Is big always better?

Hi guys, I'm going to spice the blog up a bit more in the coming post's by talking about some of angling's most controversial topics. This is brought about by the fact that I haven't been out much recently and to be honest just need to talk about fishing. So for the first topic I ask the question is big always better?
This is an interesting question as the fact that we all declare our personal bests and claim venue records is enough to answer the question itself isn't it? Actually however there is a lot more around this question that can be discussed. No matter when you start fishing whether it be as a youngster or later on in life it doesn't take long for you to be hooked and on each cast want something a little bigger. This is a perfectly natural thing and would the sport be as exciting if we didn't want this?
What I'm really trying to get at though is when does bigger become boring. It seems to me these day's that a part of the angling community is obsessed with bigger and somehow that bigger means better. The Carp fishing world is full of enormous fish caught daily, so often that the bar for what is a big fish is constantly getting higher. Hundreds of venues across the country now can boast that they hold several fish over 30 and even 40 pounds! Fish of these sizes are truly monstrous!
A couple year's ago I was lucky enough to fish one such venue with a massive stock of monsters. The venue was the well known "Monument fishery" in Shropshire. To put a long story short we turned up for our 36 hour slot and after the second hour I had landed a 37 pound Mirror. A fish which absolutely smashed my PB of 24lbs. I didn't know the venue, or the stock or what was best to use but had bagged a fish of a lifetime. Unsurprisingly I was chuffed, because I had never seen a Carp that big before. The sheer size of it made you respect it and you couldn't help but think Wow!

37 pound Mirror. Monument fishery.

The interesting part of the story however came in my sessions on my home waters after I had caught the fish. On every session I went out thinking "I am the dogs bollocks". All because I had caught this one fish from this one lake at one time. This is where the debate swings round because yes I had caught a 37lb Carp which I could now claim as my personal best but was I a better angler because of this? The answer is no, however in bank side conversations you chuck in that you have caught a thirty pounder and suddenly people listen a bit more carefully to you regardless of where that 30 was from. Don't get me wrong I am not knocking the venue as the monument is a well set up business that provides big Carp on a day ticket. I'm just saying that sometimes weights often blind people to what actually happened.

This year in particular my eye's have been opened to paying a little less attention to size but not ignoring it completely. We can't really deny that we all want to catch decent sized fish especially those of us who are Carp anglers. But the way I have been looking at things recently is that big is in relation to the venue it has came from and the effort it has taken to outwit. A number of the waters I fish in Devon may only have a couple of fish over 30 pounds and in these venues a 20 pounder is deemed a big fish. A lot of these venues have an old stock and a fish of twenty pounds tends to be an older fish that has seen all the tricks in the book. So a twenty from these waters is a real achievement. 

In contrast there are also waters close to me where a twenty pounder is expected on a day session as this is the average size of fish, so a twenty from these venues is a little less special. 

Obviously angling is a very personal thing and that's what makes it so great this is just the way I have been looking at things and accessing my self as an angler. I like to think I have learnt a lot of tricks to outwit Carp regardless of their size and feel comfortable that I could fish on most venues and have results. However  more recently I have come to learn that regardless of what size of fish I catch I will never know it all. This is what is also great about angling. Even the best anglers are always learning and surprisingly there will always be things that even a relative novice could teach them. 

Spending time on the bank learning your craft so you can choose the right tactic for the situation is what makes good angling in my opinion. As this is equally as relevant if you are pursuing a low double common or a monster fifty pound mirror. You may get lucky and turn up to a venue as I have in the past and bang out a big thirty but does that make you better than someone who has learnt the habits of a low twenty and caught it off it's natural patrol route? 

This Mirror took some crafty angling to tempt and is one of the biggest fish in the Pond. 

Let's get one thing straight though I am always chuffed to catch a big fish and anyone who has caught one should be! But why should big fish get all the attention? If your sometimes struggling a bit, often stepping back and targeting smaller specimens can be really rewarding. Fishing is about enjoyment after all and not having caught a big fish should not make your enjoyment level fall.

If your ever in doubt and wondering if size is everything I can only recommend one venue to you and that's the beautiful river Wye. Barbel fishing on the Wye is some of the best fishing you can do yet after years of fishing there and catching hundreds of Barbel I have never caught a double. Do I care about this? Not enough to make me stop going, as a double from the river Wye is now in my eye's a true monster and a fish that takes tremendous skill to catch. This is why angling is so personal as perceptions can be so different.

The Wye Barbel are not often monsters.

As anglers we should always want to beat our personal bests and achieve our targets. This does not mean we should stop learning when we have done this or ignore the advice of others who have not yet achieved theirs. Consistency is what makes a good angler not their biggest catch. This is why sharing angling stories is not only fun but great at painting a true picture. Some of the hardest fish Iv'e had to catch have been quite small in general terms. So next time you see a photo of a fish think of what went into catching it and less of its size as bigger is not always better. :) 

A common that required a bit of extra thinking to outwit.

A 20lber the result of a real "Pub chuck"

My first Barbel was the result of an unexpected Lob!

But this Throop Chub took some crafty baiting to tempt.

 

And a good net from the river can be equally rewarding but just as difficult to tempt!


TIGHT LINES!!!!

What do you guys think?

These are just my opinions. Please share your's as that's what OTBA is all about.

The joy of travelling light and stalking them out!

Hi guys, big gap in the posts again I know and I apologise yet again. To be honest been a lot going on with the hunt for work and a lot of time spent on the bank just not catching really. That was until recently however when over a number of sessions my luck changed and I have been very fortunate to catch some stunning fish. All of these sessions have focused around one main strategy though, that being to travel light and stalk them out! This has been the case regardless of species or venue.

My first travelling light session came on the banks of the beautiful Bristol Avon near Chippenham. With only a few hours to fish it was vital that I was fishing near some fish. So on arrival the best thing I could do was to walk the stretch and use my eyes to try and spot fish on the clear gravels. It didn't take long! A quick look over the bridge next to the car was enough for me to spot three lovely Barbel and some big Chub too. I quickly opened up the boot and grabbed a handful of boilies. I begun feeding a few crumbed baits from the top of the bridge to see the fishes reactions. Unfortunately the Barbel were having none of it and vanished into a near by weed bed, meanwhile the Chub were troffing! Not disheartened I set off down the river to see what else I could find. Pretty much every swim had Chub that were willing to pounce on any bait that hit the water. So I knew there wasn't much chance of blanking. Anyway a walk back to the bridge was next, were as I was about to put a bit more feed in I noticed a rod poking out from the bushes. Someone had found the spot. Oh well (sigh) there would always be next time.
After all of my walking the river I did finally get some gear out and set up a basic free line approach with just a side hooked boilie in attempt to hook up with the ravenous Chub. I did just that, catching a Chub from three different swims on my way down the river. The light quickly faded however and the urge to catch Chub quickly diminished as all my attentions turned to Barbel. The stretch is not home to a massive number of Barbel but the swim I had chosen to fish for them was a swim I had caught a Barbel from before, so I was quietly confident. This confidence proved to be justified when I got that moment that all Barbel anglers crave the classic trademark slam round!! No mistaking what it was, and although it didn't feel like a massive fish it was still giving a good account for it's self and my knees were wobbling like jelly. After a spirited attempt to snag me under my own bank I eventually got the fish in the net. The light had now completely gone and I stared at a beautiful little Bristol Avon Barbel of approximately 5 pounds. What a great way to end a fun evening session on the river.

Bristol Avon Barbel

To find out more on the tactics,spots and fish I caught that evening please check out the video from the session by clicking this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrvB62rDUE

Pleased with what I had caught on the river my attentions switched to still water a few day's later. In particular a water that I had fished a couple years ago regularly until it had quite a severe disease outbreak. I was eager to see what remained in the lake as rumours and stories surrounded the place. In order to get a gauge of the stock the travelling light and stalking them out approach would need to be brought in to action again! The lake is a little over 12 acres and has a lot of areas overgrown with reeds. When I previously fished the lake the Carp which I was targeting were often found in a number of key areas of the lake. It would be these areas that I would target first.
My baiting strategy would be simple chum mixers fed to attract the Carp up on to the surface were I could then identify their size and numbers. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the place really hadn't changed much and my usual spots held just as many fish as ever. As I sat back,fed and watched the fishes confidence grew to the point were they were literally feeding all around me. A truly amazing sight for a lake that some said "Isn't fishing well for Carp". This is a method I would recommend to anyone targeting big Carp in a lake with lots of fish. The more you feed the more confident the fish become and the bigger fish also turn up for a look. This is until on this occasion it got to one point were you could pick the fish you wanted to catch. Unfortunately for me my rod was back in the bushes not on the platform at this point.
I did however manage to get into contact with some of the lakes residents during a couple of evenings free-lining dog biscuits on the surface. I also regrettably lost a couple real nice fish in the reeds, but then the lost ones are always bigger aren't they? :)

To see how I got on please check out my video from the session by clicking this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRtQ-nREDn8

It really is a beautiful lake though with a stunning stock of fish so if you live in the area I would recommend Tockenham Lake for a day out fishing.

Tockenham Resevoir

Talking of beautiful lakes, my next session came at probably one of the most stunning lakes in Devon. A venue run by the Exeter and district angling association known as "Abrook pond". The pond is a bit of a history water as it was once fished by angling legend Dick Walker.
These days the pond has a much younger stock of fish but the venues beauty has not changed. As you look across the pond you are greeted with large beds of Lillie's, overhanging trees and reed beds. The association have done a good job looking after the place into which they have put a lot of work. I was at the venue as my good friend Kev had decided to make it a bit of a new target water to see what exactly the lake holds. The findings of which will be posted regularly to our youtube channel so stay tuned for those in the future.
The first session on Abrook did fill me with some excitement as If anything it looked a lovely place to bivvy up away from it all. My swim really was just that too, as I chose to set up on a swim known as "Two bridges" which is on an island connected by surprisingly two bridges. There wasn't much thought in my swim choice other than "this is bloody nice". So I squeezed my bivvy into the little space there was and was presented by the view pictured below.

"Two bridges" Abrook Pond

The session started slow as a blank night soon turned into a blank morning. That was until the stalking them out approach was implemented! Abrook is the perfect stalking water as there are a number of secluded bays and reedy margins to fish too. So creeping about in the back bay was to be the order for the rest of the day. My first plan was to try and tempt cruising fish off the top on bits of floating crust but to be honest they just weren't interested. However as I watched the water I could see a fish clouding up on a spot about two rod lengths out from the bank to my right. I watched as this fish rooted about tearing up the bottom in search of food. It looked to be a fairly sizable common too. Frantically I began trying to get a bit of sinking bread on the hook but just as I did I saw the fish turn and slowly move off. Darn it! I was thinking that maybe even the stalking approach wasn't going to work. A few moments later however I noticed another fish head for the exact same spot, This fish was different all together what looked to be a decent mirror Carp. It also was a lot more confident and was clearly searching bait out, With my bread all ready to go I cast just in front of were the fish was clouding up and watched as my bread fluttered down out of sight. I now had to watch the line as an indicator of whether the fish had taken the bait. I didn't have to watch it for long though, as not 30 seconds after the bait had gone in I saw the line slowly tighten towards the spot. Bang! I was in.

The fish battled hard in the shallow water and made a right mess by turning over all the silt. It wasn't long though till I got it in the net and was chuffed to see a decent dark old mirror Carp. We quickly weighed the fish which gave a reading of 18b 12oz. What a great start! It turns out the fish is one named "Winston" and has been a lot bigger but probably dropped weight after spawning, a process which is common in a number of species.

"Winston" Abrook pond

The rest of the session went from strength to strength and myself and Kev caught some more Carp. I will let Kev's video diaries tell you the rest of the story just as soon as the bugger comes back from Malta.

Anyway the stalking approach was obviously working well and my confidence was back up. It is a way of fishing that I truly love as although I would spend years on the bank, some times little time is needed to catch. The next venue I would be targeting was a lot more closer to home being only a 10 minute drive from my house. I have fished the venue a lot over the years and have really got to know some of it's residents. These fish are heavily fished for however and the venue is small. This means getting on the water can be the main challenge. With this said I was pleasantly surprised when I turned up on a Sunday afternoon to find the place completely empty. 

It's at these times when you don't only rub your hands together but you also realise just how wary Carp are of us humans. As I came through the gate and crept round the lake I could see a number of fish sunning just under the surface. However when I came back with the gear these fish were gone. A sure sign that they had be alerted to my presence despite my best efforts to be quiet. Never the less I began baiting the lake from as far back as I could using a throwing stick to achieve the distance. This worked as after about ten minutes I had the fish in a frenzy near an overhanging tree on the island. The next two hours would be epic as I would catch not one but two target fish! One of which a cracking Koi. This was only to be bettered the next night however when again on an empty lake I caught another target fish! It just shows what can be done when the fish are not being heavily pressured. I will let the video in this link and the pictures below tell you the rest of the story. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe05nQmbXKs

One things for sure, stalking is not just an exciting method but also an incredibly deadly one! 

"One eyed Common" Darts Farm

"Paint Job" Darts Farm

"The Big Common" Darts Farm

TIGHT LINES!!! :)