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 SPECIAL QUARTER-CENTURY ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 

ISSUE 276 / SEPTEMBER 2013 / MONTHLY £4.50

ISSUE 276 SEPTEMBER 2013 BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE

C H R I S YA T E S

Te l f i n d s p e a c e a n d s o l i t u d e w h e r e you’d least expect it, with the added bonus of some stunning commons

Chris Ball interviews the former UK record holder about the years he and Hutchy fished Redmire together

T i m Pa i s l ey / M i ke K a va n a g h / Ke n Tow n l ey / Pa u l F o r wa r d / J u l i a n C u n d i f f

carpworldmagazine.com

car pwor ldmagazine.c om

TERRY HEARN

B i l l C o t t a m / S i m o n C row / L ew i s R e a d / M a r t i n L o cke / I a n Po o l e / S t eve B ro a d

I N T E R N AT I O N A L CA R P E R : A L L T H E L AT E S T N E W S A N D CAT C H E S F R O M A R O U N D T H E WO R L D P L U S : S T E V E B R I G G S O N 2 5 Y E A R S O N T H E R OA D & W O R L D C A R P C L A S S I C 2 0 1 3 U P DA T E

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CONTENTS

The Carpworld Contents / Issue 276 /

ISSUE 276 / SEPTEMBER 2013 / MONTHLY £4.50

ISSUE 276 SEPTEMBER 2013 BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE Chris Ball interviews the former UK record holder about the years he and Hutchy fished Redmire together

carpworldmagazine.com

car pwor l d m agazi ne. c om

C H R I S YA T E S

Te l f i n d s p e a c e a n d s o l i t u d e w h e r e you’d least expect it, with the added bonus of some stunning commons

T i m Pa i s l ey / M i ke K a va n a g h / Ke n Tow n l ey / Pa u l F o r wa r d / J u l i a n C u n d i f f B i l l C o t t a m / S i m o n C row / L ew i s R e a d / M a r t i n L o cke / I a n Po o l e / S t eve B ro a d

I N T E R N AT I O N A L CA R P E R : A L L T H E L AT E S T N E W S A N D CAT C H E S F R O M A R O U N D T H E WO R L D P L U S : S T E V E B R I G G S O N 2 5 Y E A R S O N T H E R OA D & W O R L D C A R P C L A S S I C 2 0 1 3 U P D A T E

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FEATURES

25 Years On, A Personal View Julian Cundiff How does Julian hold down a demanding job, organise a busy social life and juggle all the balls, along with catching a few carp? Life’s a balancing act, he says, and here’s how he does it.

16

79

103

Bait World Featuring Joe Turnbull To celebrate 25 years of Carpworld, Joe looks at how the world of bait has changed during this time – or has it?

There’s also an interview with natural bait guru, Simon Pomeroy of Pallatrax.

 SPECIAL QUARTER-CENTURY ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 

TERRY HEARN

September 2013

23/08/2013 14:07

O N T HE C OV ER Happy birthday Carpworld! Just a few of the faces that have graced the pages of

Ask The Experts Mike Redfern and Richie Lofthouse join us this month to answer readers’ questions on utilising washedout baits and changing tactics to get the fish feeding.

the original carp-angling magazine. Can you identify them all? If you can there’s a prize to be won. See page 132.

Cover design by Gary Hood from an idea by Tim Paisley, from an original idea by the Beatles!

REGULARS

6

Editor’s Comment Tim and Steve look back at 25 years of Carpworld and chat about times and faces past and present, whilst looking forward to what may lie ahead.

35

Rig World Featuring Mike Kavanagh In a 25th anniversary special, Mike looks back over the years at how rigs have changed.

There’s also a special feature

by Kevin Nash on the logic behind rigs, and Dave Chilton, the boss of Kryston, talks about the development of hooklength materials.

70

Think Tank Our guests this month are Martin Locke, Ed Betteridge, Lewis Read and James Vincent, and they discuss how tackle has changed over the years and what to look out for in the future.

Redmire Reflection Chris Yates Interviewed by Chris Ball In a Carpworld special interview, Chris Ball met up with Chris Yates in his fishing study, where he recounted the magical times he experienced at the celebrated Redmire Pool.

F Word Paul Forward Have things really changed that much over the last 25 years? Paul looks back through his diary and realises that whilst tackle and tactics may have changed, some things always stay the same and it’s all about the fish.

Three Off The Top Ian Poole Ian’s tale of three memorable fish taken off the surface should prove that the tactic is certainly one worth looking at more often, as opposed to being one only to be used when all else fails.

The A14 Landing Lake – aka Monk’s Pit James Vincent How on earth did Vinny come to know Monk’s Pit as the A14 Landing Lake? Well, it’s all here, along with the story of how he came to catch one of its most famous residents.

Carping Allegedly Bill Cottam Bill’s in fine form again this month and he gives us his opinion on everything from edges, rumours, and downright cheating, to darts and the presence of the gods of carp angling!

You have been warned…

The Great Lead Debate. Part 2 Tim Paisley Following on from last month’s evocative feature by Simon Pomeroy, Tim attempts to balance the argument by looking at the practice of dropping leads from another angle.

25

Bars Of Gold Terry Hearn The area around the town of Frimley features several old gravel pits, the residents of which regularly appear in the magazines. But it’s not these fish that Terry has been targeting this year.

47

The Long And Winding Road Ken Townley It’s not all love and peace in the world of carp fishing, as Ken reveals how the carp fishing in his beloved Cornwall has been decimated by poor management, unscrupulous anglers, and finally, the scourge of otter predation.

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F: facebook.com/CarpworldMagazine / T: @CarpworldMag

IN

W £1 !

G OR ,74 SK EAR TH 0 O A F , N G RO F D M N -F AV O I TA R C E S

TA A

carpwor ldmagaz ine.com

C H R I S YA T E S

Te l f i n d s p e a c e a n d s o l i t u d e w h e r e you’d least expect it, with the added bonus of some stunning commons

Chris Ball interviews the former UK record holder about the years he and Hutchy fished Redmire together

T i m Pa i s l ey / M i ke K a va n a g h / Ke n Tow n l ey / Pa u l F o r wa r d / J u l i a n C u n d i f f

carpworldmagazine.com

TERRY HEARN

car pwor ldmagazine

THE M AGA

SUMM ER LOVIN ’ Dave

B i l l C o t t a m / S i m o n C row / L ew i s R e a d / M a r t i n L o cke / I a n Po o l e / S t eve B ro a d

I N T E R N AT I O N A L CA R P E R : A L L T H E L AT E S T N E W S A N D CAT C H E S F R O M A R O U N D T H E WO R L D P L U S : S T E V E B R I G G S O N 2 5 Y E A R S O N T H E R OA D & W O R L D C A R P C L A S S I C 2 0 1 3 U P D A T E

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.com

Cygnet Competition Baiting up is made easy with the prizes in this competion from Cygnet because there are bait buckets, catapults, and an aid to spodding to be won.

W

ALL YOU NEED A LITTL E LUCK IS !

Adam Cle wer on th e ups an downs th d at keep u s guessin g

MAGAZINE

131

• SIMON CROW • FRANK W ARWICK

£4.50

CARP-ANGLING

Carp In Focus There are prizes to be won if your angling photograph makes it into print in our monthly Carp In Focus competition.

A N • PA U L F O R WA RD

2013 / MONTHLY

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST

143

Tackle World There’s something for everyone this month with nine pages of gear from companies such as Nash, Solar and Cygnet, plus in-depth looks at a cracking new reel from Fox, Blue Sky bait boats, and more!

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2013

TACKLE WORLD

IAIN MAC MILL

ISSUE 275 / AUGUST

ISSUE 275 AUGUST

Black Lizard Carpworld’s gossip column was the feature everyone wanted to be in 25 years ago, and here it is again under the watchful gaze of its creator, Tim Paisley, who looks back through the Black Lizard archives.

 SPECIAL QUARTER-CENTURY ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 

ISSUE 276 / SEPTEMBER 2013 / MONTHLY £4.50

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UP FOR GRABS

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE

Diary Of A Carpaholic Simon Crow Simon looks back to a recent visit to Woldview, which, by using his skills of watercraft, turned from a disappointing session into one to really remember.

ISSUE 276 SEPTEMBER 2013

135

ZINE F OR TH E WOR L

DWIDE

ANGLE

Lane exto ls the virtues o f floater fishing in the sunshine

ISSUE 118

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August 2013

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STILL CARPING

INSIDE

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ON!

Tim Paisl ey on Hu tchy’s latest ad ventures and in session w ith Damia n Clarke

ALL THE L AT E S T CA TCH REPO RTS

AND FEAT URES

A CRACK SOUTH ER FROM AFRICA

P176 Danny CATC

Fairbrass

H REP OR

TS

rounds

off his four-par

RAINB

OW LO VE

t ser ies

A F FA I

R

on long-haul FRANK

car ping

WA R W

ICK

P165 Our up of big monthly roundcarp captures from around the world

ALSO INSIDE:

P182 Arjen Uitbeijerse his love explains water and af fair with the P188 Seasoned famous its colossal inhabitants Frank on campaigner LAKE • why you 193 FIND boat to must use YOUR NEXT master CARPING large watersa HOLIDAY IN THE OVERSEAS DIRECTORY

FROM ARO UND 163_ICCover_CW275.indd

172 CHATEAU

1

THE WORL D 19/07/2013

19/07/2013

11:19

11:41

CHECK OUT OUR SUBS OF F ER ON PAGE 161 WHERE YOU CA N GET A CRACKING DEA L ON A GARDNER CHOD KIT.

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Reuben Heaton Competition There’s a very special set of Reuben Heaton scales up for grabs if you can put names to the faces featured on the cover of Carpworld this month.

THE M AGAZINE FOR THE WORLDWIDE ANGLER

ISSUE 119 September 2013 SOUTH AFRICAN STUNNER

P171 This capture and many more from across the globe in Echoes Around The World

2 5 Y E A R S O N T H E R OA D

P177 Steve Briggs recalls a quarter-century of travelling the world in search of carp

WORLD CARP CLASSIC

P184 Now in its 15th year – the WCC gives entrants the chance to drive of f in a Ferrari!

MAX’S WORLD! P187 Max Noller t leaves the bank behind and tackles a challenging French water from afloat

ALSO INSIDE: 182 FIND THE MOST TIP-TOP FISHING HOLIDAY AT TOP CATS • 193 OVERSEAS HOLIDAY DIRECTORY 169_ICCover_CW276.indd 1

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IN INTERNATIONAL CARPER Our International Carper section features a look back over 25 years on the road in search of big carp by Steve Briggs, who is still the major contributor to our Echoes Around The World feature, which, as usual, is packed with all the big-fish captures from the world of carp fishing. There’s also a feature from Max Nollert whose technique of fishing from boats is really something to behold. Top this off with a look at a holiday destination with a difference in Thailand, a review of how the World Carp Classic is shaping up for 2013, and the Overseas Directory, and you’ll see there’s plenty to keep you interested.

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FEATURE

C H R I S

Y A T E S

Redmire Reflections I N T E R V I E W

B Y

C H R I S

B A L L

It’s not often these days tha t Chr is Ya tes talks a bout his ear ly times a t Redmire Pool, but Chr is Ball recently spent an evening with Chr is in his fishing s tudy w here, as dar kness descended, he recounted the magical times he exper ienced a t the celebra ted pool.

T

hese days I see Chris Yates every now and then, he’s been a friend since the early 1970s, and it’s inevitable that at some stage in the conversation Redmire Pool crops up. Of course the name of Chris Yates is forever associated with the pool and a record carp he landed on the opening day of the 1980/1 season. I guess the stories behind his adventures at the pool and in particular the encounters with leviathans have captivated the tens of thousands of fans of his writing.

For me this interview had a real sense of déjà vu for rewind the clock back to the early 1980s when Chris and I lived close and we’d see a fair bit of one another. Often I’d sit with him in the scullery of his delightful cottage in the depths of the Devils Punchbowl near Hindhead, Surrey, where as the light was fading I’d often ask, “Tell me about the Redmire monsters...”

CB: It’s now over 30 years since you set foot on Redmire with a rod in your hand. When you look back, do you still feel the same now as is outlined in that classic chapter in your Casting at the Sun book, ‘A Village Cricket Mentality’?

CY: You mean feeling like a complete

amateur?! I certainly felt it then, but I wouldn’t feel it now if I was going back. I know the place too well so I’m a bit cocky about it. I know I could catch fish there, which is why I don’t want to fish there again.

I didn’t know I could ever catch a fish when I first went there. I thought I would never ever be able to emulate

any of the anglers who went before me, and Rod Hutchinson felt the same.

I still remember meeting him on the dam; he was sitting there just gazing out at the water. I couldn’t find him at first.

I found his car and I thought, ‘Where’s Rod?’ We’d written to one another, never spoken to one another on the phone, and I didn’t even know what he looked like. Of course it was going to be Rod at the pool because we were going to be the only two people there. Bob Jones, the third member of our rota on the syndicate, wouldn’t arrive until the end of the week – poor sod was at work, being a teacher, so he wouldn’t be along until Friday. This was Sunday midday, right on the button, and Rod and I were fishing until the following Sunday.

ABOVE Chris at home, reflecting on his Redmire days.

RIGHT Chris and Rod with the first 20-pounder landed

by Chris in 1972.

You never bumped into the previous week’s rota?

That would have been John MacLeod, Bill Walkden and Peter Climo, who

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R e dmire R e f le c t ions C hr is Ya tes

were friends of Bob Jones. I remember saying at the time that even if I get an eel, let alone a carp, I’d be happy. Rod and I looked out from the dam and fish started to bubble, and we knew that we had carp very close to us, then one rolled, maybe 20yds out, a common. It was probably 25lb, and I can still remember Rod saying, “Oh baby,” and just shaking his head. It was all there for us.

Can you remember what the weed was like in 1972?

It was quite thin and it wasn’t going to be a problem. Weed was all around the edge of the margins, but there was a lot of open water out in the middle.

I remember reading that Jack Hilton had mentioned that the year (or maybe two) before was virtually weed-free.

Do you recollect what bait you took?

Yes, absolutely; water snails were going to be my secret bait. Oh, that was going to be the one that worked! Also maggots and some bean sprouts (I had a theory that bean sprouts were going to work too), besides my specials, which were an artificial moth, which I’d caught carp on in the past. I thought maybe I could fool a smallish Redmire carp on an artificial moth. There was something else but I can’t now remember what.

Rod brought worms and maggots, because there were still a few fish coming out on maggots. We didn’t realise that Jack Hilton and Bill Quinlan were using sultanas, but we were told fairly soon afterwards when we chatted with them (maybe a month later). As far as they were concerned, sultanas were about to blow, and they were getting a bit desperate because they didn’t know what to use next. I don’t know why, because there were so many things to try. They, like everybody else who fished Redmire, were quite blinkered. It took them a long time to decide on something, not like, for instance, Rod, who would go, bang, bang, bang, we’ll have hemp next, then something else, and so on. We didn’t realise the bait potential was “ We d i d n ’ t re a l i s e inexhaustible then, because we just the bait potential thought that it was going to be was inexhaustible natural, and also we were probably then, because we just going to have to use a new thought that it was going method that hadn’t been used to be natural, and also before, hence I thought the moth we were probably going might produce a couple of fish. to have to use a new Rod was going to try some heavy method that hadn’t baiting with maggots, although been used before” this had been tried before.

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COLUMNIST

P A U L

F O R W A R D

How times have changed over the last 25 years – or have they? At the end of the day it’s all about the fish, and, yet again, our pal Mr F has had a few over the last month.

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T h e F Word Pa ul Fo rwa rd

B

efore I even begin to tell you about the trials and tribulations of an extremely tricky July and early August, I’d like to offer my hearty congratulations and say a huge well done to all involved at Carpworld on celebrating the 25th anniversary of the magazine. When Nigel first told me of the milestone I found it difficult to believe that it had indeed been 25 years.

Surely it couldn’t be so; then once I had reluctantly conceded that it actually was a fact, I realised that a quarter of a century had simply flown by. Carpworld originally set out to be the quality magazine for the discerning carper and, under the guidance of Tim, I believe the original aim has been achieved month after month, year after year, and is a credit to all the staff, past and present.

I was then asked how much I thought carp fishing had changed in that time and to comment on what I thought were the major differences between now and then; the year in question – if I’ve done my maths correctly – would be 1988.

This task, thankfully, wasn’t as difficult as I had at first imagined it would be with my pathetic excuse for a memory, mainly because of the fact that I had recently stumbled across the detailed fishing diaries I used to keep at the time (dead keen I was!), or did most dedicated carpers keep a diary? Mine was obviously ‘top secret’ because absolutely

She, the queen of School Pool.

BELOW

My first view of Savay, a photo taken from one of my ‘top secret’ diaries.

BELOW

BELOW RIGHT Pages from my old diary of 25 years ago.

BOTTOM RIGHT A twenty pound canal common, another from my diaries.

get up to my old stomping grounds in everything had to be so; maybe diaries Nottinghamshire where I’d fish North were commonplace… it is conceivable that no one will ever know. Anyway, back Muskham and the mighty Trent with my brother Nick. Some of the catches to my diary, from which I am able to we had on these venues were quite ascertain that I was angling at least twice amazing. I remember using tigers (quite a week, often more, sometimes four or possibly the first time they’d been used) five short evening sessions after work, on Muskham and taking over 20 fish then maybe a night at the weekend, up to mid-20s in two days. On another even in the winter. I seemingly had an occasion my brother and I landed 26 immense thirst for knowledge regarding carp between us in a day from the Trent. the sport and stubbornly refused to I was also starting to believe that carp were, “No selflook further afield in fact, as difficult respecting and made my first to catch as some carper of the trip to Savay where I would like to make d a y w o u l d d r e a m fished on a day ticket. out. By adopting of using readyWhen not fishing a simple approach made bait!” or working I’d be and working hard busy making bait to move on to fish, I in the shed and experimenting with was very successful wherever I fished. many different ingredients. I’d been In 1988 I was into my second season formulating my own base mixes for on the School Pool in Kent and was quite a few years then and obviously catching carp there for fun. It was a realised the advantages of doing so. No tremendous water on which to learn self-respecting carper of the day would my craft, with a good head of 20s and dream of using ready-made bait! at least three 30s at the right time of Tackle was developing at a pace, year. Indeed, I broke the Kent record in but no one had yet marketed a carp December that year with the capture of rod, so all our carp rods were customShe at 38lb 12oz, the largest carp caught made from blanks made by companies that winter in the whole country! The such as Tri-cast, North Western, and Royal Military Canal was another venue Conoflex. I built nearly all my rods, I fished when working in the area – plus a few for close friends as well. only if I could find the fish though. At Most of our gear was pretty basic and least half a dozen times a year I’d minimalist, mainly because we had to carry it all on our backs (no one had thought about barrows yet).

The real major differences, as far as I’m concerned, between now and then is the commercialism, social networking, and mobile phones; information is so readily and instantly available today simply at the touch of a button. Personally, I think it has changed our sport forever and not necessarily for the better. Almost everyone I see on the bank these days has a mobile phone glued to their ear and captures, with pictures and video clips, are posted instantly for the world to see. Old school carpers, on the other hand, lived a life of cloak and dagger secrecy; our world revolved around whispers and rumours, and sadly, it seems there are no secrets any more.

Moving swiftly on to the present day (well, last month actually), and my own angling exploits, of which there have been precious few, and then they have only been of the short midweek overnight variety. If that’s the only time I’ve got at my disposal then Septem ber 2 013 C a r pwor l d 57

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FEATURE

C

25

JULIAN CUNDIFF

YEARS ON

an it really be 28 years ago when I wrote an article about a then little-known water called Drax, and sent it to Carp Fisher for Tim Paisley’s consideration? Well it was, as I still have that letter now, and from that fateful posting my life was never the same again. He liked the article, and was impressed with my keenness. From there I progressed to the features editor of Carp Fisher and in early 1988 Tim confided in me that he was thinking of starting his own carp-fishing magazine and would I like to be in it? Would I! Crikey, if he had asked me to write for Saga’s magazine I would have done.

And that, my friends, was 25 years ago and still to this day we are friends, and my articles appear in what I guess many view to be the flagship carpfishing magazine on the market today.

When editor Steve Broad asked me to write, and I quote: ‘A personal piece about your carp-fishing life and how it has changed in the last 25 years,’ I was more than happy to – until I tried to condense it all into 3,500 words. The reality is, my fishing life is so entwined with my non-fishing life that the two can’t be split, and if you think that 25 years of carping is hard enough to do, when you throw in the rest it was panic stations, I can tell you. From mad women in leather to running a water; from holding down a day job for 34 years to having it all, and wanting to end it all – no wonder my head hurts at times. I have lost a parent, been betrayed by friends, and dismayed by some carp anglers’ actions, but that’s life. From the outside it looked like I had it all, but at times the truth was so very different. This will be no ‘look at me and how many carp I have caught’ piece, but I hope it resonates with those who do have a life outside carp fishing and wonder if it’s all worth the effort. For those who

A PERSONAL VIEW How do you hold down a demanding job and a busy life outside carping, along with all the commitments to writing and angling in general – and still find time to catch the odd carp or two? Well, Jules has turned the balancing act into an ar t form and here’s how he does it.

??

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2 5 Ye a r s o n Julia n C und iff

think the grass is greener elsewhere and those who think ‘it’s alright for him’, I hope I can persuade you that I am no different to anyone else, and that if you truly want something to go out and get it. Carp fishing is a great leveller, and my story is of how the fat kid at school, who liked weird things like fishing and KISS, and whose mum was a vicar, defied the odds, and if he could do it, anyone can.

The story of my carp fishing runs hand-in-hand with the story of my life for that special 25-year period, so let’s go back to that fateful year of 1988.

September 1988. Working at Selby magistrates’ court since 1980 and living at home with mum and dad meant I had it on a plate. With a season ticket on Drax, membership of HDAA and carte blanche to fish Three Lakes when I wanted, looking back, it truly was a dream come true. I was still super-keen with regard to making it, hence Tim nicknamed me The Selby Flier, and girls were something of a ‘tag-on’ for me until I met what Tim referred to as an apparition in leather who, as he said at the time, “would do me damage”.

Fishing was naturally midweek on whatever water I chose, but to be

LEFT At 49.06 I was blown away and Nashy had made my dreams come true. A few days later I was just as keen, fishing for carp half that size after work.

RIGHT The two carp about which I wrote my first article, Spot and Moonscale. The two biggest fish at Drax in 1985.

With a bubble perm and stretch jeans I was the kiddie…

NOT. Tilery midweek session late-’80s.

BELOW

BOTTOM It’s been a long old ride; 32 scrapbooks detail my life in angling, with 95% of that being from life after 1988.

My first-ever overnight fish. I travelled to the water on a moped and the locals let my tyres down.

BOTTOM INSET

“I never lost my drive, and although weekends were taken up by ‘that’ lady, midweek carp fishing was the true love of my life” fair, most of my summer and autumn had been spent on Tilery. A battered old Escort that had a stuck odometer transported me twice a week after work to the Tilery some 35 miles away from mum and dad’s. I would usually get there at 6.00 p.m. and be packed up by 7.00 a.m. and home for 8.00 a.m. With mum and dad only living five miles from court, I really could cut it close, and often did. It was in the bad/good old days of bait boats – anybody remember Broadlands Bait Boats? I would turn up and simply boat baits out into the middle or wherever I saw a fish. No real finesse, no real skill, but in those days it was what I caught that mattered, not how and where I did it. Despite a shaky six months when my head was in the clouds and I had fallen in love, I never lost my drive, and although weekends were taken up by ‘that’ lady, midweek carp fishing was the true love of my life.

The break-up was painful, even

looking back now, but the odd winter trip to Willow Park, a guest session on Savay, and catching two PBs in the spring at Three Lakes, made it just about bearable. Another year on Tilery when I managed to catch 22 x 20s in a year, and even had my first carp book published; Carp Waters was part of the Carp-inDepth series that Angling Publications printed in 1991, and although I had previously written chapters in books, to see my first carp book on sale was something very special indeed.

With a new lady in my life, bait support from Nutrabaits, and companies like Kryston, Nash and Fox sending me gear, I really did feel on top of the world. Three years of enduring the Tilery mud had taken its toll on me, and 1992 saw me switch my efforts from Tilery to Motorway.

Whilst some loved the place, I guess I hated it, and although I was doing three overnighters a week, I found it Septem ber 2 013 C a r pwor l d 63

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BAITWORLD

ALSO IN THIS MONTH’S BAIT WORLD: BAIT BARON Pallatrax has a long tradition of providing natural baits in a form that everyday anglers can use, so we thought a chat with Simon

Joe’s brief for this special 25th anniversary edition was to take a personal journey through the years, and look at how carp baits have developed. Have things really changed all that much? Do the old-school tactics still have a place? Here’s what Joe thinks.

I

t’s been an absolute education, over the course of my angling experience, how the ever-changing face of bait continues to expand.

Those who have a vested interest in bait, and those who have spent lots of hard-earned money and time investing in machinery and marketing, as well as sourcing the finest ingredients, have turned the industry into a huge and powerful market. For me, and many others, bait plays a huge role in angling, and as far as I’m concerned it’s one of the most important things to consider.

When I look back over the years to try to work out whether bait has really changed that much, I can honestly say

Pomeroy was long overdue.

WE LIKE Here’s your regular look at just a few of the goodies that

I don’t think it really has, particularly with regard to what consistently catches carp and has done for the last few decades. If anything, and I’m blowing my own small trumpet here, I’m sure that I’ve once again highlighted the importance of Fred Wilton’s nutritional food-sourced baits over the years, and with that a fashion has followed, with many bait manufacturers pointing out the fact that their latest creations have a role to play in the upkeep of what we fish for. Whether that’s just a selling point is up to the individual to decide, but in my book I sincerely hope that isn’t the case. Sure,

A recent carp taken on a relatively new flavour combination – Nutrabaits’ Plum and Caproic.

BELOW

have caught our eye over the past month. There’s sure to be something that appeals to you.

carp will pick up anything and I’ve covered that before, but remember, carp don’t have hands, only lips that play such an important role.

All the classics, such as sweetcorn, luncheon meat, worms, casters and maggots, still play a huge part in catching carp, as well as particles such as hempseed, pulses and man-made pellets, which play a vital part in keeping the carp guessing.

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If anything has changed significantly I think it’s in the field of bait education, because now, more and more people are learning that the whole baiting scenario can be simplified by creating different combinations of attractive feed to stimulate carp into falling for hookbaits. Boilies, too, haven’t really changed that much, if at all, but now, with more people being educated by the abundance of available information, most can make a decent boilie from scratch if they put their minds to it.

In years gone by, information was always a problem; the Internet and free advice was hard to come by.

It’s also great to see bait companies competing with each other, because now the anglers who are in the know, or at least have a little understanding of what they’re looking for in a bait, can decide what’s best for them, their fishing, and their venues. So many ingredients are available these days compared to when Fred first designed his HNV boilies, although despite this, many are still based on those very first mixes, even though Fred’s ideas were initially snubbed. In fact, this started a revolution, and after a few others got involved, namely Geoff

ABOVE & TOP With the information available to anglers today, putting together a decent boilie or hookbait mix from scratch is relatively easy.

a lot to be learnt because much of it over the years has been guesswork, but with a growing trend of some of the younger generation taking up fishery studies and management at places such as Sparsholt College in Hampshire, surely it can only be good for all of us.

From a consumer’s point of view, I think the industry has changed dramatically, especially with regard to mass bait “The growing production, whether demand for more that’s the production and more bait, of boilies, as ever-increasing Kemp and Duncan groundbaits, pellets numbers of people Kay, they brought or liquids. The find solace in such boilie ingredients growing demand an excellent hobby, to the forefront of for more and has put pressure carp fishing and the more bait, as everon ingredient whole country went increasing numbers suppliers” boilie-mad. In the early of people find solace in stages, the boilie had a rough such an excellent hobby, has ride, to be honest, with many fisheries put pressure on ingredient suppliers, (even now) banning them for fear of and with such supply and demand, them rotting uneaten on the bottom. prices have rocketed, with a kilo of This is still a topic for conversation; some shop-bought boilies now costing some companies apparently design around £13. I guess such drastic changes them to float away, whereas most create are just part of inflation/life, and with them to break down and crumble up that bait becomes an even more naturally if not eaten. There is still important part of our angling needs.

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ANGLING P U B L I C A T I O N S

IT’S BACK

THE CARP STRIKES BACK B Y RO D HUT C HIN SO N Rod Hutchinson’s classic early-’80s book The Carp Strikes Back is acclaimed by carp anglers as the best carp book ever. It tells the story of a season in the life of a carp angler and his friends, but this isn’t about just any season. Much of the book is based on Rod’s fishing of the famous Savay water in the very early years of the syndicate.

Savay in the early-’80s was the place to be and the syndicate consisted of numerous high-profile anglers whose names still resonate through the literature of carp fishing to this day. The fact that Rod fished what was affectionately known as the Looney Rota gives some insight into the atmosphere of the book! The methods, baits and techniques used during this season and the reasons behind them are all discussed freely and in depth.

The book is now out of print so if you aren’t fortunate enough to own a copy this your chance to find out why it’s been so highly acclaimed by carp anglers for the 30 years since it was first published. This is Rod the great storyteller and innovator at his inimitable best.

LOAD DOWN FROM EBOOK .UK N O .CO AMAZ

By popular demand The Carp Strikes Back is now available through the Amazon Kindle Store in ebook format.

FREE KINDLE APP READ KINDLE BOOKS ON APPLE, PC, ANDROID OR SMARTPHONE MOBILE & DESKTOP DEVICES.

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