“What’s he ever done?” and “They’re just campers” are two expressions I’ve heard quite a lot recently. Two expressions that really irritate me. The first is often bouted about by a few of the “pro’s” I speak to, and the second when on the bank. We all have one common denominator – that is we go carp fishing, so why should matie down the bank who takes two barrow-loads of kit, a DVD player and his iPod get branded or judged?
Carp fishing means different things to us all. Some want to “tramp” it out, whilst others like a more “luxurious approach”, but as long as you don’t cause problems to other anglers and you’re enjoying yourself, then where’s the problem? The same goes for personal bests (PB’s). I often hear, “My PB is only 24lb 12oz.” Does it really matter if your PB is 15 or 45lb? It doesn’t always reflect your angling skill. Angling today seems to focus on ‘must-catch-bigger’, where to me the quality of fish, venue and company are just as important. Indeed, Angus’ and my recent trip to Richmoor Lake in Somerset (P124) was one of the most enjoyable I’ve had in a long time. We “only” caught doubles, but they were stunning, as was the lake and the company.
But as I said, it means something different to each of us, hence why we’ve compiled such a comprehensive guide to it. From getting quick bites with Joe Morgan (P50) and hearing how Sharpy (Page 34) landed yet another forty to the making of Jon McAllister’s first bait and all the best gadgets and gizmos in our new Hardware (Page 111) section.
Take whatever you want from carp fishing; just make sure you enjoy it.
Joe Wright, Editor