Bad Angling, Muppets and people who make your blood boil.

[Chris Turnbull]

I know this thread is about some of the less attractive anglers we have on our fisheries and it is always fun to have a go at them but has anyone considered why they are there in the first place?

Personally I have been exceptionally lucky, my training as an angler was given to me first by my Father and a very close family friend, both were good anglers, my Dad as a sort of specialist angler and Old Mack as a Matchman, both could catch fish in both quality and quantity and both were masters of Waterlore!

Eventually even a stupid duffer like me could manage to learn for himself, but I had to be pointed in the right direction in the first place!

Not everyone has had my advantages, and many of you chaps have been “trained” to some extent, either by an interested parent or guardian, or by friends or maybe club colleagues, but what of those that do not have these advantages, where do they go, who helps them?
Should they be allowed to fish, or should we have a system similar to that in Germany where you are subject to testing before you can get a licence?

I cannot condemn a man merely because of ill education, but I surely can help to change his education status, for that reason I have taken my first coaching badge, mostly to support Roger Smith our VAC Head Coach (and also from the completely selfish point of view, I just love to see people:- kids, teenagers and adults, catch their first fish and suddenly realise that there is whole new world to discover).
Roger holds coaching courses for free, every two weeks through the summer at our Riverside Road fishery in St Albans, the coaching is aimed at kids but we will accommodate anyone of any age and set them in the right direction.

In general Angling has been pretty bloody awful at promoting good management and best practice from when good old Issac first wet a line, right up to modern times, this should not, and does not, have to be the case!

So next time you see these “undesirables” on the river bank, just remember they may not have had your advantages, sometimes a little help from the more experienced angler might help them change and might help you have a quieter day!


Tight lines chaps.

Good post that Kieth. Unlike you, my father had zero interest in fishing but luckily when I was around 11 years old an old timer, after challenging me for being too noisy, took me under his wing and taught me a basic understanding of 'angling'. Crabtree did the rest until I eventually graduated to Walker, Stone and Taylor, etc. Even so, every step of my angling career has been dogged by learning various problems the hard way, such as how to return a barbel and how to unhook a pike. The hard way being getting it wrong at first!

Perhaps it's time for a new Fishing With Mr Crabtree sort of book, aimed primarily at kids, illiterate chavs, EE's and other races, with as few words as possible and loads of easy to read 'how to do it' illustrations.

If we think things are bad on the rivers, then go take a look at sea fishing. Because there the situation is appalling!

 

[Paul Boote]

We might also need a new Crabtree title to teach some humility to socially disconnected, intolerant, smug, so up themselves, so superior sorts like, er, us.

 

[Andreas Opitz]

The first time I fished was when I was about 7 yrs old. My Dad (who has never fished in his life) bought me a half decent leger rod and reel. He use to take me everywhere and anywhere in pursuit of catching something and we literally never caught anything! We use to watch people in adjacent swims catching by the dozen and I use to say to him "what am I doing wrong Dad?" which followed with a lost look that almost screamed "don't look at me son?!"

We then invested in a weekly publication called "The Art of Fishing". The sort where you get a big binder and slowly add various inserts as you get them. Looking back at it, I cannot explain in words how excited I got when each edition was planted in my hand's over the counter of any given shop we bought it from! My Dad still reminds me to this day that it was the longest period of time he's ever seen me sit still for! But even though I was soaking up every word Bob Nudd offered, I still hardly caught any fish.

I only started to catch fish when a down to earth friend of my Dad spent an afternoon with me float fishing in Sunbury for Roach. I learnt more in those 4hrs than I ever did reading "The Art of Fishing" or when enviously admiring the old bloke that ignored me all day in the next swim whilst catching all and sundry.

I do appreciate some people are almost beyond help, but if we all spent a little more time educating the ones that are approachable rather than preaching to them, then maybe we'd not only improve our lives a little but also the lives of others.

 

[Keith Speer]

To be fair, I will help anyone, BUT offering un-sought help can often receive a short answer!

Different if they ask, the trouble is not many do.

I run a Stick Float Clinic every year on one of our VAC waters, lots of interest and often from anglers that have fished near me and not wanted to bother me.

I suppose what I am saying is, we as anglers should be more public in offers of instruction, you might be surprised at the response you get!

 

[Adrian Cole]

I know this thread is about some of the less attractive anglers we have on our fisheries and it is always fun to have a go at them but has anyone considered why they are there in the first place?

Personally I have been exceptionally lucky, my training as an angler was given to me first by my Father and a very close family friend, both were good anglers, my Dad as a sort of specialist angler and Old Mack as a Matchman, both could catch fish in both quality and quantity and both were masters of Waterlore!

Eventually even a stupid duffer like me could manage to learn for himself, but I had to be pointed in the right direction in the first place!

Not everyone has had my advantages, and many of you chaps have been “trained†to some extent, either by an interested parent or guardian, or by friends or maybe club colleagues, but what of those that do not have these advantages, where do they go, who helps them?
Should they be allowed to fish, or should we have a system similar to that in Germany where you are subject to testing before you can get a licence?

I cannot condemn a man merely because of ill education, but I surely can help to change his education status, for that reason I have taken my first coaching badge, mostly to support Roger Smith our VAC Head Coach (and also from the completely selfish point of view, I just love to see people:- kids, teenagers and adults, catch their first fish and suddenly realise that there is whole new world to discover).
Roger holds coaching courses for free, every two weeks through the summer at our Riverside Road fishery in St Albans, the coaching is aimed at kids but we will accommodate anyone of any age and set them in the right direction.

In general Angling has been pretty bloody awful at promoting good management and best practice from when good old Issac first wet a line, right up to modern times, this should not, and does not, have to be the case!

So next time you see these “undesirables†on the river bank, just remember they may not have had your advantages, sometimes a little help from the more experienced angler might help them change and might help you have a quieter day!


Tight lines chaps.

Words of wisdom

 

[Bob Watson]

I know this thread is about some of the less attractive anglers we have on our fisheries and it is always fun to have a go at them but has anyone considered why they are there in the first place?

Personally I have been exceptionally lucky, my training as an angler was given to me first by my Father and a very close family friend, both were good anglers, my Dad as a sort of specialist angler and Old Mack as a Matchman, both could catch fish in both quality and quantity and both were masters of Waterlore!

Eventually even a stupid duffer like me could manage to learn for himself, but I had to be pointed in the right direction in the first place!

Not everyone has had my advantages, and many of you chaps have been “trained†to some extent, either by an interested parent or guardian, or by friends or maybe club colleagues, but what of those that do not have these advantages, where do they go, who helps them?
Should they be allowed to fish, or should we have a system similar to that in Germany where you are subject to testing before you can get a licence?

I cannot condemn a man merely because of ill education, but I surely can help to change his education status, for that reason I have taken my first coaching badge, mostly to support Roger Smith our VAC Head Coach (and also from the completely selfish point of view, I just love to see people:- kids, teenagers and adults, catch their first fish and suddenly realise that there is whole new world to discover).
Roger holds coaching courses for free, every two weeks through the summer at our Riverside Road fishery in St Albans, the coaching is aimed at kids but we will accommodate anyone of any age and set them in the right direction.

In general Angling has been pretty bloody awful at promoting good management and best practice from when good old Issac first wet a line, right up to modern times, this should not, and does not, have to be the case!

So next time you see these “undesirables†on the river bank, just remember they may not have had your advantages, sometimes a little help from the more experienced angler might help them change and might help you have a quieter day!


Tight lines chaps.

Probably the best post I've read on these forums