tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338589224051075532.post6670527415254426289..comments2024-03-29T08:25:42.543+00:00Comments on Of Esox & observations : It's been hard goingDylan Wrathallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01285181139467170047noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338589224051075532.post-70841196410636233322017-01-08T14:55:02.429+00:002017-01-08T14:55:02.429+00:00One of the supervisors, at work, has a nice little...One of the supervisors, at work, has a nice little side line in buying up gear from "failed carp anglers" then keeping whatever he requires and the e-baying the rest. I got a pair of Maximizer 70 "Big Pits" for £30 - very nice! Sye also dabbles in this lucrative market, although he's a little more selective with his purchases - usually technology rather than hardware, of which he has all he needs. The reason that these guys become disillusioned is fairly obvious - the hype surrounding carp angling rarely lives up to unrealistic expectations. The whole industry has portrayed itself as a lad's jolly up! Beer, laughs and plenty of big fish. The reality is far from this idyll - we earned our fish, we did our apprenticeships chasing "lesser" species, learning the skills and watercraft required to assist our efforts in pursuit of our chosen quarry. It's only now that I realize how special my time on Tring was; not just the fishing, but the characters who impacted upon my own development, as an angler, during this halcyon period.Dylan Wrathallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01285181139467170047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338589224051075532.post-4677891856849055462017-01-08T08:42:45.716+00:002017-01-08T08:42:45.716+00:00My biggest Carp is 15lb 3oz from the GU Canal in 1...My biggest Carp is 15lb 3oz from the GU Canal in 1980, so if I ever caught one bigger, there's a good chance I'd weigh it. <br />I agree that such fish deserve to be recorded. However, the modern carp angler quite often isn't really an angler at all, so maybe we have to make allowances. At least we may be able to buy up all their discarded tackle for peanuts when they drift off to play another game.Richttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02714117508358025668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338589224051075532.post-40248295617330943882017-01-07T18:56:03.569+00:002017-01-07T18:56:03.569+00:00Richie - I well remember how anal you were, way ba...Richie - I well remember how anal you were, way back then - weight was paramount; accuracy was everything! I have done my best to ensure that those statistics which are recorded within my diary pages are accurate, an ounce here or there? What I find baffling is the glib announcement of "another mid twenty" - "a thirty" as if it were like going shopping at Tesco! These fish deserve more respect than this - surely? If you can find the £1,000's to indulge in modern carp angling, that extra £30 for a set of scales shouldn't be too prohibitive?Dylan Wrathallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01285181139467170047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7338589224051075532.post-55367257103943325892017-01-07T18:10:02.064+00:002017-01-07T18:10:02.064+00:00Dyl, when I realised that a Startops 3lb Roach was...Dyl, when I realised that a Startops 3lb Roach was a possibility (Steve Gorrick caught one of 3lb 1/2oz in Sept '83'), I was determined that accuracy was paramount. I bought some very accurate scales which measured 4lb' x 1oz. I also laid my hands on a calibrated 1lb weight to zero the scales in with. Once this was done I was confident I could weigh to within a half ounce.<br />In Febuary of 1984, I landed a fish which went 2lb 15 & 1/2oz. It wasn't a 3lb. <br />Good job it wasn't a 3lb. I'd made clear to all and sundry that if I caught a 3, I'd jump in the canal. Lee and Jeff reckoned that if I hadn't jumped, they would have thrown me in.<br />As Jeff slyly mentioned after the fish had been returned, "That was lucky Ric!".<br /><br />Richttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02714117508358025668noreply@blogger.com