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No.200 April 2014

April 2014 | Issue 200 | £4.10

THE MAN WITH THE CARP’S EYE VIEW Rob Hughes reveals the secrets of the carp’s underwater world

MARTIN BOWLER How to create your own feeding spot to up your catch rate Get Crafty... GET CATCHING!

Kevin Nash

WIN!

Over £ 2 of gea ,000 worth r includi to give away ng Nas h bi and Ta ska lug vvies gage

+

SHAUN HARRISON JULIAN CUNDIFF SIMON CROW BILL COTTAM TIM PAISLEY LEWIS READ DAVE LANE & MORE

EXCLUSIVE

craftycarper.co

,T

On sale March 19th – April 23rd 2014

In his only article this year, Kev reveals what he’s learnt since Crafty Carper first hit the shelves

PLUS NICK HELLEUR UNCUT: WHY YOUR LOCAL CANAL IS THE PLACE TO BE! 001_Cover_CC200.indd 1

04/03/2014 15:57

Crafty Carper /// Issue 200 /// April 2014 /// www.craftycarper.co CRAFTY COLUMNISTS

On the cover: Kevin Nash showing that he still gets out there and puts in the effort to reap the rewards.

7

Editorial James Turner

50

PRIZES GALORE!

looking below the surface of

This month, on page 6 we’re giving you the chance

our wonderful lakes, Hughesy

to win a whole host of items that feature within

outlines five of his biggest

the review pages of the mag. Plus we have over

revelations and how they can

£1,000 worth of Nash bivvies and £600 of the new

The man who never sleeps has been back on it,

help you in the future.

Taska luggage for you to get your carpy mits on!

managing to fit in as much fishing as possible

Underwater Observations Rob Hughes

With 10 years’ experience of

Team Crafty Carper

Editor James looks at what’s in store for you in this, the landmark 200th issue of Crafty Carper.

141

Diary of an Everyday Carp Angler

Julian Cundiff

in between family and work commitments.

OUT AND ABOUT

102

The TicketMaster We’ve hand-picked four

fisheries from across the UK which are all offering some free fishing to take advantage of and catch carp for free.

INTERACTIVE

26

Crafty Catch Column This is the place to get your catch pictures

published, so send them in, and you’re in with the chance of a great prize from us here at Crafty.

64

The Question Is This month’s carping conundrums are

answered by our panel. If you get your question answered you’ll be receiving a cracking prize.

74

British Young Carpers’ Angling Championship

Are you under 17? Want the chance to become the British Young Carpers’ Angling champion?

Head to page 74 to find out how to enter.

94

Nash Competition We have two Nash Titan Globetrotter

two-man bivvies up for grabs, and with a total prize value of over £1,000 it’s not to be missed.

128

Taska Competition Want to get your hands on some new

luggage from the guys at Taska? We’ve got £600 worth to give away to some of our lucky readers.

132

Subscribe Fed up of going to the

newsagents? Let us deliver Crafty straight to your door. We’re offering an awesome Zig-fishing package from the guys at Nash, and we’ll also show you how to use it.

34

78

writing retirement to pen

which many people look at and talk

a feature for issue 200; he

about when it comes to chasing

looks back at his time in

carp, but not many actually follow it

carp angling and thinks we

through. Nick has and he details his

could all learn a lot from

findings on page 78.

If Only I Knew Now… Kevin Nash

Kevin has come out of

how it used to be done.

The Straight and Narrow Nick Helleur

The Grand Union Canal is a place

138

Inbox We’ve got all the latest news

from around the carping world, so you can keep up to date with what’s been going on.

FEATURES

8

Editors of Days Gone By Team Crafty

The past editors of Crafty give their take on their time spent working on the magazine; a nice trip down memory lane for the Crafty team.

4

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Contents /// April 2014

97

If It Ain’t Broke Shaun Harrison

One man, one rig, and a hell of a lot of fish to his name. Shaun has used the same rig since the ’80s and has never seen the need to change. You can find out all about the rig as well as how to tie it on page 97.

111

Experience(s) and Location Tim Paisley

For a long time Tim has wanted to write about his experience and that of others who class location highly. His findings are eye-opening.

11

The Knowledge Dave Lane

In the first part of a brand new 12-month series, Dave Lane gives you the wisdom of his knowledge.

124

The Mighty ’Rami Team Crafty

James heads out to put quite possibly the best meat-based bait through its paces. Peperami has accounted for many carp, and he’ll show you how.

16

In Transition Ellis Brazier

Our man in Shropshire takes a look at how he goes about catching carp at his favourite time of the year, the transitional period between winter and spring.

CARP FOOD

55

Carp Food Here you’ll find the latest and greatest carp

cuisine on the shelves of a tackle shop near you. And our man Joe Turnbull looks at lentils and beans.

21

All You Need To Know About Backleads Lewis Read

Yateley lad Lewis looks at a method in carp angling which seems to have been forgotten; but it’s not just a method, more of an art-form.

CARPERS’ KIT

83

Carpers’ Kit We take a look at some of the best

products on the market, and give you the low-

30

The Great Crafty Debate

down on what’s hot and what’s not. Plus the

This month’s panel of experts give their

Crafty Team give you their essential items.

opinion on what they feel has been the biggest innovation in carp angling over the past 20 years.

41

A Reader’s Story Andy Tucker

It’s a case of being in the right place at the right time for Andy Tucker, helping him pinpoint the carp on an untouched section of the Thames back in the late-’90s.

45

Rigs For Every Occasion Tom Morrison

This month Tom goes through the rigs which have stood him in good stead, and outlines how they can be perfect for a variety of angling situations.

107

Tried & Tested – Rig-It Tackle We sent a pack of hooks to a number

of readers for them to trial. They didn’t even know who made them so all views are totally neutral, and the results are certainly honest.

117

In Focus – Fox Turn to page 117 for a first look at

some top-quality additions to the Edges range from Fox. You’ll want to add them to your tackle box.

119

In Focus – Chub The Vantage luggage has always

been of top quality and these Barrow Bags are no different. If you’re in the market for

60

Boilie Evolution Bill Cottam

Nutrabaits bait baron Bill answers the question that’s on everybody’s lips: Have carp baits evolved or just been reinvented?

a new bag these are well worth a look.

121

In Focus – JAG Hook-sharpening is definitely in.

If you want the gear required to sharpen your own hooks you need to turn to page 121.

69

Crafty Carper Under-21s 2013 BYCAC Champion Tom Kerr

checks in with his monthly blog, and we also head across to America to find out about Austin Pass, who has been catching carp on

146

Mega Deals Up for a bargain? Head over to page

146 to check out our Mega Deals for some of the best offers from the country’s leading retailers.

some of the largest lakes in the world.

88

Preparing For Success Martin Bowler

Martin is back; he looks at his preparation of spots and how a touch of ‘gardening’ can make all the difference to your catch results.

COMPETITION WINNERS

Competition winners from Crafty Carper February issue 198

Heads Down Tails Up Competition One winner will receive a signed copy of Martin Clarke’s Heads Down Tails Up: Paul Hill – Winsham, Somerset.

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KEVIN NASH EXCLUSIVE.

IF ONLY I KNEW NOW… Kevin was part of the very first issue of Crafty Carper all those years ago, so for old time’s sakes we got him to write in the 200th issue, and as ever, Kev tells it how it is, as well as how it was.

34

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W

hilst it’s way back and lost in my memory bank, it seems a long time ago when I contributed

to the first copy of Crafty Carper. With the 200th issue looming, Crafty Carper’s James Turner got in touch to ask if I would contribute to the milestone magazine. He had a subject in mind for me to write about: ‘If only I knew then what I know now’.

It’s funny he should pick that theme, because in the last couple of years it’s been a regular discussion point between Alan and me with regards to tackle and bait developments – not what I know now, but more what we knew back then. I’ve said more than a few times that we should just get out my old catalogues from the 1980s and early-’90s and we would find all the product development we would need.

Increasingly I am realising that in that hotbed era of carp innovation – the ’80s and into the early-’90s – we had figured out most of it.

In actual fact, it is my opinion that in many cases we have since forgotten what we learned, disregarded it, or dare I suggest, we have gone backwards! Quite why the carpangling world has gone that way is anyone’s guess, and there will be a number of reasons.

Some are angling related, but more, I would suggest, are commercially related, i.e. the powers that be which market to us have tried, in many instances, to brainwash us into buying products that are quite simply unfit for purpose.

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GOING DEEPER.

Underwater Observations It’s said that we learn something new every time we go on the bank, and this is definitely true for Rob Hughes.

He learns so much from taking a look below the surface, so here we find out his top five discoveries.

M

y journey underwater

that will undoubtedly help you catch

has taken me round the

more carp. The great thing about it is

houses many times, and

that they are dead simple to do;

I am constantly evolving my views

they don’t require massive

as I learn more. Things can be quite

expenditure or involve

technical sometimes, so here are the

the purchase of the latest

top five things that I have picked up

wonder widget, and they work.

50

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Underwater Observations Rob Hughes

#1

Hit The Clip

was making a TV programme called

Something as easy as

The Carp Show, and wanted to do

hitting the line clip on your reel will

some tests on what rigs looked like

immediately catch most people more

when they were cast in. We did 10

fish. Be honest with yourself now and

experiments where the rig was cast in

ask yourself if you hit the clip or stop

without being stopped, and 10 times

the line when you cast out – religiously

it wrapped itself around the leader,

– every single time. If you don’t I can

and almost every time when reeled in

virtually guarantee that you are missing

it untangled itself. We repeated the

out on fish. Why? Because the chances

test 30 times in total and the result

are very high that you will be tangled

was 29 tangles out of 30. This was a

whilst on the bottom, and secondly,

eureka moment for me. On the bank,

you don’t really know what you are

anglers would never have known it was

presenting your bait over

tangled because it unwound

(see next point for more detail on that one).

I remember the first time I tested this theory was when I

itself on the retrieve as

"We did 10 experiments where the rig was cast in without being stopped, and 10 times it wrapped itself around the leader"

a result of the weight of the hookbait.

Since that day I have seen this

ABOVE If you

repeated again and again and again. It

don’t hit the clip, it twists and tangles most of the time.

doesn’t really matter which hooklink

BELOW Get it right,

hooklink such as Camotex stiff is the

and it’s perfect.

exact situation

or main line/leader setup you are using (although leadcore and a stiff lesser of the evils) – it still happens. It isn’t fatal to your chances of getting a bite because the fish can potentially still pick up the bait, but it won’t be fishing how you want it to be and your chances will be reduced. The giveaway on the bank is that when you reel in, particularly with a line clip system, the hooklink has one loop around the top of the lead or the clip. If it comes back like that, you were fishing it tangled.

Hughesy’s Tipi Always hit the clip even if you are using a Chod or a bag, so you can feel the lead down.

#2

Know What You Are Fishing Over and Recast

There are undoubtedly occasions when a chuck-and-chance approach works, but it is, at best, a gamble unless you know the lake very well indeed. Singles

ABOVE Not

knowing the depth of silt meant this PVA bag was almost swallowed up.

ABOVE RIGHT Weed like this wouldn’t register when you cast out unless you really pay attention to detail – have a good feel around.

landed a fish, how many times

Some people use the same

have you heard them say, “It’s

presentations everywhere, and

only been out there 10 minutes.”?

that’s fine if it’s the same sort of

Without sounding cocky, I already

fishing that they do, but generally

know the answer – plenty.

a little more knowledge of what’s

There can be a number of reasons

out there will help your fishing

why a bite wasn’t forthcoming, such

immensely. A couple of casts with

as the rig being tangled (see above),

a marker or a bare lead, and a

but it’s also down to the bottom that

drag around with an old rig, will

you’re fishing over. The bait may

give you an idea of the lakebed,

have landed by a stone, been moved,

obstacles, weed, and anything

down, but one of the biggest

be stuck in weed, or the link may

else that may be a concern.

reasons for not catching isn’t the

be lying over some debris, making

fact that the bait or rig are wrong,

it stand out. The line lay could be

Hughesy’s Tipi

it’s that they are presented

wrong, or the leadcore may be lifted

If you are ever in doubt or

poorly or in the wrong place.

off the bottom by an obstacle. If

think you should have had

Let me pose this question

you don’t know what’s out there,

a bite when you

how can you choose what to use?

haven’t, recast.

slung at showing fish are a prime example, and you can always increase your chances of a decent presentation by feeling the lead

to you: After someone has

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BILL COTTAM

BOILIE EVOLUTION We got the Nutrabaits big man, who’s been in the bait industry for over 25 years, in the hot seat to ask him if carp baits really have improved over the years, or are they just being reinvented year after year?

G

enerally speaking, I would

fair to say that the evolution doesn’t

have to say that the quality

necessarily guarantee an improvement

of what’s available to carp

in quality and effectiveness. Every bait

anglers today, particularly from the

company has to market its products

more conscientious and knowledgeable

in the way it sees fit to ensure the

bait companies, is considerably better

great bait-buying public is made

than what carp anglers had at their

aware of what goodies are available,

disposal a number of years ago. I say

but it is an undisputable fact that

that because the passage of time has

some of today’s baits are much more

undoubtedly led to the bait companies

widely used than they would be if

and bait boffins out there learning

popularity was solely governed by

much more about just what does and

how effective they are with regard

doesn’t attract carp, and which products

to the catching of carp. Hype and

represent suitable and meaningful

bottomless advertising budgets have

additions to their long-term diets.

undoubtedly played a much bigger part

I have been heavily involved in the

in terms of popularising baits in the

production of carp baits, both for my

last 10 years than ever before, and

own use and commercially, for the best

the result of this is that a number of

part of 30 years, and I can honestly

distinctly average carp-catching baits

say that never a year goes by without

have sold incredibly well, whilst many

me learning something significant

enormously effective baits have never

which takes me a little bit closer to

really been able to make an impression

the ultimate carp bait. I would also

on the marketplace due to the relevant

make the point though, that much of

company’s inability to bombard the

what I believed to be true with regard

bait-buying public with hype. Carp

to nutrition and long-term acceptance

anglers are good judges though, and

as a food source in the late-’80s and

although there are a couple of notable

early-’90s, I don’t necessarily believe

exceptions, in most cases baits that are

to be particularly relevant today.

based more on advertising hype than

Having said that, I think it’s also

60

effectiveness tend to have a short life

ABOVE A 50+ caught on Trigga with Blue Oyster flavour, a bait combination that suits my needs perfectly.

RIGHT Trigga, in its various guises, includes several ingredients that I wouldn’t have even considered using 30 years ago!

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Boilie Evolution Bill Cottam

ABOVE Don’t be afraid to ask questions about exactly what ingredients are used in your bait.

at the top. Conversely, it’s a fair bet that a bait that remains popular for a prolonged period of time invariably does so due to the success that anglers have enjoyed whilst using it.

The best advice I can give is to pick your choice of which bait to use on the facts and select a bait – and stick with it – based on just how suitable it is for the type of fishing you adopt. If your carp-angling hero fishes 5 days week throughout the year on a venue that holds just 10 big fish, it is a fair bet that the bait he uses, and no doubt promotes as part of his sponsorship deal, will not be ideal for you if you only fish every other Friday night and fish several different prolific waters in a season. To help you pick the best bait for your requirements, get in touch with a number of different bait companies and talk to them. The job of a bait company doesn’t stop with the packaging and selling of boilies; offering meaningful advice to help you become a more successful carp angler is all part of the service that should be offered in this day and age. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask the questions that you want the answers to; for example, if I didn’t produce my own baits and found myself having to buy bait from a retailer or direct from a bait company, I wouldn’t dream of putting my faith in a long-term food bait unless I knew what ingredients were used in the recipe. Very few bait producers are prepared to reveal their exact recipes, of course, but I would be immediately suspicious of any company which wouldn’t tell me the basic ingredients used and the approximate percentages at which they are included. Similarly, if you

"I wouldn’t dream of putting my faith in a long-term food bait unless I knew what ingredients were used in the recipe"

are looking for a short-term attractor bait, where the inherent effectiveness is governed more by the liquid and powdered additives used in the bait, I would always want to know which additives and attractors are included, and what the track

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ANGLER PROFILE.

Nick Helleur Age 42 Hometown

Harefield Occupation

Angling writer/ consultant UK personal best

43lb 12oz Favourite venue

Redhouse Did you know...

Nick very rarely fishes consecutive nights in the same swim.

He’s also an expert welder.

CANAL CARPING.

The straight and Narrow This month Nick Helleur gives his thoughts on angling for our beloved quarry on the canals of Great Britain. With endless miles of water and some cracking specimens to be had, it’s well worth a shout.

78

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The Straight and Narrow Nick Helleur

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P U B L I S H E D B Y A N G L I N G P U B L I C AT I O N S

K C BA MAND

BY DReEprinted

14

for 20

M

y Misspent Youth is the story of a young lad who dreamt of catching big carp above all else. The story charts Darrell’s carpangling life so far, from early beginnings at the little-known Essex Quarry aged 17, to holding his own amongst some of his idols at some of the UK’s toughest circuit

TheCarpStore

waters. Read how Darrell catches some of the UK’s best-known carp, including the incredible Two-Tone from Conningbrook, Yateley Car Park’s Arfur, Heather and pals, and the Fat Lady from St. Ives. Darrell’s determination to succeed, along with his obvious natural gift for catching carp, shines through in this deliberately honest tale.

£30 + £2.95 P&P

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