How should you hold a carp?

Question

There have been a few things pop up on social media recently regarding the way in which anglers are holding carp for photos, each time sparking a bit of a debate, but being an open platform the usual internet termites get involved, ruining a diplomatic discussion and turning it into mindless swearing and abuse. I’m pretty much out on my word count to get stuck into this myself but maybe some future Rotarians would like to give their views on the whole subject? I think it’s great that photography and carp fishing are so closely linked these days but is there a line being crossed that puts welfare second or is the majority perfectly safe practice that is being unjustly scrutinised? Matt Jackson

I’m so glad I skipped the social media thing. Without really knowing the nature of the shots or what it’s all about I can’t really comment too much. All I’d say is so long as the fish are safe then that’s all that matters.

On the subject of pictures, I recently read a bit somewhere or other saying how we all need to smile more often, and to a point I agreed, but then I also think there’s nothing worse than every single shot having the same fake, toothy smile beaming up at you…”Say sausages”… Click! Sure, it’s good to have a couple of pics that mum would like, with a nice rosy cheeked smile, especially when the smile captured is genuine and not forced, but let’s be honest, when you’re trying to hold up a big carp it’s not always easy. A look of worry because you want to get it back as quickly as possible and because of your growing concern about the ability of the stranger behind the camera would often be more apt.

When it comes to catch pics, variation is key. What we don’t want is every shot looking the same

I also think it’s important to mix it up a bit, variation is key otherwise your images will get very boring, very quickly.

The majority of my catch pics are self-takes and so variation is something I often struggle with. Am I happy when I’ve caught a carp? Of course I am, but when you’re trying to hold a carp up for pictures and at the same time you’re staring at an unmanned camera on a tripod, and you’re also keeping one eye on that cloud in the sky which is about to cover the sun and ruin your manual settings, and in the meantime the camera is refocusing and firing off another shot every three seconds… and then the fish starts flapping, and then it’s knocked my hat off, and then I need to give it another splash of water… You get my point, smiling is the very last thing on my mind I’m afraid, more frustration, concern, and a desire to get it back in the blooming lake if truth be told. I’ve already done the smiling bit when it slipped into the net!

Anyway, like I say, I think it’s better to mix it up a bit, and that includes using ‘mums shots’ as well as the more carpy looking ‘mates shots’ (chuckle, chuckle, don’t take me too seriously). And of course the way we actually hold our fish, whether that’s kneeling down, rested upon both knees, rested on one knee, cuddled, laying alongside us on the mat or returning. What you don’t want is every shot of every carp you catch looking exactly the same. Some of my favourite catch images don’t even show the fish in full, but I prefer them because they’re different.