It doesn't make sense.

As I walked home from work, yesterday night, the calls of Redwings could be heard in the darkness - newly arrived migrants or simply birds moving within the UK? Conditions were overcast, yet still, and their calls carried in the night sky. The weather/seasons are completely out of sync! There are Sycamores with all their leaves, the Rowans are loaded with berries (yet no thrushes) and Birches are resplendent in their Autumn finery - everything is a month, or so, behind schedule?
The pike of the RMC are equally affected, although I am experiencing a moderate level of success, there is no pattern to my results and I am getting very little return for my efforts. On Sunday morning I was fortunate to meet up with a local angler, Bob, who I not bumped into before. He was a really nice guy, full of advice on the fish of the RMC, a very competent, and experienced, big fish angler. We spoke of the Barbel in the R.Stour, he'd spent a couple of years fishing the river, five or so years ago and was of the opinion that the venue was "difficult" to master - his best fish going little more than 10lbs! He also spoke about the Chub fishing potential of the river - he'd taken fish to 6lbs; very much in line with our results.

In big fish angling there are times when other species get relegated to "nuisance" status - chub are, to barbel anglers, what bream and tench are to the carp boys! It's a shame, yet a sign of the single-minded obsession that specimen hunting produces. It has never been possible to place a label upon a bait - "Barbel only!" etc, etc.. To my mind, the most worrying trend, in big fish angling, is the willingness to return fish to the water without bothering to weigh them - "that's about 12lbs, it's a mid-double, and, in the case of French carp angling, it's a low-thirty!!!!" I have absolutely no doubt that experienced anglers have the ability to "guesstimate" the weight of their captures, fairly accurately but, find it quite ridiculous that this practise is publicised by "celebrity" anglers - so perpetuating the practise by those less experienced.
The wildly exaggerated claims, that I have seen, are beyond belief - hence me placing four images on the Ramsgate Dragoncarp "Wall of Fame". If I can be bothered to go fishing for big fish, then it stands to reason that I would like to know the weight when I'm fortunate enough to catch such a specimen! This "I don't carry a camera or scales" nonsense doesn't work for me! I keep meticulous records of every fish over 10lbs, that I've ever caught, plus photographic evidence. It could be that I am not so successful that I can't afford to dismiss these "low-doubles" - however, I would prefer to see it as a mark of respect for every individual fish that graces my landing net..