Carpworld May 2015

180 PAGES THE ONLY READ FOR THE DEDICATED CARP ANGLER

ISSUE 296 / MAY 2015 / MONTHLY £4.50

WIN

carpworldmagazine.com

ISSUE 296 MAY 2015

king

,659 PRIZE FUND £1

BIVVIES INCLUDING THREE

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE

SUCCESS! HOW DARRELL ENDED HIS 20-NIGHT BLANK

PLUS TIM PAISLEY DARREN BELTON PAUL FORWARD ROB NUNN JULIAN CUNDIFF NICK BURRAGE

INSIDE THIS ISSUE MARK WALSINGHAM’S ASHMEAD DIARIES

c ar pwor ld maga z in e. co m

CHRIS BALL ON CARP FISHING ON THE RIVER THAMES WRAYSBURY OPENS ITS GATES TO A NEW BEGINNING MIKE KAVANAGH REVEALS THE VERY LATEST RIG INNOVATIONS

THE

MAGAZINE

FOR THE WORLDWI DE ANGLER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Issue 139 May 2015

P164 Crystal Waters An in-depth look at this popular holiday destination

N E W S U P E R - WAT E R

CARP NEWS AND FEATURES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

P168 Steve Broad Travels to Villedon to sample the spectacular fishing

O F F T O A F LY I N G S T A R T

SOMETHING FOR

THE LADIES!

P174 Nick Burrage Takes an early-season trip to French venue Jonchery

001-Cover_CW296.indd 1

I N S I D E 147_InterCover_CW296.indd 1

C A R P

Claudia Darga reveals what she

N E W S

wants from her fishing P157

17/04/2015 09:52

F R O M

A R O U N D

T H E

G L O B E

14/04/2015 10:13

CONTENTS

The Carpworld Contents / Issue 296 / May 2015

36

Black & White This month’s guest is the one and only Julian Cundiff.

He’s one of the hardest-working anglers around, and we don’t know where he gets his energy from. One thing is for sure though; he leads a very full life!

40 O N T HE C OV E R : Darrell Peck breaks a 20-night blank as the carp finally wake up after their winter slumbers. More on Page 47.

A Winter’s Tale Darren Belton Darren tells the story of the time he spent on a popular day ticket water, where the spectacular results he enjoyed proved the point that choosing the right venue can pay dividends.

47

Editor’s Comments It’s been a busy month in the office and on the bank as our intrepid editor gets amongst the fish both at home and abroad.

Pecky’s Progress Darrell Peck Life’s been hard for Darrell recently, as the reality of a 20-night blank hit home. No matter what he did, he couldn’t buy a bite. It couldn’t last forever though, and at last he’s back amongst the fish.

10

53

6

Gazette All the news and views from around the world of carp fishing to keep you up to date with what’s going on.

17

Paradise Found Rob Nunn Rob’s hunt for a water where carp have never seen a baited hook and are unnamed results in a whole new chapter opening up in his angling life. Has he finally found his angler’s paradise?

23

Ashmead Diaries Mark Walsingham As Ashmead gets ready to open its doors to paying guests, Mark’s team has been busy getting the Somerset Levels site looking better than ever.

Rig World featuring Mike Kavanagh There’s more of the latest in rig innovation from Mike, as he looks at Gardner’s Ultra Skin braid and their Ultra Blades, Taska’s Chod Beads, and Korda’s Super Wrap, which is the perfect way to protect bait from unwanted attention.

There’s also an interview with Rig Marole consultant Les Bowers about his success on Frimley.

17

61

Historic Carp Waters Chris Ball Carp fishing on rivers has never enjoyed the popularity it deserves, but that’s all changing, and in part two of his look at the mighty River Thames, Chris reveals how the river is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

69

Think Tank For most of us, using particles only goes as far as spodding or groundbaiting. Our expert panel looks at how best to utilise the incredible pulling power of particles on the hook.

77

Bait World featuring Joe Turnbull Just how good is bait from Nutrabaits? Amongst the best, according to Joe, who also looks at the Krill Hookbait Kit from Sticky Baits, and baits from MTC, a Dutch company. As well as this, there are features on Kent Particles, Crafty Catcher, and Mistral Baits’ new Rosehip range.

90

The F Word Paul Forward Spring is Paul’s favourite time of the year, so with the days getting longer, the water warming up, and his van in for repair, it’s no wonder that our man on the bank finds some extra time to go out and about in the search for spring carp.

96

Diary Of A Carpaholic Simon Crow It’s 30s galore for Simon this month, as he nets one for the cameras and follows it up with his biggest-ever Yorkshire common.

102

The One That Got Away Keith Jenkins A picturesque scene of a wild tree-fringed pool, and the big old carp which call it home are brought to life, as the ghosts and ghouls that haunt the lake reach out to snare another victim.

105

Taska Competition Taska’s new Deceptive Fluorocarbon main line is certainly making a name for itself as it flies off the shelves, and we’ve got miles of the stuff to give away in this superb competition.

109

Tackle World Twelve pages of the finest tackle money can buy!

This month we look at the fantastic new CTX rods from Free Spirit, Hutchy’s Cabrio one-man bivvy, the Galaxy barrow from Trakker, a selection from the Fox Edges range along with their new range of boats, Gardner’s latest luggage, and bits and bobs from several companies, including Cygnet, JRC and Nash, and finally, Wychwood’s latest flat bed range.

70

90

30

Wraysbury Is Open For Business Under RK Leisure’s ownership, one of the most famous lakes of all time, Wraysbury, has opened its doors to the general public. With a new shop, luxury facilities and fantastic fish, we report on how the opening went.

40

4 C ar p wor l d May 201 5

004-005_Contents_CW296.indd 1

20/04/2015 11:14

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

102

109

112 116

126

134

130

139

JRC Competition Bag yourself a new bank palace courtesy of JRC! We’ve got a choice of three top-of-the-range bivvies to give away this month, and all you have to do is send us a text to stand a chance of winning one.

Ask The Experts This month, our three experts are Ed Betteridge, Jim Wilson and Roman Buczynski, who look at clipping up and how to do it, the best way to prepare particles, and how to get the best from using a marker float.

Still Carping On Tim Paisley After 3 weeks’ fishing in France, Tim is actually quite glad to be back on home turf. The time away has given him plenty to think about, and there’s a real mixed bag of subjects covered this month, from baits to books, to fish weights, to why we put ourselves through this trauma we call fishing!

Richworth Competition Someone is going to win enough of Richworth’s radical new Type-R bait to keep them going for a long, long time in this superb competition.

IN INTERNATIONAL CARPER Why do so few ladies go carp fishing? Join Claudia Darga as she explains why, in a very tongue-in-cheek look at her life of luxury on the bank.

There’s a message for us all here! Editor Steve Broad enjoys visiting new waters, and for his first visit to Villedon, he’s teamed up with a few Dutch mates. Will the new super-water come up to scratch? Find out more on Page 168. Another angler trying out a new water is Nick Burrage, who’s been to Jonchery for an early-season session, which is a well-respected French holiday venue – and what a success it was. If you’re looking for a holiday venue with the reputation for turning up a few big carp, check out Crystal Waters, because it could well tick all the boxes for you. Finally, there’s our famous round-up of all the big carp captures from around the globe in Echoes Around The World.

PICK UP YOUR COPY OF CARPWORLD FROM ALL MAJOR STOCKISTS

140

Parklife Colin Hunt In the first instalment of this twopart story, Colin Hunt reveals all about his time on the ultra-secret venue which is Coate Water Park; it’s a water which is talked about in hushed tones by the chosen few.

THE

MAGAZINE

FOR THE WO RLDWIDE AN GLER

IN THE SPOTLIG HT

Issue 139 May 2015

P164 Crystal Waters An in-depth look at this popular holiday destinatio n N E W S U P E R - WA TER

P168 Steve Broad Travels to Villedon to sample the spectacular fishing O F F T O A F LY I N G START

SOMETHING FOR

THE LADIES!

P174 Nick Burrage Takes an early-seas on trip to French venue Jonchery

I N S I D E 147_InterCover_CW296.indd

1

C A R P

Claudia Darga reveals

N E W S

F R O M

what she wants from

A R O U N D

T H E

her fishing P157

G L O B E 14/04/2015 10:13

DON’T FORGET OUR AMAZING SUBS OFFERS ON PAGE 33

May 2015 Car pwo r ld 5

004-005_Contents_CW296.indd 2

20/04/2015 11:14

FEATURE

n e p O Y R U B S WRAY

FOR SS E N I BUS

y r eve r p e n fo l l a r e o w o t a is n o g , b u r y. ater s nic w ng, hard sl o t o s c i i h t os lo ing r y ’s m t ’s b e e n a p - fi s h t r n a u c o I n fi s h . era i f the c O n e o n e o f u s t o a t i s a n ew o h single come to w we l

3 0 Ca r p wor l d May 2 01 5

030-031_RKLeisure_CW296.indd 1

20/04/2015 14:56

Wr a y s b u r y Open For B usiness

R

egular readers of Carpworld can’t fail to have noticed that we’ve been getting very excited about the rebirth of one of the UK’s most famous waters, Wraysbury. Following many years of uncertainty about its future, it now seems that not only is its future as secure as its new state-of-the-art security fencing, gated entrances and car parks, but also the facilities, the fish and the outlook for the whole venue now looks certain.

All this has happened because a company named RK Leisure have taken over the complex. In fact, not only have RK taken over Wraysbury, they’ve taken control of several other iconic carp waters, including the Horton Complex and Jones Pit. All these waters have undergone what can only be termed as a revolution, and gated, secure facilities, clubhouses and restocking (where required) have taken place to ensure that these most famous waters have a life as carp venues for decades to come.

Wraysbury in particular has been completely revamped, and the new clubhouse shows what, with a bit of time and not a little money, can be achieved.

The whole complex reopened to an eager public in April, and to top everything off, RK have opened a shop in Wraysbury village, which houses the booking offices as well as supplying tackle and bait to what is a very central part of the area’s carp angling.

For a long time in its history, Wraysbury was a secretive venue, fished by many, but it suffered from crime, being open to all and sundry. Now the lake is surrounded by 8ft steel palisade fencing, and it’s open to everyone to fish and enjoy safely. The clubhouse is just palatial, and the swims, as reported in the April issue by Steve Briggs, are just sublime places from which to fish for the carp, many of which are really old-school warriors living alongside the latest stockings by RK Leisure.

Wraysbury and the shop are under the management of Rupert Whiteman and Jamie Gould, both of whom have been very busy of late, finalising the preparations for the grand opening

The weak winter sun welcomes in a year of change at Wraysbury.

MAIN IMAGE

of both the shop and Wraysbury.

Rupert told us: “Well, what a hectic couple of months it’s been! Once we got the shop, which is at the heart of Wraysbury village, it was all hands on deck to ensure that we had the time to turn it into a store befitting the other RK projects. Our aim was to create an outlet with a difference; not so much a full-blown tackle shop, more a place which could serve our syndicate members and the guys fishing on Wraysbury with any knick-knacks they may have forgotten on their way to fish, as well as any bait. To this end, I’m pretty sure we succeeded. There are flat screen TVs, a large stone counter where you can have a coffee and chew the fat with fellow anglers, and our corporate branding of split-faced slate is evident throughout. The shop flows, and everything is well spaced and very easy to find.

The shop wasn’t like this when we took it over though, but unfortunately, the memory card used to store the pictures of the transformation has been lost, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that it looked nothing like the images shown here. After a long, hard slog by the builders (Charles Levey Carpentry and Build Ltd., also the contractors for Horton and Wraysbury complexes), the shop design was complete.

That just left the ‘simple’ task of stocking the shop, which, as it turned out, was anything but. It required at least three or four attempts to find space and adequately display every manufacturers’ products until we’d found the correct solution – in a sufficiently OCD-like manner of course!

The grand opening wasn’t all that grand; we decided on a nicely subdued affair on Sunday 29th March, which we tied in with the Horton syndicate members coming to collect their tickets prior to the annual barbecue which heralds the start of the new season for them.

Since then, the shop has gone from strength to strength. It’s obviously still very early days to ascertain exactly how things will pan out, but there has been a steady footfall of anglers from across the

area who have been searching for a wellstocked shop. We are carrying stock from all the major brands, including Korda, Fox International, Avid Carp, Mainline Baits, Navitas Apparel, Trakker Products, Dynamite, Solar Tackle, E-S-P, Gardner and Spomb, alongside some more exclusive items from companies such as Custom Angling Solutions (bankware), Cotswold Aquarius (luggage), Snugpak and Fortis, plus a collaboration boilie range alongside Baitcraft, with which we have been feeding our waters over the past 18 months.

The major announcement of the year, and something we’ve been excitedly waiting for, for over 2 years now, has been the unveiling of Wraysbury One, in its new guise as a premier day ticket venue which is open to all. We have spent a tremendous amount of money overhauling the site as a whole, but not least (as has been well documented) on levelling and ‘sleepering’ the swims, adding to the stock of the lake, removing the worst of the snags, and laying a small track around the outskirts of the North Lake to permit us to drop anglers to their swims from the comfort of a buggy. There is also a bivvy area at the divide, so that any groups or exclusive bookings can reel in and go round there for a barbecue/pizza, and relax for an hour or two should they choose.

The lake has surpassed our expectations so far. We were obviously expecting it to fish very well over the opening period, due to the new blood, but what has surprised us has been the number of original carp which have made an appearance alongside them.

As I write this, we’re just a fortnight in, and we have already seen eight different fish which were present prior to our ownership of this iconic water. This culminated in the capture of two mirrors: Mike’s Pet at a weight of 45lb 1oz, and in mid-April, the incredible Little Lin at a weight of 39lb 8oz.

If things continue in this vein (and I’m sure they won’t once the fish receive a bit more pressure), then things are looking good for the future. In fact, there are still another nine different 40lb+ fish which have so far evaded capture. Let’s see what it holds…” CW

May 2015 C a r pwor l d 31

030-031_RKLeisure_CW296.indd 2

20/04/2015 14:56

COLUMNIST

Sunset on the flooded swim where I’d enjoyed some action last month.

ABOVE

THE F WORD The Diary of a Compulsive Carp Angler

W i t h t h e d a y s g e t t i n g l o n g e r, t h e w a t e r w a r m i n g u p , a n d h i s v a n i n f o r r e p a i r, o u r m a n o n t h e bank had some extra time on his hands to go out and about in the search for spr ing car p.

I

absolutely love my angling at the moment; in fact, just being out at my favourite time of year is always an absolute privilege and a pleasure.

The birds are singing (a bit too loudly some mornings!), and the natural world is literally bursting into life. Now the clocks have changed and daylight hours are increasing, my overnighters are much more enjoyable, and a much more realistic proposition for all. Most anglers imagine that the carp will be ravenous, but like I mentioned last month, it’s still early, and although the sun is out and we are wearing T-shirts, the water still hasn’t warmed up all that much. In actual fact, it was only 9° on 8th April when I dropped my thermometer in at

9 0 Ca r p wor l d May 2 01 5

090-093_FWord_CW296.indd 1

20/04/2015 12:26

T h e F Word Pa ul Fo rwa rd

the coastal pit, and there were light frosts for most mornings of that week. I’ve actually found it difficult to restrain myself from going out at every opportunity, but I’ve still done more than my fair share (at least 10 nights this last month). Typical of this time of year – when the fish are up and about but not really looking for food – that all my bites have come to little traps using literally a handful of chops.

The baited areas which I obviously have tried haven’t produced anything at all – yet! Most anglers I see cannot really be thinking carefully about what they are trying to achieve, because by putting out far too much bait, they are spoiling their chances. Fishing for one bite at a time and moving with the fish is really what spring fishing is all about using single bright pop-ups, and casting to showing fish with certainly no more than a handful of freebies.

The margins and sunlit shallow water are always a good bet, and even on relatively shallow waters, a Zig, even a 3 or 4-footer, can be very effective.

Most of my fishing, in fact all, apart from one trip to Paddlesworth, has been on Ham Road, the coastal pit near my home in Kent. To be honest, I’ve enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the marshland more than I expected, and the fact that most of the time I’ve had the place to myself has been an absolute joy. I’ve even started thinking that I might have become an unsociable old bugger – who, me? On my first trip back there in mid-March, unsurprisingly, I went in the flooded swim where I’d enjoyed a fair amount

Six o’clock on the dot, and this beauty was bang on bite time.

ABOVE

This lovely common was a bonus capture, but my forgetfulness with the net meant that I probably scared all the others away.

BELOW

of success last month. It looked good in before you could say ‘jackrabbit’, I’d the late-afternoon sunshine with a gentle grabbed a couple of rods and a few bits westerly breeze blowing in. Both roach and headed off round there. I’d seen and rudd are plentiful in this water, and sweet nothing, so quite what all this of a good size too. Thankfully, neither madness was about I don’t know, but tench nor bream are present, and with I found myself in a little swim at the this in mind, I like to fish at least one entrance to a shallow reedy bay. There rod over a couple of Spombs of hemp, was no point casting about and scaring pellet and corn. I like the idea of a few any fish present, so even though I hadn’t silver fish feeding on the baited area, fished the swim before, I just flicked and feel sure that if Mr Carp comes a couple of baits out very close in the along, then instead of being spooky, he’ll margin. After catapulting a few chops want to join in the party too. That’s my around the first rod, I noticed the other theory anyway. On both close-in rods, bobbin slam up to the butt and the I fished pop-ups over a bit of spool spinning at quite a rate of particle, not much, just a knots. At first I couldn’t bit of attraction really. actually comprehend “The very My third rod, on a what was happening, moment I picked bottom bait, went but eventually I up the rod and out around 80 realised it was a knew it was a carp yards, with a dozen run – and I’d only was also the moment freebies scattered been there literally I remembered I around it with a 5 minutes! The very hadn’t set up a throwing stick. moment I picked landing net” As has been the up the rod and knew norm, nothing apart it was a carp was also from a few silver fish the moment I remembered showed, but I felt confident of a I hadn’t set up a landing net; it was bite at some time in the morning, which at least 10 yards away and in the quiver. does seem to be the bite time at the ‘Oh, b******s,’ I thought, ‘whatever you moment. By 6 o’clock in the morning I do, don’t panic.’ So, with the clutch still was starting to worry that another blank loose, I walked backwards, retrieved the may be on the cards, but as I didn’t have net, and somehow successfully assembled work that morning, I hung out until it with the rod handle firmly gripped nearly 11.00 a.m. before starting a slow between my thighs. The plan worked pack-up. With most of my tackle loaded a treat, and most importantly, the fish in the van, I took one last look across the was still on. True, he was a fair way out, water before departing. The shallow bay but as I tightened the clutch, the rod in the top corner in particular caught bent into a healthy curve and battle my eye; it did look appealing, and seeing commenced. The fight wasn’t much to as I’d still got a couple of hours to kill… shout about. In fact, after a bit of

May 2015 C a r pwor l d 91

090-093_FWord_CW296.indd 2

20/04/2015 12:26

FEATURE

d I A R Y O F A C A R PA H O L I C We could rename this feature ‘A Fistful Of 30s’ this month, as simon nets one for the cameras and follows it up with his biggest-ever Yorkshire common.

I

t’s fair to say that the quality of free carping DVDs available today has had a massive impact on the sales of angling DVDs in recent years.

One company which has held its own in this market, however, is the popular Carp TV magazine. Formerly available on the shelf in newsagents, it is now accessible either online or as a DVD, and each month it churns out great material with a variety of anglers up and down the country. Over the years, the likes of Terry Hearn and Dave Lane, amongst lots of other well-known carpers, have appeared on Carp TV. I last did a piece for them in 2008, and recently I was invited back for another guest feature, which will be available around the time this magazine comes out.

Long-time angler Nige Botherway was the presenter in 2008, and he

View of my swim at Naseby, right on the end of the arm.

ABOVE

was replaced by the charismatic Joe Morgan a short while later. Joe has been the permanent face of Carp TV ever since, but towards the back end of 2014 he decided to go on a long holiday to South America, and while he’s away, the presenting side has been handed over to the likeable Adam Penning. Although I’ve grown up in the same era as ‘Penners’ and we’re the same age, it was the first time I’d ever fished with him, so it was a session I was certainly looking forward to.

Leading up to the filming, I’d been catching consistently from Emmotland, but I’d been told we needed to meet somewhere in the middle of the country to do my slot. It was a bit too much to ask Nick the cameraman and Penners to drive the 5 or so hours to East Yorkshire, so after a bit of sorting, we

eventually settled on Naseby Reservoir in Northamptonshire. I’d fished Naseby before as part of the Open Access Waters series I used to compile in this magazine. I knew it to be a productive water, and thought it perfect for getting a bite in the 24 hours we had available at the end of March. Little did I know how it would end up turning out.

I was slightly late arriving to the lake due to the traffic on the M1, which gave Nick and Penners the chance to have a look at the 90 acres of water we were about to tackle. Neither of them was full of confidence when I eventually turned up, Penners’ exact words being: “It’s not looking good mate!” There had been a group of eight anglers on over the weekend and none of them had caught a thing, which wasn’t encouraging considering there are more than 10,000

9 6 Ca r p wor l d May 2 01 5

096-099_Carpaholic_CW296.indd 1

17/04/2015 13:27

D ia r y o f a Ca r pa holic s im o n C row

carp in Naseby! According to one angler fishing close to the car park, the eight lads had baited with 80kg of boilies, which had probably rendered all those swims useless for the time being. As well as that, the wind was really hacking across the water to the far bank, making that side look very tasty indeed. The only trouble was that it was out of bounds, something which Penners wasn’t completely aware of until I confirmed it.

I sensed that both Penners and Nick wished we were somewhere else, but I remained confident that something would happen. I had great memories of my previous trip to Naseby, when I caught nine fish on an overnighter and had to reel in to get some kip! With strong wind and driving rain forecast for the night, we decided to soldier on and see where we ended up. Thankfully,

ABOVE My firstever Yorkshire 30+ common, weighing in at 31lb 4oz from Emmotland.

night, which didn’t really suit either of us because we’d both been at the Northern Angling Show over the weekend, and were in much need of some kip.

The features in the swim soon came back to me when I cast out the marker.

I remembered catching from quite close range, 50m or so, where there was debris along the bottom. The lead went bobbling over it on the first cast, and I marked it and put out a dozen 20mm Coconut Crème boilies over the top. The swim was quite tight but I managed to get a second rod out towards the same area, this one going on exactly the same tactic as the other. It was all I could do really. I couldn’t fish any closer in because there were a few swans working the shallow margins.

I was all set for 3.00 p.m., and a short while later Penners joined me in the swim to start filming. We had a lot to cover in a short period, but within no the format for Carp TV didn’t require time we were all done for the night us to actually catch anything live for and trudging back to our bivvies for the cameras. We just needed to be on tea. Neither of us was particularly the bank and be talking carp, which confident, and we both expected to be certainly wasn’t going to be an issue locked away from the driving rain which for two gasbags like Penners and me.

After a briefing from Nick, we decided had moved into the area. It was quite hairy outside, a really strong westerly to plump for the swims just in front of battering the old trees above us. the car park, where a nice big arm runs It wasn’t long after tea when I crashed off the main body of water. It was the out for the night. I was dead to the world same area where the lads had blanked at after a long weekend, and never heard a the weekend, but on the positive side, sound until 5.00 a.m. when my left-hand it was nice and sheltered from the wind rod ripped off. The swim was and looked likely to hold some like a mud bath as I made carp because it was shallow my way to the rods. I’d and catching the rays “I was dead to already slipped into of the afternoon my chesties so I sun. I went into the the world after a could get a better furthest left swim long weekend, and angle on any fish on the end of the never heard a sound which decided to arm; Nick was until 5.00 a.m. when kite, and this one to my right with my left-hand rod certainly had that the camera base ripped off” in mind. From the camp, and Penners moment I struck into the one down to his right. fish it felt heavy. It just didn’t There was another angler want to come in, and it took a good two swims to the right of Penners, 30 yards of line off me. There was no who was fishing out into the middle tapping down the line as a small double section of water, although he hadn’t made its way in; this one was solid. caught anything when we arrived.

It began to kite right, and I then heard The last time I’d fished the lake I the sound of my right-hand buzzer, was only there for an overnighter. I which made me believe it had picked distinctly remember that when I turned up that line. It was pitch-black amongst up, I bumped into an angler who was the trees and I was already a good 20m just leaving, who said that all his action out into the water, so I couldn’t do had come during the night. He’d not anything about it. I just had to hope caught a thing during the day, which it hadn’t tangled too badly. I felt the was exactly how my session ended up at line grating as I made progress with the the time. I relayed the info to Penners fish but mistakenly thought it must about us having a good chance in the May 2015 C a r pwor l d 97

096-099_Carpaholic_CW296.indd 2

17/04/2015 13:29

FEATURE

PARKLIFE C O L I N

H U N T

Coate Water Park was once talked about in hushed tones by the chosen few. In the first instalment of his two-part story, Colin Hunt reveals all about his time on the ultra-secret venue.

I

t was the third week of May, and the spring had been a tough one.

The weed on the Berkshire pit I was fishing had completely taken hold and the reality of being able to actually create a chance, let alone bank one if the opportunity arose, was awfully slim.

I’d witnessed several losses in the past couple of weeks, and with the warmer days now upon us, the weed growth was only going to increase. Without the use of a boat to help our chances of landing any fish, I made the decision to walk away from the lagoon with the hope of returning, possibly in the autumn.

I had my name down for a night ticket on a notorious park lake in Swindon, a

lake Mike Willmott had written about in his first book, Carp Life. I had read the book from cover to cover several times, and gazed at the front cover shot of him with the lake’s largest carp, The Resident, more times than I would like to admit. As luck would have it, my ticket application was successful, and the season was shortly about to begin on June 16th.

Suddenly I was buzzing again, at the thought of a campaign on a new water, and all memories of the Berkshire pit suddenly vanished. The start was a couple of weeks away, so I spent a bit of time walking the banks, and on the hottest of days I saw some of the lake’s bigger fish in a shallow bay. Separating the lake

from the adjacent nature reserve was a raised footbridge, which made it easier to identify the residents. At the time I was using a high-quality red fishmeal, with added squid powder and black pepper oil, and was sure to take this opportunity to give them a few good hits of it in the shallower water in order to watch their reaction. Each time the fish literally chewed up the bottom, until it became so clouded that I could no longer make out any of them. I would occasionally see the tips of their tails as they upended and gorged themselves on the bait.

Eventually, the start of the season was upon us, and with a spring in my step, I paced the banks looking for a sure sign of activity, or more urgently, a free peg to fish. As expected, and to my disappointment, it appeared that everyone with a ticket had chosen to do the first week, and arriving 4 days in left me with very limited options. I had checked the weather several times on the build-up to my first trip, and had an idea of the area I wanted to fish, although with four other anglers nearby, I decided against it. So, with a new light southerly wind blowing, I decided to set up right

1 3 4 C a r p wor l d May 20 15

134-137_ParkLife_CW296.indd 1

20/04/2015 10:55

P ark life C o lin Hunt

in the teeth of it, in a plot known as the Bus Stop. The only problem was that it involved fishing from a concrete wall, and this, combined with the persistent rain and new rules about members not being able to shelter in the bus stop anymore, meant I was unable to seek any form of shelter. I fished until darkness and then spent the first night in the comfort of the van. Not really what I had in mind for my first trip, but it was a start.

During that first day, one of the not-sofriendly locals emerged from a group of bivvies on the island bank, and made the effort to walk round and offer some local advice. He firstly advised that he knew I was a new member, and then followed this up with a pleasant, “You’ll catch f*%k all on here, mate.” We didn’t converse much after that, although I will admit to his aggressive manner giving me the right hump, and I made the decision right there and then that should I be lucky enough to catch a couple this year, I’d tell them nothing and keep it all to myself.

The next morning, the area of bank I had originally fancied was about to become vacant. Two of the anglers in situ fancied a move, so I quickly

jumped in behind them in The Rats, in readiness for the wind switching to the west, which would be pushing straight at me. I had located a nice firm area at around 65 yards, slightly to my left, and spread my three rods across the area, and then went about depositing 3-4kg of my chosen bait over the top with the aid of the spod. I like to bait up this way when using boilies because I like my bait application to be tight, as opposed to the spread which is created with a throwing stick. I had got around a kilo or so out when the friendly local came charging up the bank. At first I hoped he was going to apologise for yesterday’s rant, with cakes or something. However, it wasn’t to be, and again he offered more advice, by telling me to: “Stop spodding bait out,” and: “This isn’t Horseshoe.”

We exchanged a few words and he went on his way, while I carried on depositing the rest of my bait out to the mark.

Now anyone who knows anything about the Park Lake will know that the ticket comes with a notorious reputation, and a whole host of horror stories. Not only was the fishing on the lake very difficult, it’s also busy with dog walkers,

joggers, mums and screaming children, although at night was when the park really came to life. Drunks, drug users, gangs of youths, and escaped mental patients were all part of the night-time chaos. I had heard of anglers waking up, having had their rods and buzzers stolen in the night, and people literally running away with your landing net while their mates robbed your rucksack as you gave chase. The year before, one unfortunate angler had been beaten up by a mob of teenagers; several of them smashed up his setup before the whole lot was thrown into the lake.

I must admit to thinking, ‘How bad could it really be?’ Well, before I go any further, I’d like to add that every word I had previously heard was true. My first night in The Rats, I sat up chain-drinking coffee as a group of yobs shouted, bawled, and smashed bottles literally 20 yards behind my brolly. I turned off my Nevilles because I feared even a single bleep would draw their attention. I prayed for pouring rain so that they’d leave, but all to no avail.

It was around 2.30 a.m. when the whole of the lake in front of me lit up. I could clearly see everything on the May 20 15 C a r pwor l d 135

134-137_ParkLife_CW296.indd 2

20/04/2015 10:55

Three

AVA I L A B L E N O W 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

BIVVY

(The Final Countdown)

In this tome, Tim talks of the incredible highs, but conversely, visits the horrible lows just as descriptively, and I have to admit the lows are just as enthralling as the highs. In fact, although I hate to admit it, several of the low points had me laughing out loud. The great thing about laying it all out in a book is that every part of these stories is covered in incredible, and very often graphic, detail. From his beloved Mangrove to Rainbow Lake, from Iktus via Gigantica, Les Teillatts and Lac Serreire, Tim takes us on an epic quest to catch his second 70lb carp, striving to end a 13-year search. And while that may be the theme which meanders through this story, the experience is punctuated by the characters he has shared it all with: Briggsy, Hutchy, Damian Clarke and Tom Duncan-Dunlop, among others.

An extract from Ian Chillcott’s Foreword

LIMITE D LEATH EDITION E COPIES RBOUND A CALL 0 VAILABLE 114 258 0812

Tim writes about the journey through the agonies and the ecstasies like no one else can, and although I expected the book to be good, it easily surpassed all my expectations. I really can’t give Bivvy Three enough praise because it is a superb book and a riveting read, and I guarantee that you won’t be able to put it down. Tim, I don’t know how you do it, but you’ve done it again. In fact you’ve done it better than before, and given us readers something very special. Well done that man!

Steve Briggs, Carpworld Review.

Picking up from where he left off in More From the Bivvy, Tim lets the readers in on a blow-by-blow account of how his angling sessions unfold.

More interestingly from my point of view are the personal touches and intimacies, thoughts and reactions, successes and failures – it is these details which make Bivvy Three such a fascinating read.

Ben Wales, Carp-Talk Review.

Yet another classic from the true master of carp-fishing literature, Bivvy Three takes you on an emotional journey through the highs and lows of session fishing on some of Europe’s hardest waters. It’s a stunning read, and impossible to put down.

Steve Broad, Crafty Carper Review.

I have always loved the reality of Tim’s writing, and his third Bivvy book hits the mark once again. From despair to elation, boredom to excitement, pain to joy, and misfortune to personal bests – it has it all. I wanted him to succeed, but I enjoyed the pain the effort put him through, as that’s a reality most of us deal with no matter where, how, or why we fish. Recommended, and I’m already on my second reading of it.

Julian Cundiff.

BivvyThree_CW296.indd 1

£30.00 ORDER NOW +44 (0)114 258 0812 W W W. T H E C A R P S T O R E . C O M PUBLISHED BY

20/04/2015 13:41