“Carping is like going from noughts and crosses to chess!”
IS THERE any bigger sector in today’s angling world than carp fishing? As little as the purists like to admit it, this branch of the sport has spawned a whole new tribe of anglers, while keeping many local tackle shops afloat.
Dedicated carp tactics also seem to divide those who fish, sadly, with neither side covering itself in glory. While it’s a bit tragic to see anglers who’d never even consider freelined bread over motionless bite alarms, it’s also rather lazy to knock an entire school of fishing on the basis that it’s not to your taste, or you wish it was still 1970.
As an angling coach, I’d be silly not to cater for carp fishing when demand is so high. Recently it’s been my pleasure to show new anglers the ropes. I always keep an open mind, and have probably learned as much as my pupils in the process.
For anyone who thinks carp angling is lazy by default, it can be as challenging, active and technical as any other style you care to name. Compared with basic float fishing, it’s like going from noughts and crosses to chess!
My latest “victim”, James Breeden, posed a particularly interesting challenge. Based in Texas most of the time, he wanted to learn some basic techniques he could then take back across the Atlantic.
With most Americans not remotely interested in our bestloved species, he’d have a whole list of benefits and drawbacks to navigate.
On the one hand, wild, unpressured fish of 30lb or more could be his – on the other, good luck finding hair rigs or boilies in American tackle shops.
A quiet, high-stock water seemed the ideal place to get used to bite alarms, bolt rigs and the rest, along with that all-important fish playing and handling practice. Again, after decades of fishing, you forget how less than obvious so many of the skills are, from hairrigging baits to correctly setting your bite indication.
Thankfully, the carp were in the mood and, with a simple bolt rig set-up, we soon had a screaming run. Another thing we forget in our cynicism is how well these fish, now so universally widespread, will battle on balanced gear.
Thankfully, so many things
Practice makes perfect – and I can’t wait to see how my student fares in the US.
in carp angling, like accurate casting and fish care skills, are the same whether you’re in Devon or the Deep South. That said, along with lots of practice, I also made sure James left with a handy shopping list for Exeter Angling Centre, consisting of all those items not easily obtainable in the USA.
Mission accomplished, anyway, and the other great thing about being a coach is sending someone away with fresh potential.
Indeed, I simply can’t wait to see what James catches in the coming months, as he puts his new skills into practice on the other side of the big pond.