Young guns and specimen angling – give them a chance….

The old saying “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is extremely relevant when applied to our beloved sport of Specimen Carp Angling. How often do you see youngsters posing on the covers of magazines with trophy carp they have managed to entice and land successfully during a specimen carp angling trip? Well, my observation has been that it rarely happens and I’ve come to realise that we as Specimen Anglers are missing out on so many opportunities to teach our kids more about this highly conservation orientated sport. Carp Care and Specimen Angling should thus not be restricted to “educated” conventional anglers with expensive imported gear and a serious pose on an unhooking mat. Using a hair rig set up and particles does not give you “Specimen Colours” either, and the incorrect usage hereof can do more harm than good as we’ve come to learn. Even though I do understand the reason in some cases, the excessive secrecy of applications, bait presentations and venues also deprive the “target market” and thus our sport of much needed growth in this country. In my humble opinion the focus should merely be on treating our quarry with respect and the utmost care to preserve them for future generations. With all this in mind, I decided to visit Laurentia Lake in and to take along my experienced son Vian, age 9 and a friend of his, Ruan (age 10) who had never fished Specimen style before. Wykus Lamprecht, a special angling friend joined us on the Friday. I made it very clear that this was no competitive affair and that we would target some good fish and learn about the finer details of the sport. The “catch” however was that Vian would be the appointed teacher as we all know that we learn the most from our piers... While I unpacked the gear I delegated the inflation of the rubber duck to Vian and Ruan by purposefully handing them the manual pump as opposed to the electric pump – to warm up the bones a bit on this bitterly cold Friday. The tackle selected for the boys included Shimano Alivio Rods (3lbs TC) to allow for a bit more give when playing big carp as Ruan was new to this style of fishing. The reels were Shimano GTE8000 Baitrunners loaded with 15lb -20lb Berkley Big Game – more than adequate to handle the bigger fish. I mounted Jackel remote alarms in order to be alerted to all the back bites and runs on a 4-rod pod imported from India. The lines were backleaded for a neat presentation and indicators consisted of Gardner Bugs with swing arm connectors. Carp Care equipment consisted of a Reuben Heaton digital scale set up on a tripod with unhooking mat underneath, as well as a Custom Made unhooking mattress labelled “Carp Whisperer”, with long nose pliers and Gardner antiseptic gel on the side next to a bucket of water. I took time to explain the bolt rig and safety clip mechanisms to the boys and the baits were carefully presented by means of the Mousetrap method using trout-and Betain pellets in the bag, combined with some “fishy” and fruity 20mm boilies and fake maize combos. 2 hours after lines in the first bait alarm announced the interest of a hungry carp and Ruan the “newbie” had first option on the rod. He was in awe of the strength of the carp and eventually our friend on the trip, Wykus slipped the net under a beautiful 9.8kg common, Ruan’s immediate PB. The appointed specimen coach Vian explained to Ruan how a carp should be handled and managed on a wet unhooking mat and how any damaged scales, sores or hook prick marks should be medicated with an antiseptic gel that is available at any good angling retail store. To calm down and control a lively 9.8kg common carp presented its own little challenges to not only these youngsters but also experienced carp anglers. I challenge any specimen angler to admit that they have not been dealt a blow by a slimy tail fin on an unhooking mat on at least one occasion before….but eventually they managed to photograph Ruan’s PB. The fish was carefully released – to me that magical moment when a Specimen Angler is born - exactly at the time that a good fish is given its freedom again as a gift to a fellow specimen angler. We made certain the fish was carried to the water in the weigh sling and that the water was deep enough for it to freely swim away. With only one fish to show for our efforts our patience was soon tested - a good learning curve for the youngsters. I took the time to show the boys how to tie the different rigs, splice lead core, and align hooks with silicone tubing and so on, and re-baited all the rods around 14:00 to try and refresh our chances by making some adjustments. I combined a 20mm Blackberry Pepper boilie with a yellow fake maize pip to get a balanced effect. I added some crushed chilli to a PVA bag filled with trout pellets to spice things up a bit, and dropped them in different feeding areas. It was then when Vian warmed my heart by offering his next run to Wykus as he needed to leave before the gate closed at 16:30 and we would be there for the next two days, and with literally just minutes left before he had to leave he caught a stunning mirror of 11.5kg – his new PB to round off his day with us! The boys netted the fish and Vian explained to Ruan that unlike with conventional landing nets the fish basically gets corralled and not “netted”. With the cold front setting in properly, Vian managed to land another 9.8kg common which I had to pose with as to prevent the boys’ tent smelling like an unhooking mat inside, and around 22:35 Ruan managed an 8.025kg carp in the cold and bravely applied what he had learnt with a pose on the unhooking mat. On Saturday the wind died down and the fish moved towards the dam wall where two more stunning specimens were later landed. The week end came to a fitting close when Ruan, now a new specimen angler landing another common of 6.975 kg, and was reminded by Vian about the mark left by the finely barbed hook and that it also had to be treated with the antiseptic gel. I experienced the magic of children Caring for Carp and learning from each other as they explored the wonderful sport of specimen carp angling. I saw myself in my son, passing on his knowledge and experience to a friend and the impact this had on both children. The photos and the faces of the boys speak for themselves and if there was any doubt…Ruan apparently re-packed his fishing tackle bags three times that Sunday afternoon, the day before school began! It’s rather the “boilie that doesn’t fall far from the PVA bag” and thus it’s our responsibility as experienced anglers, parents and ambassadors of this great sport of ours to educate our children and allow them to share the magic with their friends.