TH E BI G IN TE RV IE W
Dave Chilton talks old-school carping and the birth of Kryston
PLUS T I M PA I S L E Y K E E P S CARPING ON
94lb 4oz!
SIMON CROW ON SMALLWAT E R TA C T I C S ROLLING BACK THE YEARS WITH CHRIS BALL
M AX C OT T IS o n t he ca pt ure o f Sho ul der s fro m t he Abbey La ke s c ompl ex i n Fr ance
PECKY’S PROGRESS Darrell gets a lesson in fishing adjus table Zigs on his latest session at Bundy’s
THE
MAGAZINE
c ar pwor ld maga z in e. co m
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MR F
8 5 2 0 9 0 7 7 0 9 5 7
Adam Clewer gets back in the swing of things as the seasons change
9
HERE WE GO AGAIN
0 4
BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE
SEARCHING FOR A GIANT
C H I L LY TA L K S W I N D I N T H I N K TA N K
carpworldmagazine.com
ISSUE 283 APRIL 2014
ISSUE 283 / APRIL 2014 / MONTHLY £4.50
FOR THE W ORLDWIDE ANGLER
Issue 126 April 2014
Paul Forward enjoys a change of for tune as his tactics pay off
ALSO INSIDE CARP NEWS AND FEATURES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
SPRING FEVER!
P162 Julia n Jur kewit z embr aces the chan ge of seaso ns and sets out for adve nture TACKLING LES QUIS
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GLOBETROTTER’S WORLD
DOMAINE DES ISLES
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CONTENTS
The Carpworld Contents / Issue 283 /
April 2014
95
Rig World Mike Kavanagh This month, Mike looks at Thinking Anglers’ new Tungskin hooklink material, along with the Edges Reflex Braid from Fox, plus the new Safety Lead Clip and readyto-go Leader Kit from Taska.
31
123 O N T HE C OV E R : Max Cottis recently banked Shoulders, one of the most famous fish in France. Read the story on page 154.
REGULARS
6
Editors’ Comments Our editorial team of Broady and Nigel have been busy, busy, busy again, with only a little fishing but a cracker of a weekend at the Carpin’ On show.
9
Gazette All the news and views from the carp-angling scene to keep you up to date with what’s going on.
66
Bait World Featuring Joe Turnbull This month, Joe’s been talking to Terry Dempsey and Elliott Gray, and along with a revealing talk about what’s behind Baitcraft’s success with Mark McKenna, there’s a whole host of bait goodies reviewed.
Think Tank How much effect does wind really have on our carp fishing? Iain Macmillan, Ian Chillcott, Rick Golder and Max Nollert reveal how to programme the effects of wind into your angling to improve your catch rate. FEATURES
15
Big Interview – Dave Chilton Interview by Nigel Banks One of carp angling’s unsung heroes, Dave’s a larger-thanlife character with a wicked sense of humour and an accent you could cut with a knife. He also developed the world’s first dedicated hooklength material. This is his story…
24
A Salute To Spring Ed Betteridge Spring is the time of year when the carp stir from their winter lethargy and begin to feed up for summer, and Ed tells us how he takes advantage of the situation.
31
Pecky’s Progress Darrell Peck Back on Bundy’s Pit after catching the big common, our man is full of enthusiasm, but a salutary lesson whilst Zig fishing is one he won’t forget in a hurry.
42
Diary Of A Carpaholic Simon Crow Small-water carping can be frustrating at times, as Crowy found out whilst targeting a big common in a tiny East Yorkshire venue.
51
Historic Carp Waters Chris Ball Wadhurst Park is a palatial home in East Sussex, and in its grounds lies a famous carp water which is home to some lovely wild carp. However, the waters are now very rarely fished.
58
Here We Go Again Adam Clewer As another winter slips slowly away and the green shoots of spring show that nature is awakening from its slumber, Adam says it’s a very exciting time to be a carp angler.
77 24
A Bird’s Eye View Jane Henthorn As one of the country’s very few lady anglers, Jane gives her unique take on carp fishing through the eyes of a lady angler by answering some of the questions she is most asked whilst on the bank fishing.
84
F Word Paul Forward After a slow start to the year, it was only a matter of time before the first fish of the year came to our regular diarist’s rods, so it’s a happy Mr F who reports in this month.
89
Bivvy Tramp Blog Kes Waterman Check out this month’s blog from our resident bivvy tramp. It’s a humorous look at life on the bank from a rather obscure point of view…
129
Is This The Birth Of A New Era In Carp Angling? Nigel Banks Carpworld interviews Raphael Khalili, the head of a company called RK Leisure which, as the new owner of the Wraysbury and Horton complexes, is set to take commercial fisheries into a new era.
133
Still Carping On Tim Paisley Tim’s been on the rounds of the angling shows over the past few months; tiring it may be, but here he reveals just why he enjoys the meet and greet of a life on the road, and how important the shows are to carpers everywhere.
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F: facebook.com/CarpworldMagazine / T: @CarpworldMag
TACKLE WORLD
109
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Tackle World The latest alarms from JRC, Nash’s very novel Scope Bivvy, a special unhooking mat from Shimano, and some cracking bankware from JAG, come under our scrutiny this month, along with a whole host of goodies from Fox, Aqua Products, Cygnet, SONIK, Taska, Trakker, and more.
102
UP FOR GRABS
102
Ask The Experts There’s £250’ worth of bait or tackle vouchers if your question is chosen as the winner in our Ask The Experts feature.
38
Carpworld International Championship How do you fancy a week fishing at Fishabil in France, with the chance of winning £10,000? That’s what’s on offer to the winners of the Carpworld International Championship, so if you’re planning a holiday, why not combine it with the chance to win big money?
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IN INTERNATIONAL CARPER in France goes by the name of Shoulders, and Max Cottis tells us the story behind his capture a rundown of all the big-carpcatching action in Echoes Around The World, a look at how to tackle one of the most popular waters in France, and a popular holiday venue, Les Quis. There’s a lovely lake to check out if you’re in the
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back to spring 2012, as Julian Jurkewitz catches some cracking fish and a dose of Spring Fever.
Apri l 2014 Car pwo r ld 5
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FEATURE
E D
B E T T E R I D G E
A Salute to Spring As the weak spring sun begins to warm the water, Ed salutes what, to him, is his favourite time of year, a time when the carp awake from their winter lethargy and begin to feed up for summer.
E
ver since the abolition of the old close season in the mid-’90s, spring has always been my favourite time to be out on the bank and in pursuit of carp. I suppose, at first, it was the novelty of being able to fish at the previously outlawed time, although I did feel the odd pang of guilt for catching them while their guard was down. I did have passing thoughts in the first open spring that it was a little unsportsmanlike, but I reasoned that as long as they weren’t in the act of spawning, it was fair game. I caught quite a few carp that spring, and it was far more prolific than any other time of year, except for probably the opening week of the old close season. I did, however, think that the easy pickings would be confined to that first spring, but it wasn’t a one-off ; every year there is a period in spring where the fish first properly wake up and start searching out food. Because they haven’t (in most cases) been subjected to pressure, or been hooked, for a few months, they seem very naive to our rigs in their search for food, and as a result they become a lot easier to catch. I have found that various waters tend to differ in terms of the carp’s wake-up time; this depends on the size and depth of the lake, the preceding weather, the amount of bait going in, etc. However, most waters I fish usually start producing multiple captures around midApril. These waters tend to be fairly
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A S a lu t e t o S p r ing Ed Better id g e
large and of low stock, in fact I will usually bag around a third of my annual capture in a six-week period between the middle of April up until they spawn, which is usually at the end of May. Last year was the exception to the rule. This was due to the horrifically cold weather through March and early April, brought on by the northeasterly winds. The waters on which I chose to dabble were very slow to wake up, and the fish didn’t act like they would in a normal spring. In fact, last May I didn’t bank a single carp throughout my favourite month. This wasn’t entirely down to the weather, because massive restrictions had been placed on my chosen lake, Burghfield. We could only fish a small percentage of bank space in the spring, so because every time the fish drifted through the cut-through from the angling to non-angling side they encountered lines, they pushed back to the 70 acres of unpressured water. My first Burghfield fish of the year came in mid-June, in the shape of a well-proportioned 33lb mirror, and I have to say I was so pleased to bank it after all the hard work I had put into the water; there was certainly no question (in my mind anyway) that it was hard-earned! I did, however, receive a bit of action earlier in the spring on the now famous Rockford. Rockford is one hell of a drive to regularly undertake from my Derbyshire home, but the allure of those huge fish was too much to resist. So I found myself enduring the six-hour, 360-mile round trip every week, from
TOP I needed longdistance rods to get close to where the fish were holding. ABOVE Early spring on Rockford was very bleak.
After a very hard May, I finally managed to net one.
BELOW
mid-March until the crowds became too much to bear in the last few days of April. But I did enjoy those earlier trips, even though the temperatures didn’t non-stretch get above 3°C and the fish weren’t NanoFil line interested in feeding. I did receive I’d used to get the distance, one bite in the enduring cold; I had but then disaster struck, and the just spent a couple of very cold days resistance was gone. I had lost on the bank, where the weather the fish, and on inspection of the had been miserable, but on the rig I found that it was my fault – third day the sun came out, and the hooklink had parted on the although it was still only 2-3°C air Knotless Knot in a position that can temperature, I thought the warming only have been caused by my lighter glow of the sun might get them licking the knot as I blobbed down moving. It certainly felt warmer. the pop-up knot. I can actually I stayed vigilant all day, watching remember doing it at the start of for signs, but saw nothing the season as I rushed to get carpy, yet I decided to set up before dark in the try to make the long breezy weather. On “Gutted by journey worthwhile inspection at the and stayed an time it looked OK, the loss, yet in extra night. I but in hindsight, it a strange way punched out three obviously wasn’t. buoyed by the Chods as far as I Gutted by the bite, I continued could in the flatloss, yet in a strange to fish there” calm conditions. I way buoyed by the suppose I was hitting bite, I continued to marks in excess of 170yds fish there. As the weather because I was convinced the fish changed for the better, the crowds were holding out in the centre of descended on Rockford’s banks, the lake away from all the lines. and in the third week of April the I managed to get the rods out temperatures hit a heady 15°C. I without too much drama, and managed to secure a good swim, I was just tidying my tackle box not my first choice but better away when I noticed movement than expected, and I knew this on the left bobbin. I focused my was my best chance of a carp. In attention on it, knowing that I the evening, the fish showed in hadn’t yet switched on my alarm, numbers for the first time; they just in time to see it hit the deck. were right out in the centre of the I picked up the rod, wound down lake at some 200yds’ range, so I hit the slack and met solid resistance. I two single hookbaits to just over was into my first Hampshire carp! 170yds’ range. I decided to fish I was a bit nervy after the previous the third rod over bait as close as blanks and knowing what the lake I could get it towards the centre, held, but I kept the rod high in so I had a lead about and found a a war of attrition with the carp, nice firm clay hump at just under which seemed content to fight out 150yds’ range. I clipped up the spod at very long range. After holding rod to the same distance and put for a short time, the fish went on a out 3kg of Hybrid boilies to the slow run, before stopping and spot, followed by my hookbait. banging its head. I felt As the evening wore on, the every lunge and nod fish started showing closer to my through the long rods, and I was confident that either I, or fellow Chub consultant Matt Jackson in the next swim, was going to get a bite on one of our long rods. I
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The Holiday of a Lifetime – With a £10,000 Payout! The winning team in the Carpworld International Championship will walk away from the event with £10,000 in their pockets. Are you up to the challenge? Read on to find out. Can you picture yourself and a mate, sipping a cool beer, whilst watching the setting sun slowly slipping towards the horizon while the rods are out, and the carp are crashing out in the
lake in front of you? It’s an idyllic scene after which virtually every carp angler we know hankers. But what if you could enjoy this sort of peaceful serenity, surrounded by like-minded anglers, at one of the best holiday venues around, and all with good odds on you walking away with as much as £10,000 in your pocket? This is the fantastic first prize on offer to the winning anglers in the Carpworld International Championship, which will take place at Fishabil in October. The French venue is
renowned for its huge stock of carp (over 65 tonnes at present), which call the 85 acres of water their home. With a limited number of team places available, so that everyone gets the feeling they’re on their own little piece of heaven, the teams of two anglers will fish a 5-day endurance event with a straight fight to the finish. The first prize of £10,000 isn’t the only prize either, because there will be £2,000 for the second-placed team and £1,000 for the third-placed team, along with a host of other prizes. However, it’s not just a competition event. We’re conscious that we need to make the event one with a holiday atmosphere as well. After all, you’re in France, at a world-class angling venue, and one that’s got a hotel/restaurant on its banks! To demonstrate the capability of Fishabil, you only have to look at some of the events that have been held there. There have been two Carp Fishing
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Ca r pwo r ld I n t e r n a t io n al Championship
World Cups, plus 54 other highprofile carp matches, including The Masters Tournament last year, which was the basis for the Carpworld International Championship. At this event, no less than 4,294lb of carp was caught, with 24 carp over 30lb making up the larger weights. The winners had a 36-fish haul for a total of 831lb with a massive 87% of anglers landing fish. The secondand third-placed teams banked 704lb and 642lb respectively. Fishabil is the type of water that no matter where you fish, you’ll have carp in front of you, so every angler taking part has a very good chance of winning. Fishabil is not a difficult water to fish; with 65 tonnes of fish in the lake, you’re never going to be far away from one, and the bottom is fairly flat, weed-free and mainly gravel with a few silt patches, so there’s no need for special tackle or techniques. All in all, it’s going to be a cracking competition on the back of a jolly good time, so if you’re looking for a holiday in France, you could do a lot worse than check into the Carpworld International Championship departure lounge, secure your place, get your holiday/carp gear ready, and start thinking of how you’ll be spending your £10,000!
FACT FILE CARPWORLD INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The event will be a 5-day endurance event running from 13th-19th October 2014. There will be a maximum of 34 pairs fishing the event. The draw for swims will take place on 13th October. The winning pair will be decided on the total weight of carp caught. This will include only mirror, common, silver, grass, leather and koi carp. The cost to enter the event is £1,100 per pair. Entry for the event open now. A full set of rules and downloadable entry form available at www.carpworldmagazine.com/cic If you have any questions please call+44 (0) 114 258 0812
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FEATURE
ABOVE The biggest carp of my winter fishing at Emmotland this year was this gorgeous 26lb common.
D I A R Y O F A C A R PA H O L I C This month Crowy has been faced with certain frustrations whilst chasing a big c o m m o n i n a t i n y E a s t Yo r k s h i r e v e n u e , a n d he discusses some of the similar difficulties he’s exper ienced a t other small wa ter s .
F
or the last couple of winters, I’ve been spending some time on a small farm pond up on the East Yorkshire coast. The long-standing carpers amongst you will be familiar with its name because the history of the Emmotland complex in carping circles goes back a very long way. In the late1980s it was a regular in the angling press because it was one of the very few venues in Yorkshire to hold carp over 30lb. Some of the Nutrabaits lads especially used to report catches from there quite a lot; the likes of Bill Cottam, Brian Skoyles et al. accounting for some fantastic carp to well over 30lb, pictures of which all had an influence on whether or not I would one day go on to fish there. It’s fair to say that the complex has been through a complete facelift
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D ia r y o f a Ca r pa holic S im o n C row
“The number one resident is a gloriousof year the surface fishing on since those times. Twenty l o o king creature, Pond 2 is fantastic, and it’s a years ago there were only a home-grown great water to get up close and two waters open to angling, beast which has personal with the carp. The whereas today that figure topped the same can be said for Pond 3, has doubled. All are open on 4 0lb-mark” where, on a bright, sunny day, you the pre-bookable day ticket and can see most of its residents sunning offer fishing for different levels of themselves in the thick weedbeds carping experience. Ponds 2 and 4 are which cover most of its 1.5 acres. the easiest, with carp weighing up to It is on Pond 3 that I have spent the almost 30lb, while Ponds 1 and 3 are majority of my fishing on the complex. the next stage up, with the latter being TOP Pond 1 at Emmotland, one of the I was fortunate to get among the bigger the jewel in the crown and containing most historical carp fish of Pond 1 and 2 quite quickly, the biggest fish on the complex. waters in Yorkshire. whereas two years on from starting, Apart from Pond 4, over the years I’ve ABOVE Pond 4 pictured a few years ago, I’m still chasing Pond 3’s number one fished all the other waters, landing some which shows the full size of the water resident, a rather large common which terrific carp along the way. I’ve had some from the bottom end makes, at most, a couple of appearances cracking fish to 32lb 4oz from Pond looking up towards the car park. a year. It is proving to be a devil to 1, as well as landing the most soughtABOVE RIGHT The catch, although, in fairness, I’m only after carp from Pond 2 in the shape of carp love to come in fishing the water in the winter, or for Blackjack at 28lb 8oz. At the right time close on Pond 2.
a few hours here and there during peak times of the year, due to it being booked out to other anglers. It is currently priced at £100 per night for exclusive use of the lake (maximum of four anglers) and because it lies in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside and comes with good facilities, it is always difficult for me to get on there. Basically, whenever there’s space, the owner, Andy Kitchen, kindly lets me on. The number one resident is a gloriouslooking creature, a home-grown beast which has topped the 40lb-mark on just the one occasion when it was landed by former world record holder, Graham Slaughter. A more regular weight for it is around 37lb, which is still a colossal carp for such a small venue, let alone one which is so far north. It looks Apri l 2 014 C a r pwor l d 43
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BAITWORLD
@JoeTsBaitWor ld
joe.turnbullsbaitworld
Insta
joetsbaitworld
We l l w h a t c a n I s a y ? W i n t e r, w h a t w i n t e r ? H o w w e i r d h a s t h e w e a t h e r b e e n ? I t d o e s n ’ t r e a l l y s e e m w e h a d a w i n t e r, t o b e perfectly honest, but then again, it’s not unusual for it to snow in Apr il, so don’t count your chickens jus t yet.
T
he time we’ve all been waiting for has come around, with the beautiful sight of daffodils and the first
emerging young buds on the trees. When we look at the trees, so bare in winter, it’s often hard to imagine them once again full of healthy green foliage. The first warm sunshine of the year makes both us and the carp feel great. Signs of activity are what we look for, especially on warm, sunny mornings because they, much like us, are buoyed by the heat. The first sight of carp launching themselves out beyond the water surface is enough to add to the excitement of what we love to see whilst pursuing these giants. It’s an amazing sight, and one with which I never get bored. In fact, I even love to watch them spawn, creating huge eddies and vortexes, such is their power. It’s as mesmerising and addictive as watching a flickering flame or a roaring fire. THIS MONTH: BAIT BARON: TERRY DEMPSEY ELLIOTT GRAY QUICK-FIRE QUIBBLE LIVER POWDER IN THE SPOTLIGHT TALKING BAIT WITH MARK McKENNA OF BAITCRAFT
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L
IEW UL RV NB TE TUR N I E JO BY
T HIS MO NT H : Ter r y Dem psey o f U r b a n B a i t s
Over the last few years, the name Terry Dempsey is one which has shot to the top of the pile with his amazing catalogue of catches. From the first moment I met Terry, a good old East End boy, I just knew he would have many tales to tell and would be brimming with knowledge. I caught up with him to get the low-down on how he’s getting on. JT: In sections of your book, it shows
a few lads from Kent who were using fishmeals;
in them. Another ingredient that has served
you making baits on the bank. I gather
one of these was Geoff Bowers. Geoff and his
me well over the years has been Sluis CLO.
that’s how you first got into bait?
partner Phil had just started Premier Baits, and
I first came across Sluis in the mid-’80s and
TD: When I started carp fishing in the very early
as soon as I saw their products I knew they were
used it to bulk out my expensive protein baits.
1980s, there wasn’t much information around
what I was looking for. Meeting them was a big
Using 30% Sluis in my base mix dramatically
about baits unless you moved in certain circles. I
turnaround for me, all of a sudden my sweet-
reduced the price of the bait and made it
spent my first few years of fishing experimenting
tasting milk proteins were ditched for big, stinking,
much more digestible to the fish. The brilliant
with lots of different ingredients and attractors.
oily fishmeals. From that moment on I only used
thing about Sluis was it worked in every type
My first-ever carp was caught on a shrimp-
fishmeals – well, until the temperatures dropped
of bait, milk protein, fishmeal, or birdfood.
flavoured home-made paste consisting of sodium
then I would go back to my milk proteins. When putting together your
caseinate, soya flour and ground rice. I will always remember that bait because it would dissolve in
What have been your most successful
latest baits, what did you
the water after a few hours, leaving you with a
ingredients over the years?
think was most important?
bare hook, so I’d have to rebait every few hours,
If you had asked this question a few years ago
A bait has to tick many boxes, and the first has to
even in the middle of the night. I didn’t start
I would have had to have said casein. All
making bait on the bank until some years later.
the baits I made during my first 20 years of fishing were based
How did you make pop-ups back then?
around casein, even the
In the early days, much of my fishing was
Premier fishmeals had a
with bottom baits, but sometimes I would use
high percentage of casein
pop-ups and it was simply a case of rolling some paste around a lump of polystyrene and balancing it with some lead shot. I always kept a small selection of flavours, base-
be about the texture. I like baits that are moist inside and crumb up nicely in my fingers. I grew up using paste
“ Ta s t e i s baits, catching many a decent important. carp on them and the only Since I started carp fishing I have reason we went on to boilies always eaten my was to keep the bait on the bait, it really is a hook. So, in those days it great way of getting to know the bait was important not to make you are using” a bait too hard, the key was
mixes and polystyrene in my rucksack.
to boil them just enough to put a skin on them, whereas many anglers now
Who did you most look
want baits to be like bullets. I know this helps
up to with regards to bait
them to go out in a stick, but in my opinion a carp
information and theories?
would much prefer a boilie with a soft centre.
It’s hard to pinpoint one individual who I looked
Taste is also important. Since I started carp
up to regarding bait in my early days. My first
fishing I have always eaten my bait, it really is
really good milk protein boilie was based on a
a great way of getting to know the bait you are
recipe I found in Kevin Maddocks’ book Carp
using. The last few seasons I have been using the
Fever. I did really well on that bait and it led me
Nutcracker and, for me, it is the ultimate-tasting
on to many other good mixes. In those days there
bait. I also want my bait to be digestible because I
were a few bait companies around my neck of the
like to use lots of bait when I’m fishing and I want
woods that sold quality ingredients, including SBS,
it to go through the carp’s system quickly. The
which was fronted by a young man named Martin
last thing I want is for the fish to fill up quickly,
Cowell. I used to get three buses to Martin’s house to buy my ingredients and flavours because they caught me a lot of fish. During the late-’80s I met
LEFT
Terry rolling baits on the Tip Lake in 1988.
ABOVE A young Terry with a brace of Leneys caught on a bait that was about to turn.
which used to happen with the high-protein baits I used in the early-’80s; the protein slowed down digestion, quickly turning the carp off the feed.
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THE ANSWER IS BLOWING IN THE WIND!
Iain Macmillan says: I think we all have our own thoughts on wind direction and speed; mine have changed slightly over the years because certain waters I’ve fished simply have their own rules, which have
Wind! Love it or loathe it, it’s a
to be adhered to. For years I always followed
big part of the watercraft every
the wind – I say ‘always’ but the exception
successful carp angler has at his
was what are deemed freezing north/northeast
disposal. It can be the death of a
winds – and for years I did well adopting this
session, or provide the means to
approach. Then, in 2005, I discovered Wellington
success – if you get it right. Time
Country Park and my whole approach to the
after time we’ve read articles from
windward bank changed in a matter of weeks.
anglers who have reported having
Welly isn’t a windy water, by that I mean the
memorable catches from fishing
fish don’t flee in their droves once a slight ripple
into wind – and equally so from
forms on the surface. Sure, I think a few fish do
anglers who’ve had success fishing
go on a new wind, but believe me, the majority
in the calm on the back of a wind.
would just be wherever they felt comfortable in a
The direction and temperature of
certain part of the pit. It was a bit of a wake-up
the wind can have very dramatic
call really, I mean, Welly should have been the
consequences for your angling, but
perfect windy water, i.e. shallow, weedy, a lot
what do our angling panel think? Is it
of open water for the currents, and natural food
a given that you fish into a southerly
to move on, but nothing could be further from
warm wind and on the back of a
the truth. Only last year I fell foul to the
cold northerly, or do you, like a lot
curse of the Wellington winds. I
of people, just fish where it’s most
knew a massive low-pressure
comfortable for you? The simple
belt was en route, and with it
answer is that it’s always worth
strong southwesterly winds,
trying to spot fish first, no matter
which we all associate with
what the weather/wind is doing. A
extremely carpy conditions.
“I think the one thing which does get the fish going is a really strong blow”
telltale roll from a carp is worth its
Well, I sat there for 48 hours
I A I N M AC M I L L A N
weight in gold, so look for flat spots
right in the teeth of it and
in windy conditions, or cruising carp
saw the sum total of two carp!
on calm, warm days. It’s unlikely,
Yet again they’d read a totally different
but by no means a certainty, that
rule book to mine and I went home licking my
a strong, cold northerly wind in
wounds, with another fat blank under my belt.
winter will have the carp running for
With the winter we’ve just experienced, I
cover in the lee of the wind, but a
think the one thing which does get the fish
warmer southerly wind will find them
going is a really strong blow, and especially in
chasing after the warmer water and
the winter. A water close to my house, Baden
any foodstuffs carried by it, even in
Hall, has done some huge fish this winter but,
winter. Wind, and how you use it,
coincidentally, most of them have happened
is just another part of the angler’s
when it’s been proper savage on the wind
armoury. Let’s pass on this question
front. I do think the carp don’t actually like it,
to our panel to get their thoughts.
but they almost get moved about so much that inevitably they’ll take a hookbait from time to time, so again, it’s certainly worth keeping your eyes on the forecast at all times. I fished another water which would change its habits from year to year. Like Wellington, it was shallow and
ABOVE Returning a fish. You can clearly see the little ripple on the surface. I actually caught the fish 15yds out to the left where the water remained flat calm. Did the wind make a difference on this occasion?
weedy, and at first it seemed the bigger fish
A mid-40 from Wellington caught neither on the wind, nor on the back of it. Instead, decent watercraft and the ability to get myself on the fish helped. I suppose wind direction is just one part of the bigger jigsaw puzzle.
following year they’d have it in the bay, where
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would always get caught on the extreme back of the wind. Numerous times I’ve moved onto the road bank waiting for the wind to arrive. Then news filtered through that there had been a couple of big ’uns caught in the woods, where it was flat calm. I thought it was a joke. The the strongest of southwesterlies would blow. I think the point I’m trying to make is that there isn’t a water in the world that will react the same as another, but if I were a betting man I’d always be looking on the wind for signs of fish before anywhere else. If you don’t see anything when you really think you should have, then they aren’t there, simple as that. You then might want to explore the more sheltered areas of the lake. As for wind direction, west or southwest is everybody’s favourite, and I suppose east or northeast are considered to be an angler’s worst nightmare, yet I have found fish on the end of a northerly, although that was in the warmer months, not the depths of winter. I think the word
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Think Tank
I’m looking for is WATERCRAFT; we all know to
more active when the water on the windward
would seem to be the case. The problem, as I
look on the wind, but if that plan fails and you’ve
bank is flush with dissolved oxygen. The wind,
said, is that every man and his dog wants to be
not got a plan B, then you’re racking up a big
we have been led to believe, will also uncover
in that spot and the increased angling pressure
blank, which, let’s be honest, just isn’t cricket!
natural food larders, and make the Wind is a vital aspect of carp fishing, but your eyes are even more important! ABOVE
Ian Chillcott says: I have to admit, I am a slave to the wind at times. I believe it has a massive influence on our fish and our fishing. In fact, I would suggest that wind affects our fishing nearly as much as angling pressure, and very often the two will coincide with interesting results. You see, most people are looking for a warm southwesterly to arrive, and when it does, invariably most anglers will head towards the windward bank. Eventually, the majority of the angling pressure will be on
A winter 36lb mirror caught right on the back of the wind.
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very often drives the carp out of the area.
invertebrates on which the carp feed more active too. All in all, it would seem to be a win-win situation, and in most cases, in the warmer months it
For me, wind in the summer from whatever direction is
“For me, wind in a good wind, even the the summer from old adage about wind whatever direction is in the east, fish bite a good wind, even the least, goes out of the old adage about wind in window at this time the eas t, fish bite leas t, of year. Easterly winds goes out of the window don’t happen that at this time of year” IAN CHILLCOTT
often during the warmer
months, and because of this novelty the carp seem to be
even more active when it is blowing.
that area and the fish will very quickly back off.
The winter, of course, is a very different matter
Not always, but enough for me to keep an open
indeed. As the colder weather starts to settle
mind on wind and its influence. In layman’s
in around November time, I think less and
terms, wind, to me, means several things; firstly,
less about the wind and more and more about
it oxygenates the water with its action. As carp
where I believe the carp will be at their most
become more active in oxygenated water it
comfortable. The windward bank, especially if
makes sense, to me at least, that they will be
the wind has any hint of east or north
Apri l 2014 C a r pwor l d 125
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The Big One
H e re , T h ere a nd E ve r yw h ere
ABOVE Terry Hearn on the main stage at Carpin’ On 2014. More on that later...
Co-author Thomas DuncanDunlop proudly holding a copy of Monster Carp at The Big One.
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‘Everywhere’ is an exaggeration, of course, it just felt like that at the time! I finished last month’s piece with a reference to the Angling Trust and a PAG meeting at Swindon. That meeting was part of an untypical four days, which involved leaving home on Thursday morning and arriving home on Sunday evening, with no carp fishing involved whatever. Booorrring… Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible, I promise you. We don’t realise how dependent we are on modern technology until it is suddenly taken away from us. I had a minor glitch with my usually reliable, and long-suffering, motor and had to hire one. After Swindon came The Big One, arriving Friday afternoon, and then a hotel in Aldershot, arriving Friday evening. The hire car didn’t
have a satnav. In the greater scheme of things, all that is no big deal, but I complicated matters by setting off from Worksop with three postcodes, no map book, and no real idea where I was going, other than that the destinations were at Swindon, Farnborough and Aldershot! In the event, it wasn’t anything like as complicated as I’d expected, and the purchase of an upto-date map book on the M4 proved to be unnecessary.
In recent years, The Big One has tended to be too close to our Five Lakes show for us to have a stand, but Monster Carp co-author, Tom D-D, is a Solar man, and he’d arranged to take the book on the Solar stand at The Big One, so I said I’d join him/them for the weekend. I was glad I went because we sold a few books, and at these events you meet a lot of old friends, in addition to which, seeing Lockey and his team in action was something of an eye-opener. The Big One has grown since we last had a stand there a few years back and now occupies two huge halls. Just what percentage of those attending were carp anglers was hard to gauge, but the carp stands around us seemed to be busy enough, and Lockey and his team were kept occupied throughout the weekend. Lockey has been pushing the boat out this meeting season. He has his new range of baits to promote and took them on tour to Zwolle, The Big One, Montluçon (France), Italy and Five Lakes. Martin Locke is so successful that I always think his name should be up there in lights as part of the Solar title. Who are Solar? Martin Locke, a hugely successful angler, home and abroad, since the late-’70s – including the capture of a world record carp, and 50lb+ Apri l 2014 C a r pwor l d 133
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COLUMNIST
manufacturers – including Fox and fish from this country – and a guy who Nash, who were, conveniently, next has been at the forefront of tackle and door to Solar – so I don’t want to bait development since before Solar was overplug Martin and his products, launched in the mid-’80s. So it’s nice to but one I will mention is his see his range of baits growing, Bow-loc landing net. I’ve and diversifying to include been using this net seeds and particles. “Otters; for a few years now My weekend with beavers; what and find the fact that the Solar Babes next? The most it is so easy to break and Dudes was recent suggestion down a real bonus an enjoyable one, is that sabrenow that some if a bit hard on toothed tigers of the fish I catch the feet, and the are next on (very occasionally) only downside to the list…” are proving too heavy the weekend was for me to pick up! There the mauling I got from was a great deal of interest the over-competitive Tom in the net on the stand, and I’m not on the hotel pool table. He’d finally surprised. When I first reviewed it found something he could beat me I described it as the Rolls-Royce of at, and he milked it, good-style. landing nets, and nothing has I get support from a lot of
Martin Locke’s splendid, atmospheric Solar stand at The Big One.
TOP LEFT
Lockey in action at The Big One.
TOP RIGHT
ABOVE Savay stalwart John ‘The Bollocks’ Harry, author of the acclaimed book Savay at The Big One.
Part of the new range of Solar particles and seeds, launched during the meeting season.
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happened since to change my mind. A couple of faces from the past came our way while we were on the Solar stand. One was John ‘The Bollocks’ Harry (of Savay the lake and Savay the book fame), who I hadn’t seen in many years, and the other was John Loftus, former head of Shimano in the UK, who I hadn’t seen in even longer. It was John Harry who alerted us to the fact that a dead beaver had been picked up as a road kill in the Cotswold Water Park, and that they are allegedly being released there as an added incentive for the wealthy prospective purchasers of properties in the Water Park. Otters; beavers; what next? The most recent suggestion is that sabre-toothed tigers are next on the list… If you are looking for the next boom sector to invest in I’d have a look at fencing. We are told that ‘fence it’ is the new solution to all our problems! There is a simpler one… Les Webber’s Angling Projects
13 44 2 C a r p wor l d A Marc pril h 2020 1414
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MONSTER CARP TIM PAISLEY • STEVE BRIGGS • THOMAS DUNCAN-DUNLOP
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALIJN DANAU • DANIEL CALLEJA • SANDRO DI CESARE • KRIS KURI • PRZEMEK MROCZEK • CHRIS BALL • ANDY CHAMBERS • SIMON CROW • ARJEN UITBEIJERSE • JON HALDANE • BILL COTTAM • LUKE MOFFATT • STEVE BROAD • ERIC SMITH • MARTIN LOCKE
THE BO OK OF 201 4
320 PAGES
£30 £2.95 UK P&P
featuring 70lb+ captures from around the world
ORDER ONLINE AT WWW.THECARPSTORE.COM OR CALL 0114 258 0812 MonsterCarp_AD_CW281.indd 1
10/02/2014 11:28