This thread definitely hits a note with me. I returned to fishing around 18 months ago after a 40+ year break! As a teenager I was pretty competent, but heck things have changed (we used to put bait on a hook, rigs were things our North Sea oil came from!). Back in the day we'd fish for anything, including carp. This time around I have dedicated my time just to carp.
I am very fortunate insofar as I retired 12 months ago and so can get out mid-week (in fact I make a point of never going over a weekend as I think that's unfair on the anglers who work through the week).
I have absorbed as much as I can through reading, YouTube, and a couple of lessons—one each from two different 'carp fishing gods' (in my mind anyway). A few observations from all of that:
Keep it simple. I was horribly confused by all the stuff about rigs. I genuinely thought I needed to learn to tie hundreds of different types and then try and work out which to use in any given situation. I have cut right back to just a couple.
The YouTube videos are great entertainment but probably create unrealistic expectations. They are (usually) heavily edited to make them interesting. Who wants to watch [insert name here] famous angler blank? The pros blank too, we just don't see it.
Early on in my reintroduction to the sport I fished a runs water (didn't know that's what it was or that they existed). Very soon the initial fun of hauling out fish soon wore off and it became a bit dull. Since then I made a decision to fish harder waters and now feel a real thrill when I catch.
I have come to understand my own aspirations better. My professional life was just stress on steroids. After 40+ years of that I don't want my hobby to be the same. Fishing, for me, I have realised is not just hauling out fish. It's being in the countryside, camping out, getting great quality sleep, rest, etc. If I start worrying about catch rate, rigs, am I doing it right, etc. I might just as well 'un-retire', go back to work again and get paid! I'm doing this for fun and relaxation. I'm still trying my hardest, just not beating myself up when I blank.
The last lesson I had with a pro was especially illuminating. I told him which syndicate I'd joined and it was one he was familiar with. He told me I was very lucky to have got in, that it has some very beautiful, very old (and big) carp, but that they are exceedingly wary. It's also a low stocked water. He said I should set my expectation that five fish in my fist season (whilst learning the lake and its fishes' habits) would be a good result. I'm happy with that. I will enjoy nature, enjoy learning the new skills and chill.
So I guess to the OP my advice is, as someone else has said, see this insane hobby for what it is—it's 'fishing', not 'catching'. It's nice when they both come together but one isn't necessary (or guaranteed) for the other to be enjoyable. And you are probably doing nothing wrong!
