Overheard at the LFGSS golf club bar

I was about to quote/post that bit

It was inevitable

fishin

Never ever associated this with being posh.

In the reservoir near me loads of the fishers are stacked Poles who I assume are trades.

(not that you couldn't be a posh Pole who works out)

Fly fishing.

Course fishing is for the lower echelons.

Course fishing is for the lower echelons.

lol😃, which thread was this in ?

It's spelled 'coarse'. Which is an old term for fish not worth eating, not for fishermen not worth knowing.

ah yes - my mistake

My grandfather taught me dry fly fishing. He said it was the only sporting way to fish. He never mentioned coarse fishing but I read about it in a Ladybird book and observed many people doing it. The term 'coarse' seemed to fit them, but I didn't know it was supposed to apply to the fish. I thought it meant these people were cheating by not casting. As if using a worm on a float was unfair to the fish. Whereas making a fake fly and casting it was so difficult that it was a fair contest. I completely missed the point that coarse fishers put the fish back in the river, unlike the fly fishers who eat them. Hardly sporting.

Not anywhere in London.

rabbit

I think there are still loads of council house kids who get permission from their local farmer to shoot rabbits for the pot with a .22 rifle. The farmer likes having unpaid volunteers who keep the rabbit population in check. Easy to get the licence. Minimum age 14.

This is a reflection of the innate snobbery of humanity, the mongrel breed inhabiting this septic isle being amongst the worst. Everyone seems to want to look down on someone. Coarse fishing can be bloody expensive, the poles used by match anglers cost three times as much as the most expensive salmon rods and the skill levels tend to be higher. You're wrong about fly fishers banging everything on the head and giving it to cook to prepare dinner, most salmon anglers return their catch and I returned three trout yesterday.

Just consider the snobbery between road, tt , MTB, gravel and the humble commuter (who is probably the most legitimate user of bicycles).

most salmon anglers return their catch

Is that for conservation reasons? Is there a rule? I haven't done it for 50 years. Everybody seemed to eat all the trout and salmon they caught unless they were v small. I got a 27 pounder once. It reached from my chin to my ankle. But I used a lure, which seemed shameful at the time.

the skill levels tend to be higher

I've seen those carp fishing programmes. There's lots of specialist knowledge but I don't see much skill in plopping your hook in the water. Casting is on another level. The big challenge of worm + float is the boredom.

For that precise reason, sometimes there are actual rules, but generally to conserve the species voluntarily. One of the trout I returned is probably the biggest in a 5 mile stretch of the Darent, prime breeding stock, I also returned the same fish two years ago.

I totally fucking envy you a 27lb salmon, which almost certainly wasn't returned.

It wasn't! I gaffed it, beat it over the head, gutted it and ate it! All very intense for a 12 year old. It fought for 45 mins, never showing more than a fin until it was in the shallows. Must have had quite a life. It had a scar from a lamprey or something.

In reply to those carp fishing videos: carp fishing is a cult, always has been, those videos are mostly promotional guff for tackle or bait companies which make millions for the owners from the gullible many.

Carp get big by eating lots, therefore, they can't be difficult to catch. I caught a 21 pounder on Wednesday, which rather proves the point.

Using a centrepin reel in fast flowing water takes considerably more skill than casting a fly, I do both (frequently badly).

Carp are bad for fishing and fish in general. They are an invasive species.

Only the poles and east Europeans eat them which is bad we all should. Is it illegal to fish for then?

How big was your Darent trout?

My Dad lived in Stockbridge, among the very worst fly fishing snobs. I'm sure they love the Test being for millionaires only. They even have it in for spear fishers. But if you live somewhere with tuna etc swimming around, what can be better than diving to get one to eat? Unlike a trawler there's no killing of other fish by accident. No damage to habitats on the sea bed.

About 3lb, a wild natural fish. Yes, it was caught on a dry which I tied myself. Every year I have a holiday on Exmoor and stop to look at the ridiculous trout beneath the bridge at Stockbridge. They are about as natural as the breasts on a pornstar, which like the trout are fit only for merchant bankers.

The Test at Stockbridge is pure golf club.

Nope, not illegal, but for some daft reason this invasive species is treated like the holy of holies. You'd definitely get lynched if you had one for dinner.

Fishing thread>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Is that racist?)

What's the most popular watch for members?

one of the justices is a friend of mine

Which one?