Easy Fella…

by

Tommy Robinson

Like most Carp anglers born and raised in North America, my first memory of where my carping addiction began did not revolve around a set of 12’ rods on a stainless steel pod rigged with boilies on a hair rig.

There were no alarms or even a bell clamped to the end of the rod and I had no idea what a weigh sling or unhooking mat even were back then. It was as basic as you could possibly imagine, kinda like business casual at the office for the most part. The internet was just becoming a luxury that was soon to be a necessity in today’s world…

Flash back to the early 1990’s: I was in my early 20’s, raising two kids with my wife in Baltimore working for very little money. I was already an avid angler with most of my sessions occurring within the state of Maryland. The fishing was good and of variety…

Home, the land of pleasant living and the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary east of the Mississippi and it has a ton of hefty Common Carp amongst many other species. Carp were on top of my list and for many of the same reasons as you readers. The powerful fights, the size and their mysterious ways.

Around this time, I discovered a few forums and online chat rooms where I began to build up many “web friends”. Many of these people I have still never met to this day and continue to have grown to know personally. I certain many of you have had the same experiences and can say the same. The internet has become a bridge to reach people across the world that you may never meet. The information that we can gain to improve on our fishing can really extend talents and of course, that’s a good thing!

However, it can also be somewhat of an ugly monster too but more on this a little later… I searched these forums and discovered the European method of Carp angling. This was far more advanced and much more complex than my means of chasing these local Carp. Those days were a 6’ medium action spinning rod and reel with 6# test mono, a pack of size 4 Eagle Claw hooks and some homemade dough bait.

After reading and seeing many pictures, I was determined that I had to see this for my own eyes. I decided to attend the local planned social event in Washington DC. It was the annual Carp Angler’s Group fish-in that was hosted in the infamous Tidal Basin. This event was in the newspaper and had experienced Carp fanatics from all over the US and even a few from overseas. I was in my glory.

This is when I really felt the need to save up a few bucks and buy some new “used” gear. I bought my first set of rods from fellow angler, Keith Thompson. The 13’ Daiwa Amorphous Rods in 2.75tc paired up with the old dual handled Shimano Aero reels. These had some mojo and would land me some decent catches over the years. I still have them and they work great!

The gear and rigs changed my ways of fishing for these fish more many years to come. Many trips and tournaments fished and a vast amount of friends made along the way. Personal best shattered and it turned me into a more knowledgeable angler.

Flash forward about 10-15 years to the early 2000s and life is like a blur. Kids grown and the passion is still there but I started fishing for other species a little more. I almost vanished completely from the Carp social scene and even left the group that I had devoted a lot of my time towards for many of the reasons I’m going to get into here in this article/blog with the American Carp Society.

I got really fed up with the elitist attitude and the negative reflections on those new to the sport. Early on, many like myself do not have the money to purchase fish care products such as mats, weigh slings, antiseptic sprays etc… but I’ve always have tried my very best to protect these powerful fish after the catch and always did my best to use whatever means necessary throughout the many stages of my angling life...

My perception of seeing a kid holding up a 12# Carp with the biggest smile was that they were excited over their prized catch.

Then come the nasty comments. “Where’s your mat?!” “Why does the fish look like it was raked across the hot coals?!” All of this negativity forced me away from the forums and other social media pages for at least 7 years. It was not constructive at all. In fact, I believe that it chased many potential anglers away for years. “Constructive” comments could and should be mentioned not in public forums but in a private message or with just less force.

Judging “proper” fish care is touchy and usually causes many arguments that end up turning the joy and happy capture smile upside down into a frustrated frown. As I mentioned above, I’ve always tried to protect these magnificent fish. I have owned and use fish friendly equipment such as the mat, cradle and rubberized mesh and use them. However, I see more focus on that even to this day than the actual promotion of carp fishing and giving the accolades to the newcomers.

I may get banished and hate mail but seriously, if you are that worried about these fish so much, why are you putting a hook in their mouths and taking them out of their environment to take tons of pictures to post and brag to everyone that you did something more special than the kid you bashed for not using proper fish care?

Think about that for a minute…

Personally, I’d much rather see more focus on the educational side of the sport and less bashing. These fish get a bad enough rap as it is here in the USA and Canada. Let us build that new Carper up and not tear them down. Let that person feel rewarded and fortunate to have caught one of the prized fish that we all enjoy to catch.

At that stage of a new carper angler’s evolution, so what if you don’t own a mat or other protective gear? Shhhh…. Let them progress naturally and you show them the way forward by example. Even to this day when ever I’m traveling lite (without my full carp gear), I choose not to bring most of my catches out of the water. I usually wear hip boots or waders and unhook my fish from the edge of the pier, kayak or step in deep enough using a pair of small pliers. It’s far less stressful on the fish. Just to be clear on my intentions here, the health of the fish is of paramount importance so if you do feel the need to weigh it up and take pictures, I do recommend using a mat or soft grassy area as shown but if you see someone who is new to our wonderful sport and just doesn’t know what “proper” fish care yet, don’t scream at them… Show them by example :)

Teach these newbies the proper way without chasing them away. Build each other up and be respectful to both the fish and the fishermen.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts, I hope to be able to share a few more of my experiences here in the coming months and years…

Tight lines and drags a singing!!

Tommy