Carpworld August 2015 - Sample

Breaking News

national rod licence reforms unveiled

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ISSUE 299 / August 2015 / MONTHLY £4.50

104lb

B R I T A I N ’ S B I G G EST C A R P - A N G L I N G M A G A Z I N E

Giant UK angler Steve Weir rocks the world record!

WIN Com p

etiti

on

a pa ir very of the l har riso atest n ro ds

CARPING ALLEGEDLY

ALSO INSIDE

Tim P aisley

Bloodworm – RED GOLD

d a r r ell P e c k P aul f o r w a r d a d am c le w e r M a t t ea t on

I N S I D E

C A R P

N E W S

F R O M

A R O U N D

T H E

G L O B E

c ar pwor ld maga z in e. co m

Issue 142 August 2015

ED SKILLZ

UNADULTERATED

ADRENALINE Live the dream with Ed as he savours the power and beauty of river carp P162

ECHOES AROUND THE WORLD

P147 All the news and catches from around the globe

NIGHTMARE SESSION

P173 Tony Davies-Patrick endures a nightmare session on the River Lot

carpworldmagazine.com

INTERNATIONAL CARPER

FISHERY FOCUS

P170 Fancy a change from the norm? How about a trip to Thailand?

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CONTENTS

The Carpworld Contents / Issue 299 / August 2015

24

Red Gold Darren Belton Silt is often packed with food in the form of luscious bloodworm, and Darren reveals why, when you find it, this bounty should really be called red gold.

31 ON THE COVER:

Steve Weir tackles the monsters of Euro Aqua, and very nearly breaks the world record with a huge 100lb+ carp. Read all about it on Page 155.

6

Editor’s Comments Our illustrious editor has been out and about in France and England lately. How did he get on? Turn to Page 6 to find out.

10

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

17

Was It Folly?

Lee Birch After taking a gamble and joining a Cambridgeshire syndicate without actually seeing the venue, Lee finally decided it was about time to pay it a visit before his ticket ran out!

Carping Allegedly Bill Cottam Bill takes us on another comedic tour through the world of carp fishing. But what have Taylor Swift, Avon skin products and the World Cup got to do with carping? All will be revealed…

38

The Weighting Game Mike Dagnall Mike’s current record cast stands at a staggering 298 yards, so who better to look into how the weight of the lead affects distance. Is it a case of big is best? The facts and figures may well surprise you.

42

Bait World featuring Joe Turnbull Bait sprays from Sticky Baits, wafters from Mainline, and a quick chat with top angler Louie Watt all feature this month, along with the Custom Bait Services’ guide to making your own boilies, what Beechwood Baits has to offer, and how to make the most of small baits.

54

54

84

61

91

Combating The Crays Rob Nunn The war against the bait-robbing crayfish is one which many people think we can’t win, but Rob may have just found a way to beat the critters at their own game.

Ashmead Diaries Mark Walsingham Whether we like it or not, the problem with otters and angling is not going to go away.

Mark continues his feature on how we must learn to live and work with the legislation which protects them.

68

Pecky’s Progress Darrell Peck The pressure of work and home life has meant that Darrell hasn’t been out fishing much this month, so if he was going to catch he’d have to have a little bit of luck on his side, as well as experience.

75 17

Think Tank This month our guest panel look at fishing rivers, a prospect which many anglers find daunting. However, if you follow their advice, you too can unlock their incredible potential.

The F Word Paul Forward What is the worst time of the year to go carp fishing? Mr. F thinks it’s when the fish are preparing to spawn. His catch rates of late may add substance to that theory, but he’s still had some cracking fish.

Rig World with Mike Kavanagh Mike reviews the Submerge braided line from Fox, Avid Carp’s Rig Loops and Marker Leads, and Korda’s new Kamo braid. He also concludes his interview with Neil Stanley about his innovative Zomb Zig Rig system.

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99

Island Paradise Lee Wagner The Island Lake on the Horton Complex is a little bit of paradise which keeps drawing Lee back time and time again, even though he’s had considerable success on the adjacent waters.

105

Tackle World Ten pages of the best tackle money can buy, including some bespoke new bite alarms from ECU, Cygnet’s Muddy Waters range, new rods from Harrison, Nash’s Scope bedchair, luggage from Chub, a top-value unhooking mat from Stillwater, and metalware from Wychwood, plus lots, lots, more.

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

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Historic Carp Waters

Chris Ball In part two of a three-part miniseries on Frensham Little Pond, Chris looks at the 1970s, a period when the anglers kept their catch results very close to their chest whilst enjoying great success.

128

Processionary Caterpillars and Other Health Hazards Tim Paisley Just when you thought it was safe to go out on the bank, Tim reveals a whole host of beasties and risks to health that can befall you whilst you’re out and about.

135

Harrison Rods Competition Do you fancy winning a pair of Harrison’s fantastic new Aviator rods?

Turn to Page 135 to find out how.

136

Still Carping On Tim Paisley Tim’s just back from a stay at Teillatts, and as well as a report on the trip, he’s on his soapbox again. It’s a good job too, as his thoughts on fencing, politics and the crack, plus welcome changes to the rod licence, will affect us all.

IN INTERNATIONAL CARPER As well as our round-up of the world’s big-carp captures in Echoes Around The World, we take a trip to Hungary, where Steve Weir reports on his capture of some of the largest carp ever to fall to rod and line. Ed Skillz has been living the dream by fishing for some of the most beautiful river carp we’ve ever seen, and while we’re talking of rivers, Tony DaviesPatrick continues his Wild Waters series by tackling the River Lot in France, where he fights illness along with some very angry and powerful monster carp. Finally, if you fancy a break from the norm, how about taking a trip to Thailand to fish for something which will really put a bend in your rod at the TopCats resort.

130

Ask The Experts How to tackle rivers, harnessing bacteria to boost baits, and choosing the best main line are the questions facing our team of experts this month.

136

DON’T FORGET

PICK UP YOUR COPY OF CARPWORLD FROM ALL MAJOR STOCKISTS

OUR AMAZING NASH SUBSCRIPTION ON PAGE 80-81 Au gu st 2015 Car pwo r ld 5

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FEATURE

THE

RIGHT Mike in action.

WEIGHTING

GAME M i k e

Compressing the rod correctly will achieve the best distance – and this doesn’t mean using the heaviest leads.

INSET A correctlyloaded spool will also aid distance. I choose to use Invisitec line on Ultegra reels.

BOTTOM Lead choice is more important than many people think, and it’s not all down to weight.

D a g n a l l

How much does the weight of the lead affect distance? Is it a case of big is best? Mike Dagnall’s current record cast stands at a staggering 298 yards, so who better to investigate?

Y

our lead and rig hitting the water is the last part of a sequence of events that I, as a tournament caster, have spent many years researching and developing. Getting those few extra yards is not simply a case of beefing up the rod or lead, as big is not always best when it comes to actual distance.

Extra weight can actually be detrimental to the distance achieved, and it’s all about achieving a balanced setup and matching your kit to the situation.

I’ve actually cast close to 300 yards, but I know casting at long range can be daunting to some people; if you break it down to the steps required to reach your goal, you’ll benefit immensely.

I’ve invested a lot of time and effort in researching and setting up a balanced setup, and I have recently been playing around with the Shimano Tribal Velocity rods to see which weight of lead works best with each rod.

I decided to set up each rod as you or I would do in a fishing situation. It’s all well and good putting 8lb line on big pit reels in a casting tournament, but I would never fish like that, so setting up as the rods would be used on the bank was the way to go. I then went down to the local park, set out some measures and cast several times with each rod, noting the measurements down accurately after each cast.

I started off with the 10ft 3lb model, which is the smallest in the Velocity range. Obviously, it’s been designed as a stalker/margin rod, not for long-range work, but it would be fun to see what it could do. I paired this up with a 10000 X-Aero Baitrunner and 12lb line. I started off with a 1oz lead and worked up in ½oz increments. As you can see from

the graph, the lightest (1oz) and heaviest (5oz) leads produced the poorest results overall, but by using the optimum lead for the rod, I was able to gain nearly 50 yards.

Progressing up to the 12ft model, I changed reels to Ultegra 14000XTC and 12lb Invisitec line. I used the rods which most anglers would choose, these being the 2.75lb, 3lb and 3.5lb versions and, again, I tested each rod with leads from 1-5oz. All the rods feature 50mm butt rings and 16mm tip rings, so in actual fact, there should only be the difference in test curves to consider.

Unsurprisingly, the distance cast went up with the test curve of each rod.

What I found this time around was that there was very little difference in distance achieved between the 3lb and 3.5lb versions, but the 2.75lb rod, with its optimum lead of 3oz, was actually 12½ yards short of the 3lb model, again with its optimum 3oz lead, which was only 4 yards short of the 3.5lb version with a 4oz lead.

Many anglers also believe that 13ft rods and heavy leads will achieve the longest distance, so I set out to see if this is true. I personally use 13ft rods for the majority of my fishing because I find they are much easier to compress in order to get the best from them. In days gone by, 13ft rods were often classed as out-and-out casting tools, but these days, many now offer a much better fish-playing action.

The two 13ft Velocity models are 3lb and 3.5lb test curves, so they would be a direct comparison between the 12ft models. Again, I paired them up with the Ultegra reels and 12lb mono. The results were quite startling, and I achieved over 200 yards with each model, a massive

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T h e We ig h t in g G a m e Mike Da g na ll

TH E W E I G H TI N G G AM E - TH E R E S ULT S The table shows how increasing the weight of lead can have a detrimental effect on distance Lead once thedistance optimum weight been achieved.

Tribal Velocity 250

Yards

200 150 100 50 0

1oz

1.5oz

2oz

2.5oz

3oz

3.5oz

4oz

4.5oz

10+ 3lb

98

102

110

127

140

133

114

102

93

12+ 2.75lb

133

137

139

145

155.5

149

142

133

122

12+ 3lb

138

148

155

163

168

163

156

149

134

12+ 3.25lb

138

148

162

165

167

169.5

172

166

156

13+ 3lb

162

168

172

178

203

200

192

185

170

13+ 3.5lb

138

144

167

172

189

212

210

200

196

increase on the distance achieved with the 12ft models. What was even more surprising was that these distances were achieved with less lead than I thought.

The 3.5lb model highlighted the importance of getting lead choice right.

With a 3oz lead, the distance achieved was an acceptable 189 yards, which was still more than was achieved with the best cast on a 12ft rod, but by upping the lead to 3½ and 4oz, both sailed out over 200 yards. However, the best distance was achieved by using a 3½oz lead (212 yards). So, by increasing the lead from 3 to 3½oz, I achieved an extra 23 yards, which actually dropped if I upped the lead to 4oz, which shows how important a balanced setup really is. I then tried a 5oz lead which, like the 4oz lead, actually had an even more adverse effect, dropping the distance down to an average of 196 yards. You can also see from the 3.5lb model that the distance climbs as the more compressed the rod becomes.

Light leads are unable to compress a powerful rod enough, which has a negative effect on the distance achieved.

You can see from the graphs that the choice of lead can make a dramatic difference in hitting your target.

The same lead was casting over 100 yards further on certain models!

These experiments don’t only apply to your choice of lead weight. You need to think of the overall casting weight,

5oz

so if you are casting PVA bags out to long range, it’s worth taking the time and trouble to get the weight right, along with the aerodynamics. An even distribution of weight in a neat package is always important when it comes to casting PVA bags to the horizon.

There also seems to be a general connection between the test curve of the rod and its optimum casting weight. For instance, 3lb rods seemed to cast best with a 3oz lead, and the 3.5lb rods with a 3½oz lead.

Lastly, you need to consider the type of line you are using. A heavy line, such as a fluorocarbon, won’t cast as well as a lighter mono of the same breaking strain. Diameter is also important; 0.40mm line will not cast as well as a 0.30mm line. That’s pretty obvious really, but don’t go too low on the breaking strain. Personally, I don’t like to drop down below 12lb for all but extreme ranges. I only drop to 10lb when fishing at extreme range in snag-free waters.

Leaders are a personal thing, and tapered mono, fluorocarbons, straight mono or braid, where allowed, are all fine. It’s a matter of personal preference, so I’d advise you to use whichever you prefer. In terms of reaching really big distances, it’s worth picking up a copy of this month’s Crafty Carper, Carpworld’s sister magazine, where I talk through the dynamics of a 300-yard cast. CW

Mike Dagnall will be offering free casting tuition at the following venues this summer, as part of the Shimano/Dynamite Casting Academy demonstrations.

20th September –

3rd and 4th October –

Farlows Lake, SL0 9LL.

Naseby Reservoir, NN6 6JF.

1st November – Baden Hall, ST21 6LG.

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FEATURE

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D A R R E L L

P E C K

PECKY’S PROGRESS

It’s been a busy month for Mr Peck, but not fishing-wise. He’s actually only been out on the bank once for some personal angling, so if he was going to catch he had to have Lady Luck on his side.

B

eing pretty much a full-time angler, you would think I’d never be short of something to write about. Well that’s half-true and half-not, but as I sit down to write this piece, it has dawned on me that I only have one session I can write about this month. For half of the last month I have been abroad; firstly I had a friend’s stag do in Greece, and secondly, I have just returned from a Korda filming trip, and I’m also moving house this week. This diary will have to be based around a single session at Northey, but thankfully, I did catch a few. Before I crack on with that though, I’d like to briefly share with you the highlight of the stag.

Now, I have never been sailing in my life, and neither had five of us who went, but in for a penny, in for a pound. I went along for some sun and a few beers. Being the only

LEFT The 32lb two-tone mirror which kept beaching itself in the shallow water.

interest, and by the second-from-last day of regular angler amongst us, I was asked to the trip, I didn’t even bother putting it out. take some basic fishing equipment, so I We were sailing across the open ocean at took along a couple of custom travel rods almost full throttle, trying to race a moodyI had made for the Mere, and a couple of looking storm which was picking up, Daiwa SS2600s. To be honest, I wasn’t when suddenly, the skipper/stag, Ciran, really too bothered about actually fishing said: “Peck, look at all those birds over myself, it was more a gesture for the other lads, as I imagined it would be easy enough there.” The local anglers at the harbour had told us to look out for the birds, and to catch little stuff on bread or whatever sure enough, there was a feeding frenzy in the harbours. Well, that’s exactly what going on, with tuna head and shouldering happened, and after catching quite a few amongst them left, right and centre. tiddlers, inevitably they all wanted The lure was quickly attached to catch something bigger. I and buzzed off the back, spoke to the locals in the and we slowed down harbour, and was told “No doubt they and began to head that by trawling lures, were thinking, ‘Darrell in that direction. it was possible to knows what he’s doing, As we approached catch the occasional he’ll be able to magic one up for us…’ but the the kill zone, the yellow fin tuna in the truth is, I haven’t got a birds scarpered, and 20-30lb mark, but clue when it comes instantly it looked we would have our to sea fishing!” like the chance had work cut out because it passed. I even said as wasn’t really the right time much, when suddenly the of year for it. The lads were tiny little SS2600s clutch went into buzzing once I’d been to the tackle meltdown. I won’t drag this out for ages, shop to purchase a few lures. No doubt as obviously this is a carp mag, but to cut a they were thinking, ‘Darrell knows what long story short, after at least 90 minutes he’s doing, he’ll be able to magic one up of battle, where we had to chase after it for for us…’ but the truth is, I haven’t got a fear of getting spooled. I battled the unseen clue when it comes to sea fishing! For beast on 12lb Touchdown and a five-piece the next couple of days, we towed a 10ft carp rod whilst thunder and lightning rubber lure 40m behind the boat boomed all around the boat. Eventually when travelling from island to it gave up, and I couldn’t believe my eyes island, but it didn’t take when a massive blue fin tuna popped up. long for us to lose Although not massive for this giant species, it was a big deal for the stag party; they were all whooping and a hollering like we had caught Moby Dick! Back at the dock we arrived like heroes, and we managed to sell it to one of the local restaurants for 120 euros. Needless to say, the beers flowed that evening.

Right, enough of that, back to the carp fishing. I have been dropping in on Northey whenever possible, and I basically emptied the contents of my garage Au gu st 2 015 C a r pwor l d 69

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FEATURE

PROCESSIONARY CATERPILLARS AND OTHER HEALTH HAZARDS

The very nature of our sport means that we are out in the countryside, not only at home but also abroad, and have to be aware of any potential dangers, as well basic safety measures.

I

did a post on processional pine caterpillars on Facebook recently, and the response was remarkable.

If you read up on these creatures, you are likely to get the impression that they inhabit the pine forests of the Iberian Peninsula, but they are far wider spread than that. In addition, I am assured by Mark Walsingham that we now have processional oak caterpillars in this country. They were present at Teillatts when I was there in late March last year, and on FB, news came through that they are a menace which is being dealt with by the Fire Brigade in Belgium.

I’d heard about pine caterpillars and their processions at Rainbow, but I had never encountered them until March of this year, when I took the pictures which appear here. I’d heard they could cause a nasty rash, and understood that it was as well to steer clear of them. The ones in shot appeared to be disorientated, and hung around the swim for a few days, trying to figure out where to go. It was difficult to avoid them completely, and in the dark I inadvertently trod on a couple. At one stage, two appeared on top of the bivvy. While I was there I suffered a sudden lesion on my cheek. Eventually I had to go to the doctor with it, and it turned out to be a skin-cancer lesion, a specific version, which isn’t normally caused by exposure to the sun. In my mind there had to be a connection between the lesion and the caterpillars, so I looked

MAIN IMAGE

Processional pine caterpillars should be avoided at all costs.

LEFT After a recent visit to Rainbow, I had to have a skin lesion removed.

Was this anything to do with the caterpillars?

I think so.

them up. They are highly poisonous, are best avoided, and in some countries and areas they are deemed a real health threat, as in Belgium and Portugal, will be dealt with by the safety authorities.

The clear advice is, ‘Don’t touch them, and don’t let your children or pets near them.’ If a dog eats one it has to have an operation, and may die. Their poisonous defence mechanism is to shed their spiky ‘hairs’, which are the poison carriers.

I’ve had my lesion removed privately, at some expense, and I’m assured there will be no long-term after-effects.

Some of the stories arising on Facebook following my comments made it clear that many other people have suffered from these creatures.

Dean Wood from Glossop suffered really badly, and even some time after he returned, he would have a fresh

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P ro c e s s io n a r y Ca t e r p illa r s a n d O t h e r H e a lt h H a z ards T im Pa is ley

RIGHT You should

outbreak of the rash if he came into contact with his Rainbow tackle (suggesting he brought some of the poisonous hairs back with him). Frank Warwick suggests that fly spray is an answer.

The safety authorities spray and burn the nests, which you will see high in the trees as furry balls. The caterpillars appear at the back end of winter and early spring, and then disappear to turn into moths, which are harmless.

Someone on Facebook suggested that the danger isn’t over after they’ve disappeared, because their hairs can be blowing around from the nest for some weeks after the caterpillar stage of the moth’s life cycle is over. There is a curiosity factor to this strange processional phenomenon, but the creatures are not good news, and contact with them is to be avoided at all costs.

To be forewarned is to be armed, so there are a couple of other dangers to be on the lookout for while you are carp fishing, including the health threats from ticks and rats.

I know four people who have been seriously ill from Weil’s disease, which is caused by rats, including Ken Townley, Peter ‘The Eater’ Woodhouse, and Gary Hood, long-time head of our production department.

Quite simply, Weil’s disease can

always wear a life jacket, as Broady proved out on Rainbow.

BELOW Ticks can give you Lyme disease. You need to remove them very carefully.

be caused by direct contact with water in which rats (pigs or cattle) have urinated.

My drinking water is bottled water, and my in-swim washing water is tap water. If you have a cut or sore of any kind, contact with infected water can trigger Weil’s disease, as can ingestion, inadvertently or otherwise. In hot weather, stripping off and exposing your skin to lake water can be a regular occurrence. Bear the possible dangers of this in mind if you then go in the water. Other than among anglers and other water users, Weil’s disease may not be recognised, so if you are ill enough to have to go to hospital for treatment, tell them you are an angler and may have been exposed to rats. You don’t have to see rats to know they are present on a lake.

Just presume they are present on every water you fish, and act accordingly. On and knew how to deal with it, but Steve checking out the Internet, it is clear how was far from well with the disease, as was rare this disease is, so the fact that I know Bill’s mate Colin McNeil. I brought a tick of four people who have contracted it back with me from the caterpillar session, emphasises that carp anglers in particular and had to dig it out of my skin. For the are at risk. It can be fatal, and most part there will be no side in 2010, Olympic gold effects from ticks, but if you medal rower Andy feel ill after a session, Holmes died from this is another reason “If you have a cut or Weil’s disease. to mention you are sore of any kind, contact Lyme disease is an angler if you need with infected water can caused by ticks, and medical attention. trigger Weil’s disease, as can is another ailment You may have Lyme ingestion, inadvertently that can be serious, disease, which will or otherwise” and can be contracted make you feel very at lakes. Bill Cottam lethargic and unwell. wrote about them at length This disease can be treated in a recent Carpworld (April effectively if it’s detected early 2015, number 295), and Steve Briggs on, but if it’s not treated, or treatment suffered a bad attack of Lyme disease after is delayed, there is a risk that you could a Rainbow session. Fortunately, partner develop severe and long-lasting symptoms Joan recognised the symptoms early on Finally, life jackets… I tipped the boat over at Birch during the close season, and my Fox life jacket (they no longer market them) inflated instantly, and very impressively. I’ve had to shop around to replace it. There is a range available on the Net, and there is an impressive-looking version available through the recentlypublished, ever-impressive Tackle Box catalogue, if you have trouble tracking down a suitable one. I like the cartridgeoperated versions because they take up little space, are comfortable to wear, and are very, very buoyant, as I recently discovered during my Birch soaking.

Being near or on water brings its own dangers, and carp anglers spend more time on the banks of lakes and rivers than most other people. Keep the risks involved uppermost in your mind. If you need medical treatment, tell them you are an angler. CW Au gu st 20 15 C a r pwor l d 129

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BREAKING THE 100LB BARRIER These immortal words, uttered by Steve’s friend and fellow angler, Dave Moore, sum up the incredible capture of one of the world’s largest carp: “When tha comes arrt this side ut tunnel lad, just think to theeself nobody on this island’s caught a bigger carp than thee.” You may not be able to understand the Yorkshire twang, but the sentiment is evident. This is the story behind the capture of one of the largest carp in the world.

T

he trip to Hungary’s Euro Aqua in June had been planned almost a year in advance. Having spent a lot of time fishing there the previous 18 months, and having struck a good rapport with the lake owner, I was able to book the swim I wanted and fish at the time I wanted, which, as any carp angler knows, is probably the single most important factor in finding success on any water.

So, it was with a great deal of excitement and expectation that I set off on Saturday 30th May, bound for Hungary. I’d managed to cram all my gear into a small hatchback for economy and comfort, and was off through the Channel tunnel by mid-Saturday afternoon. It was then motorways all the way through France, Belgium, Holland,

Euro Aqua in all its glory.

This shot was taken in 2013, whilst angling with Dave Moore.

BELOW

Germany and Austria, before arriving in Hungary early on the Sunday morning.

On arrival at Euro Aqua, I was met by my German fishing pals Jorge Schlegel, Alexander Brade and Frank Roßland.

Missing on this trip was our other friend and mentor Frank Schmidt and his son Nico, who were fishing further south somewhere. We had all fished the lake before, and Jorge and I had fished together the previous year. All the guys had previously caught well on Euro Aqua, and it was a great start to the trip, just sitting down discussing the week ahead and talking tactics over breakfast.

Jorge and I were fishing a swim called The Point, which is on a little island, and a spot which has produced well for me in the past. Alexander and Frank

were in Swims 3 and 4 on the opposite side of the lake, which also fishes well at this time of year, so expectations were high. The only question of doubt was that the fish hadn’t spawned, and being the first week in June with temperatures predicted to be high, the chances were that they were certainly due to start.

Having finished our breakfast, we all eagerly set off to our designated swims.

Jorge and I were bivvied up and ready to start fishing by midday. We’d swapped sides from our previous trip, so Jorge was fishing on the right and out to the deeper water, and I was on the left, fishing tighter to a small island. All that remained was to grab the one communal boat, put out our markers, and agree on a baiting strategy. We decided to go very

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sparingly with the bait initially. With the probability of the fish spawning and the lake having not fished particularly well the previous week, it didn’t make sense to hoof it in. So, markers out, bait in, rods cast and we were fishing.

It was 10.30 p.m. when my left-hand rod screamed off, and after a lively fight, our first fish was in the net, a cracking 51lb 8oz common. I was buzzing because it’s always great to get a decent fish under your belt early on. Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Jorge landed our second fish, which tipped the scales to an impressive 68lb.

Not a bad way to start a trip – the first two fish were 51lb and 68lb!

After Jorge’s 68lb common, Monday seemed to pass by fairly uneventfully.

We had a couple of small 20lb mirrors, and as the evening approached, we were just discussing what we should do with regards to baiting up for the evening when there was a single beep on my right-hand rod. I quickly moved and had my hand hovering above the reel in anticipation, but as the seconds ticked by, nothing seemed to be happening.

Then, when I was just about to walk away,

there was another bleep and I was in.

No sooner had I connected with the fish than it hit the surface and rolled. At this time it was a good 100 yards away, but when its tail came out the water, Jorge and I just looked at each other in shock – the tail was huge. Even Alexander and Frank, on the other side of the lake, could see it was a monster, and shouted across the lake: “ARSCHLOCH,” which, I believe, in German means, ‘good luck my friend we’re really rooting for you’!

It’s one thing knowing you have a huge fish on when it surfaces under the rod tip, but this fish was still a hundred yards away. I was using 12lb line and a Size 4 barbless hook, which wasn’t helping with my nerves. For the following 25mins I gave it all I had, and after a few scary moments it was finally under the rod tip. Trying to lift it to the surface was a challenge in itself; it was bending the rod double, and with 13ft 3.5tc Aircurves, that takes some doing! After what seemed like an eternity, it slowly started to surface, and as it finally came into view, there was no question that it was one of the big girls. As it finally squeezed into the landing net, the question on

ABOVE LEFT

Alexander Brade with his 90lb 2oz mirror. This fish had put on 14lb in only 8 months.

TOP Frank had this incredibly beautiful mirror at 78lb 5oz.

ABOVE Jorge topped off an incredible haul with some wonderful commons and this lovely mirror.

my mind was which one it could be.

Whilst Jorge held the net, I called the owner (Alex) to let him know I’d caught a fish which could be in excess of 40kg. It’s protocol to call Alex when a fish of this size is involved, as the weighing is crucial and the care of the fish even more so.

When Alex arrived in the swim, he immediately set about weighing the retaining sling and then zeroed his scales accordingly. By this time, the other four anglers on the lake had reeled in and joined us to be present for the weighing.

In addition to Alexander and Frank, there was Wilfried Geilen and Boris Van der Heijden from Holland, who were fishing in the swim to our right. I was glad they were there too, as I certainly didn’t want any ambiguity about the weight, and neither did anyone else judging by the way they all gathered around the scales.

So this was it, the moment of truth.

Jorge, Alexander and I lifted the fish onto the scales, and stepped back and watched as the scales settled on 104lb 2oz. As you can imagine, there was a lot of handshaking and back-slapping going on, but I was just in a daze. I was truly stunned, and wasn’t really taking

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TheCarpStore F O R M E R LY T H E A N G L I N G P U B L I C AT I O N S S H O P

One Of the mOst pOpular TheCarpStore TheCarpStore

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The debut book from F Frank Warwick “Back in the early days of what has become the prolific carp scene of today, carp waters were few and far between, and ‘every bit of blue’ on the Ordnance Survey maps used to be explored to see if there were carp in that particular bit of blue. It was a time when a rig meant free-lining or ledgering, and baits were as big a mystery as the location of waters containing carp.

Frank has lived through, and fished through, all those formative years, and has contributed handsomely to the development and refinement of carp-catching methods and baits. He’s enjoyed more than his share of success, home and abroad, along the way, and in this long overdue first book Frank relives some of the highlights of his 40+ years of carp fishing. It’s been an unmissable journey. for him.”

Frank Warwick With Bespoke Drawing If you’re a book-lover or you’re looking for a really special present for a book-lover, then a bespoke copy is a must-have. er ord or by e n i onl hone p

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24/07/2015 10:17