1 8 0 Pa g e s : C A R P F I S H I N G ’ s b i g g e s t r e a d
I S S U E 2 9 5 A P R IL 2 0 1 5
king
ISSUE 295 / APRIL 2015 / MONTHLY £4.50
LIVE your
dreams
his awe-inspiring Tony Davies-Patrick continues gest waters adventures across Europe’s big
REV Tim IEW Pa New
bo
ok
Biv i vy sley’ T Pag hre s e1 e 2
B R I T A I N ’ S B I GGES T C A R P - A N G L I N G M A G A Z I N E
SP RIN G TACT ICS WI TH PE CKY
BILL CO TTAM ’S CA RP ING ALLEGE DLY
RIG WO RLD WH AT ’S NEW ?
carpworldmagazine.com
ALSO I N S I D E c ar pwor ld maga z in e. co m
Tim Paisley
Adam Clewer
STEVE BRIGGS
GEORGE BENOS THE
PAUL FORWARD
MAGAZINE
FOR THE WORLDWI DE ANGLER
CHRIS BALL Issue 138 April 2015
Mitch Smith
JOE TURNBULL
CARP NEWS AND FEATURES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
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BRIG GSY IS BACK IN ACTION Check out his latest catch in Echoes P151
WINTER BEAUTIES
P158 Tony Davies-Patrick lands his first fish of 2015... and it’s a beauty!
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C A R P
I T ’ S H O L I DAY T I M E
P166 Overseas Fishery Focus Get away from the crowds at Les Lacs du Verger
N E W S
F R O M
CARPING USA-STYLE
P170 Raphael Biagini Explore the carping scene in the land of plenty - the USA
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T H E
G L O B E
CONTENTS
The Carpworld Contents / Issue 295 / April 2015
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Pecky’s Progress Darrell Peck Sometimes even the best anglers have periods when the fish just won’t play ball. Darrell’s going through such a time, but he’s still trying.
O N T HE C OV E R : Tony Davies-Patrick looks happy as he cradles his first fish of 2015. Turn to Page 158 for the full story.
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Editor’s Comments Broady’s on holiday, so Nigel is in charge this month, and he discusses the Carpin’ On show, otter predation, and the good old north-south divide.
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Gazette Keep up to date with all the news from around the world of carping, and read the first review of Tim Paisley’s latest book.
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Cracking The Code Of Spring Roy Allen If you can crack the code, find the fish, and give them a little bit of what they fancy, the rewards will be worthwhile.
Rig World featuring Mike Kavanagh The latest leads from MCF, the new Fox PVA Strips, Korda’s latest carp care antiseptic, and E-S-Ps Soft Ghost fluorocarbon come under scrutiny, and there’s a chat with Dave Springall, who talks about mono hooklinks.
Historic Carp Waters Chris Ball Rivers large and small are home to some magnificent carp, but very few can hold a candle to the pride of England’s rivers, the Thames. This is part one of two.
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Ask The
Experts Tackling up to defeat crayfish, getting to grips with a new venue, and getting the best indication when using Zig Rigs are the questions answered by our guest experts this month.
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Prebaiting? Let’s Talk Tactics Mitch Smith Get the art of prebaiting right and your catch rate will certainly rise. In this feature, Mitch reveals how, by tempting silver fish to feed, you can attract the greedy carp to feast on your baits.
The Little Things Adam Clewer Adam’s motto is to concentrate on the little things and everything will click into place, and he practices what he preaches to great effect. Tick those boxes and you’ll catch more – guaranteed!
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Bait World featuring Joe Turnbull Solar’s Chilli Club Mix, the art of making glugs and dips, and a chat with Scott ‘Geezer’ Grant, along with a look at Crafty Catcher’s particle range, goodies from Blakes Baits and imitation baits from Enterprise, make up this month’s Bait World, along with another instalment of Dean Towey’s A-Z of Bait.
Memories Of St Ives Lagoon George Benos George relives his time spent on the famous St Ives Lagoon, which ultimately led to his capture of The Fat Lady, one of the UK’s most famous fish.
Black & White This month’s guest is Arjen Uitbeijerse, the owner/editor of Spiegel carp magazine. Based in Holland, Arjen is a capable angler as well as an excellent magazine editor, and has fish to 85lb to his name.
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A Walk Around Wraysbury 1 Steve Briggs Wraysbury 1 is being given a new lease of life, so what’s in store for the anglers who will shortly call its legendary banks their home? We commissioned Steve Briggs to report prior to the grand opening.
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The F Word Paul Forward With the banks getting busier as the weather improves, Paul heads off to find somewhere quiet to fish. It’s been a long, slow haul over the winter, with mixed results, but he’s confident that the tide is turning in his favour.
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Chasing My Tail Karl White At the end of February, a social trip to Christchurch Lake proved to Karl that you only need a second for a whole winter of disappointment to change for the better.
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F: facebook.com/CarpworldMagazine / T: @CarpworldMag
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Tackle World Ten pages of all that’s great in the world of tackle, including the Tempest Composite Bivvy from Trakker, big pit reels from Penn, SONIK’s new luggage, pods from Cygnet, rods from Chub, and more goodies from Wychwood, NGT and lots, lots more.
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Carping Allegedly Bill Cottam Get settled in a comfy chair, check the rods are OK, and relax with a brew for another instalment of Bill’s Yorkshire wisdom and humour.
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Still Carping On Tim Paisley There’s a real mixed bag from Tim this month, as he takes a look at everything from the recent Carpin’ On show and the effects of predation, to rod licences and absent friends.
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THE
MAGAZINE
GLER RLDWIDE AN FOR THE WO
Issue 138 April 2015
IGGSY BR IS BACK IN ACTION
catch in Echoes Check out his latest P151
ES WINTER BEAUTI
trick P158 Tony Davies-Pa 2015... lands his first fish of and it’s a beauty!
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C A R P
IME I T ’ S H O L I DAY T
Focus P166 Overseas Fishery crowds Get away from the at Les Lacs du Verger
N E W S
F R O M
STYLE CARPING USA-
P170 Raphael Biagini scene in Explore the carping the USA the land of plenty -
A R O U N D
T H E
G L O B E
IN INTERNATIONAL CARPER Are you looking for a carping holiday this year? Can we suggest Les Lacs du Verger? Take a look at what’s on offer at this lovely venue in our Overseas Fishery Focus. Tony Davies-Patrick is on the cover of this month’s mag, and it’s no wonder because he’s had some incredible fish on his winter adventures, fishing a snag-ridden water in France. On another continent entirely, we take a look at carping USA-style with Raphael Biagini, who’s been tackling the lakes and rivers in the land of plenty. Finally, keep up to date with the bigfish catches from around the globe in Echoes From Around The World.
16/03/2015 15:02
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PICK UP YOUR COPY OF CARPWORLD FROM ALL MAJOR STOCKISTS
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FEATURE
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Cracking The Code Of Spring R
o
y
A
lle
n
The war m days of spr ing are Roy’s favour ite time of year, and if you can crack the code, find the fish, and give them the food they crave, the rewards will be wor thw hile.
I
t really doesn’t matter which type of lake you fish – big or small, low stocked or heavily stocked – spring is, for me, the ultimate time of year to catch carp. I’ve fished numerous venues over the last 15 years, all varying in difficulty, and the same rule has applied wherever I have fished. These days we are gifted with the opportunity to fish many lakes for the entire 12 months of the year, something which many of us take for granted. We seem to forget that on the vast majority of lakes there once was a traditional close season. During the warmer months of the close season, around April and May, I would, almost daily, go and visit the carp which resided in the lake where I held a permit. It was local to my mum’s house, so I went on my bike after school. I have extremely fond memories of feeding the carp, almost by hand, in various areas around the lake, and they would show no caution. They would eat any mixture of foods which we had lying around the house, from leftover rice from the previous night’s curry, to the mashed potato from the weekend’s roast dinner. It didn’t matter how much I put in, they would eat the lot! Fast-forward a number of years, and fishing in spring is available pretty much everywhere. To this day I’ve still found that everywhere I’ve fished, the carp have reacted in the same way, and will eat a lot of bait during the months of April and May. The daylight hours increase and consistent warm weather and mild nights start to develop. In March you’ve got the buildup; there are some warm days but still the cooler temperatures at night. This can lure the mind into
LEFT La Horre in May. Do your homework and the results could be better than you ever imagined.
This lovely common was caught during my visit to La Horre. The homework really paid off.
BELOW
would be spending all my free time on a false sense of confidence. It’s when the bank during April and May, so I we get into April that the real hot wanted to be ready. I hated doing that period begins to kick off. Every year job because all the steam ran down the same thing happens – the 4 weeks the kitchen walls and it was a bloody between mid-April and May will be nightmare to clean it up! Within just mega-productive, and the bulk of the weeks of cooking the bait, I fish in almost every lake will had managed to use it come out during this all up. It seemed that time. You’ve only got “The 4 weeks the more bait I put to look at the carpbetween midin, the better the angling media to April and May will be results would be. I realise how true mega-productive, and started in March, this is. In some the bulk of the fish in putting between cases during this almost every lake will 10 and 20 kilos of time, more fish come out during bait out per 3-day can be caught in this time” session. The bulk of one session than an it was put out as soon as entire winter’s angling. I arrived, and I usually had Last March, I decided one period during that time when early on that it would be a one or two bites occurred, generally logical idea to cook up a freezer on the second or third day. Move full of particles, ready for when I forward 4 weeks and things were much needed them. I spent hours with four different. Using the same approach, saucepans on the hob, preparing tiger I would possibly catch on three nuts, maples and hemp. I knew that I
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FEATURE
A da m
C l e w er
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T h e Lit t le T h in g s A d a m C lewer
The title says it all. Adam likes to tick all the boxes to ensure that every little thing is right and proper. He says that if you’re not going to do something properly, then don’t bother!
I
planned to fish tonight; my rods are rigged up ready to cast, my food is packed, and the nonvaluable items of tackle are already stowed in the car. However, I’m at home. The dog is snoring, a fire is roaring (hence the sleeping dog – it always has that effect) and my two daughters, at last, are beginning to fall asleep. The house is strewn with the remains of their day with dolls, paintings and Frozen puzzle pieces littering the lounge floor. The reason for not going fishing confronted me on my way home from work. As I cycled home, a bitterly cold wind demanded my attention, whilst the cool air spared little time in turning my hands blue. I knew I could expect a cold night. The weather app on my phone had hinted at such, but predicted that the worst of the cold weather would remain north of us. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I had every intention of ‘making it happen’, even if the likelihood of catching anything was slim, but in some instances, keenness has no control over the weather. Nevertheless, I did make a quick visit to the lake, driving the short distance, hoping the lake would reveal itself to be ‘wet’. The scenario was to be expected. A thin layer of ice had formed, and although thin, it was only likely to thicken as the night
MAIN IMAGE
The sound of silence – hopefully interrupted by the sound of a bite alarm any minute now. RIGHT There is little that is ingenious about this simple yet successful rig.
continued. These ‘little’ things exert some bearing on our fishing in such a way that even the best anglers in the land have no control. Maybe tomorrow will be different. As I write these words, I am mindful that when this publication goes to print, and eventually ends up in your fair hands, the frosts of winter should be a distant memory. Daffodils, primroses, and birdsong should now be the norm. Weather complaints aside, in angling, as in much of life, sometimes the little things, which are often beyond our control, exert consequences wider than expected. Many anglers have written highlighting the significance of small adjustments to their fishing. I, too, am a believer in the philosophy of looking after the little, often trivial things. As the modern carp-fishing scene continues to evolve, has it ever dawned on you that everyone is largely doing the same thing? It has me! A common reaction to this conclusion is to make radical alterations. At times, tackle development reflects this thinking, with some absurd ideas being aired. My rationale for this statement is that anglers knowingly, or often unknowingly, are guilty of plagiarising the thinking of the angler in the next swim. Never has a time in history existed where media,
both written and visual, is so readily available. I’ve often remarked that some of the trees on one or two of my syndicate lakes have the ability to talk, such is the speed at which information travels. Today, with numerous angling magazines, social media, and countless YouTube stars, there really are very few secrets remaining in carp fishing. Subsequently, most anglers will be proficient at tying Chod Rigs, Stiff Hinge Rigs (because the Chod is not as popular as it was, and the Stiff Hinge is enjoying something of a mini-revival), coated braid bottom bait rigs (usually 8ins long) and, of course, an ability to spod for Queen and country. It is, in fact, unusual not to see a carp angler cast a Spomb multiple times at a marker float when beginning a session. Such is the success of the industry and the influence of its marketing, many people are fishing in the way the industry has educated them. This might suggest that I am about to introduce dynamic thinking – something so momentous as to challenge the Hair Rig. Sadly not. My success of late lies in one or two tiny tweaks, and that’s all. These simple adjustments may in some cases appear counter-intuitive. Let me explain. Cynicism aside, it is probably true that most people’s rig cases house an assortment of coated braid rigs very similar to every other angler on their chosen fishery. This isn’t
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FEATURE
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Memories of ST IVES LAGOON The Fat Lady was one of the UK’s most famous fish. Gardner Tackle-backed George Benos relives his time spent on the Lagoon, which ultimately led to his capture of the historic carp which is fondly remembered by many anglers.
S
t Ives is a picturesque ninelake complex which offers everything the modern carp angler could ever want. Within the complex are Anderson, Fjords, Ivo, Long Reach, Lowries, Meadow, Shallow, Tri Cor, plus the large and unspoilt water which is the legendary St Ives Lagoon. It’s a venue steeped in angling history, which is (was) home to some stunning original big carp up to 50lb+, including a few very elusive up-and-coming fish which have barely seen the bank. Ever since I saw Dave Lane holding the awesome Fat Lady, I’d dreamed about fishing the Lagoon, and having a go for the magical fish which lurk beneath its surface. I’d had my name on the waiting list for around about a year, when I got the phone call from Gordon to inform me that if I wanted a ticket
LEFT Ever since I saw Dave Lane holding the Fat Lady, I wanted her in my arms. Now it was my turn.
worked out that she preferred certain it was mine. At the time I was still moon phases to others. Although I chasing a fish at Manor Farm in Essex, couldn’t pick the days I fished, I could called The Annie. However, I knew pick the time I took off as leave, so I that if I turned down the ticket, the based this around the good times. opportunity might not come up again There was a really friendly for some time, so I decided to purchase atmosphere on the lake that year. I a ticket and put it on the back burner. knew a lot of the faces already – Sean As luck would have it, The Annie came Leverett, Jon McAllister, and one of my way in the following few months. my oldest friends, Alex Preston, but I However, I didn’t want to start on St also met some great anglers who have Ives in the depths of winter, so I fished continued to be good friends to this elsewhere until the following February. day. This was a big advantage, as we Although I was looking forward to seemed to have our own little clique, starting, I must admit I was also a little scared. I’d never fished a water with such and even when I wasn’t fishing, it felt like I was there, as I never missed a low stock, and this caused me to doubt thing (well, maybe a few sightings). my own ability. During the winter It was late May before I had my first months I’d done a lot of homework breakthrough. I remember on the Lagoon, spending going back to my swim many days and hours after popping round just walking around to the opposite bank and having a really to see a mate, and good plumb about, “I flicked out a mixer there in front of noting down as way beyond the fish me were at least six many spots, areas and slowly teased it or seven fish, all and depths as I back into the pack” milling around. I could. I knew this decided to catapult would stand me in out a pouchful of good stead when the mixers and almost weed took hold of the immediately one disappeared lake in the summer. This – then another, then another. Pretty way, if I saw fish in a certain swim, soon I had them Pac-Manning – was I had a really good idea of where to I really on St Ives? I always carry my present my baits. I could simply walk floater rod, so I was ready to go, and I them out to the required distances and seized the opportunity. I flicked out a get the rods out with minimum fuss. mixer way beyond the fish and slowly I spent the first few trips really teased it back into the pack. It could getting to grips with the lake, and only have been seconds; I saw my mixer trying to move on to any signs of fish. disappear as the float went skating The lake was very busy and it seemed across the surface. I lifted into the fish as that there were a few guys who were it started to tear line off my spool. My pretty much full-time. However, the heart was in my mouth, and all I could Fat Lady was a typical greedy big fish think about was that I’d just hooked and liked her grub. She was also fairly my first St Ives fish – and willed it not predictable, and I knew that if I could to come off. After a few heart-stopping get into the right areas at the right moments, the fish buried its head in time, with my style of fishing I had a one weedbed after another, and by this good chance. I did a lot of research time I was in the lake up to my and looked at her past captures, and Apri l 2 015 C a r pwor l d 85
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TACKLEWORLD
Going Under Cover taskacarp.com
Deceptive Fluorocarbon Main Line
Deceptive Fluorocarbon Soft Hooklink
RRP: 16lb – £89.99; 20lb – £99.99 per 1,000m
RRP: £7.99 for a 20m spool in 14lb, 20lb, and 30lb.
The guys down in Essex have put a massive amount of effort into sourcing this product to try to make
At the same time as securing the superb Deceptive
it the best fluorocarbon on the market, and keep
Fluorocarbon main line, Taska managed to
it as competitively priced as possible. It’s the first
secure a soft material which is absolutely perfect
time that this fluorocarbon has been released into
for several different styles of presentation. This
Europe, thanks to a special export licence granted
fluorocarbon is far more supple than many we’ve
to Taska by the Japanese manufacturer. It is a pure
seen, and is ideal for hooklinks because it is flexible
fluorocarbon and is claimed to have a smaller
enough to follow the contours of the lakebed.
diameter than anything else on the market. Its other
Taska also supply three different breaking strains
properties include being super-heavy so that it sinks
which should cover just about every single angling
quickly, and it’s also smoother and very supple,
situation, including Stiff and Hinge Stiff Rigs.
which means that its casting performance is greatly enhanced. Although we haven’t had chance to test this material on the bank, our first impressions are very good, and we look forward to putting it through its paces. Also available are 250m spools at £27.99 and £29.99 for 16lb or 20lb, with a diameter of 0.33 and 0.37mm respectively.
Fluorocarbon Lines
which wants the coils of line on the spool to curl
Fluorocarbon is a very different material to the
off, and chuck themselves all over the floor. I must
more commonly used nylon reel lines, and
say that the Deceptive main line is bad for this,
in its manufacturing process it gains certain
but it does sit very nicely on the reel. Once you
characteristics that anglers need to understand.
have the reel filled as you want it, pop down to
Its two main features which make it of interest
your local lake and bed it in. Make a few casts,
to anglers are that it is heavy and it also has a
gently building up the distance and reeling back
refractive light index very similar to water, which
in with a decent lead; this manages the line and
translates into the fact that it’s very hard to see
makes it sit exactly right on the spool – and now
once immersed. Fluorocarbon first came to everyone’s notice via sport fishing, although I think its roots actually stem back to commercial long-lining, but I may be wrong. The original materials were very stiff and wiry, and it is only in recent years that development
you are ready to go. When you are
out actually fishing, always give “I’ve also the spool a quick splash of been more than water to lubricate it before impressed by its casting the first cast. This helps it capabilities, and you can tell by the sound it makes leave the spool and pass as it passes through the through the rings more rings that it is smooth easily. Finally, fluorocarbon and supple” needs a little TLC so that
has been undertaken to produce
Steve Broad
more supple versions which are suitable for carp fishing. Taska have sourced
you can get the best from its unique properties. It does tend to
pick up particles from the water and gets dirty,
this very versatile version which is brand new to
so it’s well worth cleaning the line on a regular
the European market, and I’ve found it to be very
basis. Although there are special cleaning wipes
user-friendly during my trials. Many people find
available, I simply gently reel it through my
spooling up with fluorocarbon a chore, but in
fingers – I can actually see the sediment coming
reality it is pretty simple. Just drop the spool in
off. In use, Taska’s Deceptive is easy to spool,
a bucket of warm water for a short while, before
and it does behave impeccably, I’ve also been
reeling it on the spool under pressure. If the line
more than impressed by its casting capabilities,
starts to twist in front of your finger, just flip the
and you can tell by the sound it makes as
spool over in the bucket. Once you get to the end,
it passes through the rings that it is smooth
don’t go right up to the lip of the spool as you
and supple. Although it is a big investment,
would do with nylon; leave a couple of millimetres.
fluorocarbon is a valuable asset when you are
This is because of the extra little bit of stiffness
fishing, and should be very seriously considered.
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Recommended Fluorocarbon Knots I’ll keep this as brief as possible. Fluorocarbon isn’t hard to knot – it just takes time and effort. To attach a hook to this material, I would use a standard Knotless Knot, and on a recent trip to France, I tied some strong and very effective rigs with the Deceptive Soft Hooklink. These were all joined to a ring swivel via a Blood Knot, although the Tucked version works equally as well. This is the knot which I use to join a rig to my main line, and it seems to get the very best out of the material. I also use Loop Knots, but as with every knot you tie, you need to go about it gently. Provide plenty of lubrication, and tease it down slowly to ensure that everything sits perfectly. Finally, the Albright Knot works very well when tying fluorocarbon leaders. I’ve included a couple of knot diagrams to help.
Overhand Loop
Evolve Shure-Link Hooklink RRP: £13.99 20m This revolutionary new hooklink material has been developed and manufactured in Europe specifically for Taska. Sticking with the fluorocarbon theme, the Evolve Shure-Link is made from 80% woven braid formed from very fine individual fluorocarbon fibres, mixed with 20% Dyneema to achieve a unique sinking hooklink with 15% stretch. This stretch allows the
1
1
hooklink to act as a buffer, with the added advantage that it also reduces hookpulls.
Tucked Blood Knot 5x
Don’t fill the spool to the rim because fluorocarbon lines can curl off due to them being a little stiffer than monos.
2 1 ANDY STEER ILLUSTRATIONS VERDILAAN 14, 5583XT WAALRE, THE NETHERLANDS. T +31(0)40 2220908 F +31(0)40 2220897 E Andy.Steer@iae
Check your line on a regular basis, and keep it clean.
ANDY STEER ILLUSTRATIONS VERDILAAN 14, 5583XT WAALRE, THE NETHERLANDS. T +31(0)40 2220908 F +31(0)40 2220897 E Andy.Steer@i Apri l 2015 C a r pwor l d 115
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CoLUMNIST
Top The line-up of the famous specimen group including he late Bruce Ashby, Pete Springate, Roy Johnson and Bob James.
The James Gang on stage during the Dick Walker Memorial Conference.
BELoW
D a v i d H a l l , C a r p i n ’ o n , L i c e n c e s , a n d p r e d a t i o n
I
don’t want this column to be an ongoing saga of doom and gloom, but it’s not possible to let the passing of David Hall go by without comment. It’s fair to say that from the early-’90s onwards we were competitors, but our relationship stretched back to the mid-’70s, when I became a purchaser of, and later a contributor to, his first specialist magazine, Coarse Fisherman. My first-ever article appeared in the CAA Newsletter, but my first national magazine article was in David’s Coarse Fisherman, coincidentally in response to an article by Peter Mohan, the CAA head honcho at the time. The article was of little consequence, but it was a start, and an encouragement. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that Peter Mohan and David Hall were to blame for much of what has followed! They had much in common, too, in particular an abrasive side which took no prisoners. I have some fond memories of David, and no negative ones, other than the fact that the success of Carpworld opened his eyes to the fact that carp magazines could work, and he quickly climbed on the bandwagon. I hope none of what follows will be construed as negative, because I have to put the tale into perspective. In the mid-’80s I was on the
dole, car-less, penniless, and writing the occasional article for David. Now it has to be said that in the early days, David had a reputation for being a tad cavalier in terms of his payment for articles, i.e. you didn’t know whether you were going to get paid or not. There came a time in late-’86, or ’87, when there was a rumour that Coarse Fisherman was struggling, as happens with magazines, so I wasn’t really expecting payment for an article I’d recently had published. We were coming up to Christmas, and I was resigned to the fact that there would be no presentbuying that year when, out of the blue, a cheque arrived from David for payment of my latest article. It was a salvation. Literally days later, news came through that Coarse Fisherman had, in fact, gone under. In my straitened circumstances I was touched that David had looked after his own. One of his last payments must have been to his contributors, and I have never forgotten that occasion when David
ABoVE Cordiality among competitors: Kevin Clifford and David Hall at a trade show in the ’90s. RIGHT I purchased this copy of David’s first book from Amazon recently. It’s worth more than a quid of anyone’s money!
My first ‘national’ article, which appeared in Coarse Fisherman in the ’70s. Thanks David, but how embarrassing!
BELoW
Hall acted as my Father Christmas. I have one other nice story about David, which may or may not be apocryphal. As far as I know, David, who was a match angler, I think, had just one book published. The story goes that he was fishing with his friend Dave Ball, who was struggling to catch, but tried to score points by telling David: “I managed to get hold of a copy of your book for just £1.” Which produced the instant retort: “You should have read it then, shouldn’t you?!” It’s no secret that David wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I’m told he
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S t ill Ca r p in g On T im Pa is ley
“Pip, Jemima and Bev work endlessly, and tirelessly, over many months to make the event a success, and to me this year’s event was just as good as the best of its predecessors”
could be abrasive and dictatorial, but I never saw that side of him. What I do know is that he was an achiever, and his own publishing achievements touched the lives of many others, who went on to achieve in their own right, which they may not have aspired to otherwise. A great many anglers had their first articles published in David’s magazines. He built the DHP empire, and never failed to give something back to angling whenever the opportunity arose. He touched many lives, and his memory will live on through the titles he created, and through those he gave a helping hand to along the way. I was fortunate enough to be one of the latter. As time goes by, the memories of the Carpin’ On shows blur into each other, and this year’s will gradually recede into
Dave Ball: ‘I got hold of a copy of your book for just £1.’
Top LEFT
The long queue snaking through the Five Lakes car park, with the cars still pouring in at 8.30 on the Sunday morning.
TOP RIGHT
ABOVE The main organisers: Bev Clifford, Jemima Musson and Pip Dean on stage prior to the Sunday morning opening of the doors at Carpin’ On.
the kaleidoscope of events of years gone by. Pip, Jemima and Bev work endlessly, and tirelessly, over many months to make the event a success, and to me this year’s event was just as good as the best of its predecessors. There was a period when I half-dreaded the exposure of being on the stand which the weekend at the Carpin’ On show entails, but over the years I’ve come to welcome the occasions more and more. The more friends we lose, the more precious the surviving friendships become, and Carpin’ On is by way of an annual reunion for those of us whose friendships go back to the beginning of time. Time spent with my old friends Kevin Clifford, Chris Ball, Julian Cundiff and others is always special, and then there are the 10-minute catch-ups with rarely-seen friends, which
this year included Derek Stritton and Maggie, Doug Wood, Elliott Symak, Kitch, and many others. Elliott Symak was there for his Hall of Fame induction, and he was immediately pounced on for book signatures by the collectors in the hall, including yours truly. When I became serious about carp fishing in the ’70s (i.e. addicted), Elliott and Hutchy were among the biggest names in the game, and had a regular exchange of correspondence. They are both big men in every sense of the word, and must have been considered giants 40 years ago when the world was much smaller than it is now. I’d forgotten how big Elliott is until he stopped by the stand for a chat. He towers over me. At the show I had the honour, and the pleasure, of saying a few words Apri l 2015 C a r pwor l d 141
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Co n t in e n t a l Ca r p in g U S A Ra pha el Bia g ini
carping usa another side of my passion and prepare myself as well as I could. The first step for me was to ask my sponsors (Zebco – Radical – Browning – Quantum) if they would continue to follow me in my American venture. They agreed and sent me everything I needed to start my new adventures. Once the kit arrived, it was time for me to head off into the unknown and research everything about carp fishing in the USA. Written this way, it sounds simple, but it’s not at all. Today, a year later, the mystery still remains. However, I have learned a lot. If everything I’ve learned is but a grain of sand in an ocean of information, it’s a lot! I opened many doors, and it’s really exciting. As you can imagine, I can’t cover everything I’ve learned about carp fishing in the USA in one article, and I’ve only really scratched
the surface. There’s still a lot in a land full of shadows, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, although it’s a long way off yet. a ‘Trash’ Fish…
Carp are not really appreciated in the USA. The fish is accused of being an invasive and destructive breed which plays a part in the demise of native species. I believe that, as in parts of Europe, it was introduced in the 19th century as a food species. It is now considered a ‘trash’ fish, and consequently, it suffers badly at the hands of bow hunters. They are happy to track them down and impale them on their arrows whenever they can. Personally, I find it sadistic and devoid of common sense. I admit to having difficulty understanding how to kill for fun and just toss the fish onto the bank. Unfortunately, I cannot change the world and the
customs of others. They are what they are. This reputation as a trash fish is heightened by lack of knowledge. What is a carp? This may sound silly to us, but in the USA, a carp can be several things at once. A common, a mirror, a grass, a buffalo, a silver, a bighead, a black – all are types of fish which come under the ‘carp’ heading. To give you an example, you may already have seen those movies where people are on a boat moving on the water, surrounded by hundreds of fish jumping all over the place, and even land inside the boat! If you haven’t, take a quick look on YouTube for silver carp. These fish come under the carp heading, but you’ll see that they have little in common with Cyprinus carpio. However, to the people of the USA they’re carp, and they really are very invasive, so much so that task forces are being set up to try to stop their proliferation. Apri l 2015 C a r pwor l d 171
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LEFT New York, New York. A gateway to another world in many ways, including a whole new lifestyle and carp fishing.
To cut a long story shot, the distinction between species is blurred to many, and ‘our’ carp (Cyprinus carpio) is tarred with the ‘trash’ fish tag, the same as silver carp, amongst others.
BOTTOM LEFT
In the US, carp are accused of being invasive and destroying the native fish populations. How can you say this about such beautiful creatures?
carp Fishing in The usa
Except for a couple of articles written 10 years ago about the fish population which was present in the St Lawrence River, in the Waddington area, the American public know little about American carp anglers, their techniques, and their ways of fishing. There are anglers who specifically look for common and mirror carp in the USA. Their number is not very big, but they do exist. Overall, I would say there are four types of carp anglers: the common American carp angler, the paylaker, the fly-fisherman, and the European modern fishing techniques carp angler. The common american carp angler
The first ‘category’ (I don’t like this word much) is none other than the typical American carp angler. Why ‘common American’, you say? Well, for the simple reason that the carp anglers in the US have their own fishing technique, which is extremely effective and totally unknown to us (not necessarily in the idea but in the way it’s applied). It has been used for several decades now, it’s very well handled, and it’s called Pack Bait and Puff. The pack bait is a kind of dough bait which usually has an oatmeal (rolled oats) and/or ground fresh bread base, to which are added ingredients (spices, flavours, sweetcorn in various versions, particles, etc.). The whole lot is wrapped around the lead which is very close to the hook, and/or directly around the bait and the hook itself. As I said, this idea is not unknown to us; it is more or less similar to feeder techniques (or the Method). It’s the constitution of this paste that we are not familiar with, but it works very well. The puff is the bait they use directly on the hook. This is simply a blown cereal grain (‘puffed’ in English), usually a grain of wheat. The blown grain of wheat is usually a small floating cereal, ultra-light, moving at the slightest movement above the pack bait dough. I don’t think it’s possible to have a more instantaneous bait. The paylaKer
Yes, carp-fishing paylakes do exist in America. Basically, the concept was very close to our day ticket waters, mainly catching fish without a lot of effort, but I understand that it has changed a lot over 1 7 2 C a r p wor l d A p r i l 20 15
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BIVVY Three
C O M I N G S O O N T H E L AT E S T B O O K F R O M A N G L I N G P U B L I C AT I O N S
(The Final Countdown)
I
t goes without saying that carp fishing is different things to different people. As in most other things, time spent carp fishing changes you. You revisit some of your previous material when you come down to the nitty-gritty of the mundane chores required for the completion of a book project – like coming up with the jacket material. Having based the introduction to this book on a quote by Ernest Hemingway, I was surprised to read the following on the back flap of the jacket of More From the Bivvy: ‘…the buzzer sounding will always be meaningful and uplifting, but there came a time when the need for a sense of achievement started to conflict with the simple need to catch something.’ I was surprised, not because it isn’t true, but because I didn’t remember writing it! In my case, that change in outlook is emphasised in my carp-fishing approach in From the Bivvy, and the two books from 20 years or so later, More From the Bivvy and Bivvy Three. Over the years, what I caught, and from where, has become increasingly meaningful. If it is of any consolation to those of you who are too responsible, or simply don’t have the inclination, to pursue big fish, or fish long sessions, then I cannot pretend that carp fishing hasn’t become less enjoyable over the years, because for the most part it has. It is fitting that the Bivvy books have finished where they began, in Shropshire. I have travelled far and wide, but my memories of Snowberry in Bedfordshire, and Birch Grove and the Mangrove in Shropshire, eclipse all else in terms of the joy of simply being by the water, and trying to catch carp. Some captures are more significant than others, but if they bring you joy, then they are all meaningful..
* ** Bivvy Three is the last in the trilogy of Bivvy books. Previous titles are From The Bivvy* and More From The Bivvy** *Available in ebook ** Available in print.
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