July 2010
E-ZINE
NASH
CARP CATCHERS
DIARIES SEAN LEVERETT
INSIDE
THIS MONTH...
New Products
The Word From The Top
Photography Tips
THE WORD FROM THE TOP Kevin Nash
I
t only seems like yesterday, the year was under way with snow on the ground and now it’s already bloody June. Or should I say it’s ‘flaming’ June – not! We’ve had the coldest spring I can remember and now it never seems to stop raining, still the positive is that this wet humid weather is really kicking off the wildlife, we are getting amazing insect hatches at our lakes and the fish are responding, thus fat, healthy and having it! I personally have been doing a lot of floater fishing lately, I will confess that it’s not something I’ve focused on in past years but I’ve really got into it and I’m learning a lot which is epic and one ofthe wonderful things about carp fishing – you never stop learning. On a less pleasing front, our supply of product is really crap at the minute for which I give my deepest apologies. I guess you guys and girls don’t want to hear excuses you just want your gear to go fishing – none the less this is out of our control. No company can supply in the fishing industry or outside. The problem is that China cannot cope with the up-surge in orders after last years recession where 50,000 factories went bust and millions of Chinese people were laid off work, so like I said, sorry but please bear with us. Have a great summer and get those Bolt Machines out – they’re awesome! All the best,
Kevin Nash *Kevin with a recent surface capture
3
LIFE AT NASH Alan Blair
I will probably start every piece like this – “It’s been another busy couple of months”!!! But busy is good, I like it this way and as usual there is a real buzz at Nash. It’s now the middle of June and everything has really kicked off! What with the lovely warm weather and the majority of fish starting to get over their spawning period, the tackle shop tills are ringing and we’re dispatching lorry loads of goods a number of times each day. Although that statement may appear like everything is going sweet, it isn’t, let me explain. Yes, we’ve got the innovation, selling loads of pukka product and creating that demand, but there are plenty of hurdles along the way, the big one of late is ‘Supply’. If you are one of the people who in recent weeks have gone to their local tackle shop to purchase an item of Nash gear and it hasn’t been available, then I must apologise. Although we are all working to the absolute maximum to meet your demands, there are problems with suppliers that are beyond our control. I totally understand that when you go to a tackle shop and that item isn’t there, you guys don’t want to hear the excuse – it’s late because of our suppliers. We pride ourselves on our level of service and excellence that is renowned throughout the trade; we try our hardest to look after our valued customers too, let me briefly explain the current facts. Obtaining product this year is proving problematic for all suppliers of fishing tackle, in fact there is a worldwide supply problem across all types of manufacture. This has been caused by last year’s recession - in China alone, 50,000 factories closed and hundreds of millions of people lost their jobs. America has now recovered and is placing substantial orders in the Far East where there are insufficient raw materials, manufacturing or workers trained to cope with this up-turn. This has impacted on the ‘lead times’ and therefore all shipments are overdue by an average of 60 days. So again, I can only apologise and say that this is a matter of utmost urgency for Nash and we are doing everything possible to rectify any supply issues as soon as possible.
On a brighter note, around three weeks ago it was ‘Christmas Day’ in the office when Kevin and myself opened 14 boxes of 2011 product samples. Of course, not everything was perfect (and in some cases way off the mark) however a lot of the ideas that had been conceived, discussed, researched, designed and evaluated were finally in the office ready for the next step to move things forward. One particular product is a new innovative design unhooking mat. I actually forgot the relevant information to give to our supplier for this product and as a result had to think on my feet. I ended up creating the said product using a piece of A4 paper, scissors and a stapler! We have received the sample back and its perfect, that’s job satisfaction. We are now creating notes and feedback on all the relevant product and already a vast amount of the items are out on test – either in or around the on site lakes, or out on the bank with our consultants. I’m really buzzing and can’t wait to start letting you guys know a little more. The Nash Fishery Roadshow is another exciting venture that we are experimenting with this year. Without doubt, the best way to explain something to someone is face to face with the product available, it’s even better if you have a lake nearby! That was the thought process of the Nash Fishery Roadshow. Find a suitable venue, get the Nash team down there and demonstrate, teach and educate the angler in everything from Spodding to fish care to bivvy cooking and creating rigs. At each event we cover all elements of carp fishing in live, on the bank scenarios allowing the visitor to use the product and make their own mind up about it. So far we have visited Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire, Cobble acres in Norfolk, Birds Green in Essex, Todber Manor in Dorset as well as events in Belgium, Holland and France! I’ve received plenty of very positive emails from the general public (and tackle shops) in both the UK and Europe and although it’s a new concept for Nash, its definitely working and I hope that anyone who has visited an event found it an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Overall, all shows have been a massive success for Nash. Yes, maybe a few more visitors would have been nice, however I do believe that too many people will just decrease the amount of attention that each visitor receives. Its all about a good balance, correct venue, location, level of advertising and promotion, all of which I have taken on board to ensure the next shows we do will be even more successful.
LIFE AT NASH Alan Blair
If any of you reading this have attended one of the Fishery Roadshow dates then I would be extremely grateful if you have any feedback, likes/dislikes, positives and negatives, ideas for the future etc as these will all go towards putting on bigger and better shows in the future. And if any of you managed to bank some fish whilst fishing with one of our team members, then Well Done. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of months on the bank assisting with the creation of a new promotional DVD that the media team have been working on. This DVD looks at a journey of Rig Development, focussing on Kevin’s complete thought process and theories concerning rigs, why they work, why they may stop working and how to get the takes coming again. It really is a masterpiece featuring a lifetime of knowledge, invaluable to the new comer and more than enough to get the more experience anglers amongst us thinking and revaluating tactics. The lads have been working long hours preparing and editing material, it’s available soon and well worth the wait! As for my fishing – yep, been out there doing it! It really is a very important part of working in the Tackle Industry and I’m sticking to my fishing plans ensuring I’m up to speed on methods, techniques and practicing what I preach at all shows. I mentioned last month about getting out and doing some Tench and Bream fishing utilising the new range of Fish Frenzy baits that are now available. I didn’t get as much done as I planned, however I have had a few nice bream up to 9lb 14oz on the Strawberry and Halibut Squidgees. I have been fishing small over weighted method feeders loaded with Talapia Method Mix This is a new fishmeal groundbait that Nash Bait’s Gary Bayes has developed. Like any new edge you bring to a water, the results have been exceptional. As yet I haven’t had any proper Tench however what with the sun now out at 4.00 in the morning its definitely time to grab the weedrake, get the waggler out and try for some sunrise stunners. I also paid a visit to Hampshire for a few days stopping off to fish the superb Todber Fishery where I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to fish their new water - Little Hayes. A cracking venue with some absolutely stunning fish. It wasn’t fishing particularly well, however I managed a few on zigs, small baits and bags of pellets and my largest fish (18lb) on the fly rod with a small piece of black foam. From there I went onto Longleate for an afternoon/ evening of surface fishing, before the entire lake started to spawn. Again, a brilliant venue and one I will definitely be visiting again, they loved a floater and I managed to catch 9 fish, on the Bolt machines, to just over 23lb.
Whilst working my weekends at shows I always try to get one evening in on either the venue of the show or a suitable venue close by. Whilst in Belgium I caught a proper old mirror from a local canal that weighed exactly 30lb. Due to the long day of getting the show organised, I didn’t manage to flick my choddies out until 2.00 in the morning! At 5.00 a.m. I was awoken to an absolute one toner as the pineapple choddie rod was going into meltdown. After a good 15minute battle I slipped the net under the fish and being honest, I let out a small cheer! On top of that I’ve had a pukka 43lb Mirror from Church Pool on slow sinking bread, a load of other surface caught carp from local venues and a PB Asp! I caught the Asp in Holland whilst spraying Scopex Flavoured maggots up in the water. They are an interesting fish that can grow to double figures and I would describe them as a cross between a Cubb, Rudd and Bream but with sharp teeth! I would like to get some Tench fishing done over the next month or so and I also have a holiday planned in Belgium where I want to visit some more sections of canal to see what they have on offer. Lastly, the river season has started and I’ve spent the first three nights on a section of the Ouse around Milton Keynes – I’ll let you know next time how that went. Finally and this is for sure my biggest piece of news – I have had a job promotion. I started at Nash nearly three years ago when Kevin employed me as his Marketing Manager. During that time I have worked extremely hard to promote the brand through various forms and along the way tried to gain a better understanding of all elements of Nash, the importance of having the best product and creating a strong team of like minded, anglers, workers and now friends who all share the same passion. Kevin has seen the efforts I have made and as a result offered me a position on the board of Nash Group PLC as Operations Director. Of course I accepted his offer with immense pride and now relish the future tasks involved in continuing to drive and grow Nash right across the globe. Anyway – loads to do so better get on. Hope life’s good for you and you’re getting plenty of fishing in – maybe I’ll catch you at a show over the next couple of months?
Alan
ON THE GRA PEV INE
CUTTING EDGE Even after a life time of angling, Kevin’s enthusiasm for carp fishing is as great as ever, its infectious and ‘rubs off’ on all the team at Nash. You can sense it in his comments about surface fishing in his introduction. I’m sure it’s a major factor why Nash is still the market leader in innovation and design, in essence its cutting edge bait and tackle designed by carp anglers for carp anglers. Our consultants have been doing very well on it, just look at what they’ve been catching recently! Obviously good angling is a major factor but using the very best bait and tackle available does give you an edge.
Keith Jones
Hello and welcome to our new look on line magazine, we’ve got a fantastic line up of contributors and some really interesting articles, product news, top tips and features this month, all of which will help us catch the carp of our dreams. Actually I’ve just proof read the magazine from cover to cover and what a fantastic read it has been!
LET’S GET THE RODS OUT! Pursuing the carp of our dreams can easily become an obsession at this time of the year and it’s so easy to loose sight of the real reasons why we go fishing. This a magical time to be out in our glorious English countryside, so by all means reach for the stars but don’t ignore the flowers at your feet!
MAKE MORE EVEN MORE EFFORT BAIT Iain Macmillan’s comments regarding getting organised have also got me re-thinking certain aspects of my approach. Carp can be tricky to catch at this time of the year and its all too easy to just sit it out behind the rods, hoping for the best. Whereas setting up a zig or searching out some fish and firing out some mixers will often produce a result. But rather than do it properly, its so easy to just cobble some ineffective presentation together, make a couple of half hearted casts and then give it up and go back to blanking on the bottom. But Iain’s suggestion of having additional floater or stalking rods set up ready to go makes a great deal of sense.
Yet again the new Soluballs are the real buzz word on the grapevine, these highly attractive balls of food are catching serious amounts of carp at the moment. If you are not using them, you are for sure missing out big time. I’ve yet to meet any angler who has a negative comment to make about them, apart from the obvious one of why did it take us so long to come up with such an awesome product! Feed back from the shows suggests that a good number of ‘serious’ big carp anglers are in danger of over looking and dismissing the new Fish Frenzy range as a ‘runs water only’ bait which is a big mistake.
I’ve now got a couple of H Guns in a Nash Two Rod Sling, one set up for surface baits and one for stalking close in, the sling takes up little or no room on the trolley. Next time I find myself in such a position, in no time at all I can be effectively fishing alternative tactics and I’m sure it will put bonus fish on the bank.
There’s some awesome products in that range, just recently I introduced twenty or so of the tiny 6mm boilies into a swim and then watched a forty pounder spend the next two hours searching out every last bait. I deliberately spread single baits over a wide area, as soon as the first one was sampled, the fish seemed instantly addicted and wouldn’t give up the hunt until every last boilie was located and devoured. I’m well impressed with those!
BAIT Whenever Gary talks about anything carp related I always make a point of listening carefully! His comments this month regarding the new iC1 boilie are very interesting. Since it’s release, the iC1 catch reports have been literally flooding in by the day. As well as being an incredibly instant bait, the iC1 also seems to be picking up a good number of the bigger fish, even on waters where the carp have never seen it before.
YOUNG GUNS I also found Jamie Londers and Billy Flowers carp catching tips an interesting read, these two highly talented anglers are real fish catching machines, it certainly makes thought provoking reading for anglers of all ages and abilities
fig1 - Kevin and bait guru Gary Bayes
Gary Bayes
BAIT TALK
A
t the time of writing, my own lakes are producing fish to generally heavy baiting methods although you do have to watch out and be aware that on bright sunny days the carp will not respond to these tactics in deep areas.
Generally the margins, shallows and island slopes are the best bet on the sunny days, especially if the wind is piping into the area. If you can’t get in the shallows or the wind ward bank on your chosen venue, then it might be floater or zig rig time. There’s been a few good catches on the zigs on my lakes. Bait wise, particle mixes, boilies and method mixes are catching well, spodded to the further areas, as long as there is plenty put in. If you are fishing on limited funds, particles and Vitalin dog food are quite cheap and are perfect to bulk out the boilies. Despite the budget price, this really is a very effective mix. It really does seem to be the heavy baiters using about 5-10 kilos of bait a day that are catching all the fish whereas the single baits or a PVA bag on it’s own isn’t catching much at all. I’m sure this will be the case on many other waters too. Just recently Mark Twin had a 29 common and a 28.12 mirror and two high doubles caught over a combined 16 kilo’s of bait that he and a previous angler had put in during the day. Mark would of caught a lot more if he hadn’t had to go to work.
If you do try particle fishing then a mix of different size food items is best.
fig2 - Particles and pellets are catching well, but Nash Boilies provide the carp with a superior food source, at the moment they are producing the bigger fish fig3 - Allow the boilies to soak up the particle juices fig4 - A chopped boilie ‘particle mix’ is well worth a try fig5 - Don’t over look the zigs and floaters fig6- Ground bait tactics, piling it in has worked well on my water fig7- Food and Boilie Dips are perfect for mixing and boosting ground bait
Crushed hemp, whole hemp, tares, maples and maybe some peanuts or tigers if they are allowed. Blend in some chopped and whole boilies and you’ll be on a winner. Put the boilies in with the particle so the water can soak into the boilies a bit first.
Boilie choice is variable at the moment for the anglers and field testers I know who are fishing hard at the moment. Scopex Squid and Scopex Squid Red are still doing very well but so are most baits in the range. Our new iC-1 boilie is catching loads on my day ticket lake and on such a lake with a large stock, its interesting to note that the iC1 users are mostly catching the better fish. In fact the boilie only anglers are definitely catching a few less than the particle/method anglers but they are averaging much better weights. So, plenty of bait, avoid the deep water, be prepared to use floaters or zig baits up high in the sunnier days and you’ll do well, or at least up to spawning time and then a week to 10 days after spawning the heavy baiting will start catching them again. In general, method/ ground baiting will catch you more but a boilie only approach will catch the better fish. Good luck see you next time
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HIGHS AND LOWS fig1 - Watch and learn
fig2 - I’ve got great confidence in my Twister based rigs but I guess the odd disaster is inevitable
fig3 - Don’t over look ground bait
fig4 - Soluballs, a convenient and highly attractive alternative to conventional ground bait
Thanks to those nice people at Nash HQ I’ve been given my own regular slot in the new magazine. I’ll be keeping you updated on my own fishing, passing on useful tips and ideas and letting you know about the latest Nash tackle and bait I’m using.
I’ll start this month with an update on my own fishing which hasn’t exactly been going to plan just recently. Things were going well, a lot of thought had gone into applying and establishing my bait and despite the lake being busy I could feel I was getting close to one or more of my targets.
THE RIGHT TOOLS One of the popular swims on the lake commands a good length of island margin with some big overhanging trees which the carp love to patrol under. When possible I’ve been giving the area a few kilo of boilies with the Nash Quick Sticks which are perfect for the job. After I’d got my range I found that I could actually skim boilies along the surface right under the tree canopy reaching the parts others can’t with little or no disturbance.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL There’s also another little trick I’ve used in that swim and it’s one that I’ve yet to see others do. By donning the chest waders and wading to the right of the swim I can now get a better angle for casting. Doing this I can get my hook bait where the wary carp aren’t used to finding them. It’s a simple idea and certainly not a ground breaking one but attention to detail or making small changes to the way you do things can bring big rewards on a busy pressured water. I did this the first time I fished the swim this year and I remember being sat up between the hours of midnight and 2am watching a very large fish making a spectacle of itself in the moonlight.
I had to wait until 8:30am for the take and I was soon into a heavy fish. It slowly kited away from the island into open water and just plodded near the surface but I couldn’t make much line on it. I saw a big grey mirror roll on the surface around 40 metres from the bank then the hook fell out! Gutted just about covers the feeling but I guess you just have to get over it and crack on. I had to think back over 2 years of fishing before I could recall my last loss so I can’t complain too much. The fact I’m getting action on such a difficult water has to be taken as a plus. It’s often little ‘manoeuvres’ like these that can produce a bonus take or two. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box and even fishing the busiest of swims can become that much more productive. This doesn’t really apply to my current water but on many other venues, I’ve seen anglers become stagnant and do the same things week in, week out. Some radical thought or simply doing something a little bit differently to the norm is the way to catch more carp.
GROUND BAIT - AN UNDER USED CARP CATCHER After I caught the ‘Fat Lady’ a few years back I was at a bit of a loose end so spent the rest of the year fishing day ticket waters with friends who I’d not fished with for a while. One of these was Richmond lake in Lincoln which had a spodding ban at the time. As ridiculous as this was, rules are rules and have to be adhered to (well most of the time!). It was soon obvious that everyone was fishing bags or stringers with a scattering of boilies and this left a void. I had a bucket full of pellets with me so I boiled up some lake water and scalded the lot to make a method mix. I also added a couple of kilo of Scopex Squid boilies (whole and chopped) and fished all 3 rods over it. The marginal weed ended around 30 metres out and this was in 9 foot of water. I got a few funny looks as I balled it all in but on dusk the liners started and so did the slick! There was a little ripple blowing across the lake but not in my swim. It was as if I’d emptied the contents of a chip pan into the lake. By the morning I’d had 6 takes and landed fish to nearly 30lb. I was knackered but happy as a little thinking had earned me a good result.
GET ON THE SOLUBALLS! I’ve caught well on Ball Pellets in the past so I was delighted when Nash brought out a new, much improved version of the concept. The Nash Soluballs come in various flavours to complement each boilie in the range and unlike similar products from the past they have an extremely high nutritional value. As soon as the Soluballs hit the lake bed they start to break down and release masses of water born food signals, within ten to fifteen minutes depending on water temperature, the baits will have reduced to an extremely attractive pile of feed. When disturbed by fish an explosive cloud of attraction and tiny food particles are dispersed over a much wider area which creates prolonged and intensive feeding activity. The attraction can be boosted even further with the addition of Nash Bait Food or Boilie Dips, these highly attractive products can also be used to slow the dissolve time. I’m sure the Soluballs are going to be big this year, they provide endless options for the thinking angler.
CHASING THE DREAM Being able to genuinely enjoy other angler’s success is a crucial element of carp fishing. One thing that really spurs me on to keep chasing my dreams is witnessing the capture of a special fish or reading about other people’s success. And it’s been quite a while since I’ve drooled over a fish as impressive as Rich Wilby’s stonking 48lb common which was recently featured on the cover of Carp Talk. This is yet another monster carp that has fallen to the irresistible iC1 boilie, what an incredible bait that is already proving to be! As well as being a key member of the Nash team, Rich is also a very capable angler so I’ll end this month with a big well done to him. Well that’s it for now, good luck and hopefully I’ll see you all next time with a ‘whacker story’ of my own.
fig5 - Plenty of options for the thinking angler!
fig6 - When it all goes right!
Billy Flowers and Jamie Londers
J
amie Londers and Billy Flowers have enjoyed great success on the international carp match scene in recent years, their achievements have been hugely impressive by anyone’s standards. But there’s much more to these two highly talented anglers than catching large numbers of fish in a pressured competition environment. Their water craft skills, attention to detail, adopting a flexible approach and being able to adapt to differing conditions have produce consistent results on a wide range of waters when they are fishing for fun, they catch more than their fair share of monsters too! Match results and achievements over the last few years
2006: 1st place International carp challenge 2007: 3rd place International carp challenge and 4th place in the Britsh Carp championships 2008: 4th place in the qualifier of BCAC, 4th place qualifier welsh carp masters. 3rd place International Carp Challenge, 2nd place in the NFA trials held at Drayton Reservoir and 2nd overall(silver medal) and 4th overall in our section of the NFA world carp championships. 2009: 1st place Army Carp Charity Match, 1st place Nash team winners. 1st place qualifier of BCAC. 3rd place International Carp Challenge, 1st place winners of the team event at the International carp challenge and 2nd place ( silver medallist) 1st place in our section in the NFA world carp championships. 2010: 1st place in the Carping for Cancer Charity match
BILLY AND JAMIE’S TACTICS FOR SUCCESS
Simple rigs and small mesh bags and sticks will ensure you are presenting baits effectively if you haven’t plumbed or explored the swim.
Fish where they are, the first thing to do when arriving at any water is to find those fish, we never go to a lake with a preconceived plan or make decisions on which areas or swims to fish until we’ve had a good look around.
Feeling the lead down is important, you must be sure that your baits are presented correctly if its not right, don’t just sit back and make do, in carp fishing, near enough is never good enough.
Always take note of what other anglers are up to, listen to what they have to say, but also keep an open mind, angling pressure and lines in the water will give you a good indication of where they’ll be. If there are no obvious signs, the middle of the lake always makes a good starting point, on most waters there will be carp in residence or passing through Don’t be in a hurry to make decisions or be over influenced by visual features. Over hanging bushes and island margins always attract anglers, they attract carp too but they tend to get fished in a predictable way. Rather than fish tight locked up to or under them, try fishing close by or off the feature. Less obvious features like under water bars and undulations that many anglers will be unaware of could prove to be the real hot spots. Be prepared to try different options or tactics until the fish respond. When using multiple rods there’s no point in just fishing one method or tactic, experiment with different baits maybe change things around with the rigs until you find what works. Keep angling for those fish, you need to make it work rather than just sit back and hope. If you’re fishing with a friend it pays to work as a team. The chances are you’ll have at least six rods out between you which gives plenty of options to experiment and try different baits and tactics. The marker rod is a useful tool but it’s often the first thing anglers reach for at the beginning of a session. But if there’s fish already in the swim, have a go at catching them first, get that first bite, catch a few and then work the swim from there.
If we are trying to intercept carp that are on the move or passing through, baited spots will usually be the best way to go. This gives the fish something to home in on and will encourage them to stop and feed. Be aware of what might have gone on before you arrived, there could already be bait in your chosen swim so don’t put too much bait in to start with. Start with one bite tactics, small PVA bags, bright colours, use the Food and Boilie Dips, high attraction with little substance or food for them to eat are the tactics most likely to get you those first bites. Attention to every minute detail is the key, check the hook point every time prior to casting, be prepared to steam the hook link and fine tune the presentations if necessary. Use small PVA bags to boost attraction around the hook bait, this will also ensure the rig lands perfectly. Find them first, identify the feeding spots, fish one bite tactics, experiment and fine tune until you start to catch. Even if you’ve baited and prepared the swim, always be ready to move onto fish if they start to show elsewhere or if its obvious that you’ve made the wrong swim choice. Good luck and remember effort equals reward! fig1 - A winning formula! fig2 - Match success fig3/4 - They also catch plenty of carp when fishing for ‘fun’ fig5 - Sometimes it pays to hold back with the spod fig6 - Baited spots will attract and hold those fish fig7 - One bite tactics fig8 - Just a mouthful fig9 - Size and colour have a role to play fig10 - Team work
PRODUCT NEWS THE NEW FISH FRENZY RANGE
produced consistent and prolonged success on a wide range of waters.
Fish Frenzy is a range of high attract baits with a difference. Proven flavour and attractor blends, taste sensations designed to trigger heavy and prolonged feeding and a high nutritional content combine to create the perfect instant carp catcher. During an intensive development program, unlike many instant fish catchers the new Fish Frenzy range has also
10mm AND 15mm SHELF LIFE BOILI
Proven attractor blends designed the Nash laboritory and extensiv tested, Palatants specifically formulated to trigger heavy feedi bright colours proven to attract c and a high food value all combin create an incredibly instant boilie love these boilies and will eat the quantity; the results during testin development have amazed us al
SOFT HOOKABLE BOILIES
FISH FRENZY FEED PELLETS
A soft 6mm high food value micro feed item available in a range of flavours and colours that will drive carp completely mad! Just a handful of these tiny baits scattered over a feeding area will keep carp grubbing around on the bottom for hours.
3mm and 6mm high attract rapid break down pellets designed as a perfectly balanced carp food. Carp find them irresistible, even when every scrap of food is gone, the reside left behind keeps pulling the fish back for more
IES
d in vely
ing, carp ne to e. Carp em in ng and ll!
NEON SQUIDGEE BOILIES AND PELLETS Soft textured 6mm and 8mm conventional shaped round boilies and boilie pellets featuring almost ‘glow in the dark’ colours that will stop a patrolling carp in its tracks!
SQUIDGEE JELLY PELLETS Carp find the taste and texture of these ‘jelly like’ pellets very attractive indeed, once sampled it’s as if the fish become instantly addicted. Any hook bait from the range dropped in amongst the feeding activity created by the jelly Pellets is almost guaranteed to produce a result
FISH FRENZY METHOD MIX The volatile water born food signals given off by this incredibly effective user friendly method mix act like a carp magnet, fish will literally attack these incredibly attractive balls of food as soon as they hit the lake bed. Takes can be ferocious and often come immediately after casting to a feeding spot. The fruity palatants and attractors used in the blend act as a ‘link’ to the other boilies and pellets in the range, combined together they create the perfect carp catching package
IN-JUICER LIQUID The In-Juicer can be used with the Method Mix or any baits from the range to further boost attraction, the In-Juicer creates a kind of volcano effect with irresistible water born ‘eat me signals’ that permeate from the lake bed to the surface.
CARP CATCHERS DIARIES
CHATEAU CAVAGNAC - JAMIE CLOSSICK
I recently visited the impressive Nash Resorts lake, Lac Chateau Cavagnac in the far south of France. This was my first ever taste of French fishing and I wasn’t completely sure as to what to expect. I’m sure many anglers must worry about their baits, rigs and tactics when first dipping a toe into the unknown. Cavagnac is far from a ‘chuck it and catch water’ it is in fact a ‘proper’ venue, in many ways its like an old English estate lake and you have to fish well to catch them. But despite some reservations, I decided to adopt a more positive approach, surely if I can catch carp in England I should be able to anywhere? Time to put my theories and tactics to the test!
INTO THE UNKNOWN After the cold winter I was disappointed to find the South of France absolutely freezing! I received a sun burnt nose by day but at night I was left clinging to a hot water bottle in the very heavy frosts! I opted for an open water area that I thought might provide a chance of a bigger fish while my friends fished the bays situated around the lake. To start with the fishing was cold and slow and I blanked for the first few nights while they caught a few small ones from around the lake.
The main focus was to film the second instalment of my carp fishing series, ‘The Knowledge.’ The aim of the DVD is to capture information packed footage filmed during ‘real’ fishing experiences and situations. Unlike some of the ‘staged’ ones that I have watched (and enjoyed) in the past.
The sunny days were warming the water noticeably, more in fact than the frosty nights were cooling it, although my friends were picking off the odd small fish I decided to focus on the open water areas and hopefully pick up a monster!
THE THINKING GAME
IN THE GROOVE
I’d already decided to stick with what I know works, using my English fishing experiences I chose my spots carefully, experimented with hook bait colours and employed all the usual tricks and edges. The first take finally came and what a screamer it was, after a fantastic scrap I landed a cracking common weighing in at 38 pounds. The fish was caught on a mixture of the new Nash iC1 boilies and matching Soluballs, loosely described as a ball pellet, the Soluballs are possibly the most revolutionary new food item I have seen since the creation of the boilie. The Soluballs are available in 18 and 24mm sizes and there’s one to match every boilie in the range. The Soluballs have a very high food value, they fizz and crackle on the bottom and instantly pull the carp in to feed, they create a mega coloured and smelly ‘porridge’ around the feeding spot and ooze attractive food signals.
The next take resulted in another battle with a powerful Cavagnac common, again played from the bank, the reward was a cracking fish that went 43lb on the scales, result! Although I had only landed two fish, the average weight was over 40 pounds so my plan to fish for less bites but bigger fish had certainly paid off. As the weather warmed, the fishing improved and I finished up with around 16 fish, most of which were 30 pound plus so I was well pleased with the results. The iC1 performed perfectly, carp absolutely love this bait and the incredibly attractive Soluballs are also now a permanent addition to the bait armoury Look out for the next instalment of The Knowledge, ‘The French Connection’ to hit the shops during the summer.
CARP CATCHERS DIARIES JULIAN CUNDIFF
TOP TIPS FOR THE MONTH AHEAD Isn’t nature wonderful? In the last week there has been a whole years worth of weather conditions where I live which really must have been as confusing to the carp as it has been to me. From temperatures almost touching 30 degrees to frost on my windscreen, driving rain to scorching sun and a cold easterly wind to a wild and very carpy westerly I have seen it all. The trick to being a successful carp angler is to be able to adapt to these changes and that’s so true of the month of June. Spring is over but summer does not want to take full control… just yet. Here are my top tips to ensure that you stay on top of your game and don’t get caught out….. Upgrade that line - if you’ve been using a fluorocarbon mainline this spring or maybe using a standard monofilament in say 12 lb, with the increase in weed that most waters will be seeing it really is time to upgrade your mainline. I know that in my waters although I have been using XT in 15 lb some of my waters are now so weedy that for my hook and hold short range stuff I’m gearing up with the 18 lb XT version. With the fish of a lifetime just a bite away you can’t take chances and with XT you are not taking chances. Do yourself a favour and whatever line you are using really take a long hard look at it. If you’ve had it on since March and fish regularly almost certainly it will need changing. Sunlight, line twist, weed, moisture and hopefully carp pulling on the end of it will have weakened it so don’t skimp when it comes to certainty and be sure… not ‘hopeful’…… Cut out the angles - if the weed is starting to take hold it’s important that any bite registration is indicated as soon as possible so that you can hook, hold and land. Unless I am fishing on a platform or concrete I always use single bank sticks which allow me to point my rods directly at where the end tackle is cast to. A straight line improves bite registration, which means you are in direct contact when you strike that hook home. You are also far less likely to have that rod dragged in. By fishing single bank sticks you really can spread your rods about so lessening the chances of multiple rod tangles when playing fish and less chance of carp entering the swim being spooked by three lines all exiting from the same point. There are no downsides to single bank sticks…. Keep that hook protected - with weed on the increase the last thing you want is your hook point to be snarled in weed. Take a look at the lake bed just in front of you. No doubt much of it has some degree of weed on it and that’s where your hook bait and hook point are going. By fishing your end
tackle in some form of PVA you are protecting the hook on the cast and when the bag hit’s the bottom the contents of the bag will flatten the weed so that the hook is still 100% effective. Whether you use a Webcast bag or Drag Back PVA tube you know it will improve the rig’s efficiency and also deliver a parcel of food shouting ‘eat me’ to the carp. Learn to use it correctly and it will make your life so much easier…… Up close and efficient - more fish than ever are lost in the next month or so with some takes being quite vicious and weed making life more difficult for us as anglers. Some fish will inevitably be lost ‘no matter what’ but many are lost needlessly by angler’s incompetence. If you are fishing then don’t walk out of your swim. Sit as close as you can to your rods and if you are bivvied up ensure that the rods and shelter are as close as possible without compromising your fishing. The key is to only cast where you know you have a realistic chance of landing the fish and when you do cast out ensure you give it 100% attention. It’s carping not camping! ….. It ain’t just boilies - although there can be no doubt how effective boiled baits are, as temperatures start to rise the carp can become more finicky with the standard boilie hook bait and to be more successful you have to start thinking out of the box. Start by cubing your hook baits and if possible fishing broken or chopped boilies as feed. Carp can almost become wary of the little round ball approach on some waters. Think about using particles as well. A tiger nut as a hook bait over crumb and crushed tigers is a winner in the heat believe me. Why not try a cubed bait and a tiger ? Carp won’t stop eating boilies but from now on might not be so gullible with the hook bait. Just a change from whatever everybody else is flogging to death can produce the goods….. Big push - from my own observations with there being no close season as such, many anglers will have been hard at it since March and at times it has not been easy. With spawning, the World Cup and holidays coming up some waters can see a drop off in effort and anglers so why not capitalize on that. If your carp have spawned they will certainly be wanting to feed to replenish energy. Whilst some anglers are bemoaning the weed and staying away don’t give up and use their absence to get a better swim choice. If you are not a football fan the next couple of months are the best time to find empty waters. Carp fishing is often a mental game as much as anything else so don’t get the wobbles, be sure that it WILL happened and give it the big push. Be lucky
CARP CATCHERS DIARIES SEAN LEVERETT
SEAN LEVERETT Hi all and once a¬gain welcome to our new online publication. Last time I said I would keep you up to date with my goings on so on we go! Things have been going really well for me over the last couple of months with me having a couple of good fish. First there was the recapture of Hendrix from Cleverley on a hinged stiff link fished with an Airball pineapple pop-up attached. I didn’t weigh her again as she had been out a few weeks earlier at 41lb 8oz. I thought it unnecessary to put the fish through the stress again so just slipped her straight back. Then over the next couple of sessions I had a cracking little mirror followed by one of the original commons. Both fish also came on the hinged stiff link over small amounts of the Scopex Squid, that’s a real top spring tactic. At the end of April I then had the big common from Cleverley at an all time high weight of 41lb 2oz. I followed this up with a 32lb 9oz mirror known as Little Joe. It was a great way to end my season over on Cleverley but I will be going back in an attempt to trap Ringo the big mirror. The start of May saw me heading off to St Ives and the Lagoon in search of the Fat Lady. The great fish graced the banks three times during the month so things were looking good for us all over there. I had my first take on the 2nd of June, which turned out to be a whacking great Bream then lost my first proper Carp take the following day when I was cut off. Later that day I had a 21lb Pike! On Tuesday the 8th of June at a little after 5am and on my 19th night I had another take. After a short battle I slipped the net under the Lady herself and on the scales she weighed in at 58lb. As you would expect I’m overjoyed and its going to take a little while to come down from the high, as I write this on the 11th it still doesn’t feel as if it’s sunk in properly. The rig? The hinged stiff link again. And the bait? Scopex Squid of course! 3kilos in total with an additional half a kilo of the new Soluballs and Frenzied Carp Pellet, what a combination! Where next? I’m back over to Cleverley for a bit but then I’m off to a Berkshire pit in search of a fish called “The Brute”. Once again I’ll keep you all informed as to what happens. Till then, good luck all and see you soon.
CARP CATCHERS DIARIES IAN MACMILLAN
SUMMER STALKING AND SURFACE FISHING I think its safe to say that once that first light bite time has passed, in the warmer months we are all left scratching our heads looking for things we can do to tempt a bite. It does seem that once the sun’s rays are well and truly on the water, the only chance to make things happen is to get off your backside and find the fish! Now normally even on low stocked pits the carp can and will be found in the edge or up on the surface and with this in mind I’ve now fine tuned my stalking kit down to a tee. I have two rods (one set up for stalking with conventional baits and one for mixer fishing) a matt with scales and a weigh sling inside, a bucket with some bits and pieces of terminal tackle and also inside the bucket are some sinking pellets and some good old chum mixers, oh and the net! And off I go for as long as it takes to search out Mr. Carp. Probably the most important bit of kit on the list that I’ve not mentioned is my polarised glasses, and I, like loads of other carp anglers up and down the country would be well and truly stuffed without them. They really have put me so many more fish on the bank over the years and along with location and a sticky sharp hook they are most definitely on my ‘must have’ list of essential tackle items. There are loads of different styles to choose from but my advice would be to go for comfort rather than looks, as at the end of the day they will be on your head for long periods of time and you’ll need to almost forget they are there, that’s when you know they are the correct ones. Just going back to the rod set ups, the reason for taking two rods is that at times, no matter how hard you try, you’ll just not be able to get the fish to take mixers. Many of my failed excursions have not been down to poor location, but shockingly bright light levels, and believe me once the sun has started to dip in the sky, the same swim and feeding techniques will be so radically different that you’d think you were on a completely different pond! So the rod set up with a bottom bait rig on will come into play for the afternoon stint. On the flip side of the floater problems and light levels, it does seem that bites are available in the heat of the day. I personally think the warmer the margins then the more likely the chances are the fish will cruse in for a bit of a munch. Another little tip always worth trying is to bait a few likely looking spots with some pellet and simply keep
your eye on them over the next couple of hours, tell tale signs like fizzing and clouded water should give the carp’s game away and a very simple braided rig with a bottom bait should suffice here, just lower it down when the fish have moved out on one of their laps and stand well back. Just be on your guard though as takes can be fierce to say the least, especially if you use the largest lead possible like I do, that way the shock effect is at its maximum and hook pulls very rarely occur. I had a very frustrating days floater fishing on Monks Pit only recently, I say frustrating but it did end up with me bagging a stunning old warrior of around 25lb, but the final score was carp 2 Tong 1. I had these fish so confidently feeding that I thought it would be the proverbial turkey shoot once I finally cast out. But the light levels were showing my end tackle up like a sore thumb, or the lovely trickling wind would flatten off just at the wrong time, bugger!! But eventually I managed to put a fish on the bank through shear persistence, but do bear in mind this was 2 o clock in the afternoon in 29 degrees of direct sunlight, but I knew if I could of stayed in the swim until the evening the chances would of come thick and fast. More importantly though for me I’d made the effort to find the fish and have a go for them, I just can’t sit behind rods that seem like they will never bust off! Isn’t there a saying that effort normally gets rewarded, or something like that? So in closing, you will normally be able to make a chance for yourself somewhere on the lake in the very slow times throughout the warmer months, but I supposed it will all depend on how much you want it to happen. There’s nothing like that very smug feeling you get once you’ve returned to base camp to flick the rods out for the night with a couple of ‘bonus’ fish under your belt, knowing full well that if you hadn’t of bothered then you may still be facing the dreaded blankity blank!! So get your stalking kit sorted and get those walking boots at the ready, summers here!
Be lucky - Iain Macmillan 1. Perfect conditions for a floater 2. Once bite time has passed, I can’t just sit there hoping 3. Looking for signs 4. Nash Bolt Machine will trick those cagy surface feeders 5. On the bottom, I like a heavy lead for stalking 6. Lovely old dark warrior sneaked off the top, note funny hat and glasses, crucial fish spotting gear
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Capturing a target fish or any carp for that matter is a special experience, a well taken photograph will allow us to preserve those memories. With the right approach its not that difficult to achieve, Rich Wilby tells us how.
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To achieve the correct composition, the main subject (the fish and the angler) should fill the frame. Most anglers like the carp to dominate the picture, but I think it is important to have some degree of border and ensure the captors face is completely in the shot. This helps to give a true scale of the fish plus it helps to make it stand out.
Look to see where the best source of light is coming from. Usually this will come from the sun, but on overcast days you may find that the lake provides the light on the fish. Try to avoid dark, shadowy areas, such as under trees and ensure that you don’t cast your own shadow on the fish if its you taking the pictures.
Think about the background. 03 Bushes, reeds and other bank side vegetation looks nice as does a bit of water. You don’t want cars, toilets or bags of rubbish in the shot!
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Keep the carp safe and supported on the bank, ensure that it is kept soaking wet all of the time when it is on the mat, this will help the fish stay calm and make it look perfect in your pictures. Don’t rush things, but be prompt and have everything organised on the bank before you pull the fish out.
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Hold the camera with both hands and make sure you’re stable to avoid any “shake”. Putting one knee on the ground will help this andshould make you level with the angler if you are on even ground.
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Don’t push the fish too far away from your body in an attempt to make it look bigger. This ruins a good picture as the depth of field is affected and it is hard to get a true scale of how big the carp really is. Plus it is unsafe.
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Finally, don’t look unhappy with your fish. It’s not hard to smile when you are holding a nice lump up in front of the camera so make the effort.
Happy snapping! Rich Wilby. 1. It might sound obvious but read the instructions! 2. A tripod is essential for self take shots 3. Preserve those happy memories
Dave Beecham-Canary Island Carp Fishing Tours
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Early Season
Success Twenty nights in, nine runs and seven fish including two 30's and two targets banked so I’m well pleased!
The season started slow for me this year, and like most waters, the fish and the weather conditions were at least a month behind compared to previous years. Temperatures have been crazy with light frosts and chilling winds even in May. The water I’m fishing is a 25 acre pit containing around 25 fish over 30lb and two that are usually 40 plus. The stock level is low compared to other waters in the area with around 100/120 fish and a few stockies but the fish are catchable when they can be found. CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE....
My main targets for the year are ‘the big common’ and ‘the golden common’ as well as there lake record ‘two scales’ and the impressive ‘two tone’ both of which are mirrors. The big common usually weighs in somewhere between 38 - 41 lb and the golden common ranges between 37 and 40lb. ‘Two scales’ is nearly always around 41lb and ‘two tone’ is 39 plus. There are also plenty of other stunning fish to aim at.
With plenty to learn I arrived at the water on Sunday evening in early May and was able to find the fish showing in numbers at around 80 yards, towards the centre of the lake. I didn’t know the swim very well, and not being a fan of the infamous chod rig, I opted to have a few chucks with the marker. After a few casts I’d located an area of light weed that was close enough to the carpy activity, and cast three rigs in the area, I then introduced 4kg of the new Nash
Monster Squid in a large spread to cover all three rods. Despite the disturbance, the activity continued and as darkness fell I was quietly confident. At around 1 am the right hand rod ripped into action, as My Monster Squid pop up, fished blow back style on a Fang X was taken. A short but spirited fight resulted in a 20 lb common known as ‘the gudgeon’. At 4 am I was in again
but this time it was the snowman rig and Fang Twister that was away, and after a few minutes I landed a nice scaley 20lb stockie. At 12 pm the following day I re did the rods and introduced another 4kg of boilies and a few kilos of matching Nash Monster Carp Pellets. As the light faded the carp returned and once again confidence was high, with fish showing over the spots, it was
only a matter of time, and at 11.45 I was away on the snowman again! Unfortunately the fish was lost due to the weed, but at 4 am the middle rod ripped off and after a good battle I landed the fish known as ‘five scales’ at 32.02! I arrived for my next session at 6 pm and with little information to go at I opted to fish the far side of the lake where I’d seen a few fish on my last trip. I found an area not too far from the island at around 70 yards that seemed clearer than the rest of the swim and set about casting three hook baits in the general area, after about an hour I had three rods touch down fairly clean and the usual 4kg of Monster Squid scattered over the area. After a fishless night I spent the next morning walking looking for signs. The swim I was in offered a great view of pretty much the whole lake, so if a fish showed I’d see it. At 11 am I was still none the wiser when a dark mirror showed only yards from my middle rod, there’s only a few fish in the lake that look like this so it had to be either two tone or the black mirror, with this in mind I was going nowhere.
Jim was in the swim known as the oak that I’d fished two weeks earlier when I landed 3 fish. It took more casts than I dare mention to get it sorted but once again I had three rods perfectly positioned with 4kg of Monster Squid over the top! I felt sure that any fish present must have left the area in search of a quieter location, so I was surprised to see a few shows as light started to fade. By midnight there were a few good fish showing in the area and I felt something could happen, but when I woke up at 2.am the indicators hadn’t moved! Suddenly the right hand rod pulled tight and a slow take developed. As I lifted the rod it felt like a good fish, after another fierce battle, another carp was finally in the net. I checked the fish and removed the Twister from an inch inside its bottom lip. As always the lead had dropped off and the weed safe bolt bead combined with the Fang Twister snowman rig had nailed it yet again, it was in fact the golden common and at 37.02 I had landed a new Pb common! Another two takes in the night produced a stockie and a cracking 25lb mirror. At 6 am I was packed away with the common in the sack waiting for my mate Dave and Lake Owner Chris to do the honours with the camera.
Fifteen minutes later the rod was away, the excellent Nash weed safe bolt bead did its job and I was able to drop the lead instantly and do battle with the fish on the surface. After a good fight I was delighted to see the black mirror draw over the net. At 33.03 it was slightly up in weight and in excellent condition. The Black Mirror is a rare visitor to the bank, possibly due to its over hanging top lip which may explain why the fish seems to eject rigs with far more ease than other fish.
Twenty nights in, nine runs and seven fish including two 30’s and two targets banked so I’m well pleased!
On my next visit I went back in the swim I’d caught the black mirror from and hoped for a repeat performance. The night passed without action so the next day I decided to move. I received a call from Jim (another Nash Tester) to say he was off, so I asked him to hold fire as I would be around as soon as I could.
4 Monster bait for a monster fish!
1. Watching and thinking myself into a campaign 2. Diffusion Weed Safe Clip, simple but very effective 3. My ever reliable snowman rig
5. Night action has sometimes been hectic 6. When it all comes right 7. What an awesome common!
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July 2010
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