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Post by crofton blade on Dec 9, 2014 12:35:46 GMT
I like to think of myself as a bit of an all-rounder when it comes to my fishing, and try a bit of everything. But which branch of our great sport is the most skilful? Is it carp angling, canal angling, predator fishing, commercial match angling, sea angling, game fishing, specimen hunting or maybe river fishing? What’s your opinion? If you had to just do one type of angling for always what would it be? Tin Hat time, I’ll nail my colours to the mast and say that River Angling for coarse fish requires the most all-round skill. There are lots of techniques to master such as stick float, waggler, slider, feeder fishing, stalking etc.- all to catch wild fish, most of which have never been caught before in their lives and from such a variety of swims and conditions. Every swim you fish on a river is completely different and requires different tactics, both tackle wise and feeding. Mostly you are never 100% sure where your feed is landing on the river bed and where the fish are, if indeed there are any there at all! From the tiny upper River Dearne to the deep imposing tidal River Trent, each visit is a challenge in itself. Who can fail to be overjoyed as a nice barbel or chub is landed from a difficult snag filled river swim- it really is wild fishing- man versus fish. And the range of fish in rivers is just immense; I think I've caught everything except crucian carp and tench from rivers. Give me the rivers every time. And a lot of its free (very important when you live in Yorkshire!). I firmly believe that if you master your river fishing you can have a pretty good go at any other type of fishing. So that’s my vote- what everyone else’s opinion? Please don’t use this to slag off branches of our sport that you don’t like!
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Post by suggsy on Dec 9, 2014 14:06:45 GMT
I'm with you rich on that ..but thats just because its wot I've been brought up doing ..and I think if you can master fishing deep running water with a float you.ll catch fish anywhere ..
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Post by guvnor on Dec 9, 2014 14:11:35 GMT
I also think river fishing is the most challenging, but also enjoy fishing for roach, hemp an tares in summer then hemp and elderberrys late summer! Can be deadly if mastered.
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Post by danpy on Dec 9, 2014 14:15:18 GMT
I also consider myself a all rounder and also love river fishing but I think catching a good bag of roach on canals in winter is a very difficult skill to master getting your feed right..hitting them lightning fast bites tying tiny hooks that I can barely even see.putting a good net of roach together in a winter match really does take some doing...also catching specimen eels 4lb plus consistently takes a lot of determination they really are frustrating fish to target and to be honest that's probably my favourite target at the moment..roll on them hot muggy summer nights..
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 15:58:54 GMT
TBH i think they all have there own skills involved, but before mastering any of them you need to understand water craft, without it you are on a downer from the start on all angling codes, (or working from someone elses hard work).
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Post by punchcrumb on Dec 9, 2014 16:23:38 GMT
wouldnt like to comment not without a tin hat on
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Post by joebassdude on Dec 9, 2014 16:41:38 GMT
Although I've never tried it, and not really too fussed about trying it, I'd have to say on the surface, that fly/game fishing looks the hardest one of the lot.
Firstly I'd imagine casting would be hard to master, but it could be done with practice. However that seems like the easy part! Matching the hatch seems like it'd be really hard work, and a true skill to master.
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Post by suggsy on Dec 9, 2014 16:42:39 GMT
One of the most skillfull is getting a belly full of beer after a match and then getting home late at night and convincing wife it took a while to weigh in ..if you can master that you pretty much sorted ...
I carnt ..
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Post by drunkenmaster76 on Dec 9, 2014 17:13:42 GMT
I guess river fishing you have to be skilled up for lots of different types of fish.
I've never tried it, but fly fishing looks like a real art form. As Joe says; getting the right fly etc.
I guess any serious specimen angler is going to fine tune their approach and tackle to such degrees; that the effort is going to be equally intense. However I guess effort is not the same as skill.
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Post by danpy on Dec 9, 2014 17:36:57 GMT
I guess river fishing you have to be skilled up for lots of different types of fish. I've never tried it, but fly fishing looks like a real art form. As Joe says; getting the right fly etc. I guess any serious specimen angler is going to fine tune their approach and tackle to such degrees; that the effort is going to be equally intense. However I guess effort is not the same as skill. like you say effort and skill go hand in hand it takes effort to learn any skill..Some times when things ain't happening and you think they should be...A tweak here and there often makes a difference that's a skill in itself learned from the effort you've put in the past...If you know what I mean
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Post by liftbite on Dec 9, 2014 21:56:59 GMT
Watercraft. Feeding. Timing.knowing when to change or move. Location. These are the 4 main things I put into all my fishing whatever the situation.
Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards
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Post by danpy on Dec 10, 2014 8:11:47 GMT
Watercraft. Feeding. Timing.knowing when to change or move. Location. These are the 4 main things I put into all my fishing whatever the situation. Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards ye I agree but in your opinion whats the most skillfull branch or aspect of angling
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Post by crofton blade on Dec 10, 2014 12:50:56 GMT
So is no one from the Carping Brigade or the Match Anglers going to champion their section?
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Post by punchcrumb on Dec 10, 2014 13:46:00 GMT
So is no one from the Carping Brigade or the Match Anglers going to champion their section? NO
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Post by drunkenmaster76 on Dec 10, 2014 14:40:21 GMT
So is no one from the Carping Brigade or the Match Anglers going to champion their section? I'm amazed at the skill of some of my fellow carpers. They have really taken it to the next level and mastered the sport (though I'm sure they'd disagree). However I'm sure you river men would see that as being quite a narrow skillset. However is it better to be a jack of all trades or a master of one? :-P
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Post by danpy on Dec 10, 2014 14:59:01 GMT
Of coarse there's a lot of skill in specimen carp fishing.. finding a nice hard area in a weedy water with a marker float takes a lot of skill then getting your bait and feed on that area also takes skill...marking your line, etc so you can get back to that spot even in the pitch black at range diffinatley not easy it all takes lots of practice..
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Post by danpy on Dec 10, 2014 15:03:17 GMT
P's I'm not a carper..but have done a fair bit of carping in the past and the skills I learnt have helped me in other areas of my fishing
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Post by drunkenmaster76 on Dec 10, 2014 15:18:45 GMT
It's a bit like asking what's the better knife - a scalpel, a fish knife or a Bowie knife? All specialised tools for a specific tasks. River anglers are prob a swiss arny knife.
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Post by BOF on Dec 10, 2014 15:37:16 GMT
Fishing for any fish in moving water is the apex of the triangle as far as I'm concerned. All you have to do is watch a really good river angler put a float through his swim for specimen Roach to know what real skill is all about. Yes dry fly fishing is an art form, and lots of credit to those that do it well, I know I haven't got what it takes anyway. But a bunch of Trout anglers miss the point by buying their flies rather than tying their own, and by using flies that imitate nothing in nature rather than imitating the hatch. I think that they are good, but not quite Carling as the advert goes. Lure fishing / spinning is challenging but to my mind is starting to rely upon technology a little too much, with high speed boats, electronic fish finders, etc. As for Wet fly fishing, that is akin to fishing a swimfeeder, good on its day but relatively easy stuff after you get into the idea. Modern Carp angling with bivvies and bite alarms etc. comes way down on the list, just behind my old love, legering for Chub on the lower sections of a river. Which is to say just ahead of lobbing sticks of dynamite into the water. But what the heck, it's all I am fit for these days. BOF
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Post by danpy on Dec 10, 2014 16:18:22 GMT
The thing with carping is it can be as easy or as hard as you want and the skill required varies hugely some people think if they don't catch ten carp in a day, they have had a bad session, where others think ten carp in a season is a good result, but as iv said I personally think catching a good bag of roach on a canal especially in winter consistantly takes the most skill imo,when I was a kid I often used to watch some old lads match fishing on my local canal, sometimes not getting a bite for a couple of hours, then start catching the difference between a sice 24 and a size 22 used to make, then 1 ball of ground bait too much could kill it dead there was lots of finness and lots of patience. ..patience been the hardest skill of all to learn in my opinion
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Post by danpy on Dec 10, 2014 16:25:56 GMT
Oh ye just remembered patience ain't a skill it's a virtue. .haha...
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Post by joebassdude on Dec 10, 2014 17:00:48 GMT
River anglers are prob a swiss arny knife. I like it!
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Post by zathras on Dec 10, 2014 17:42:46 GMT
I agree Rich, definitely trotting a stick down a river gets my vote. There is no standard involved, every day is different, every river / flow is different - every trot is different !!!! - you even have to chop and change your rig to suit!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Fluff Flinging - this is an art form in itself (especially on rivers)
Sorry just reread - BOF has mentioned it!!!!!!!
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Post by suggsy on Dec 10, 2014 18:18:10 GMT
I'm surprised no ones mentioned a crab line ..not easy winding it back up without putting yer can down
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Post by droopy on Dec 10, 2014 18:33:02 GMT
fished for most types of freshwater fish in lots of different situations and they are all as hard or as easy as you want them to be in my opinion - too many variables . most skilful anglers ( technically ) I would say are the big hitters on the beach or field - putting a lead way over 250 yards is something else although some carpers can accurately steer a baitboat well over 300 yards these days lol ( I'm allowed to say that cos I mostly fish for carp :-) )
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Post by danpy on Dec 10, 2014 18:44:03 GMT
I agree Rich, definitely trotting a stick down a river gets my vote. There is no standard involved, every day is different, every river / flow is different - every trot is different !!!! - you even have to chop and change your rig to suit! I'm surprised no one has mentioned Fluff Flinging - this is an art form in itself (especially on rivers) Sorry just reread - BOF has mentioned it!!!!!!! BOF has mentioned it!!!!! Ye and Joebass before him
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Post by Sam Vimes on Dec 10, 2014 23:57:43 GMT
I do a bit of everything and don't really believe that there is a particularly outstanding case for any one aspect of coarse fishing. Some things that seem superficially easy can be an awful lot more involved than they first seem. carping is a case in point. Many non-carpers just see people turn up, lob a shed load of bait in and go to sleep. I'm sure that some carpers do just that, but there's an awful lot more going on with good carpers, regardless of appearances. However, just because there can be more to them than meets the eye doesn't mean you can't just chuck and chance it.
Many seem to think that trotting takes a lot of skill. I would suspect it's been elevated somewhat because so few people seem to do it these days. I tend to find it quite easy because I've been at it for a long time, do it very frequently and it's one of my favourite methods. I don't fish the waggler on running water very much and regularly marvel at a skilled angler fishing that method. I see plenty of skill involved in top class tip fishing because I don't much like it and have therefore never become particularly proficient at it.
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Post by zathras on Dec 11, 2014 20:12:49 GMT
sorry danpy - I'm slow reader - read from the bottom and lost focus
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Post by danpy on Dec 11, 2014 20:22:50 GMT
sorry danpy - I'm slow reader - read from the bottom and lost focus sorry mate realised it looked a bit sarky after I sent it...done it myself a few times especially when I've had a few..haha..
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Post by beachball on Dec 12, 2014 7:35:16 GMT
The most skilful part of angling is ........ Angling for a pay rise lol i'll get my coat
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