Commercial fisheries ruining angling

[Steve1]

I think commercials are are one of the worst things that could have happened to angling.
Kids to-day just want to catch big carp and they don't get a chance to learn to fish

You see them arrive on the bank with all the carp gear that mum and dad have bought them for Christmas
throw out a lead with a boilie and sit there in there bivie picking there nose till they get fed up then start messing about.
No one has ever shown them to set up a float or plummet the depth (had one lad could find the depth because he had lost his plummet, ever thought of a big split shot)

If they started off in a farmers pond where they had to work to catch fish they would learn the hard way
but at leased they would learn and then become better anglers.

[Wend1]

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[BigS]

If you asked some of these boilie boys how to put a float on, they would not know which way up it went

[DaveE]

Commercials have definitely lead to an increase in interest in angling but have also lead to an increase in lazy, clueless anglers.
I don't often fish commercials because I prefer relatively quiet waters and I also like to use a keepnet.
I'm always pleased when a new commercial opens as it means less knobheads on the meres, rivers, Ireland etc.
 

[baldie]

Hi,

I have been fishing since being 5 year old, was taught by my older brother, and have been bitten ever since with fishing not just coarse but all modes Fly, Sea, Plug, etc.

In total 48 years fishing, (53 years old) I think commercials have a place in the fishing community, but it is sad to see the way some of the fish are handled, this is where education is required. Most of the time I am trout fishing I only fish for sport, and as a rule all fish must be unhooked in the landing net which must be kept in the water whilst unhooking, reducing handling and stress of the fish to a minimum.

Commercials have a place for youngsters to give them an interest, as youngsters have a short attention time, and if they are not catching something then they soon lose interest, but they must be supervised by an experienced angler, who must show them the correct way of tackling up, reading the swim, plumbing the depth, method to use, baits to try, and handling of fish.

I will always offer advice if required, I have been a Sea Angler Casting instructor over 25 years and have helped hundreds of people improve their casting and fishing enjoyment, all at no charge.

Just my twopenneth, no doubt other peoples opinions will differ.

Regards

Dave

[Wend1]

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[ant.]

i used to love fishing comercials when i was a kid, we used fish larton every day. now days places seem to get packed with kids chucking kilos of pellets in, running around, and generally being a pain in the arse ive got nothing against kids fishing and everyone needs to start somewere. am allways prepared to show them things but i dont give out tackle as it costs a fortune when some young lad throws your float up a tree first cast.
i was quite lucky when i was learning we used to go to a club in shaftsbury youth club that would teach us to tie knots plumb depth ect. we used to get told "keep your ears open, your eyes open, and your mouth shut!" and you can learn alot just standing watching a bloke catch as long as your not doin his head in.
i do alot of carp fishing but i only realy started about two years ago after years of fishing the float an pole i do enjoy it but i think thers a time and place for it. nothing used to annoy me more than hearing alarms on full blast when people are sitting two feet away from the rods. i dont think kids should jump straight in to carp fishing as they have no experience in handling fish and most of them dont own un hooking mats and some of the tackle can be abit brutal if its not set up properly.

[Carp28]

Guys I have to say I am a bit worried, yes commercials are limited and  wendi  Thinking Tackle is made by Danny Fairbrass and the Korda guys for carpers,but you have to understand that the show is normally filmed down south where all fishing facilities are far bigger, the success of the show has spawned (no pun ) a fishing academy for the youngsters to be shown by some of the best in the business how to fish and fish properly. It is only because we are starved in the north west a decent fisheries that the youngsters are left to fend for themselves, what is needed, in my humble opinion, is for our small group of fisheries to get together for open-days and for people to give up some of their time to try and kindle the interest of these youngsters, as we can testify, Catch and they will be hooked, then teach them about fish care, and the various other methods of catching so they can begin to understand and can experiment in their fishing, Well anyway that's just my handle on it.

[BigS]

Hi Carp 28 and welcome.
Glad to hear you are a bit worried about commercials .
I think your point on Thinking Tackle needs to be gone into father
As you say the program is filmed down south but more importantly it is shown all over the country.
This my be the first glimpse of angling that a youngster see`s and that is not good.
As you say " Thinking Tackle is made by Danny Fairbrass and the Korda guys for carpers ".
That is exactly my point the is a lot more to fishing before we get to carping.

Will leave it at that before I get myself in trouble

[DaveE]

Carp28, I agree with you re waters in the North West and the Wirral in particular. Very few decent sized fisheries except for the Cheshire meres and a few Lancashire reservoirs.

Regarding 'teach-ins' at commercial fisheries - these would need to be organised by anglers because most owners don't give a toss.

[BigS]

Hi DaveE
When you say decent sized fisheries I assume you mean carp fisheries in which I agree

[Wend1]

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[Carp28]

Well, we all go fishing so we can all do our parts on the bank, BUT, and I'll put this idea out there tentatively, the next time we are fishing and we pay our money over why not ask the owner, bailiff etc, if they would be interested in trying an open-day. On the Wirral and in the North West we have fishing tutors who I'm sure would give up some of their time, and from the guys I have met the owners are decent people. Its only an idea and I will ask next time I'm out, from little acorns and all that.

[St Helens Stan]

I haven't read all the replies thouroughly so forgive me if i'm going over old ground. I think commercials can be great places and I wish they had been around in the 70s and 80s when I was learning to fish. That said had they been around I don't think I would have the watercraft and knowledge I have today if I had grown up fishing commercials. I feel the discussion is "what do we as individuals want from our fishing experiences" I enjoy the challenge of new venues especially rivers and get more from eeking out 1 chub from a swim I haven't fished than I would "Bagging up" 100lb f1s on a commercial. Kids don't learn some of the basic skills like it has been said plumming the debth, shotting patterns etc. I learnt how to scratch for bites on hard fished public park lakes and local canals which has served me well over the years but I have also had a knife held to my throat in calderstones park while some of my gear was robbed so had I been on a private pond with bailiffs that would not have happened. I can see both sides of the argument. If a commercial pool can be made as natural as possible and not over stocked then i'm all for them but some of the ones ive seen really are just soul less money making muddy holes.
The final point I would make is that I do feel that commercial fisheries have made match fishing a mutch leveller playing field. I remember all to clearly walking miles down the leeds and liverpool canal to my drawn swim and then getting there knowing I might as well pack up and go home. At least on the commercial match venues everyone has a better chance of at least framing  even if you don't draw the flier.  

[Steve1]

Some good points there Stan

[NeilQ]

What an interesting thread! As I mentioned in my first post on the forum, I've been off the scene for a long time now. During my absence, a lot of these commercial fisheries seem to have sprung up ( I have read the AT quite a few times, during my non-fishing years). Reading about them has made me not want to fish them. I may be wrong but I liken them to trout farms where you're allowed to fish & it's a clone fish a chuck.

Like St Helens Stan, I was brought up fishing small ponds, park lakes, canals & the River Dee. You had to work to catch your fish & try a variety of baits & terminal tackle.

I was working round Tattenhall today & drove over the Shroppy a few times. I was dying to get me pole out (Ooooh Matron!!!)

[Steve1]

It seems like most of us learnt to fish when you had to learn to fish ( that doesn't`t sound right, must be an age thing).
For those of us who where brought up on farm ponds and canals had to learn to fish or you just didn`t catch.
I think commercials do away with that need to learn.
On the other hand commercials have to be like that to survive, they have to cater for the 20 and 30 lb carp men, the 3 and 5 lb pleasure angler and match men and the complete novice who is only to happy to catch anything.

What does concern me is that anglers that come to a commercial, casts in and sits and waits all day, just catching a few fish then goes home moaning "the fishings rubbish here"
From time to time I run a fishery for a friend of mine and I see this happen time and time again.
Is it then that people don`t want to learn?

[DaveE]

I've said before that I'm all in favour of commercials as it keeps certain types of anglers off the more natural waters that I like to fish.
I fully agree with your views about many young anglers lacking of an 'apprenticeship'.

An angler who had previously only fished commercial pools tried a river and said to me in all seriousness that he didn't like rivers because 'the water moves'!

 

[frankg]

Dave E......a lot of anglers don't like rivers because every swim is different and so they have to think and use water craft to decide how to fish the swim....something they probably find difficult to do!!

Most anglers these days want swims that are, or mostly the same...especially when fishings matches.

Having said that, I suppose everything has it's place...and of course it leaves the rivers nice and quiet for those of us who prefer 'real' fishing :)