E G ER E ND FR HIY REA SVER I FOR E
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No.216 August 2015
August 2015 | Issue 216 | £4.25
Summer seeds
LOCATING
HOT SPOTS
carping in the clouds
How you can pinpoint those all-important feeding zones
Best surface rig ever? Get Crafty... GET CATCHING!
T On sale 21st July– 18th August 2015
craftycarper.co
The latest gear reviewed: PENN, Sonik, E-S-P, and Avid ALSO FEATURING: Dave Lane Jake Wildbore Gary Bayes Rob Hughes Simon Crow Julian Cundiff 001_Cover_CC216.indd 1
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Crafty Carper /// Issue 216 /// August 2015 /// www.craftycarper.co
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On the cover: Ellis Brazier with a stunning common taken live for the Crafty cameras.
Editorial James Turner Editor James looks at what’s
in store for you in this issue of
96
The TicketMaster We’ve got four day ticket
fisheries from across the country
52
Crafty Carper, as well as giving Nash Tackle
his thoughts for the month,
Competition
and what he’s been up to.
This month we’ve teamed up
in the pages of TicketMaster
with the guys at Nash for a
this month, and free fishing
competition worth over £1,000.
offers for every reader to take
Five winners will put their names
advantage of. Get on it!
on some Dwarf rods and reels.
9
The Knowledge Dave Lane Laney is now starting to get
amongst the fish on The Shallow Lagoon, and he’s enjoying every minute of the experience. He’s in the wars again and has to have bed rest – yeah right!
15
Quick-fire Question Gary Bayes
We ask the massive bait brain which is Gary Bayes all about the latest trend in ‘cultured’ bait. What is it? How is it achieved? And what makes it so special?
17
Particle Physics James Turner
Crafty editor James looks at the use of particles during the summer months, and how effective they can still be. They’re not just a winter bait, that’s for sure.
23
Dizzy Heights Rob Hughes The optimum height of
a pop-up is a massive discussion point between anglers, so we’ve enlisted the help of Rob and his extensive underwater experience to clarify the situation.
28
Live At Wraysbury Jake Wildbore
Jake heads off to RK Leisure’s Wraysbury 1 for the first time, and the Crafty cameras follow his every move as he aims to come face-toface with the stunning residents.
35
Crafty Catch Column Sponsored by Sticky Baits
This is the place to get your catch pictures published, so send them in to us, and you’re in with the chance of a great prize from the top guys at Sticky Baits.
40
Just The Ticket Darryl Slater
With short-session day ticket angling being his forte, we find out how
47
Finding The Sweet Spot Ellis Brazier
This month’s cover star, Ellis,
4
107
Darryl manages to keep one step The Beachcaster
ahead while fishing day sessions
Parachute
on busy open access waters.
Paul Hatton
55
Crafty Carper Under-21s
finds feeding holes created
This time of year sees plenty of
in the silt by mineral-hungry
floater action, so while the fish
carp. Discover how to find
are being cagey on the top, try
them, feed them, and fish
something a little different with the
while BYCAC champ Michael Bamber
for them on page 47.
Beachcaster, but not as we know it.
checks in with his monthly blog.
Connor Harvey looks at his
recent success by angling in the weed,
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Contents /// August 2015
60
The Anatomy Of A 300Yard Cast Mike Dagnall
Tournament casting machine Mike
85
In Focus – Penn With the original Penn
reels being a huge seller over the
124
From The Crow’s Nest Simon Crow
This month’s offering from
takes you through the process
last 12 months, they now offer
Simon looks at his huge success
of making big casts, and adding
a freespool version. Mark my
over the last month or so. If you
a few extra yards to your efforts
words, it’s highly impressive.
want to see UK carp over 50lb
by perfecting your technique.
63
Carp Food Here you’ll find the latest
86
and an 80lb+ French common, In Focus – Avid Carp There are plenty of beds
to choose from currently on the
and greatest products of carpy
market, but there’s something a bit
cuisine on the shelves of a tackle
special about Avid’s new Benchmark
shop near you, as well as the
bed. All is revealed on page 86.
Editor’s Choice of the month and a crafty tip from Joe Turnbull.
67
Carp Food Special – Bait-Tech
89
experience under his belt, Rik the job if you fancy moving over from the lakes and ponds
Chris does a hell of a lot of spodding within his own fishing, and he has to point you in the right direction
pretty impressive offering which has
if you want to add spodding
been under construction for over 2
to your baiting technique.
Scott Lloyd
Rik Johnson
With plenty of river fishing
Chris Lowe
years of experience to draw on
Prepare To Succeed
Targeting Rivers
looks at the gear needed for
moved into the boilie market, with a
69
129
The Art Of Spodding
Bait-Tech have gone whole hog and
years. Introducing the Poloni boilie.
page 124 is the place to be.
100
in search of a river carp.
134
Inbox Keep up to date with
the latest news, and you can also get in touch with us to see what’s going on via the carpy grapevine.
Visiting The Ebro? Richard Ballard
Since leaving the UK for sunnier
137
Make Time Count Julian Cundiff
With a long list of impressive captures
climes, Richard (or Ditch, as we
thanks to good preparation, Scott
know him) has been making the
all you need to catch a carp, and
looks at what it takes to prepare
most of fishing the mighty Ebro
that includes the travelling time.
yourself and some spots in order
in Spain. If you’ve ever fancied
He looks at how best to manage
to maximise your success.
it, find out everything you
your time between work and
need to know on page 100.
family to get a bend in the rods.
74
Subscribe If you want to get your
favourite carp-fishing magazine through your letter box every month,
113
Off The Beaten Track Ian Hirst
Ian finds himself to be the only
According to our man, 3 hours is
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The Return To Wraysbury
Jo Green
then this is the place to go. This
carp angler on the bank of a
Jo is back in the pages of Crafty,
month there are two Nash alarms
reservoir 1,000ft above sea level,
as well as being back on the
free with every subscription.
with stunning carp which haven’t
bank of Wraysbury’s North Lake
been angled for in years. After
again. She’s fallen in love with
Carpers’ Kit
a winter spent researching, his
the place, and you can see
We take a look at some of
plans begin to come to fruition.
why from the catch shots.
77
the best products on the market, and give you the low-down on what’s hot and what’s not. Plus the Crafty Team give you their
The Question Is This month’s carping
conundrums are answered by
146
Mega Deals If you’re up for a
bargain then you’ll definitely
our panel of experts. If you
want to head over to page 146
get your question answered
to check out our Mega Deals for
In Focus – SONIK
you’ll receive a cracking prize
some of the best offers from
The new SKS Bivvy is on
delivered straight to your door.
the country’s leading retailers.
essential items for this month.
81
118
show this month, and you can be sure that it follows the ideal which SONIK have created with their rods, offering affordable quality to all.
82
23
In Focus – E-S-P Polarised glasses are a
must-have item for all anglers, and E-S-P have added to their already impressive range of eyewear with two new offerings. We take a look at them on page 82.
83
In Focus – Rod Hutchinson Heading off to France, or just
like to live in extreme comfort on the bank? The Cabrio Cook House fits this requirement perfectly, and we’ve had the pleasure of taking a closer look.
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Crafty Carper
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LIVE AT
WRAYSBURY We go in session with Jake Wildbore as he tackled RK Leisure’s Wraysbury Lake for a 48hour session, and on his first visit to the venue he managed to get plenty of action.
W
raysbury 1 was always
to stop the decline and rebuild
the Mecca of carp fishing,
the lake into one of the country’s
certainly still a big-fish water, but
been visiting regularly in the night
being home to the former
premier day ticket waters. Having
to prolong the future of the lake,
and morning, the usual bite time. The
British record and some of the best-
seen the lake beforehand, I was
over 300 fish have been stocked
gear was loaded and I made my way
looking carp to ever live in the UK.
amazed to see just how much work
in addition to the impressive few
round to the swim. It looked lovely,
As the years went by, sadly these
has gone into it. What were once
originals. At least five fish have
and after an afternoon walking
fish passed away, and despite small
holes in the bushes are now proper
done 40lb, so it was an exciting
around and observing the fish in the
stockings, the lake went from being
swims, a track runs the whole way
prospect when we arrived at
snags, it was time to get the rods out.
very popular to just a few anglers
around the lake, and the security
the shop late one morning.
who enjoyed the peace and quiet,
is impressive, to say the least. The
as well as the personal challenge.
With carp to over 47lb, it is
After being greeted by the RK
15, which was an area the fish had
I can’t believe just how stunning the venue is; it really is a lovely place
North Lake was the lake that I would
head bailiff, Rupert Whiteman, he
to fish, and the thought of getting
In 2012, RK Leisure bought
be fishing, a smaller side compared
proceeded to tell us what had been
a bite is so exciting. I love going to
the lake and made huge plans to
to the South, but where RK had put
going on and what had been caught.
new lakes, and although it
transform the place. They wanted
most of their efforts into restocking.
He suggested that I fished in Swim
isn’t the same as it used to
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Just
Ticket
the
D A R R Y L L
S L A T E R
Busy day ticket waters can be a huge challenge, so we asked shortsession specialist Darryll Slater to explain how he approaches them with just a day at his disposal. This is his usual method of angling and he is hugely successful at it, so you can be sure to learn a thing or two.
L
ike a lot of anglers in the UK, weekends
On day ticket venues, it can be very much
are when I get my fishing fix, but more
hit-and-miss as to which swims are free. Some
often than not, that’s when waters are at their
days you may turn up and have the venue
busiest. This short but busy period means the
to yourself, and sometimes you really have
fish really do get everything but the kitchen
to work with which pegs are left. Willow’s
sink thrown at them, and that in itself can be
big lake is a good representation of what
one of the biggest challenges – tricking fish
anglers want from a carp lake; gravel bars are
which see pretty much every rig and bait going.
accessible from most pegs, the pegs are well
The key to success on any day ticket venue
spaced with some nice bays to target, and
is knowing the effects of angling pressure.
there is plenty of marginal cover. The bays
Doing your homework should always start with
fish well with a warm wind blowing into
talking to the staff. They have an intimate
them, and most pegs have options
knowledge of their business, and ultimately,
so you can experiment
they want happy anglers. They will usually
throughout the day, even
give you a good idea of areas to target, and
when it’s rammed
the general trend of which baits are catching
with anglers.
and how much to feed. I’ve brought the Crafty
There’s a shallow
cameras to one of my favourite day waters,
end to the lake,
Willow Park Fishery, where the staff offer
which often draws
honest and practical advice. It’s a case of
the fish in warm
asking the right questions to get an answer
weather, perfect for
that can help, and you then just need to work
little Zigs or a solid bag to
out for yourself how the advice suits your
attract the fish down in the water.
plan of attack. Of course, if other anglers are
I always try to cover as much water as
catching, it shows that fish
possible when I fish pressured waters.
are in the area, which
If you fish a venue a few times, you can
is often a great place to start. Be polite and you generally get a good response from fellow anglers, so it’s always worth asking
often find a quiet corner which has
“The key to success on any day ticket venue is knowing the effects of angling pressure”
about bait and tactics used.
40
very little pressure, and these are my favourites. Today I’ve got one rod towards an out-of-bounds area on my right and the other is in open water, out to a gravel bar which runs parallel with the bank. The swim also provides a great view of the lake, so I can watch for signs of fish and move quickly if needed. The open-water rod is fished a short chuck
MAIN IMAGE A perfect 19lb common.
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Just The Ticket
Darryll Slater
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Crafty Carper
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In Focus
Avid
AVID CARP BENCHMARK BED ONLINE: avidcarp.com | DIMENSIONS: 71cm x 193cm | WEIGHT: 12kg | RRP: £249.99 Avid have literally set the benchmark for bedchairs with this ultra-comfortable latest offering of carp-angling hardware, which has got more features than many of the latest gadgets currently on the market. All it’s missing is a cup holder! EASY-OPEN SECURITY CLIP AND STRAP
REMOVABLE ONE-PIECE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS
RAPID FOLDING MECHANISM
Once the bed is folded down and ready to be
Avid were the first to utilise memory foam within
The folding mechanism is a clever throw hinge,
packed away, the handy strap and security
bedchairs, and they seem to have gone from strength
as pictured, which enables the bed to be folded
clip are used to keep the whole lot tightly
to strength in its use. It ensures the ultimate in
down and packed away with the sleeping bag still
together. This makes it easier to carry and nice
comfort, and the fact that the mattress can be removed
inside. This makes it extremely practical in use
and compact in transit, and with the sleeping
makes it easy to clean when needed. The memory
and saves both time and space in the long run. It’s
bag left inside the bed, it will stay closed.
foam is actually 2ins thick. Talk about comfortable!
just so convenient to keep the bag on the bed.
LATERAL SLEEP SYSTEM DESIGN
LUMBAR REGION SUPPORT SYSTEM
EASY-LOCK ADJUSTABLE LEGS
Basically, this means that the bed lays perfectly
No more bad bedchair back in the morning after a
The legs are all adjustable, which enables the bed
flat when set up, which aids in making it a
night on the bank, thanks to the support system,
to be set up easily on uneven ground. It’s both
very comfortable bed to sleep on, and good
which means that all the pressure is not resting
quick and easy to do, and once locked in position,
for your back in the process. Why suffer to
on the bottom of your back while lying on the
they aren’t going to be slipping because the locking
enjoy yourself angling – sleep in comfort.
bed. It also means that it won’t sag over time.
mechanism seems to be extremely strong.
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From the Crow’s Nest Simon Crow
A MONTH TO REMEMBER As ever in this feature, Simon looks back at his last couple of months of angling. It usually sees him pick up on a part of angling which he feels needs discussing, but what with him having such a successful time of late, it would be rude not to look at his recent monumental captures from both home and abroad.
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Crafty Carper
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From the Crow’s Nest Simon Crow
W
hen I was asked to write for
Nash to fish the beautiful Church
eager to get amongst the beautiful
known as The Lizard, but by far the
Crafty Carper a couple of
Lake in Essex. The conditions were
fish which the famous lake contains.
best was a 30lb fully-scaled mirror
years ago, it was intended
absolutely prime for big fish, with low
After a couple of circuits, I opted to fish
which was just breathtaking. I also had
to be about my last couple of months
pressure and light drizzly rain. I’ve
in an area known as Pylon Bay, where
a 28lb mirror and a low-20 common.
of fishing. I’ve been carping for over
done really well in this sort of weather
the majority of the fish were showing.
Two days later I chipped in with one
30 years now, and never before have
loads of times in my career, and I
I had 5 days ahead of me, which
of the lake’s A-Team known as Penny
I had the run of success which I’ve
can’t put into words the excitement
was very different to my normal
Scale, which weighed in at 48lb 6oz. I
had recently. I can’t fit it all into 1,500
running through me when I arrived.
overnighters where I’m always dashing
was absolutely chuffed to land this fish
between work, home and the lake. It
because it was one I’d seen many times before, and one I’d set my sights on.
words and a few pages, so I’m going
The lake was beginning to switch
to be brief and skim over the best
on after a slow winter; there had been
was nice to settle into a swim and relax
bits, and then tell you a bit about the
a low-50 and an upper-40 out a few
for a few days, but the first 24 hours
tactics I employed to catch what I did.
days before my arrival. There were
were hardly relaxing because I went on
any better, but the very next day
It all started towards the end of
carp on show as I walked the banks
to land some terrific fish. The biggest
I went one better and landed the
with my mate Chris Felton, both of us
of the bunch was a 41lb 8oz common
lake’s biggest resident known as The
April, when I was invited by Kevin
I thought my session couldn’t get
ABOVE Early morning at the
stunning Church Lake in Essex. LEFT What a stunning way to
start my session on Church, with this lovely 30lb mirror. FAR LEFT One of the most famous carp in the world, Eric’s Common, at a whopping 86lb 8oz.
Four-by-Four at a colossal 56lb 12oz, a new UK personal best and one of the biggest carp in the country to boot. It was an incredible fish, so very stunning in every way. I then finished the 5 days with a 30lb 12oz mirror. As you can imagine, I was absolutely buzzing from the few days I’d had at Church. I had a big smile across my face, and I was giggling like a kid for the next week as I packed my gear ready for a trip to the mighty Rainbow Lake in France. I had the famous Peg 5 booked for a week, the usual home of the lake’s biggest resident known as Eric’s Common. The giant fish was last caught at 89lb a couple of months earlier, and I’d
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The debut book from Frank Warwick “Back in the early days of what has become the prolific carp scene of today, carp waters were few and far between, and ‘every bit of blue’ on the Ordnance Survey maps used to be explored to see if there were carp in that particular bit of blue. It was a time when a rig meant free-lining or ledgering, and baits were as big a mystery as the location of waters containing carp. Frank has lived through, and fished through, all those formative years, and has contributed handsomely to the development and refinement of carp-catching methods and baits. He’s enjoyed more than his share of success, home and abroad, along the way, and in this long overdue first book Frank relives some of the highlights of his 40+ years of carp fishing. It’s been an unmissable journey. for him.”
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If you’re a book-lover or you’re looking for a really special present for a book-lover, then a bespoke copy is a must-have. For the cost of £60.00 (plus P&P), you will receive a hardback copy of Frank Warwick’s highly acclaimed book, Every Bit of Blue, and inside it will feature a bespoke drawing of a carp, hand-drawn by the author himself.
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