Are newcomers missing out on vital skills?

[Alantherose]

I fish competitions, use a pole and have done for 20 years or more. The one thing I can never get comfortable with is having all your gear clipped to your box, I feel totally hemmed in. Whilst it is nice (and essential) to have everything to hand when fishing a match it does make it difficult if you need a pee or have to leave your peg for some reason. The other thing, which I will never get used to, is the height that you sit at on today's boxes. I feel like a lifeguard in a watch tower (especially if @Scribe is fishing)

Dave, I know what you mean about feeling hemmed in! I've got an old school Boss box and I've gradually picked up Offbox 36 accessories that (just) give me room to move

 

[Scribe]

@Dave Spence Have you seen my new seatbox ? Oh burgers I've gone and left the ladder at home again !

 

[Dave Spence]

@Dave Spence Have you seen my new seatbox ? Oh burgers I've gone and left the ladder at home again !

Love it mate, it must be a very well run fishery to have such bozzjonking platforms.

 

[Scribe]

Love it mate, it must be a very well run fishery to have such bozzjonking platforms.

Health & Safety mate the rails are there to stop people falling in............

NB: Never heard that before 'bozzjonking' love it, I have now nominated it as my word of the month.

 

[Dave Spence]

Hors

Health & Safety mate the rails are there to stop people falling in............

NB: Never heard that before 'bozzjonking' love it, I have now nominated it as my word of the month.

Horse, door, bolted, stable all spring to mind

 

[Scribe]

Hors
Horse, door, bolted, stable all spring to mind

Oi I didn't fall in, that would have been careless, I jumped in a heroic rescue of a No 8 pole section, if you knew the price to replace it, you would have gone it too mate.

 

[Dave Spence]

Oi I didn't fall in, that would have been careless, I jumped in a heroic rescue of a No 8 pole section, if you knew the price to replace it, you would have gone it too mate.

I would have gone in for an Avanti top kit mate

 

[Scribe]

Back on topic.

Hmmm I think the thrust ouf this argument is the old one upmanship in Angling Salmon Anglers think they are at the pInnacle of the 'art / sport' of angling and look down on Trout Anglers, who look down on coarse anglers. Specimen Anglers (Carp, Barbel & PIke) look down on 'tiddlerbashers' within non specimen anglers there are the Matchmen who put themselves above 'pleasure' anglers and 'natural venue' anglers that put themselves above commercial anglers and so it goes on.

Now before anyone climbs all over my head with hob nail boots on, obviously the previous is a sweeping generalisation and doesn't apply to everyone, but to someone outside of angling looking in. Angling must have more factions than the Popular Front oj Judea !

Who cares if someone coming back in to angling starts on a commercial, they may like myself branch out to fish both natural stillwaters and rivers (with some help along the way) Each to their own, a fly angler, would say that if a coarse angler can't cast a fly they are missing out on a vital skill, well yes it is, of you flyfish ! If you don't then it's a skill you don't need to acquire,

 

[mike fox]

Back on topic.

Hmmm I think the thrust ouf this argument is the old one upmanship in Angling Salmon Anglers think they are at the pInnacle of the 'art / sport' of angling and look down on Trout Anglers, who look down on coarse anglers. Specimen Anglers (Carp, Barbel & PIke) look down on 'tiddlerbashers' within non specimen anglers there are the Matchmen who put themselves above 'pleasure' anglers and 'natural venue' anglers that put themselves above commercial anglers and so it goes on.

Now before anyone climbs all over my head with hob nail boots on, obviously the previous is a sweeping generalisation and doesn't apply to everyone, but to someone outside of angling looking in. Angling must have more factions than the Popular Front oj Judea !

Who cares if someone coming back in to angling starts on a commercial, they may like myself branch out to fish both natural stillwaters and rivers (with some help along the way) Each to their own, a fly angler, would say that if a coarse angler can't cast a fly they are missing out on a vital skill, well yes it is, of you flyfish ! If you don't then it's a skill you don't need to acquire,

I'm glad you added the middle phrase. I think you have hit the proverbial nail, as you put it "Angling must have more factions than the Popular Front oj Judea " and this is why all is not for everyone. However, the opportunity is there for everyone to try all, but if they don't, how can anyone know what someone else is missing. Each element of an angling skill can help in another be it Coarse, Game or Sea but all are extremely subjective.

 

[Scribe]

I'm glad you added the middle phrase. I think you have hit the proverbial nail, as you put it "Angling must have more factions than the Popular Front oj Judea " and this is why all is not for everyone. However, the opportunity is there for everyone to try all, but if they don't, how can anyone know what someone else is missing. Each element of an angling skill can help in another be it Coarse, Game or Sea but all are extremely subjective.

Glad you got the gist Mike agree with your point on skills being able to be adapted to another sub genre of angling. I am sure if a posted asking MD'rs to put up a list of 'vital' skills the number of varying replies would be surprising.

 

[mike fox]

Glad you got the gist Mike agree with your point on skills being able to be adapted to another sub genre of angling. I am sure if a posted asking MD'rs to put up a list of 'vital' skills the number of varying replies would be surprising.

So there is your next thread

 

[Scribe]

So there is your next thread

I'm not that daft or brave.

 

[Cobweb]

Hope those legs are hollow. (needs a wee)

 

[Scribe]

There is only one 'vital' skill for newcomers to learn straightaway and that is fish care which is more than just handling and un-hooking fish, I am sure we have all come across fish with severly damaged mouths at a guess down to anglers either using unsuitable overgunned tackle or heavy handed striking and fish playing techniques.

 

[Markywhizz]

I had a look at poles on bobco the other day and anything longer than a margin pole was over £500 and I assume they are not much cop at the lower end of the market by the logic that budget rods don’t tend to be so probably have to spend over £1000 to get anything decent?

I am a feeder fisherman through and through but I do own and use poles. If you have never pole fished you are losing out. The control and sensitivity you achieve are two leagues above normal waggler fishing. You can use a tiny float weighing nothing and shot that is virtually invisible to fish. I never really fish a waggler any more.

I have a £1300 pole, a £400 pole and two margin poles which cost less than £100 each all bought new. I use the margin poles the most as I fish mostly close in or down the margins and they are slimmer and more enjoyable to use. I use the £400 pole a lot to fish from about 6m to 13m. At that range there is nothing to choose between it and the expensive pole and topkits and sections are cheaper. I use the 16m pole to fish above 13m which is about once a year. In my humble opinion, if you are a casual pole user, it’s not worth spending more than £500-600.

You say that rods are a lot cheaper than poles but you need several rods for different situations along with reels. I’ve got 12 rods and judging by what other people on here say that is not a lot. You could easily fish 95% of pole situations with one £500 pole. The idea that sub £1000 poles aren’t up to much is not true. The benefits of dearer poles are on a scale of diminishing returns. The benefits you get with an expensive pole are length, and being manageable at very long lengths and they come with a lot more top kits, though you can easily start with a couple and add further ones when you need to.

It would be well worth you buying an 8m margin pole and giving it a go. You are missing out on a great fishing experience if you don’t. If you are ever going to fish any stillwaters that is.

 

[Davethefish]

Back on topic.

Hmmm I think the thrust ouf this argument is the old one upmanship in Angling Salmon Anglers think they are at the pInnacle of the 'art / sport' of angling and look down on Trout Anglers, who look down on coarse anglers. Specimen Anglers (Carp, Barbel & PIke) look down on 'tiddlerbashers' within non specimen anglers there are the Matchmen who put themselves above 'pleasure' anglers and 'natural venue' anglers that put themselves above commercial anglers and so it goes on.

Now before anyone climbs all over my head with hob nail boots on, obviously the previous is a sweeping generalisation and doesn't apply to everyone, but to someone outside of angling looking in. Angling must have more factions than the Popular Front oj Judea !

Who cares if someone coming back in to angling starts on a commercial, they may like myself branch out to fish both natural stillwaters and rivers (with some help along the way) Each to their own, a fly angler, would say that if a coarse angler can't cast a fly they are missing out on a vital skill, well yes it is, of you flyfish ! If you don't then it's a skill you don't need to acquire,

That puts me right at the bottom of the food chain

 

[Markywhizz]

That puts me right at the bottom of the food chain

Yes as a pleasure angler on commercials I’m looked down on by absolutely everybody.

 

[Cobweb]

Yes as a pleasure angler on commercials I’m looked down on by absolutely everybody.

Who gives a monkey's crutch about such things? I certainly don't and I pee off the more "serious" anglers when I catch more than they do. I just go out to have a good day without a pole I might add. Pole fishing, apart from being expensive (I conjecture), makes life unnecessarily complicated for me, but I confess that it is a skill which needs to be acquired at some point by those wishing to enter angling for whatever reason. However, whether that is a "vital" skill is something else

 

[Dave Spence]

Yes as a pleasure angler on commercials I’m looked down on by absolutely everybody.

What about the waggler angler, on a shakey box, fishing a commie?

 

[Scribe]

@Davethefish & @Markywhizz

Your still a league above chaps. If fishing kit was licensed by ability this is what I would be using.....