Why is Carp Fishing So Popular?

Our beloved sport has grown massively in recent years, which begs the question; why is carp fishing so popular?

You could argue that much of the beauty of carp fishing is the sheer number of reasons why people go, and the various motivations people have to hit the bank. For some people, that could be chasing the unknown, for others that’s simply spending an evening on the bank with a BBQ and a few beers.

Carp fishing is different for everyone, and that’s why it’s so popular. Here are some of the potential reasons why carp fishing has becoming so popular in recent years:

Size of the fish

Carp are impressive creatures, capable of growing to over 100lb. It’s hard not to be amazed when they grow to this size. In fact this is one of the many motivators for youngsters becoming carp anglers.

Many a carp anglers passion began fishing for silvers and seeing the elusive, somewhat uncatchable carp swimming around the lake. Then that moment when you finally get one in the net, it’s euphoric!

Media coverage

One thing becoming more popular is people coming straight into angling as carp fishing beginners.

Back in the day it was most common for people to progress to carping after fishing for roach and perch.

Nowadays, with the increasing media coverage such as Monster Carp on ITV, carp fishing has been glamourised and made easily accessible as a newcomers sport.

The media has opened the eyes of the nation in terms of how good our sport is. My mrs couldn’t believe it when this strange hobby of mine was suddenly one of the most watched on ITV!

The fight

Everyone remembers that first moment when they hooked a carp. Often on insufficient gear, hanging on for dear life!

A hard fighting carp really does get the heart rate going. For me, I love that adrenaline of going from chilled out to 100mph when the alarm screams off!

It’s hard to go back to fishing for silvers after that first take from a big carp.

It’s a slow sport

In comparison to match fishing, carp fishing can be a slow sport depending on where and how you fish.

Sometimes there’s nothing better than knowing you’ve got 48 hours down at the lake, without a care in the world. Stick the bivvy up, BBQ on and beer in hand. Weekends can often feel like weeks this way.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all about sitting it out and waiting for a bite. Some people love this style of fishing though, and each to their own!

Opportunity to de-stress

Fishing is scientifically proven to help relieve the symptoms of stress.

It has even been prescribed on the NHS to people suffering from mental health issues.

What better way to chill out than to get away from technology and chill amongst nature for a couple of days?

After a hard week at work, it’s easy to go to the lake and simply forget anything else that’s going on.

That’s until your spomb cracks off or the wheel of your carp barrow blows up!

You get better with age

This counts for most styles of fishing, except extreme distance sea fishing where you need some strength and flexibility!

One of the best things about fishing is that you tend to get better with age.

The more you fish, the more you learn and the more experience you can take into the next session.

It’s great knowing that you’ve got a lifetimes worth of carp fishing ahead of you.

And whilst you might struggle with accurate casting when you’re older, you’ll still have all of that acquired knowledge of where to put the bait in the first place!

Whilst some of my mates are gutted to be hanging up their Sunday league football boots, I feel like my carp fishing hobby is just getting started.

Carp strains

This one fascinates some people more than others. I’m not too knowledgeable on the particular types of carp, but I do find it interesting how carp can look so different.

There is more motivation to catch carp when you’re not sure what it’s going to look like. Unlike roach and bream which tend to look exactly the same, there are so many variations of carp.

There is also the added motivation to catch carp that are named.

It’s a social sport

Unlike match fishing where you’re constantly on the go, carp fishing is much more laid back.

The majority of our fishing is a waiting game, and this makes it perfect for socialising. Simply get your rods in position for the night and enjoy a BBQ and a few beers with the lads. As long as you’re not too far away from your rods of course.

The sit back and wait approach to carp fishing really lends itself to social situations, and it’s not uncommon to see groups of carp anglers on ‘socials’ up and down the UK.

Thrill of the chase

One thing’s for sure, big carp fishing is not easy. Now we’re not talking about your muddy puddle rammed with carp here, we’re talking about low stocked big carp waters.

You need some extra motivation on these waters, and that’s often the thrill of the chase. The thrill of knowing that you’re so close to your target fish and that next take could just be it.

On the other hand, you could black for a few seasons on one water. But when you do get a bite, you know it’s going to be an amazing achievement.

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