort of places I want to fish and the kind of carp I want to catch, regardless of size.

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:58 am

Gary Bills wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:39 am I suppose the one point I'd make is that we don't really have to fish for carp one way or t 'other - we can make choices. We don't have to fish for known fish on circuit waters or on commercials were carp have been stocked big and tend to be reliant on anglers' baits. We can still fish waters where no else is fishing and we can catch fish without names - how we want to catch them. Following the edits of Carp Fever was never compulsory, after all. I think Sharman's book was the best of the Old School journey - the final destination - and how fresh it reads, and how exciting. Perhaps that does point to a division, between what Chris Yates called "the heavy industry" of the modern carp scene and "classic" carp fishing - the domain of the carp fishing purist? This thriving site is evidence enough that a lot of folks feel uneasy with the modern scene - and I suppose an obsession with Mitchells or cane can be seen both as an eccentricity and - I think - a minor form of protest. If we go down the traditional path of seeking solitude and fish without names, we are unlikely to land fish comparable to the monsters of The Monument or The Avenue, for instance; - but does that really matter so much? Last Saturday, while fishing a mere farm pond with my nephew, I managed three carp to low double figures - and nothing remarkable in that. The fish were not large even by my own low standards..! But look at the condition of this low double - one of the most gorgeous commons I've ever seen, and completely unmarked. (You'll need to use the "magnifying glass" app to bring it up...!)
http://www.carpinggnome.com/197224951

These are the sort of places I want to fish and the kind of carp I want to catch, regardless of size.

I fully agree with you nowadays Gary. But back in my innocent youth, I was taken in by the immediate success of the new methods and let's face it, Maddocks was a catching machine. Despite loving the approach of Yates and Hutchinson, my local waters all bowed to the modern trend. I knew that given the time and effort I would get a few but my fishing time was so short, I just wanted my float to dip a few times when I managed to get out. I think I was actually a little scared of gaining an obsession.

I still rate one stalked from the margins to be worth ten from a distance on a hair rigged boilie though.

Gary Bills wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:39 am I suppose the one point I'd make is that we don't really have to fish for carp one way or t 'other - we can make choices. We don't have to fish for known fish on circuit waters or on commercials were carp have been stocked big and tend to be reliant on anglers' baits. We can still fish waters where no else is fishing and we can catch fish without names - how we want to catch them. Following the edits of Carp Fever was never compulsory, after all. I think Sharman's book was the best of the Old School journey - the final destination - and how fresh it reads, and how exciting. Perhaps that does point to a division, between what Chris Yates called "the heavy industry" of the modern carp scene and "classic" carp fishing - the domain of the carp fishing purist? This thriving site is evidence enough that a lot of folks feel uneasy with the modern scene - and I suppose an obsession with Mitchells or cane can be seen both as an eccentricity and - I think - a minor form of protest. If we go down the traditional path of seeking solitude and fish without names, we are unlikely to land fish comparable to the monsters of The Monument or The Avenue, for instance; - but does that really matter so much? Last Saturday, while fishing a mere farm pond with my nephew, I managed three carp to low double figures - and nothing remarkable in that. The fish were not large even by my own low standards..! But look at the condition of this low double - one of the most gorgeous commons I've ever seen, and completely unmarked. (You'll need to use the "magnifying glass" app to bring it up...!)
http://www.carpinggnome.com/197224951

These are the sort of places I want to fish and the kind of carp I want to catch, regardless of size.