steelpulse, i hear what you are saying. But I also know where some of the negatively charged comments come from. It happens more and more these days that ppl see big carp being caught, and they then get excited and also want to catch some (which is great). So they go onto a specimen forum (or sometimes dont bother), but then sees what goes into fishing at such venues and what gear you need etc. And for some reason alot of ppl get so easily offended, rather than be open to it, when experienced anglers try and give them advice or help them right, on these forums.
They then decide bugger that, I dont need all that, I can do it with my 6lb line and will do it my way. The end result is all thats been mentioned about lost fish, broken off lines etc. And it ends with frustration by those who are trying their best to educate and help ppl, and who are then left with the after-effect of those who've tried and failed because they didnt want to take onboard what experienced guys who spend alot of time on these forums, have tried to tell them.
So allthough I dont at all agree that anyone on the forum should be nasty to newcomers or anyone seeking info, I do understand why there is sometimes a reluctance to give out info, be it abit discouraging as well.... Personally I would also not support or encourage anyone to fish such places where you need to be geared up, unless the person has made the effort to get the righ kit. Remember big carp fishing is not bass fishing that you can do with justabout any rod and line, big carp are much stronger and need the gear to match it.
The problem is also often that ppl think we are mad and over-sensitive about how we fish and how best to fish for big carp. We might be abit mad, but we also know what it involves to try catch these leviathans of the deep. Take the time to see why we are sometimes abit hesitant about such things, there is always a good reason for it...

The guys i know that have kept an open mind, taken the advice given and put it to good use, have reaped the rewards, and still do.