The anglers of today are missing out on learning the basics

KEVIN Folwell’s article on catching weights of silvers on the pole to hand gave me some great tips and brought back fond memories of fishing in my youth.

When I was younger everybody started fishing with a whip, which works in the same manner. Anglers built up their skills on this tactic before trying other things.

A whip enabled you to learn the basics of tying up simple rigs, how to feed and how to play fish correctly.

Nowadays, though, it seems that fishing to hand is bypassed, as anglers either go straight for the three-rod carp set-up or a pole that costs four figures.

Missing out this stage of development can’t be good for newcomers, as vital skills are surely being missed by jumping in at the deep end. Pete Mitchell, Stafford