Complicated Rigs.

[salokcinnodrog]

I had 2 carp this weekend on 2 different type of rigs.

The 1st Carp was a double, caught on an 8inch Amnesia pop-up D-rig Snowman fished about 2cms off the bottom.

The 2nd Carp was 24lb+, caught on a simple line aligned Nailer to 8inch Mantis.

 

Ok on a fairly lightly fished reservoir then sophisticated rigs are not essential. Or do we advance for the sake of advancement?

 

Is it strange that the larger fish came on the easier rig to tie?

 

How complicated do you think we make life for ourselves?

[nicb]

Thats an interesting point but I think the answer is simple...

The top fisheries in the country, made famous by there stock, car park, toll lakes, Fen Drayton, the Conns, Conning Brook, Wraysbury, Hoton ect ect have some amazing fish in them and are therefore fished for by the big names... These fish are quite literally hammered non stop, and the majority of them have seen everything that they can... So rigs have progressed and adapted to give them somethong new to think about... When these fish are caught and the captor normally a big name publicises his rig it is always STATED to be this new fangled invension with a hundred swivels and steel rings... So every joe bloggs fishing his local pond attemts to tie the spinner rig or Chod rig because they think thats the best way to catch Carp...

2 things though, I can assure you that the "big names" when fishing untouched or lightly fished waters really dont over complicate things, when chatting with a freind who happened to be a name told me to uncomplicate the rigs and just put the lead straight on the line, when I was younger this seemed a major shock to me, I have wised up a little now ;)

And secondly, and I am not a cinic, there is a chance it will sell more products?

;)

Sweetcorn caught the British rercord!!! ;)

[neilscatchin]

I think that maybe your average angler sometimes does him self a disservice by using the latest all dancing,all singing rig cos it was splattered over the pages of this month's mags.

Whilst the old warriors of Horton/Wraysbury for example have seen everything under the sun they're still as suseptable as the fish in a local pond if the bait is presented in a manner in which it behaves naturally and doesn't arouse suspicion.

 

As long as your rig mechanics are sound and more importantly YOU as an angler have confidence that if your hookbait is sucked in by a feeding fish,your hook will find a strong hold,then it doesn't matter what you use.

:)

[gazzza1]

i use a simple 5inc korda IQ to a noemal semi fixed lead and a normal knotless hair setup. Rigs dont come any simplier than that and i use it for all my fishing in all types of conditions. Never had any problems and wouldn't fish anything else.

 

I think the simpler the better and the more complex a rig is the more that can go wrong.

[nicb]

Totally agree with your thoughts, in general, but not sure it is always the case... I have been lucky enough to fish some of the countries top waters, with varying results and have often sat up trees or in boats and watched the fish for hours, and the way they behave... Some rigs are just not good enough for these fish, they are far to bright for it and will dismiss it out of hand... I once fished as a guest of a big name at Toll Pits, Jim had some whackers over his baits and all around, the intellegence these fish showed was amazing, spiting baits out, and at one stage one upended over a pop up took it in, then another swam ova to him and bumped into him, he then reversed of the bait and swam off... We spent hours trying to work our way around it...

The truth of the matter is that every rig will suit a certain situation. I certainly would never dream of using one rig soley as I think it is very important to be able to adapt accordingly to different situations...

If I had to conclude I would say that IN GENERAL, if I was fishing for 1 bite as I do most of the time if possible I would use a critically balanced bait on as light a mono as poss or on braid so that when disturbed the bait will act as naturally as possible.. If I have more than 2 fish feeding on my baits I will try a pop up, probably just an inch of the deck, normally on Tels rig and I try and keep the bait as inconspicuous as possible so that it is just washed in in the general act of feeding..

Well thats me done!

[marcustackley]

I think we often try and make simple things complicated because it's been drummed in to us that these things work on big or 'hard' waters.

 

I fished a very low stocked 53 acre water (10 pegs) last weekend and a Pike fisherman who was stalking around pulled a very neatly crafted Withy Pool rig from the Jaws of an 8lb Pike. The carp in there aren't shy biting or 'wise' they are just very few and far between (60 in total) sometimes I think we tie these rigs to impress the carp in hope that they find it so aesthetically pleasing they take the bait just to meet the angler

[salokcinnodrog]

nicb

I agree with most of your thoughts, although I am a firm believer in getting the fish to "enjoy" eating your bait. Once they do that their guard is lowered so often a simple conventional rig will score. As a result I end up the majority of the time using Bottom Baits.

I did have an "In yer Face" brightly topknotted Snowman on one rod Sunday as the fish had been spawning and I wanted a visible bait to attract their attention as they left the spawning area, but this is a rarity.

 

I do not rely solely on one rig. I do experiment and try out different things, but often find that I end up going back to my simple size 6/8 Line Aligned Braid Hair Rig, which works on the majority of waters I have fished.

I will state though, that I do not fish heavily fished pressurized waters. If I did then i would probably experiment more.

As for going on, from the standard hair rig, then the next step is the sliding hair, the D-rig, Savay Loony tube extension, and so on.

 

Don't get me wrong I know there are many more up to date rigs than that, but these are just progressive steps on from the original concept of the "basic" Hair.

How many fish would we catch just by going on by going back in time to some of these rigs?

[nicb]

Deffo, agree with everything and in an ideal world, which everynow and then it can be, if the fish are on the bait then they will NORMALLY take a hookbait.... On a lot of waters I can see no issues with the approach and indeed it agrees with a previous post of mine... But sometimes there are band wagon posts, use a straight forward this, yeah dont over complicate, dont listen to the latest AC article ect ect in a lot of cases this is correct.. I am merely pointing out that this is NOT ALWAYS the case hence my Toll Pits example, there may be numerous occassions, especially on the pressured waters or very very old and wise carp that something a bit different, and possibly a progression is required.

[gregs]

most of these fancy rigs have hardly caught a carp, but have caught many a carper.

the secret to catching carp is to put a good bait in front of a feeding fish .location beats application ever time.

we credit carp with more sense than they really have.

all the flash rigs are dreamt up to fill magazines.

[purkis]

i think its being harsh on big names. most of them say keep it simple. even the ones writing mags such as lee jackson and terry hearn. at the end of the day every water presents itself in a different away and has different demands. carp arent clever otherwise once caught on a boilie a fish would never be caught again on one. all complicated rigs still have a hook and line. i think varying bait not rigs is the key and of course location

[nicb]

Atlast, differing oppinions and a decent debate...

I agree with a few bits, but totally dissagree with numerous others, saying all progression rigs are designed to fill mags in not true, maybe everynow and again it may be the case but to say it comprehensively is not right...

Unquestionabely we over credit the Carps INTELLIGENCE, what we dont over estimate is their instinct, carp learn by association If a carp gets hooked or spooked reguarly in one swim, on one bait, on one rig it will undoubtabley wise up and has been the case on the majority of the waters I fish... The exception to the rule would be waters with a substantial head of carp where feeding is a competition...

I have been in the presence of numerous article writers who are using progressive rigs that they have published, remember back to Tels Spinner rig, he created that awful looing rig and fished it on the top waters in the Country his success is unparreled, I can vouch for him using this rig, I also use it myself to great effect with pop ups... I have also seen Rob using his maggot rig exstensively although it has been published.... Yes on numerous occasions rigs are designed to sell produts, but by no means all the time...

As I have said before, and numerous others also, the Key to Carp fishing is the ability to adapt to a situation..

1st you find them, then you concoct a way to fish for them and then you use tackle, baits and rigs that will enable you to do thid properly..

Eg, If I can fish straight on the bottom with no debris it will be a snake bite combi with a critically ballence dbottom bait, if there is debris I will use Tells rig and a pop up, if there is feet of weed I will use a Zig or float fish and so on and So forth. ther are so many people out there with oppinions it is up to you weather you follow them have an open mind, if you read in a carp mag that So and so used this to good effect in this situation and that suits your circumstances then give it a go, dont be a sheep and jump on the "big names make such and such up to sell X,Y &B" because that is not by anymeans always the case...

[salokcinnodrog]

Just a thought to add to this.

 

I know we all have our favourite simple rig that works for us, but any rig tied on Super Mantis, Snakebite or any of the coated Braids is fishing a rig that is more complicated than standard.

 

I know by definition a Combi rig is Advanced and complicated, then look at the Coated Braids.

If you fish with the Coated Braid/multistrand rig and remove any part of the coating to create a different effect, then surely you are not fishing with a simple standard rig?

 

I am quite happy fishing Braid with Leadcore or tubing as it prevents tangles, but to use a Coated Braid, the stiffness kicks it away from the Mainline if you are not using tubing or leadcore. Then fishing the last part of the Coated Braids with a hinge/stripped section makes it a 'complicated/advanced' rig.

[mvodkaman]

IM with nicb on this one ,adapt your rigs to suit the situation.

 

having fished a lot of clear waters where it is possible to actually watch the fish feeding has given me a totally different outlook on rigs.

 

many times ive watched as a carp has eaten all my freebies and totally ignored my hookbait.

on a certain lake where criticaly balanced rigs were in vogue i have watched fish fan the baits before picking up the ones that didnt move.

 

its sometimes enough to make you think about giving it all up

 

i do use pretty basic rigs for most of my fishing usually line aligned or with shrink tubing as i have to be happy with the turning action.

 

i believe that virtually all carp however wary will on occassions feed strongly without caution and simple rigs will catch.

 

 

its the challenge that keeps you going back,what are the carp doing under the water,has your rig been sussed,have you been cleaned out,do i need to change rig,pop up,critically balanced? bottom bait?

there is no deffinative answer

 

its a thinking angler that is the better angler.

[fraggle]

i like to keep things simple as much as possible. i fish a small 'redmireish' water, small silty, overgrown but pressured. it will often have 2-4anglers on it 24hrs a day, 365days of the year. (yep even xmas day there is an angler on it.) for a small, (1 1/4acres) posd the pressure is immense. the fish have seen every rig you can think of. i did a week session last week, only 2fish came out all week, both falling to my baits and tactics. i experimented with all sorts of rigs and presentations, blow back rigs, the bow rig, the recoil rig, the withy pool rig etc, the 2fish both feel to simple presentations. the first, (a small mirror) fell to a simple knotless knot presentation and 12ml bottom bait, the next fish, (a mid double common) fell to a simple combi rig and pop up one inch from bottom. both baits were fished in total isolation along patrol routes i had observed carp moving and feeding along. i think we can make it a bit too complicated at times. i ask my rig only one thing, to pass the 'palm test' ie, drag a hooklink along your palm, and see houmany times it flips over and digs in. a simple long shank hook with a knotless knot arrangement and a small peice of silicone tubing on the eye of the hook will 'flip and dig' almost every drag, where as without the tubing on the eye, it rarely hooks at all, asking the question, how many times doesa carp take the bait and not get hooked? i find shortshanked hooks are less prone to 'flip and dig' as well. whatever test you do to determine the hooking properties of your rig, you need to bait it first, doing the test without a bait on the hair is pointless, as it will react totally different when the bait is on the hair.

 

[ripslider]

I'm an outsider to the carp scene, but read a lot of the books and magazines that are produced.

 

I think that there is a lot of over-complication, and a lack of, for a better word, under-complication, in some, not all, of the carp world.

 

Simple things, like the pressured waters that are discussed. Why fish such a water? Fish a river, or a different, less battered lake.

 

For myself as someone who is not in the scene very deeply, I would say even things such as in-line leads are advancement for advancments sake in "some" cases. In waters where rigs need to seem natural, why tie them down solid to the bottom. Using a normal bomb on a 10 inch paternoster not only would massivly increase bite sensitivity but also would make the terminal tackle, what ever it may be, act more naturally.

 

To me, it seems that carp fishing advances massively in some directions while staying very static in others. Rigs seems to change constantly, and there is a huge amount of thinking that goes into them, and bait flavours change by the day, but rigs are almost all fixed or semi fixed ledger rigs, these days with short pieces of stiff linkage between the lead and the hook, and bait is almost totally small round boilies with pellets and particles as feed.

 

What I get lost with is why the advancement happens all in specific area's and not others? I asked in another post about this. I've had lots of doubles, a good few twenties and a thirty in this year, all the time fishing simply but using, or at least trying to use, what I've learned from 50 years of knowledge in books and forums like these. I have never fished a fixed or semi-fixed rig. I use a hair rig very occasionally, but I still do well. Not great, but well.

 

People like Taylor, Walker, Ingram etc didn't have the knowledge that we have, nor the tackle or the size of fish to catch, but if they did, would they have fished differently than they did?

[commonhunter]

marcustackley you are so so right!!!

 

 

 

sometimes I think we tie these rigs to impress the carp in hope that they find it so aesthetically pleasing they take the bait just to meet the angler

 

watched carp crew friday night.... showed lee Jackons Rig he caught "Two Tone on!!!!!!!!

 

knotless to a size 4 about 6-7in long... fished with a single piece of maize

 

 

proper simple.....some would say too simple for a british record!!!!!!!!! wonder if many people fish conninbrook?!?!?!?!?!?

[london_geeza]

i only ever fish a sinking braided mainline normally 8-10 inches, or a combi rig with amnesia/braid. but if i use a pop up i always use the 360 rig now, there the only 3 rigs ive ever used in years and years and they are the 3 i feel confident with. ive gotta say i have changed the hooklength materials a number of times but never changed the rigs well atleast i cant remember using any other rigs.

[beanz]

i still not convinced that fish could tell the differance between a normal hair rig or d ring and think the withypool rig needs the carp to come on to the bait from the right direction so id never use it. but what i want to know is

 

does any one fishing a top lake use a simple rig? as i reckon the fish get caught on these new rigs as the isnt a simple rig out there to be caught on

[ripslider]

i still not convinced that fish could tell the differance between a normal hair rig or d ring and think the withypool rig needs the carp to come on to the bait from the right direction so id never use it. but what i want to know is

 

does any one fishing a top lake use a simple rig? as i reckon the fish get caught on these new rigs as the isnt a simple rig out there to be caught on

 

 

Turn the question around. I fish fish "good" lakes (and lots of less "top" ones as well ). Two of them have thrown up high 30's before, and I have caught low thirties ( twice, but still Plural !!!) there.

 

Both lakes takes a pretty heavy hammering, and are "trendy" lakes. More time is spent talking about rig design and the newest bait than actual fishing it seems sometimes.

 

Then there is me. I fish there with a single rod, which I've re-built myself, to work in exactly the way I want, but looks shoddy as anything, a small reel, a fly vest with my bits in, a net and a peice of black neoprene to sit on. And that's it. It it doesn't fit in my vest, or a rucksack, them I'm not interested.

 

Don't get me wrong, I do fish buzzers and chair styles of fishing, but not really for carp, and never on these lakes, as they don't need it.

 

I fish really simple rigs. I free line and touch ledger with an arlesey bomb, split shot and hook. I fish the float, both the lift, the slider and using a pole float for the margins. I use a balanced ledger when i'm in weed and if bites are shy, I'll use a paternoster, like is used for feeder fishing for bream. For floater fishing, I tie a twig or piece of stick to my line.

 

I get a LOT of abuse for this, especially from people who haven't seen me around before. Maybe abuse is the wrong word, mockery might be better. There is a lot of jeering, but I'm not bothered, I'm there for fish, not to be considered cool, although it would be nice if I was.

 

I don't fish like this to make a point, and nor becuase that's the either technical or financial limit to my angling. It's becuase that's all I really need to catch some fish on these lakes.

 

I don't need a chair becuase I'm moving every 1/2 hour, or whenever I've had a fish. The mat also keeps me really low, and if your really low, you naturally stay still better. It's also a good unhooking mat. The rigs I fish are "different", and different helps. They are also totally simple, with at most two knots and so two points of failure.

 

I make up for my lack of groovey kit with as much water craft and pre-planning as I can although there is still a LOT to learn. And I go expecting to catch two fish, and hoping for three, and I'm usually on target. This is either in an afternoon/evening or early morning session. At most 6 hours.

 

I try and follow the three rules of catching fish. Find the fish. present them with a bait they'll take. Have a rig that will hook and land the fish.

 

No matter how good the rig, it won't find the fish, I need to do that. So I move until I find them. I use a bait they will take, and I figure that if they get hooked on boilies and corn a lot, I should use something else, and I fish the simplest rig I can, becuase for every complication I add, my reasoning says that that's another point of potential error.

 

Lots of the anglers think this is a hard lake, and maybe it is, but not if you pull it to pieces and solve the problem by being willing to use what ever pieces of idea seem exactly right for the problem to be solved. I would say that fishing into a single pitch is a level of complication before the session even starts. River fishing for carp is hard, that takes a lot of different types of skill and requires some additional complications, ( like having to think about countering the effects of wire traces when dead baiting ( try it, honestly, for river carp one of the very best baits is a dead minnow, but so do perch and pike sadly ) keeping baits away from chub, natural presentation in a flow etc etc, ) but this specific lake is easy enough if the rules that everyone knows are followed. Still a challenge, but that's why I fish.

 

I guess a lot of people who read this are thinking that I'm some sort of Chris Yates character. I'm really not. I'm totally happy with almost all area's of tactics that modern carp anglers fish, apart from Lead core and fixed rigs, which is a purely a personal choice, and i use the same methods as well, but when it's exactly the right method to use. I'll start simple, and slowly add complexity until it's needed. However, in waters where complex is the normal way of fishing, then simple ALWAYS gives an advantage, as long as you go simple enough to start with, and trade less complexity for more thinking.

 

I think more thinking is the key. Did anyone see Terry Hearns write up of how he used compost for his margin fishing? That's an awesome idea. He still used, by my thinking, pretty complicated rigs, and my gut feel is that he didn't have too, he could have just fee lined a bunch of worms for example, but he made his life easier with thinking, rather than going to the next level of complexity in his rigs, which a lot of other carp writers seem to do in their articles. The Withypool rig seems an example of this.

 

Prior to Mary, the last two british records were caught on free lined lump of balanced breadpaste, and a freelined hook of three grains of sweetcorn.

 

Steve

[commonhunter]

WOW!!!!

 

i've been blown away!!!!!

 

 

Ripslider (steve), Thank you Thank you Thank you.

 

You have summed it up. In fact i'd go as far as to say that, you have explained and answered at least 80% of this entire sites forums.

 

it's the way i fish and i know the jeering your on about!!! don't get me wrong when the Greys tools and shimano XTE's need using they get using!!!! and thats the point! as i've mentioned before on this site, i have caught carp still on a side hooked bait! i do use braided link with a knotless but only when needed!

 

i will say though Steve, you've kinda let the cat out the bag a bit!!! lol.... It'll never catch on mate!!! Not much stainless in sight!!!

[ripslider]

Yes, your right. When I need to use my Prodigys and bait runners, I do as well, but I only use them when it's exactly the right way to fish at the specific time, and in that specific place.

 

As for side hooked baits, I use a hair rig for Pike more than carp. Again, it's a specific tool for a specific problem, but I'd say 80% of my fish are caught with a normally hooked bait.

 

Have I summed up anything? Maybe, but I guess it's stuff that everybody already has in their heads, and doesn't use. As I said, Simple is not always right. I just think that it's more often "right" than additional complication makes a fishing problem.

 

Have I let the cat out of the bag? No, it's been out for years if you look for it. Sherringham was writing about it tens of decades ago, Walker, Stone, Drennan, Ingham, Yates, Wilson, Bob james, they all refined it and thought about it more, but they were still left with the three rules of fishing. Location, Bait, Rig. In that order.

 

On the lakes I discussed below, most people fish in a specific way, and a good session is maybe 2 fish in 48 hours. I fish in a different way, and I expect 2 fish in six hours. That's not bragging, my fishing partner also expects the same amount of fish, and generally does a lot better than me. We can do it becuase we traded thinking on the toilet and in the bath ( please note. NOT TOGETHER!!!!) for time on the bank.

 

Everything that anyone needs to quadruple their catch rate, and I really swear that quadrupling is totally possible, is sitting in the library. Why build new things, complicated things, when the simple things have been honed to perfection by the greatest minds that angling has ever had?

 

We all borrow idea's from each other, from books, DVD's and magazines forums. These idea's say "This is a way to catch a fish"

 

However, there is a second world of information available, if you look for it, that says "Think, and then fish only after you've thought, and here are the tools you need to help you think".

 

I want to catch carp. Lots of other species as well, but carp are my second favourite fish, and I want to catch a lot of them. I figure that Carp took up most of the time of most of the people on the list above, and they were damn good at solving the problem of how to catch fish, so I should listen to what they have to say.

 

If there is a cat to be let out, then maybe, sometimes, it's that carp are a lot easier to catch than people think. Sometimes, and again I'm thinking of things like the withy rigs, and the d-ring rig, the carp seem to be caught in SPITE of the rig, rather than becuase of it. I guess the acid test is "Would I fish for a Dace or a chub, which really are difficult, spooky fish to catch, with a scaled down version of this rig?"

 

My personal opinion, for all that it's worth, which is not a huge amount, is that every time the question "What rig should I use" is asked, then the first thing to do is ask if the solution can be found with hook to line and nothing else.

 

If the answer is no, and that is not a huge number of occasions, then the "best" rig should be looked for by adding a single piece of kit to the rig at a time, to solve a single specific problem and ensuring that there is a totally solid reason why it's being added, and that there is no simpler solution

 

( i.e, I want to floater fish at range. I could use a controller, but that has weights, swivels, needs beads etc. I can do the same thing with a piece of stick from the bank, and the carp are a lot less wary of a stick than something sitting perpendicular in the water, painted black and orange and with dangly bits of brass on it ).

 

Tackle for tackles sake, with no reason behind it, adds difficulties, and difficulties equals less fish.

 

However, that's my opinion only. terry Hearn has caught a lot more, bigger fish than I have, and he uses complicated, to me at least, rigs. But if, for example, Peter Thomas were to fish the same waters for the same time, as Terry did, or Richard Walker did, who would put money on Terry Hearn having as high, or impressive, catch rate, was Thomas or Walker would?

 

Steve

[salokcinnodrog]

Steve (ripslider)

 

Again Thanks. My point as well. I much prefer to stalk Carp with basic Tackle and Rigs, although I not quite as Antique as you and your Tackle. Lol:p

Seriously my normal stalking method is Lift Float and a Slightly weaker hooklength. I too have found that I can catch as many fish in 4/5 hours fishing than many do in 48hours and often the average size of mine is bigger.

 

I remember a particular occasion at Taverham Mills. My mate Bruce and I arrived at 4 in the afternoon and set up for overnight. He hooked and landed a small double at about 4 in the morning. From 8 oclock to 4 in the afternoon I ended up with 8 fish caught on floaters and Lift Float, the biggest going 17.10. That week there were only 12 fish caught from Saturday to Saturday and I had the most and the biggest of the week.

 

As for using my Century Sp's and Aerlex's, I do that at night when I cast out to continue fishing, after spending as much time looking/stalking fish in the daytime.

 

I know a lot of the theory behind 'Complicated' rigs , but find that in most cases get the fish feeding comfortably and my basic standard rigs work as well as the all singing, all dancing swivel knotted, line aligned, looped fluorocarbon/braid untwisted combi rig. :D

[ripslider]

Vintage??

 

hmmm... I don't think I am. Maybe I am compared to the likes of Mercers Hearn and Jackson, but I do like to have nice things, but only if I can justify buying them. Harrision blanks, Prodigys, Bait runners and a complete 2004 Greys fly outfit for the carp and pike isn't TOO old, is it??

 

I was thinking about this thread today. I figure whats happening is that 80% of the people who read this thread, and others that I've written in, either think I'm an idiot or a lunatic. 10% know what I'm talking about becuase either they choose to fish like me, or, more likely, are limited financially as to how they can fish. Simple is also cheap, and 10% are thinking about what people like me, common hunter, salokcinnodrog are saying.

 

I think that "thinking" is better than huge numbers of hours on the bank. I also guess it's cheaper. Good Lord it needs to be when it's time to take the missus on holiday and she needs new clothes!!!! However, lots of people get a lot of pleasure from fishing long sessions and being away from it all, being confident that their bait is still on the end of the hook and enjoying the time to relax with fishing. I'm like that too sometimes as well.

 

I'd be interested to see what people who read this thread are thinking about what, really, is a heresey to modern carp fishing. Do people think that what we're saying is right, wrong, misguided, making them think, making them angry??

 

Steve

[cookieguy]

Ripslider,I have read your posts,then read them again.What a breath of fresh air they are!

You convey my own personal sentiments on carp fishing exactly.

Far too much technical wizardry is used for far too few results.I only hope some of the younger readers of this forum get to see your threads and think about what you are trying to say/achieve.

Reading your posts was a few minutes well spent.Thanks.

[commonhunter]

Steve (rip), Salok,

 

My Best Friend thinks we're, mad! he is very new to the carp scene, and has just spent a ridiculous amount of money on all the bling!!! Solar pod Blah Bah Etc........

 

we went and did a 48 hr session in which i caught the lake record!! no body else caught a fish except my mate!!!!!! he hadn't caught up till the last hour! i saw a fish earlier in the day, in the margin under his feet!!! i tied a size 10 Korda Hybrid straight to my 8lb mainline threaded on 2 lob worms and told him to put it down by his feet!!!!!

 

24lb 1oz Mirror....a new pb his previous being 11lb. he was so so happy!!! as you know!

 

later that day he said thanks and all that then he said something that knocked me of the floor!!!!!

 

"that was a fantasic fish but i want to be a carper, and can't wait to catch one off the buzzers!!!!"

 

He doesn't feel he fits in the scene unless he's got 3/4 rods on a pod etc.......

 

Thats the problem!! image! i don't give a monkeys what i look like on the bank!!

 

so to your question what annoy's the modern carp angler!!! i'd say me and you do, because we don't have to look like a carper to catch big fish!!! how dare we....... they've spent thousands on their gear and we only use one rod!!!!!! and Mr Crabtree Style...

 

i get called all sorts on the bank!!! because of my day-to-day carp gear!!! i use and take to the bank....1 rod (Split cane, Richard Walker Replica) 1 centrepin reel, and an ESP stalking bag... if it's not in that then it ain't cummin!

 

My gear is always on me, i work for myself! if i'm passing a lake during the day i'll stop and have a look... if i see what i want to see, i'll fish for an hour or so. get a fish (if i see what i want this is expected) i'm still a carper!!!!

 

it was funny though when i went to DreamLakes in France!!!!!!!!the baliffs faces at my gear!!!!!! i only fished the days never the nights, just sat in my bivvy watching dvd's!!!! me and me RW stacked a load of fish to 48lb......

 

i'll find out what carpercarl thinks about this thread!!!! he's a young guy who is a very good modern carp angler!! i'd like to here his views!!!

 

Rob.