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WIN!

HOW TO WIN AN RK LEISURE GOLD CARD WORTH £1,000

carpworldmagazine.com

ISSUE 285 JUNE 2014

ISSUE 285 / JUNE 2014 / MONTHLY £4.50

THE BEST BIG CARP IN ENGLAND?

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE

itemark from The stunning B the mighty Stoneacres

THE

c ar pwor ld maga z in e. co m

DARRELL PECK

INSIDE LINE

DANNY FAIRBRASS

You can’t keep a good man down!

Pecky kicks off his season on Burghfield with a brace of 40s

We get a first-hand insight into how Dynamite Baits produce boilies on a massive scale

Tim Paisley interviews the Korda boss about his recent plans to create accessible fishing for everyone

ALSO INSIDE CARP NEWS AND FEATURES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

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MAGAZINE

FOR THE W ORLDWIDE ANGLER

Issue 128 June 2014

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME P169 Ger man angle r Simo n Gehr lein goes on an epic Frenc h road tr ip

ECHOES AROUND THE WORLD

FISHERY FOCUS

C A S S I E N DAY S

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CONTENTS

The Carpworld Contents / Issue 285 /

June 2014

47

Bait World Featuring Joe Turnbull This month Joe looks at DNA Baits Evolution Concept Hookbaits, Nash Gyro Bug Mix, Mainline’s Pop-up Mix, and a Quick-fire Quibble with Tom Dove.

23

90 O N T HE C OV E R : The mighty Bitemark at 49lb 1oz for Baz Lloyd. Turn to page 23 for the amazing story.

REGULARS

6

Editors’ Comment Nigel and Steve have both been out and about on the bank this month and enjoyed some success. Plus, Steve asks if there are any budding new writers out there.

9

Gazette All the news and views from around the carp-angling scene to keep you up to date with what’s going on.

Rig World Mike Kavanagh Yet another foray into everything riggy by our man Mike, who takes an in-depth look at the new system from Angeletec Dynamic.

He also looks at rig storage and puts Rig Marole’s new Hunchbax hook range under the spotlight.

111

Think Tank We have been without a close season for several years now, but is this a good or a bad thing?

We ask Ian Chillcott, Nick Helleur, Rob Nunn, and Mark Holmes what their views are on this emotive issue.

FEATURES

17

A Long Way From Home Keith Supple A 180-mile drive to a difficult crayfish-infested lake, with only a few fish to aim for, is not everyone’s cup of tea. But Keith became besotted with the venue, which drew him back, time and time again.

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31

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38

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65

137

76

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Oxford’s Finest Baz Lloyd Baz reveals how his obsession with Stoneacres grew whilst waiting for a ticket, and how he experienced the magic of banking one of the lake’s biggest inhabitants on just his second trip.

Pecky’s Progress Darrell Peck The unstoppable force that is Pecky starts his campaign on the daunting Burghfield, with some success… Read on.

The Birth of a Bait Leon Bartropp Leon Bartropp reveals the trials and tribulations he faced trying to create a boilie range that would meet his standards, as well as tick all the right boxes.

Historic Carp Waters Chris Ball Chris continues his look at Hawley Lake, a water owned by the armed forces and on which he came faceto-face with armed and camouflaged personnel on exercises, as well as the carp!

17

The F Word Paul Forward No matter how much walking Paul does, he just can’t seem to spot the fish, and it’s a slow start to the season after some really good early-spring action on his new venue.

Seasonal Deliberations Ellis Brazier Ellis is a genuine countryman born and bred in Shropshire, who experiences first-hand how the seasons can affect his fishing, and in this thought-provoking piece he also discusses otters and their effects on fish behaviour.

Down the Woolly Mark Hogg The Woolpack Fishery is steeped in carp-fishing history, and here Mark Hogg tells the tale of his time on the Cambridgeshire complex.

Bivvy Tramp Blog Kes Waterman Kes comes up with a great idea for all carp anglers, The Bivvy Tramp Kipper Capture Rating, a means of judging all catches and putting them into context.

How Do They Do That?

Nigel Banks Nigel visits the Dynamite Baits’ HQ near Nottingham to find out just what’s behind one of Europe’s largest bait manufacturers. Is production of boilies in huge quantities really that much different, and what’s involved behind the scenes?

Still Carping On Tim Paisley Tim talks to Danny Fairbrass about his recent announcement regarding an initiative to set up a scheme to create and protect carp waters, funded by him, which has caused something of a stir.

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127

TACKLE WORLD

127

Tackle World This month we look at a whole mountain of the latest gear, including some new rods from Ashima, a barrow and luggage from Chub, the very latest Baitrunner from Shimano, and Cygnet’s Grand Sniper Rod Pod, plus loads more gear you must see.

12 ISSU CARPWO ES OF NASH ZIG RLD + GEA ONLY £5 R 5

UP FOR GRABS

59

Carpworld International Championship It’s not every day you get the chance to win £10,000 for going on a carp-fishing holiday, but that’s what’s up for grabs for the winning pair in the Carpworld International Championship to be held at the French venue, Fishabil, in October.

84

Ask The Experts Our panel answer your questions on the hot topics of the moment, and if yours is one of those featured you’ll pick up £250 worth of tackle and bait from Fox and Mainline.

118

Taska Competition Want a pod that not only looks good on the bank, but also stands up to the rigours of all manner of carp angling?

Enter this competition to win the A-Type Pod and become the envy of all your mates.

CHECK OUT OUR SUBS OFFER ON PAGE 72 IN INTERNATIONAL CARPER Our International Carper magazine features all the big-carp captures from around the world, and it’s packed with reports from the start of the summer from a huge range of worldwide waters. We take an in-depth look at Gigantica and the great results this popular venue has produced. Plus, we focus on Chateau Moulin, Cretelakes, and Fisherman Holidays. Next up is Sean Leverett’s tale of an extraordinary trip, fishing days-only on the popular and famous Cassien. Finally, German angler Simon Gehrlein enjoys a prolific adventure through the south of France and catches a much sought-after specimen from a little-known venue.

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NEWS

The Carpworld Gazette / Issue 285 / June 2014

WIN! Exclusiv e: Your Ch ance to Win an RK L Gold Ca eisure rd worth £1,000

VENUESI

RK Leisure Opens the Horton Complex and New Lodge After adding the renowned Horton complex to their growing portfolio, RK Leisure decided to invest heavily in massive improvements to the prestigious site, the culmination of which was the recent opening of the complex and brand new lodge. The Carpworld team popped down to the Berkshire venue to meet Raphael Khalili and Jamie Gold, the founders of RK, for an inspection of the lodge and a tour of the historic complex. The first thing that greeted us was the awesome entrance gates, with key fob entry and security cameras for the anglers’ safety and peace of mind. The lodge itself is even more impressive and is home to a high-class kitchen, quality toilets and showers, games room, and log burner, complemented with superb views across the ultra-famous Horton Church Lake over a large decked area.

“If you want the Raphael has really concentrated chance to be the on installing high-quality proud owner of an RK amenities to help make Leisure Gold Card, don’t the anglers’ experience forget to buy July’s even more pleasurable. stare into the gin-clear waters of Carpworld for your With this in mind, he’s also Church Lake, and watch some of chance to win” concentrated on security by the massive specimens swimming erecting thousands of metres of in the awesome Kingsmead 1. When fencing, so the anglers can relax while we returned to the lodge, Raphael fishing and enjoy their surroundings without very kindly made us a superb offer. How would worrying. Both Raphael and Jamie are justifiably one lucky Carpworld reader like to win an RK proud of the five-lake complex, which includes Leisure Gold Card for the entire Horton complex, Church Lake, Boat Pool, Kingsmead 1, Crayfish worth a whopping £1,000? Well, we couldn’t Pool, and Island Lake, and took great pleasure refuse such a fantastic offer, so in next month’s in giving us a superb guided tour of the entire Carpworld we’ll be running a four-page guide to site. We started off in the polytunnels where the stunning Horton complex and an exclusive they are bringing on their own stock fish, taken competition to win this much sought-after ticket. from spawn on site, to secure the future of the So, if you want the chance to be the proud owner fishery. We then walked round all the famous of an RK Leisure Gold Card, don’t forget to waters that are a part of carp-fishing history, buy July’s Carpworld for your chance to win. and you can see how highly respected the entire complex is by all that fish there, simply because For more information on the RK Leisure the site is immaculate. It was a real pleasure to portfolio of venues visit: www.rkleisure.com

ABOVE A potential monster for the future – one of the stock fish grown-on from spawn on site.

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Gaz et te

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

CARP MATCH NEWSI

What’s Landed on our Doormat?

This month there have been two catalogues which have come through the door, and they are both always eagerly anticipated because we all love to have a flick through and find some bits on which to spend our hard-earned. So, thank you very much to both The Tackle Box and Johnson Ross for releasing their 2014 catalogues and giving us all a reason to spend some money. If you want to get your hands on a copy of either of these top-quality catalogues, which are packed to the rafters with fishing gear that will be sure to whet your appetite, head over to the websites and request one.

For a Johnson Ross catalogue please visit: www.johnsonross.co.uk For The Tackle Box catalogue please visit: www.tacklebox.co.uk

CARP MATCH NEWSI

Want to Fish the World Carp Classic?

In conjunction with RK Leisure, Dynamite Baits and Shimano are hosting a UK qualifying event at Wraysbury Lake 1 for two anglers to win a place in the World Carp Classic. The event will take place from Thursday 24th until Sunday 27th July 2014.

There will be 20 double swims available to 40 anglers, covering the 45-acre lake. The cost of entry to the UK qualifier is £250 per pair, with a maximum of four rods.

RK Leisure’s Wraysbury complex offers anglers the opportunity to compete at one of Britain’s most legendary and iconic big-

carp waters. With a stock of fish to around 50lb and an almost magical atmosphere, it really is the perfect location for the World Carp Classic’s first qualifying event in the UK. The lucky winners will receive a ticket for two people to fish the World Carp Classic final, which is to be held at Lake Bolsena in Italy from September 29th to October 4th 2014.

In addition to this, there will be a wealth of other prizes which will be announced nearer the time. A team of experienced marshals will be on hand to record captures, and any fish banked will instantly be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter and a live leader RIGHT King Fungus at 47lb 15oz – a potential match-winner.

board, so everyone can keep up to date in real time with exactly what’s happening.

There will also be a full TV/film crew on site to document what will be the UK’s premier carp-fishing event. Reuben Heaton will be providing the official competition scales and marshals will be on hand to ensure that fish care is upheld to the highest standards.

The lucky winners and runners-up will be announced on Sunday after the final weigh in and then be presented with their prizes.

For further information on the World Carp Classic please visit: www.worldcarpclassic.com

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FEATURE

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L E O N

B A R T R O P P

THE BIRTH OF A BAIT Leon Bartropp reveals the trials and tribulations he faced while trying to create a boilie range that would meet his standards, as well as ticking all the right boxes.

I

LEFT Allan and me looking at one of the first production batches of my new bait.

’ve been fishing for almost 30 years, and 25 of those have been predominantly for carp, so it’s fair to say that I have tried most baits out there with varying degrees of success. I can remember the days when there were no off-the-shelf boilies, let alone freezer baits, to use. Some of you may remember that all we had back then was a mix of cat food and either curry powder or Angel Delight, which we rolled into balls. How we ever managed to get it to stay on the hook for long enough I’ll never know, but we did, and some of the time we actually caught the odd fish. Then along came Bait 78 who, from memory, had a shop on Chingford High Road; I seem to remember their Black Magic Mix. They had all sorts of weird and wonderful ingredients to make bait, but the best thing was that we could now put a skin on our round balls with the aid of gelatin, which was in the ingredients they sold. Thus, the humble boilie was born and, not to put too fine a point on it, it was a real revelation in terms of bait. It changed the way I, and thousands of others, fished, and signalled the birth of the common boilie we all know, buy, use, and love, today.

Nowadays, it’s fair to say that most bait companies produce a decent boilie, and with technology, chemistry, new ingredients, and some testing, most, if not all, will catch fish. Some will undoubtedly be better than others; this may be down to the advertising budget of a company, or it could also be down to the fact that the bait is just one that is downright good, and the fish find it attractive enough to eat often.

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COLUMNIST

A

s far as I’m concerned, the actual catching of carp is a relatively simple thing to do as long as we, the anglers, can firstly locate our quarry. This single factor, LOCATION, really is the major stumbling block for most anglers, and therefore it is no coincidence that nine times out of ten it is the difference between success and failure. This was very much the case for Laney and me on our first visit to Burghfield where, as I mentioned in last month’s diary piece, the only fish we saw showing were in an out of bounds area – in other words, we may as well have seen nothing at all!

Before my second trip I made a conscious decision that I wasn’t going to even look at the larger open chunk of water, but try to look for clues in the many channels and bays where the fishing is more intimate and the background of undisturbed nature is drop-dead gorgeous. When I arrived on the Wednesday afternoon after work, the skies were blue and the sun was beating down, making it feel more like June than mid-April. I’d driven straight into the Cottage Lane car park, which leads directly on to the shallows, and set off, searching for signs of fish. With the heat from the afternoon sunshine and a warm southerly breeze blowing, I was hoping to see one or two fish in the shallows, but somewhat disappointingly they seemed devoid of life. I moved round onto Bailiff ’s Point and into the bays, looking carefully in each area for clues, but all to no avail, until finally, as I headed up along Hodders Point, I spotted one. The image appeared blue in the gin-clear water. It wasn’t a bad fish either; a mirror of maybe high30s was cruising about 3ft down.

Crouching down and remaining as still as a statue, I watched as the fish, possibly aware of my presence, slowly glided off into the deeper water and out of sight. That was my first sighting of a Burghfield carp actually in the water, and in an area where I could legitimately fish.

THE F WORD The Diary of a Compulsive Carp Angler

O u r d i a r i s t s t a r t s h i s s e a s o n o n B u r g h fi e l d , b u t s t r u g g l e s t o fi n d t h e c a r p. N o m a t t e r h ow mu c h wa l k i n g h e d o e s , h e j u s t c a n ’ t s e e m t o s p o t t h e fi s h , a n d i t ’ s a s l o w s t a r t t o t h e s e a s o n after some really good early-spring action.

ABOVE Early-season fishing au naturel with the green shoots of spring.

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T h e F Word Pa ul Fo rwa rd

Obviously, I was feeling the urge to grab some gear and immediately angle for him, but sensibly, I continued along the Point just in case there were more to be found. Satisfied now that I had probably seen all I was going to and possibly all I needed to see, I headed smartly back to the van to load up and get out some baits. By now the light was fading too. I had looked at this snaggy bay on my first trip, but like most of the swims on this vast lake, had yet to cast a line therein.

The little bay itself is around 70yds across and joins up at Hodders Point to the main speedboat channel. The swim is really natural-looking and intimate, consisting of a small, flat piece of grass surrounded by bushes and trees, with just enough room to put two rods plus a brolly, and was directly the opposite side to where I’d seen the carp. As usual, I was tackled up with my soft rods and 20lb sinking braid, Size 5 hooks and pop-ups on both rods. A quick cast tight to the far margin revealed a nice hard, clean bottom. I cast a hookbait to each of the two snags which were about 40yds apart, then walked around and scattered 20 freebies and a few handfuls of hempseed around each. Happy that the job was done, I sat down for a well-earned brew.

As regular readers will no doubt already know, I’m a huge fan of full moons, and even though I cannot possibly plan my fishing trips around these lunar cycles, I sure am extraconfident when this special event coincides with my session. So the scene

RIGHT Early morning on Hodders Point. This area was a lovely area and really naturallooking – but I still couldn’t see any fish.

“ M a y b e I ’d f o r g o t t e n j u s t h o w e x c i t i n g the buzz of fishing on these real bigfish waters actually was, but there was no doubt I was feeling it now”

At last I got one! First blood on Burghfield.

BELOW

was set – big full moon and I’d seen a good fish in the area. I must confess that I was buzzing, so much so that sleep was hard to come by, especially with the huge moon and the clear skies. It was no surprise early next morning that the left-hand rod burst into life. I was on it (minus my boots) in a flash, and the clutches were screwed down as tight as I dared to prevent any line being taken and the fish reaching the huge web of fallen trees and branches. My plan worked a treat because the fish thankfully headed straight out into open water. The moonlight was so bright that it didn’t really seem like night at all. The eerie moon in the violet sky meant I had no need of a headtorch, and to be honest, the fish didn’t really do all that much, but I do remember thinking that it felt heavy

as it plodded up and down the margin under my rod tips. As it went into the net I could see it was a deep fish too.

Up on the scales it went just over 32lb, and although not the bestlooking fish in the world, I was pleased as punch because it was my first from Burghfield, and that fact alone obviously meant an awful lot to me.

From that moment until the light was good enough for a few self-takes, it was a procession of tea and biscuits.

Maybe I’d forgotten just how exciting the buzz of fishing on these real bigfish waters actually was, but there was no doubt I was feeling it now and, rather scarily, I knew there and then that throughout the coming months I would feel the need to be there, perhaps more than a man reasonably should.

I gave it until around 10.00 just to see if there was a chance of another one, then, after winding in, went for a look around, something that is almost compulsory on a water such as this. Not seeing signs of fish in the area, I really do find it a struggle to stay put because I just know I might be missing something, and I’d kick myself if I missed an opportunity through my own laziness. A big task it is too on Burghfield, where the paths are winding, high in brambles, nettles, and thorns, and spread over three car parks and 90+ acres; a couple of hours’ job at the very minimum, sometimes four or five for a thorough investigation!

The lake was quiet, angler-wise.

Neither Laney nor Darrell could make it, so even though I found myself spoilt for choice, I couldn’t find any signs of fish at all. The likeliest area looked to be Hodders Point, which covers the mouths of two channels and therefore looked to be a good interception Ju n e 2 014 C a r pwor l d 77

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FEATURE

M A R K

H O G G

DOWN THE WOOLLY The Woolpack Fishery is steeped in carp-fishing history, and here Mark Hogg tells the tale of his time on the Cambridgeshire complex.

A

round five years ago I became familiar with a water about which I’d heard very little.

Being from Yorkshire and fishing mainly around the Peterborough area, I was surprised that I hadn’t stumbled across it many years before. A friend of mine had been fishing part of the complex where a few large carp resided, and these lakes received the most attention, but he informed me that the B side of the ticket was being left alone, with only a handful of lads having the lakes to themselves.

My ears pricked up even more when he told me that the lakes held around 40 original carp that were maybe 30 years old, and around 10 of these were potential 30-pounders, with the mystery of a few uncaughts in there as well. That was me well and truly hooked, and contact was made with the owner and a ticket secured for the coming season.

I had a couple of months to wait until I could wet a line, which felt like the longest two months of my life. When starting out on a new water I like to prepare by scouring the Internet and checking Google Earth, but any information on these lakes was hard to come by. I guess the locals were keeping their cards close to their chests, and rightly so, I guess.

The lake I would be concentrating on was around 7 acres in size and held around 40 carp, with a couple of these only gracing the bank on a couple of occasions. The lake was very weedy in the height of summer, but marginal clear spots were visible and a good idea of where the carp preferred to feed was quickly identifiable. A couple of these areas were great stalking areas, with no permanent pegs having access to the spots. I later realised that I fished the lake

at the right time, when baiting spots was an advantage, and the lack of anglers gave the opportunity to fish the same spots each week. Sometimes baiting spots on certain lakes isn’t an option due to the number of anglers, yet at certain times on the lake, especially towards the end of my time on there, a few swerves had to be thrown in for good measure. However, the majority of my time was spent either in solitude or with a few good lads who respected each other’s fishing and shared the same etiquette and desires.

The time eventually came to head down to the Woolly to fish my first session. As I entered the gates for the first time and walked around the lake I was like a kid in a sweetshop. It was still early spring and I hadn’t got a clue as to when the carp usually woke from their winter slumber, whether any carp had been caught over winter, or if anyone had even fished for them at that time.

I’ve always fished through winter, usually due to the other half working shifts and me not wanting to be sitting in an empty house while she is at work. Early spring has always been a productive time on many lakes I’ve fished, and sometimes the best time of the year to catch; spring

ABOVE Early spring

and the morning mists herald another lovely day on the Woolly.

BELOW The Rat Hole was a tight swim.

is by far my favourite season of the year, knowing that captures can sometimes be easy, and the fact that longer daylight hours and increasing water temperatures make it easier to find our quarry when carp often check out marginal areas for food items and warmth.

On that first session I didn’t have a clue as to the topography of the lake.

Not wanting to thrash the water to a foam, I decided to watch the water for a few hours, climb a few trees, and peer through a few bushes in order to check out the lake; with it being my first time there, the last thing I wanted to do was upset any of the regulars.

My first break came as I was down at the bottom end of the lake and noticed a few bubbles coming up from a spot. The lake also held quite a few tench, so it was 70/30 in the tench’s favour as to what was actually causing the fizzing. I spent around an hour sitting in a swim watching the fizzing, until suddenly, a carp showed over the spot. That was good enough for me.

I returned to the car park, loaded the barrow and headed off to the bottom of the lake. For my first night on the Woolly I pitched up in a swim called The Rat Hole.

The Rat Hole was a tight swim, both in terms of getting the brolly up

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D o wn t h e Wo olly Ma r k Ho g g

out of the area. I’d chosen a couple of Plum & Caproic Acid pop-ups that I’d overflavoured around a month before.

I’ve found that high-viz, high-attract hookbaits work well in early spring, being something that catches the eye and the taste buds of carp waking from winter. They had always worked in and getting the rods out. Two swims, previous years so I was confident that opposite left and right, dictated that I this water would be no different. could only fish a couple of rods, both The bobbin rose and I was struggling positioned to the left and right of where to get into the chesties, and then it the fish had shown. The area was further dropped back to its original position, over towards the other swims which were giving me enough time to pull the currently unoccupied, but in the event straps over my shoulders. I sat on the of someone moving in, I realised I might bed staring at the bobbin and the line have needed to recast the rods closer. entering the water. The line twitched However, until that happened I was set. and started to pull tight. I didn’t The first brew on the new lake tasted need the bobbin to lift to tell me this sweeter than ever. I sat watching the fish was hooked and dancing on the water, buzzing with excitement and spot, trying to get rid of the hook. anticipating what the year ahead held.

I lifted into what was my first Woolly The hours passed and I saw no other carp and played it to the net in the most signs. The lake was very quiet; a quick delicate way, not wanting to lose it. At peek up the other end later that evening 26lb it wasn’t the biggest, but it was revealed only two other lads on. I one I wouldn’t forget. I later went on presumed they were locals because I had to catch this carp another three times. seen them lapping the lake earlier, but no That was the trend with the lake; 40% of contact was made or hellos exchanged. the fish made up 100% of the captures, When I awoke the following morning, and repeats were common. Certain there had been a few single bleeps fish definitely liked certain zones, and through the night but no signs or sounds I quickly realised that areas had to be of carp. I lay in the bag staring at the found other than those which area, looking for any telltale signs. everyone was fishing, in order I’d only baited it lightly the night “The line to find the handful of carp before, with around 30 baits twitched and that weren’t seeing a hook. scattered around a large area. started to pull I barrowed the gear The rigs chosen were Chods, tight. I didn’t need back up the track toward due to the abundance of the bobbin to lift to the car park. My first weed and because I didn’t trip and my first carp; want to thrash the hell tell me this fish was ABOVE My first trip

and I’d banked one – well chuffed.

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I was chuffed with the result but also knew that luck had been on my side.

The Woolly was far from easy and the carp didn’t give themselves up easily, but I’d had one on my first night. It could be a headbanger at times, and many new members fell by the wayside only months into their new ticket.

On nearing the car park towards the top end of the lake, I came across the lads who were fishing the top end. As I had thought, they did, in fact, turn out to be local lads who had fished the lake for a few years. I thought it only right to make the first move and introduce myself. It was obvious that these two young lads were full of enthusiasm for the lake and had certainly caught a few of its residents, but they seemed reluctant to give away any information. I wasn’t introducing myself to try to squeeze every last drop of information out of them, because that’s not my style, it was purely to say hello. Neither was I going to lie about my capture, and when the question, “Have you had anything from down there?” was asked, I told them the truth. These lads, Andrew and Stuart, eventually turned out to be two of the best mates I have in angling, a lot better-looking than me, but not as good at catching carp (lol)! I later found out that after I left that first meeting and returned to the van, Andrew asked Stuart who this northern w****r was who had come to steal their carp. I took that comment, not with anger, but with a sense of pride – those two locals saw me as a threat and not just another angler who would come and go like so many before me. I was certainly Ju n e 20 14 C a r pwor l d 107

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O V E R S E A S

F I S H E R Y

F O C U S

Gigantica It’s not every year that you’re given the chance to fish Gigantica, Danny Fairbrass’ famous French holiday venue, for free, but in spring 2014 it became a reality.

T

he winter is undoubtedly the trickiest time of year to catch carp; this is apparent both at home and abroad.

However, that doesn’t mean for a second that you aren’t going to catch. On January 22nd 2014, Danny gave anglers from all across Europe the chance to prove that point, and they did exactly that.

A total of 90 FREE holidays were given to some very lucky anglers, on a first come, first served basis.

I’m sure you will agree that at a cost of over £30,000, this was a very generous gesture indeed.

As you can imagine, these places were snapped up in double-quick time, and in early January the first of the anglers began their journey to Gigantica. These free trips carried on right through until the end of March and during

standard, a breakfast roll will also be delivered to your swim, so there’s no need to reel in until dinner, which is served at around 5.00 p.m. This leaves the angler with plenty of time to get the rods that time, not only did the lake sorted for the night. If food is produce some very happy anglers, something you like to indulge in, plenty of carp were caught too.

There have been many highlights then this new kitchen will be sure to please you. In addition to the from the last few months and beautiful kitchen, there have also there’s been a lot of excitement been changes out there at to the lodge the Gigantica itself. The complex.

“There have been many building has A brand highlights from the last few undergone new kitchen months and there’s been a a total refit, of the highest with new quality has lot of excitement out there walls, flooring, been fitted, at the Gigantica complex” lighting, and which will gas supply now enable the introduced. on-site bailiffs to produce the finest food available. As you can imagine, this has given a whole new look to the building The kitchen is there to cater for and we are very pleased with the anglers on both sides of the road, with the full food package included end result; a proper, high-class carp lodge, for the angler to enjoy. in the price of your holiday. Not The fishing on the main lake only will the food be of a great

threw up some real characters, both big and very big. This proved that even during the coldest time of the year, those Gigantica jewels are still there to be caught by the anglers willing to put in the effort.

There’s something special about a winter carp, no matter where it’s from, but a Gigantica carp during winter is to die for. Not only are the fish big, they are absolutely beautiful too, carp that anyone would love to catch. You can imagine the response we got when the offer to fish for these special carp for free became available.

The first carp of the holiday giveaways was landed by a young angler named Max, fishing out of a swim known as The Stink. He caught the fish, now known as Mad Max, fishing at close range, 11 rod-lengths to be exact. This proves again that you don’t have to fish at range in order to succeed at Gigantica, a misconception which many anglers have. Max caught the mind-blowing carp,

1 5 8 C a r p wor l d J u n e 2 01 4

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O v e r s e a s F is h e r y Focus Giga ntica

Andy Sparrow with a 38lb common.

Big Baz captured at Alcatraz.

Mad Max at 37lb 12oz fell to a bait fished short.

A 37lb 4oz specimen from The Beach.

a 37lb 12oz fully-scaled, using a white pop-up on a Hinged Stiff Link over a scattering of boilies – nothing complex at all. As you can imagine, Max was absolutely blown away by the capture, and it made the fact that he forgot his passport and had to drive back to Wales a little less of a sore subject. The fish was the first of several PBs the lake has produced.

It’s this sort of thing that Dan thrives on – happy carp anglers.

Another angler to get his name on the scoreboard was Nathan, fishing out of a popular swim known as The Beach. The fish responsible was another scaly mirror of 37lb 4oz and, just like Max, he caught his fish at relatively short range. Fishing over a small amount of Hybrid was all that was needed to entice the carp down to feed, and a Snowman arrangement fished over the top proved too much for the fish to ignore.

One of the biggest fish caught in February was a 38lb common, a typically beautiful Gigantica common with huge golden scales and a pristine mouth – more than enough to

put a smile on anybody’s face. Just like Nathan’s mirror, this fish was caught from The Beach Swim and was yet another personal best.

The biggest fish of this period arrived in the shape of a 44lb 2oz heavily-plated mirror, known as The Cheese. Just like many of the Gigantica carp, The Cheese is a jaw-droppingly beautiful creature, with huge apple slice scales littering its flanks. The Gigantica carp really are that little bit special and this fish is a fine example of that. The lucky captor was an angler called Danny Nichols, and he was set up in pole position, fishing at 25 wraps Road Lake brace.

to a clear area. Danny was put on to the spot by the on-site bailiff, Barty, who is always there to help the anglers as much as possible.

The bailiff ’s knowledge is priceless and if you’re ever after some info, then all you have to do is ask. These carp disproved the misconception that visiting Gigantica in January and February isn’t worth it.

March is always a nice month to be on the bank; the winter is fast disappearing and the first signs of life are starting to arrive.

Everything starts to wake up at this time of year, from the birdlife to the plant life, and the

Gigantica carp are no different.

Steve Bailey, aka Big Baz, got the ball rolling with a total of four bites from the Alkatraz Swim, topped by a chunky 39lb 14oz mirror. All his bites came to Snowman-style hookbaits, incorporating Indian Spice pop-ups. Steve was fishing at 22 wraps towards the large W shape in the horizon, which is a spot worth noting, for sure.

One angler who certainly left happy was non-paying customer Greg Walters. Greg was fortunate enough to land himself an incredible brace of huge carp, The Patched Fully at 46lb 8oz and The Target, one of the A-team, at 69lb. This catch was something quite special. The Patched Fully is another fine example of just how stunning the scaly inhabitants of Gigantica really are. In contrast to this, The Target is one of the leathery beasts that reside in the lake. Although these fish don’t boast huge golden scales, they are just as impressive.

The huge, dark, wrinkled flanks of The Target are enough to make any angler happy. That’s the great thing about Gigantica, AuJu gunst e 20 14 13 C a r pwor l d 159 173

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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

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