JAA wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 1:53 pm
I'm wondering if my copy of 'Carp Fever' isn't the same as everyone else's
He spent more time locating fish than fishing for the most part. He didn't indulge in mindless bait'n'wait either and didn't think much of the mindless carping that followed him, nor the arrival of the 'instant' carp expert. I agree he was single minded, but he
wasn't simple minded. It's worth reading even if you don't want to fish his way, there's some good stuff in there. Maybe skip the bait chapter
You are right JAA. Definitely not simple-minded, and he certainly didn’t lack watercraft or observation skills. Nobody could ever accuse him of that, in fact I’m sure it was his abilities in these areas that made him so successful. These are admirable qualities in any fisherman but I think it was the single-mindedness that kind of turned me off his writing, which probably was a mistake on my part as I’m sure I could’ve learnt a lot. It all seemed a bit mechanical, or to put it another way, there was no romance in it. Where say, Rod H was keen to emphasise ‘smelling the roses along the way’ while still providing solid observations, ideas and technical instruction, Maddocks (at least in his articles) seemed to care about nothing but ever-greater results, which didn’t and still doesn’t float my boat. Even among today’s most single-minded top carp anglers I can’t think of anybody with such an unemotional outlook. As I say, I probably missed out on a lot by ignoring his work but I suppose it meant I travelled a path that suited me better. Funnily enough, I think I’d probably find the bait chapter more interesting than anything else. It was by John Baker wasn’t it?
Dave Burr wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:12 pm
GregF wrote:
Regarding monsters from the Avenue and the Monument... I'd rather fish for minnows than set foot on one of those soulless plastic hell-holes.
Put that on a T shirt and I'd wear it.
Dave, somebody recently suggested putting "STUDY TO BE QUIET" on the back of a t-shirt. That's one I'd definitely wear.