This is from JP...he owns the forum and thought enough of us to give us our own section...when he asked this, It made me think



What did happen, I mean we are fishing for carp...still one of the most hated and misunderstood fish in Texas. The fight that Justin and I started many years ago to convince people to give it a try isn't over...but it seems we as a group got big enough we got comfortable. We/I have lost focus somehow it might just be my fault...I am not sure.

We have lost many members that used to embrace this section..WRJ who took the rains and led a group of anglers that fished Whiterock has stopped posting in this section.. Jason that opened up Lake Fork for us and invited everyone to invade his family property...major loss's for us as a group...why?

Another forum as sprouted for Texas members...the TFF IS the reason that we have had success in spreading the carp fishing love in Texas...why do we need another forum?

I have no interest in the TFF other then is been the birth place of carp fishing here in Texas and one of the main reasons that we have made major head way with the TPWD...make no mistake, they monitor and read this site.

Did I get lazy? What happened that we lost what we had...I don't buy into the growing pains idea.

personally, I think it was a focus shift from spreading the love that is carp fishing in Texas, to proving to all the TFF that your a better angler and can catch a bigger fish then the next guy...its lame, no one cares. (why they call it a PERSONAL BEST and not a TFF BEST)

where did I/The TFF mess up?

Losing any carper is a loss. I have had the pleasure of meeting a few from here and enjoyed the bank. Since I only get to really fish 1 sat a month I just enjoy catching any size carp.

As one who has been in the background in this section, reading but not really posting, the biggest thing that I have seen is that a very small number of people let personal issues flow out onto the boards. I have stopped reading or dismissed a number of posts that just degenerated into petty arguing. I think, that kind of stuff needs to be nipped in the bud quick, anytime I sit here and have to think to myself "Wow, these are grown arse men" there is an issue.

If the troublemakers are culled from the group then yeah we might lose a couple of people, but if the problem goes unchecked there is a chance to lose even more folks who just dont want to be a part of the drama.

This section is about showing how much we as anglers like to target a fish that most people write off. Its about learning and growing not measuring "egos." Before stumbling onto this section I had never caught a carp in my life. But now, for some reason Id just as soon spend a day on LBL blanking than fishing for those green fish and catching. I can thank the TFF for that.

Make no mistake, there are far more good apples left on the tree than bad, I just think the good folks need to step up and speak up. Not to take a particular side, but to let folks know that the sides don't matter, the love of the sport does.

Just my $.02

Tight lines!

I have not been on this forum that long but from the day I started posting there have been problems, don't get me wrong the problems were far and in between but this group has grown very large in a short time and with growth there will be problems, it is a shame about losing our members, heck WRJ was the first carp angler I fished with but he got tired of being attacked for no apparent reason.

As far as the NEW FORUM, just ignore it, it is not a threat to TFF in any way, just another place to go.

I know I personaly have over stepped the boundary on more than a few occasions and I apologize for it.

What might help this section is having more fish-ins so that new members can meet old members, teach newbies about carp fishing like I was taught by Jesse and Chris.

Well said Texas-Z. It seems that there are a few "elites" that delite in taking shots at anyone that dares to express an opinion that may run counter to what they think. The occasional suspension works for a little while, but it seems that some of these "elites" can't help themselves and soon fall back into the pattern sniping and snide remarks. That is a shame.

I really have enjoyed the TFF and have met some top notch people and shared the bank with more than a few of them. Let's strive to keep the TFF a venue for education and good times with like minded people.

It seems the "old guys" like Starless dont post thier jackassery as much. That was hilarious to read and really got me going as far as wanting to fish at places like Emma.

The awesome posts they used to do got me visiting more

A fishing forum is a great place to visit.........but you wouldn't want to LIVE there!

I think this applies to any particular section of a forum, any forum, not just Texas Fishing Forum. Further, I think that if a poster becomes so absorbed or fascinated by a particular section of an internet forum that it controls and directs his entire life......introspection is in order. Or if that is not possible, then...intervention!

I know I do not post much but this and the catfish section are the ones I read the most of. IMO what I miss the most are the originals. The session recaps from Fork, Emma, and anywhere else the crew went to where classic.

IMO the thing that is wrong is that there are a few people in the "group" that cannot help but dog on someone and question their knowledge or input. Those same people are very rude and down right jerks to most everyone that post anything they do not like or agree with. When one of these people, and everyone knows how these people are, does this everyone gets mad then "these people" say I am sorry and use an excuse that they have had a lot going on in their lives and then everything is ok again.

Looking in from the outside it appears many are sick of these few people and there ways and have moved on.

I can tell you there have been many post that I have had a hard time of not saying anything because the post where just mean.

To me things have gotten away from you guys just having fun and doing everything you can to open peoples eyes to the carp in Texas. The main thing that is happening is "a few people" telling other what they should do or how to do it and thinking they know everything about everything carp.

That is just a little of what i see. I just have to say, everyone should grow up and have some fun and fish. If everyone would close their mouth and open their ears they may learn something.

I will end with something for everyone to remember.

"An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing.

-Anon."

I like to fish.

I walked in these doors last May 6, 2010. So I am still fairly new here. When I was first on I was noticing some negativity and secrecy* that I just did not care for. Looking back the primary reason I stuck around for the first few weeks because Zach was here. He and I had enjoyed quite a bit of bank time in the past. The reason I stuck around longer was because I started fishing with others on this forum. There are some great people to share the bank with on this forum and some great information.

So I put my feet up and decided to stay. If I was going to stay I decided I needed to contribute. I found three primary ways to do this.
1. Try to stay out of the [censored] and don�t feed the trolls
2. Post session reports with complete information.
3. Start up weekly topics.**

Stay friendly, help others and have fun fishing!
Just my 2 cents.

* Sometimes secrecy is necessary but I think it is unwise to make new people feel left out by posting about locations without telling people where they are. If it is a secret just don't talk about it. Again just my 2 cents.
** At first I was unsure about doing this. I am not an expert but a casual Carp and Buffalo fisherman.

Before I started visiting this section of the forum I had always been told Carp were disgusting creatures. I didn't buy into it but that was my extent of Carp knowledge. I became extremly interested in Carp fishing from reading post, hearing details and just seeing what a good and laid back time people were having.
Then the pi$$ing contest started. It wasn't about going out and sharing a bank anymore. It was about my fish is bigger than yours and my knowledge is more extensive than yours. It was a big distraction for people like myself trying to learn.
Don't get me wrong. I still love the Carp etc. forum(many times its the first place I come on TFF) but now I know. Avoid certain posts and once a post goes south duck out ASAP.
I used to love reading posts from certain members , but they don't seem to post nearly as much, or at all here anymore. I'm not speaking for them at all but there must be some reason for it.
Still this is by far the tightest group w/ the best vibe on the forum. Get back to basics, stop the pi$$ing contest and everybody have a good time.

I don't know what the answer is. I agree that there is inevitably going to be friction between people as a group grows beyond its original close-knit foundation. The biggest difference I've seen in the relatively short time I've been here is that the original core group rarely posts any more, at least about fishing.

There are some abrasive personalities on the forum, but most of those same people have been perfectly friendly and decent people on the banks. I try my best to stay out of the politics and personal stuff, I've always felt that internet arguments were pointless and a waste of time and sanity.

I think one of the things that can be done is to unite the old guard with the newer guys with fish-ins and events. I know this has been tried many times but it just seems that there is little interest on the part of some to do this. I know Zach takes a lot of grief on here (mostly good-natured), but he has gone out of his way to help me and some of the other newer guys. Heck, he's still the only "original" that I've fished with, other than maybe Jesse.

Much of the splinter factions there are in Texas carping seem to stem from the CAG/USCarpPro rift. My hope is that the new leadership there can work toward truly uniting these opposing groups. They say they are going to do so but time will tell.

As for me, I'm just going to continue to fish and have fun with new and old friends alike.

***Voice of Struther Martin...."Cool Hand Luke"***


"This man is gonna make us PROUD of him, Mr. Hunnicut!"

I LOVE to see this kind of post, especially from Zach who has held to his positive attitude and given these people the benefit of the doubt far longer than I could ever have imagined. You are a saint dude. We've all been ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away. Its not going away. Look at what the carp brigade is about, "camaraderie" not fishing or fish. That's whats being lost. I used to drop ANYTHING to fish with my friends, so did Donny, Justin, Bret etc. Life changes and I don't get the time we used to BUT I'm not going to waste my time going to a fish in to watch people bicker and treat each other badly. hell these people have threatened physical violence against others. That's the CAG way and its bled into the TFF when a few bad seeds were shut down on the CAG forum. Its not a matter of we're loosing good people for the bad. We are losing everything the carp brigade stands for because of a few bad apples. I personally would love to go to Emma with a group again but as long as a few individuals continue their attitudes and go to these events, I will not go. I want to enjoy what limited time off I get. I would rather get a root canal than spend time on the bank with certain individuals. I plan to continue to avoid both.

+1