Money and time split from newest purchase

[emmcee]

3 hours ago, elmoputney said:

I'm not disagreeing with you, I appreciate watercraft skills are essential but you still need the time,just because someone has lots of money wouldn't mean they are a bad angler, but a good angler still needs it, I was being glib mentioning about needing the best rods but if money wasn't an object I would buy them because I could 👍

but  essentially nowadays it comes  down to money and sacrifice of other commitments to make the time,

 

Time is only any good if you use it wisely, so making the most of your time is essential.   The saying "1hr in the right place is better than 24hrs in the wrong place ", rings very true. 

How long do you spend walking your lake on arrival for a 24hr session say? Do you or rather would you walk it for 23hrs to guarantee you had 1hr in the right place? Let's be honest ,most people would like to say yes but in reality 90% wouldn't do it. A lot of it boils down to how much effort you're willing to put in. I know and admit that my  last few seasons on dinton I caught next to nothing and that was because I couldn't be bothered to do the work, I needed a new challenge.  I join a new lake and I'm there the first day I'm allowed plumbing swims, baiting up, watching the water as much as possible. I learned the fishes habits very quickly. Winds and air pressures in my opinion are massive influences on fish,  well they certainly have been on the lakes I've fished but they were different from lake to lake. Do you keep notes, a diary from each session? The weather conditions,  fish caught  and from where on the lake, the date, moon phase, air pressure etc. I had loads of info written down from all the lakes I've fished. It helps so much. All this is done whilst I'm at the lake so it's not extra time needed to do it.  Luckily I've got a good memory but if I didn't it was all there in black and white. 

As for needing time to learn watercraft,  yes I get that. For me though the signs you look for to find fish are  the same for every lake. The difference being on each lake  is the fish routes , where they are in what conditions etc. That takes time obviously. 

[emmcee]

5 hours ago, elmoputney said:

Which comes first though the watercraft or the time spent learning ? 

I agree some people are better more natural anglers, but I don't think that watercraft is something you are totally born with,I learn something most times I visit the lake, and it still takes time spent on the bank to gain the experience, if I could spend 3 days a week on my lake I would see more, understand more, learn more, and ultimately catch more, I never said I would be guaranteed to catch the biggest fish in the lake but I would probably be a lot closer to it 😏 

 

 

 

 

For me watercraft comes with time learning on the bank. You can't learn watercraft at home so any time you spend at the lake , no matter how short amount of time you are learning or at least you should be. Its seeing the small things that improve you as an angler. A showing fish, a fish sheeting up are the 2 big signs. Without these 2 signs a lot of anglers are stumped. Of course some are naturally better at watercraft than others but you have that in all walks of life, kids who are naturally intelligent, one is better at football than others etc etc. 

[Pete Springate's Guns]

3 minutes ago, emmcee said:

For me watercraft comes with time learning on the bank. You can't learn watercraft at home so any time you spend at the lake , no matter how short amount of time you are learning or at least you should be. Its seeing the small things that improve you as an angler. A showing fish, a fish sheeting up are the 2 big signs. Without these 2 signs a lot of anglers are stumped. Of course some are naturally better at watercraft than others but you have that in all walks of life, kids who are naturally intelligent, one is better at football than others etc etc. 

Agreed. It’s a lesson I learned relatively late in my fishing ‘career’. The absolutely most important thing is to watch, listen and then act.

[elmoputney]

11 hours ago, bluelabel said:

Elmo... the guys who are in the forefront of the carping world are usually working in the trade and therefore have less time than we do to fish... this makes the gift of watercraft the deciding factor in their catch rates... yes good gear makes a difference too... but I know many anglers who are really good at their craft and they use old tatty gear and only ****** the odd hour on the waters and their catch rates are far better than mine... its the watercraft aspect that makes the difference...

 

The very reason they don't get to fish is the same as any angler though they need money ? Which dramatically cuts time on the bank for everyone, 

But mainly they will have already put in a good amount of time when they were young and carefree, 

I think a lot of the big fish hunters put in a lot of time comparatively though, and fair play to them, if they have there lives worked out so they can then good luck to them 👍

Jim shelley does 5 days a week usually I believe then weekends off 

Dave Lane does 2-4 nights depending on Conditions etc 

Not sure what Terry hearn does but I bet its a few days a week

Martin Bowler 5 days a week then does his writing at weekends, 

And just for the record I've not said watercraft isn't important 😭all I am saying is time and money are an important factor 

[elmoputney]

11 hours ago, emmcee said:

Time is only any good if you use it wisely, so making the most of your time is essential.   The saying "1hr in the right place is better than 24hrs in the wrong place ", rings very true. 

How long do you spend walking your lake on arrival for a 24hr session say? Do you or rather would you walk it for 23hrs to guarantee you had 1hr in the right place? Let's be honest ,most people would like to say yes but in reality 90% wouldn't do it. A lot of it boils down to how much effort you're willing to put in. I know and admit that my  last few seasons on dinton I caught next to nothing and that was because I couldn't be bothered to do the work, I needed a new challenge.  I join a new lake and I'm there the first day I'm allowed plumbing swims, baiting up, watching the water as much as possible. I learned the fishes habits very quickly. Winds and air pressures in my opinion are massive influences on fish,  well they certainly have been on the lakes I've fished but they were different from lake to lake. Do you keep notes, a diary from each session? The weather conditions,  fish caught  and from where on the lake, the date, moon phase, air pressure etc. I had loads of info written down from all the lakes I've fished. It helps so much. All this is done whilst I'm at the lake so it's not extra time needed to do it.  Luckily I've got a good memory but if I didn't it was all there in black and white. 

As for needing time to learn watercraft,  yes I get that. For me though the signs you look for to find fish are  the same for every lake. The difference being on each lake  is the fish routes , where they are in what conditions etc. That takes time obviously. 

It isn't about me though, I am in my situation because I have a family etc that comes first,I am happy with that too, family or fishing, family wins, fishing is a hobby a welcome break, the only person I care about being better than is me, I want to improve my skills, catch more and bigger fish but that's it,I have no desire to be the next Terry Hearn or whatever, I learn to do things better each time and always have watched the water constantly, I know I am far from the greatest angler not even the best on my syndicate, but I do what I can,with the time I have,I walk round when I can, find spots, bait up, de weed spots, sometimes when I get there i just go with my guts as I am too tired and just need a break, I think if I went 3 or 4 days a week I would be a better angler but I wouldn't enjoy it as I know my family would be missing their dad, and right now more money would be useful, my misses is on universal credit due to being made redundant after the impact of Covid and I could do with some overtime to make ends meet, we are getting by but it doesn't leave a lot spare for bait and tickets etc 

So money and time are important 😁

[yonny]

29 minutes ago, elmoputney said:

Jim shelley does 5 days a week usually I believe then weekends off 

Dave Lane does 2-4 nights depending on Conditions etc 

Not sure what Terry hearn does but I bet its a few days a week

Martin Bowler 5 days a week then does his writing at weekends, 

And just for the record I've not said watercraft isn't important 😭all I am saying is time and money are an important factor 

What we need to bear in mind is that EVERYONE can do this if they choose. We all have choices in our life. To spend 4 days+ a week on the bank you have to make a sacrifice and those sacrifices include a well paid job and everything that comes with that (nice house/car etc). Those sacrifices also normally include a family too. I have known loads of anglers that do time like this and none of them have a mrs, or kids, and hardly any own a house. It's easy to feel jealous about the time they put in until you get home to your family, have a nice meal, and few drink in front of the fire. They don't get to do that.

The list above contains 4 of the most gifted anglers in the country, and if we're talking about money I can tell you now that when they made the decision to follow their chosen path they had nothing. Tel would scrounge teabags at the gates of Yateley and Laney was using any old kit he could scrape together for years. Yes they are successful now but we are talking about the only 2/3 anglers to get paid to go fishing in the entire country. They cannot imo be used under normal context in discussion.

Time and money are completely different factors for me, they cannot really be discussed hand in hand. I could EASILY quit my job and do 4/5 days a week but I'd lose the money/house/car/family etc. No thanks.

Those who say they can't afford a 600 quid ticket; what you mean is you're not prepared to make the sacrifices to free up 600 quid for a fishing ticket (which is completely fair play imo). Anyone with a stable job can free up 50 quid a month if the decide they want it enough but only the individual can decide if they want it enough.

[elmoputney]

42 minutes ago, yonny said:

What we need to bear in mind is that EVERYONE can do this if they choose. We all have choices in our life. To spend 4 days+ a week on the bank you have to make a sacrifice and those sacrifices include a well paid job and everything that comes with that (nice house/car etc). Those sacrifices also normally include a family too. I have known loads of anglers that do time like this and none of them have a mrs, or kids, and hardly any own a house. It's easy to feel jealous about the time they put in until you get home to your family, have a nice meal, and few drink in front of the fire. They don't get to do that.

The list above contains 4 of the most gifted anglers in the country, and if we're talking about money I can tell you now that when they made the decision to follow their chosen path they had nothing. Tel would scrounge teabags at the gates of Yateley and Laney was using any old kit he could scrape together for years. Yes they are successful now but we are talking about the only 2/3 anglers to get paid to go fishing in the entire country. They cannot imo be used under normal context in discussion.

Time and money are completely different factors for me, they cannot really be discussed hand in hand. I could EASILY quit my job and do 4/5 days a week but I'd lose the money/house/car/family etc. No thanks.

Those who say they can't afford a 600 quid ticket; what you mean is you're not prepared to make the sacrifices to free up 600 quid for a fishing ticket (which is completely fair play imo). Anyone with a stable job can free up 50 quid a month if the decide they want it enough but only the individual can decide if they want it enough.

I have previously mentioned the sacrifices these anglers make and have made in my previous posts, I am under no illusion they make sacrifices to do this, and If that is what they want fair play to them, I am not jealous of them having loads of time on the bank either good luck to anyone who can do it, I am merely stating that having money and time would make you a better angler, it would allow you fish to the best of your ability and give you more time, 

And those anglers I chose, I chose because I am aware of the time they commit and have done to get to where they are, bluelabel suggested to me that most top anglers fish less than I do, 

I have also said I think a syndicate ticket is a sacrifice worth making 

I'm really not disagreeing with anything anyone says but people seem to want to disagree with me 😭

 

[Its-grim-up-north]

6 hours ago, elmoputney said:

I have previously mentioned the sacrifices these anglers make and have made in my previous posts, I am under no illusion they make sacrifices to do this, and If that is what they want fair play to them, I am not jealous of them having loads of time on the bank either good luck to anyone who can do it, I am merely stating that having money and time would make you a better angler, it would allow you fish to the best of your ability and give you more time, 

And those anglers I chose, I chose because I am aware of the time they commit and have done to get to where they are, bluelabel suggested to me that most top anglers fish less than I do, 

I have also said I think a syndicate ticket is a sacrifice worth making 

I'm really not disagreeing with anything anyone says but people seem to want to disagree with me 😭

 

I think people are trying to get across that these top anglers haven’t got where they are today because of money as the money they’ve earned has come after the success they made for themselves through hard work, dedication and natural ability. Probably when the majority of them didn’t have a penny to scratch there backsides with. Lol 

[yonny]

25 minutes ago, elmoputney said:

I'm really not disagreeing with anything anyone says but people seem to want to disagree with me

No disagreements bro, it's just a a heathy debate. It's good to be able to have these debates without someone kicking off which is what tends to happen on other forums👍

26 minutes ago, elmoputney said:

I am merely stating that having money and time would make you a better angler

It's all in the wording mate. Neither money or time can make an angler better imo. I know full timers that are rubbish anglers, and I know guys that do hardly any time whose angling skills are nothing short of lethal.

I think what you mean to say is that having time can make an angler (any angler) more successful (in terms of results). 

[bluelabel]

I spent loads of time in my youth fishing and very little time learning... now the boot is on the other foot..  You get out what you put in...

And to my mind rods reels and rigs matter less as much as location and watercraft...

 

When my young padawan takes the pee out of my old gear, I think he's missing the point.. its where you put it and why, that matters... not what with... Elmo... not having a pop at all mate... tight lines...👍

[yonny]

5 minutes ago, bluelabel said:

I spent loads of time in my youth fishing and very little time learning... now the boot is on the other foot..  You get out what you put in...

I can totally relate to that mate. I spent years as a youth just chucking a bait at the water and sitting there waiting. It was only when I was in my mid 20s that I fished a "proper" i.e. low stock water that I realised I would never catch truly special fish by doing that. Looking back it's a wonder that I caught anything at all lol.

[framey]

Fishing is different to all people 

some may use their time to get away from the stresses of life and just be there catching is a bonus

some want to work as hard in their fishing as they do in every other thing in life 

that’s what makes fishing so unique it has something for everyone.

no wrong and no right

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by framey

[ouchthathurt]

A very interesting debate here lads, I’ve enjoyed reading it. I can only go from my personal experiences, in my mind, I have to husband my funds carefully, I know I’m not the only person here who has to do that! When I was in the army, I was extremely fortunate, well paid, cheap rent, food covered, taxes etc... all came out of the pay packet before it hit my account. I would usually have weekends free, I was single and able to hit the roads and afford the wraysbury one ticket. It was under Cemex at the time and wasn’t extortionate, a couple of hundred, which i could afford by a bit of saving. So I went for it and fished the place every weekend. My results were pretty rubbish to be fair! But I loved the place. I looked last week at getting a wraysbury ticket again, it’s several grand now (and the waiting list)so it been priced well out of my price range... my wife is very supportive of my carp angling (which I’m very lucky about) but I think if I spent that, divorce would be a very real possibility! Now I work as an ambulance pilot, the wages aren’t brilliant, the hours are long, my days off are sporadic, I might not get consecutive days off and any trip is a quick overnighter, so my fishing is restricted to local waters. I can get a syndicate ticket for £350 which gives me up to 9 lakes so I start saving in the months leading up to the ticket renewal so I could afford it. I didn’t have the time to commit to lots of sessions, so any time I did have needed to be spent wisely, I would keep tabs on the place by keeping in touch with the bailiff, I’d pop in and wander about, I would walk the lake on arrival, see what’s been caught recently and from where, I’d keep my bait trickling in as much as I was able, I may only have 12-24hrs at my disposal, but if I spend 3hrs walking the water, this is time very well spent. It would be very easy to drop into the first swim, but i could wind up wasting a session, I fish light, so I can up sticks and move if need be. I spent 4yrs chasing one particular carp, which I never felt I was close, I could get carp most sessions, the bait was going well, yet I couldn’t close the deal with this one carp. Then one winter, I leave my bait at home by mistake, so pop into the nearest tackle shop, none of the boilies on offer take my fancy, so I buy a few pints of maggots. Quick lap in the pouring rain of the lake didn’t tell me much, so I went on previous experience of the lake and dropped into a swim. Flicked out a couple of magaliners with pva bags of maggots, and caught the target carp. Time on the bank is what i rely on, I can’t afford very expensive syndicate tickets, I can’t justify hitting the banks every free hour I have, I love my fishing, yet I love my wife and family too! The trick is to strike that balance! Nothing is more precious than time, you can’t buy it, you have to sacrifice to make it (quoting Dave Lane) yes, it’s a fact of life that some of the big ticket waters are pricey, they may have been priced out of the range of some anglers, but there are lots of waters “under the radar” that can be tracked down. In my circumstances, money is irrelevant, I can’t justify travelling long distance to fish new waters, I can’t justify the time, the local syndies in my area are closed shops. My fishing is done on club waters, park lakes and rivers. My park lake/river/canal ticket costs £30 a year, plus £2 a night, or £90 for the “gold card” (nights are free) yet they are tricky waters, I have to work for my fish, watercraft and experience puts my fish on the bank, I could go “full time” and fish it hard, but my house, wife, kids etc will all suffer. But it probably wouldn’t improve my catch rate significantly, one full timer is on a run of 44 blank nights... fishing overnighters, I’ve got a higher catch rate per rod hours fished. I’m happy with the balance I had, although covid has screwed up the plans for a lot of us. So long as you can sit on your chosen water and chill out, you come away at the end of the session looking forward to the next session, the stresses of the day melts away and you enjoy what you’re doing, that’s the main thing! Yes if I was to win the lottery, I could fish more, I would even dig my own lake! But millions in the bank wouldn’t change my outlook on fishing, I’d still want to spend time at home, I’d still have a wife, I’d still have children and time with them is priceless. Right now, I sit at home balancing my income and outgoings, I have to be careful, (a £560 bill for car repairs last month made me weep!) but that’s the same for most of us! Millions in the bank wouldn’t make me a better angler, experience of fishing different waters, watercraft learnt through carping for over 24yrs all over the place and using what time I have on the bank wisely, quality bait and location are more important in my eyes. 

[emmcee]

3 hours ago, elmoputney said:

It isn't about me though, I am in my situation because I have a family etc that comes first,I am happy with that too, family or fishing, family wins, fishing is a hobby a welcome break, the only person I care about being better than is me, I want to improve my skills, catch more and bigger fish but that's it,I have no desire to be the next Terry Hearn or whatever, I learn to do things better each time and always have watched the water constantly, I know I am far from the greatest angler not even the best on my syndicate, but I do what I can,with the time I have,I walk round when I can, find spots, bait up, de weed spots, sometimes when I get there i just go with my guts as I am too tired and just need a break, I think if I went 3 or 4 days a week I would be a better angler but I wouldn't enjoy it as I know my family would be missing their dad, and right now more money would be useful, my misses is on universal credit due to being made redundant after the impact of Covid and I could do with some overtime to make ends meet, we are getting by but it doesn't leave a lot spare for bait and tickets etc 

So money and time are important 😁

Sorry if it seemed like I was aiming it at you, I was trying to generalize it. At the end of the day if the individual is happy in what they are doing then that is the main thing.

I know I've gone fishing just to get away from the rat race for a day or 2. I just pitched up, went to a swim that I knew I'd get piece and quiet in and it was great. No fish, good food and a few drinks and i loved it. I did this another time on a lake I fish in the colne valley. I jumped in a swim on the shallows, I saw no fish and thought perfect. I'd just finished 15 days straight doing 16hr days and was absolutely shattered.  I just wanted peace and quiet. What unfolded you couldn't make up. During the night the fish moved in to the shallows in huge numbers ready to spawn it turned out. I had 7 fish from 1am til 5am. I packed up after the 7th fish to go home and sleep 😂

[emmcee]

54 minutes ago, yonny said:

I can totally relate to that mate. I spent years as a youth just chucking a bait at the water and sitting there waiting. It was only when I was in my mid 20s that I fished a "proper" i.e. low stock water that I realised I would never catch truly special fish by doing that. Looking back it's a wonder that I caught anything at all lol.

Same as and many more did the same no doubt. 

[elmoputney]

1 hour ago, Its-grim-up-north said:

I think people are trying to get across that these top anglers haven’t got where they are today because of money as the money they’ve earned has come after the success they made for themselves through hard work, dedication and natural ability. Probably when the majority of them didn’t have a penny to scratch there [censored] with. Lol 

I totally get that and agree,👍

I used to have a really good shift pattern years ago that allowed me to finish a night shift on a Sunday get to the lake at 6am and fish til Thursday or Friday and still go on the lash all weekend before work Monday, if I had my head now on that younger body, I probably would be a lot more successful lol, but it was the 90s and 00's and I loved partying and fishing was a hobby, I was a fieldtester (team member😂😂) for the bait and feed company, along with Nick actually, we tested a good bait though and did I  catch some nice fish, but actually looking back I probably didn't catch more back then, I still think last year was one of best years as I worked hard and actually think because it was time away from home I wanted to make it count, 

but I never progressed back then and never dared go on to the big boy lakes, St Ives had the Fat lady in at the time,I remember talk of Darrell peck being on there and I could never find the big boy pants to try and have a go, Infact I think then my shifts changed, life changed, and that was when I stopped

1 hour ago, yonny said:

No disagreements bro, it's just a a heathy debate. It's good to be able to have these debates without someone kicking off which is what tends to happen on other forums👍

It's all in the wording mate. Neither money or time can make an angler better imo. I know full timers that are rubbish anglers, and I know guys that do hardly any time whose angling skills are nothing short of lethal.

I think what you mean to say is that having time can make an angler (any angler) more successful (in terms of results). 

That is exactly what I meant 👍

 

1 hour ago, bluelabel said:

I spent loads of time in my youth fishing and very little time learning... now the boot is on the other foot..  You get out what you put in...

And to my mind rods reels and rigs matter less as much as location and watercraft...

 

When my young padawan takes the pee out of my old gear, I think he's missing the point.. its where you put it and why, that matters... not what with... Elmo... not having a pop at all mate... tight lines...👍

It was nice when I had no responsibility, I used to fish a lot more, I didn't realise at the time but I had totally sussed out feeding times on this farm pond, even learnt how to catch the big ones but I didn't realise what I had learnt lol 17lb pond record holder though for a long time 😁

And you 👍

[elmoputney]

9 minutes ago, emmcee said:

Sorry if it seemed like I was aiming it at you, I was trying to generalize it. At the end of the day if the individual is happy in what they are doing then that is the main thing.

I know I've gone fishing just to get away from the rat race for a day or 2. I just pitched up, went to a swim that I knew I'd get piece and quiet in and it was great. No fish, good food and a few drinks and i loved it. I did this another time on a lake I fish in the colne valley. I jumped in a swim on the shallows, I saw no fish and thought perfect. I'd just finished 15 days straight doing 16hr days and was absolutely shattered.  I just wanted peace and quiet. What unfolded you couldn't make up. During the night the fish moved in to the shallows in huge numbers ready to spawn it turned out. I had 7 fish from 1am til 5am. I packed up after the 7th fish to go home and sleep 😂

No problem I don't take it personally, It was just difficult because I was agreeing with everyone, but possibly couldn't say what I meant properly 😂

Personally as long as I enjoy fishing that's what matters, now more than ever I can see the benefit of working harder at it, but sometimes it is nice just to be there relaxing with a tinny and listening to the silence and nature 😏

[ouchthathurt]

3 hours ago, emmcee said:

What unfolded you couldn't make up. During the night the fish moved in to the shallows in huge numbers ready to spawn it turned out. I had 7 fish from 1am til 5am. I packed up after the 7th fish to go home and sleep 😂

Don’t you just hate it when that happens?? Lol! 

[salokcinnodrog]

I think a few of us have done the same thing, worked hard all week, got away to fish, arrived at the lake and just jumped in any swim. 

I did it at Nazeing, I've done it elsewhere, and quite probably not caught because of it. 

At Earith I was 'lucky', the research or previous prebaiting before fishing or at the end of the previous session kept me catching, if I did have to jump in 'any swim'. Arriving at 11 or 12 at night and casting out knowing the swim often caught me fish before having set the bivvy up. 

When I walked around Nazeing Lagoons looking first before setting up, even in winter, I tended to catch. Just turning up and jumping in didn't. 

I guess I can be lucky, but I grew up looking for fish be it tench, bream or carp, on 25acre and 7 acre lakes. Without realising it, I was learning. 

Fishing Taverham I did the same, looked for fish, and twigged that the fish loved fish meals, comparing result of my bird food bait to fish meals. The addition of salmon oil...

Even Alton, I would say my fishing was pretty successful. At least twice every week I walked Sky around it, I had mental pictures of many areas, I had put bait in a few. 

I went through spells of relationships cutting fishing time. At Earith or at Ardleigh it didn't cut down the numbers of fish caught, previous research again.

Now being single I only have work and money to consider to limit my fishing. 

 

 

 

 

[elmoputney]

1 hour ago, salokcinnodrog said:

I think a few of us have done the same thing, worked hard all week, got away to fish, arrived at the lake and just jumped in any swim. 

I did it at Nazeing, I've done it elsewhere, and quite probably not caught because of it. 

At Earith I was 'lucky', the research or previous prebaiting before fishing or at the end of the previous session kept me catching, if I did have to jump in 'any swim'. Arriving at 11 or 12 at night and casting out knowing the swim often caught me fish before having set the bivvy up. 

When I walked around Nazeing Lagoons looking first before setting up, even in winter, I tended to catch. Just turning up and jumping in didn't. 

I guess I can be lucky, but I grew up looking for fish be it tench, bream or carp, on 25acre and 7 acre lakes. Without realising it, I was learning. 

Fishing Taverham I did the same, looked for fish, and twigged that the fish loved fish meals, comparing result of my bird food bait to fish meals. The addition of salmon oil...

Even Alton, I would say my fishing was pretty successful. At least twice every week I walked Sky around it, I had mental pictures of many areas, I had put bait in a few. 

I went through spells of relationships cutting fishing time. At Earith or at Ardleigh it didn't cut down the numbers of fish caught, previous research again.

Now being single I only have work and money to consider to limit my fishing. 

 

 

 

 

I think Earith is one of those lakes though where you can turn up and know roughly where some will be, usually some in reed, some out the back hiding or in the pads between, and the rest somewhere in the big pond, I've found I either get it right or well wrong 😁 but usually the area with least pressure isn't a bad starting point, maybe a ladder is what I need I'm not a tree climber but I could amble up a ladder 🤔

This year I need to catch one out the big bit of lake though, that has evaded me so far and people can have big hits out of it, when they get it right, 

Hmmm a ladder 😁

[...]

12 minutes ago, elmoputney said:

I think Earith is one of those lakes though where you can turn up and know roughly where some will be, usually some in reed, some out the back hiding or in the pads between, and the rest somewhere in the big pond, I've found I either get it right or well wrong 😁 but usually the area with least pressure isn't a bad starting point, maybe a ladder is what I need I'm not a tree climber but I could amble up a ladder 🤔

This year I need to catch one out the big bit of lake though, that has evaded me so far and people can have big hits out of it, when they get it right, 

Hmmm a ladder 😁

https://www.screwfix.com/p/aluminium-telescopic-extension-ladder-2-63m/8418p

[elmoputney]

59 minutes ago, Highy said:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/aluminium-telescopic-extension-ladder-2-63m/8418p

That's the type I wanted I saw Adam Penning had one for that job seems a good idea to me, you could get a good view out from one of those against a tree 🎄👍

[jh92]

11 hours ago, yonny said:

No disagreements bro, it's just a a heathy debate. It's good to be able to have these debates without someone kicking off which is what tends to happen on other forums👍

It's all in the wording mate. Neither money or time can make an angler better imo. I know full timers that are rubbish anglers, and I know guys that do hardly any time whose angling skills are nothing short of lethal.

I think what you mean to say is that having time can make an angler (any angler) more successful (in terms of results). 

When I was a kid my neighbour would take me carp fishing and he was ace at it. We would go to reservoirs where people would be several nights into a session and blanking and he would have 2 or 3 fish in a quick over nighter. Granted he put a lot of effort into it, he would have maps of the lake/reservoir we were fishing with all his findings like bars, holes and snags etc on (he spent a lot of time feeling about with a marker rod), a diary of fish caught on what spot, time of year what way the wind was blowing, air pressure and temperature and before setting up we would of walked the lake a couple times. All his fish would come off his home made baits, usually singles and sometimes the odd 3 bait stringer, he hardly ever baited heavily. He would watch the water all day, winding in mid day and doing a few laps of the lake/reservoir. He was mad about fishing and was hungry to catch carp, he was so focused all the time. I learnt a lot from him, but the way he would fish was hard and on the go all the time. I remember packing up and moving at midnight because he heard fish crashing on the other side of the lake and wanted to get on them 😂 I learnt a lot from him, it's just a shame it didn't all stick 😂

Now for me as I go on my own now, I don't put no where near as much effort in as he did, I will have a look for fish, if I see nothing I'll fish into the wind, have a feel about with a lead, find some spots and hope for the best.. then spend the rest of the day with my feet up in the bivvy having a snooze 😂 I suppose what I'm trying to say I think it there's two types of anglers, not so much time and money but those who are mega focused about fishing and then those who just like to get the rods out and put their feet up 😂

 

[ouchthathurt]

It can obviously depend on your venue as well though, in an ideal world, I’d like to head to a lake, 100% access to the whole lake, carp rolling and bubbling and not a soul to be seen! Yet on the park lake that I’m currently targeting it is anything but! It’s busy with pikers and pleasure anglers (more of these anglers since the start of lockdown 3) there’s a nature reserve that takes up 20% of the bank which is no fishing. One of the swims that allowed you to flick some baits (legally! Lol!) into this area has been permanently shut for health and safety grounds and the other, which allows casting into 80% of the nature reserve water has been declared a days only swim after the club withdrew night fishing as some were snag fishing at night and weren’t reacting in time to takes (snag fishing at night with a loose clutch?? Eh?) the reality is that when I arrive, the top swims will be occupied by other carpers or maggot drowners, and if you wanna dunk a boilie for a few hours, you have to make a choice of the remaining available swims. In this situation, I do feel that I’m fishing more in hope than expectation. Still, my living room is devoid of carp, so I’ve got a better chance at the lakes then on the sofa.