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one of five
ISSUE 319 APRIL 2017
ISSUE 319 | APRIL 2017 | MONTHLY £4.75
key cray packages worth over £119 each
THE
BIG INTERVIEW
P139
W I T H T V S TA R
BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE
ALI HAMIDI P67
carpworldmagazine.com
THIS ISSUE P56
P95
P149
carpworldmagazine.com
PECKY’S PROGRESS
EVOLUTION OF EFFICIENCY
INTERNATIONAL CARPER
Darrell banks the first carp for 5 months, from the ultra-hard Bayeswater
Lee Wagner talks about his rig that has been 20 years in the making
Luis Montes banks the USA’s first 60+ carp, and much more
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C O N T E NTS The Carpworld Contents / Issue 319 / APRIL 2017 win
one of five
ISSUE 319 APRIL 2017
ISSUE 319 | APRIL 2017 | MONTHLY £4.75
35
key cray packages worth over £119 each
THE
BIG INTERVIEW
P1 39
W I T H T V S TA R
BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE
ALI HAMIDI P67
carpworldmagazine.com
Letter To A Small Island Part Three Simon Mansbridge Last month, Simon wrote about location of the general areas where the carp can be found. The next step is to find the spots within these areas where they are prepared to feed.
THIS ISSUE P56
P95
P149
carpworldmagazine.com
PECKY’S PROGRESS
EVOLUTION OF EFFICIENCY
INTERNATIONAL CARPER
Darrell banks the first carp for 5 months, from the ultra-hard Bayeswater
Lee Wagner talks about his rig that has been 20 years in the making
Luis Montes banks the USA’s first 60+ carp, and much more
ON THE COVER:
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The man behind the big fish off and monster carp - ali hamidi.
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Editor’s Comments This month, Steve talks about his first proper session of the year on Greenacres, which saw him wade through numerous tench before landing a carp. He’s also been to the Carpin’ On show, which was a great success.
9
Gazette All the news and views from around the carp-angling scene to keep you up to date with what’s going on.
13
Kingsmead Chaos Part Two Greg Ellis Greg continues his Kingsmead adventure, and reveals how knowledge gained was a crucial part of his ongoing success on this busy and often tricky venue. The rewards are there for those willing to make the effort.
20
Magical Meres Brad Lewis Much has been written about the Shropshire and Cheshire meres, so Bradley Lewis reveals how he tackles these enigmatic waters, with a great deal of success.
28
Some Kind Of Monster Mark Watson Mark takes a look at the fishing world, and just how much things have changed, talks rigs, and discusses the ethics of prebaiting.
4
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RigWorld featuring Mike Kavanagh Mike checks out products from Angling Iron, including their Ring Screws, Hook Swivels and Shank Stops. There are also products from Korum, Fox and Gardner, plus more in Carpworld’s Choices.
50
The F Word Paul Forward Paul has been trying to get back amongst the fish this month, but even a social with Dave Lane didn’t help, until he decided to try his luck on a different venue where the fish soon played ball.
79
Think Tank The word ‘thermocline’ is often bandied about at this time of year, and is described as a section of water where the water temperature drops drastically with a small change in depth. We asked our panel of experts for their opinions on how this affects fishing, and how to tackle it.
87
My Manor Simon Kenny A change of circumstances led to Simon trying his hand on this deep, tricky, and often busy Essex venue, and he had some truly outstanding results for his efforts.
93
Nash Competition The awesome new Key Cray bait has recently been launched, so we’ve teamed up with the guys at Nash to offer you the chance to win part of our £599.90 prize bundle.
95
The Evolution Of Efficiency Lee Wagner Big-fish angler Lee Wagner first started carp fishing 20 years ago, and here he reveals how he has continually worked to create the most efficient rig possible.
102
The Deepings Years Garry Carlton After Garry’s article in the last issue, he carries on with the story of his time on the Deepings syndicate. If you thought his first year on the water was good, after catching Black Spot, then read on.
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BaitWorld featuring Joe Turnbull This month, Joe checks out groundbait from BaitTech, imitation baits from Enterprise Tackle, and looks into mail-order bait from The Angling Bait Company. There’s also bait from Crafty Catcher, Nash, Sticky Baits and Mainline.
56
Pecky’s Progress Darrell Peck This month, Darrell banks the first carp for 5 months from the very tricky Bayeswater, and lands a cracking 30lb+ common from Blasford Hill.
63
Ask The Experts Our panel of experts answer questions on tackling a large weedy water where Chods are used a lot, and fishing Zigs on a deep water during the spring. There’s also £250 worth of Mainline bait to be won.
67
The Big Interview Ali Hamidi Steve Broad talks to TV presenter, and all-round nice guy, Ali Hamidi, about where it all began for him; from working for Korda right up to now, when he’s managed to get more fishing on our TV screens.
50
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F: facebook.com/CarpworldMagazine / T: @CarpworldMag
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Chilled Out Ian Chillcott With the change of weather, Chilly’s luck also seems to have changed, and with temperatures on the way up, he makes the most of the fish being more active.
129
TackleWorld In this month’s TackleWorld, we check out the awesome new Greys Prodigy Apex rods, which are simply great to use and are awesome all-rounders, plus a look at some of the latest products from Fox, Chub and Mitchell.
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Still Carping On Tim Paisley Tim shares the latest revelations to unfold in The Carp Society saga, and recounts some of the most recent things he’s been involved in, including a meeting with Rod Hutchinson.
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F EA T UR E
THE
MAGICAL MERES
Much has been written about the Shropshire and Cheshire meres, so Bradley Lewis reveals how he tackles these enigmatic waters, with a great deal of success.
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TOP: An awesome mere resident.
BRADLEY LEWIS
BOTTOM: This rig works perfectly in silt.
B
eing a Shropshire boy born and bred, I have always been aware of the hidden beauties in my home county. The Shropshire countryside is peppered with stunning waters, from historic estate lakes to the majestic meres, and for many anglers, these waters are the bread and butter of carp fishing, and where it all started many moons ago. Being a carp angler since the age of 9, I have wet a line on many of the jewels Shropshire has to offer. Estate lakes and low-stock silty meres have been my playground for many years, but fishing one particular venue had been on my agenda for some time. It’s a place of myth and legend, and acquiring a ticket on such a magnificent water is always difficult. You almost have to prove your worth on other difficult venues before being granted the magical ticket, and after a good season on another water, I finally got a winter ticket on one of the area’s most difficult meres. Over the course of the winter, I have been fortunate enough to walk the banks of two Shropshire meres. I suffered a lot of blanks on them both, but finally obtained some success. Here is my story.
The birth of the meres goes back thousands of years. The heritage and ambiance they display is second to none, and I appreciate being fortunate enough to fish them. The meres of North Shropshire are the second-largest network of wetlands in the UK. A mere is a small lake formed on the permo-triassic sandstone overlain by glacial drift deposited during the last Ice Age. During that time, the retreating ice gouged out basins in the rock called kettle holes. These filled with rainwater and created the meres present today. Taking this into consideration, you can begin to understand how deep some can be. For example, my syndicate goes as far as 50ft deep in places. With such a large volume of water offering different thermocline areas, locating the carp is extremely important, and extremely difficult. If the low stock of fish, incomprehensible depths, and vast size didn’t make the fishing hard enough, there are other obstacles to overcome. The high nutrient levels found in many of the meres produce blooms of green and blue-green algae in summer and autumn, known locally as the ‘breaking of the meres’. These blooms cause shading,
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F EA T UR E
PECKY’S PROGRESS This month, Darrell banks the first carp for 5 months, from the very tricky Bayeswater, and lands a cracking 30lb+ common from Blasford Hill.
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F
inally, the worst of the winter seems to have passed, and I can stop making excuses as to why I haven’t caught. Yes, you heard me right, I have actually caught, and it was from the Bayeswater syndicate that hadn’t done a bite in over 5 months. Spring is certainly in the air; the days are noticeably getting longer, the daffodils are up, the birds are singing, all sure signs that winter is behind us. I’ve been pretty busy of late, with show season in full swing. I think I mentioned last time that I’d been to Zwolle, and since to Poznan, Hamburg, and Five Lakes. It’s always interesting to visit different countries, and see the diversity between the general carp-fishing scenes. For example, in Poland, the impression is that catch-and-release is still in its infancy, and fish welfare doesn’t even come into it. In Germany, in the main, catch-and-release is illegal, and all anglers are expected to eat what they catch! The more I travel,
the more I am aware of the world of carp fishing outside the UK, and the adventures available for those willing to go. Bayeswater has been totally dead this winter, but even so, I’ve been keeping in touch with it because I know only too well that carp thrive on neglect. Empty banks and warmer conditions almost certainly lead to a chance, and I wanted to be amongst the first to sniff one out. During the last week in February, Storm Doris loomed on the horizon, bringing low pressure, extreme winds, and temperatures tipping 15°. From past experience, I know that big winds and milder temperatures can be the catalyst for winter action. In the January of 2013, many lakes were frozen when I noticed a big low-pressure system coming in. Temperatures were due to reach 12° and stay that way for over 48 hours. I questioned my sanity as I loaded the van, but I was almost certain of where the Rockford carp would be. I had caught on every single trip throughout the autumn,
TOP: A beautiful Bayeswater dawn. BOTTOM: Adventure angling in Germany. I had a great day there.
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F EA T UR E
GIANTS In the final part of his enthralling series, Tony changes venue for the final time. He settles on the high-altitude Lake Zarnon, which is far from easy, but the rewards can be truly awesome.
TONY DAVIES-PATRICK 156 Carpworld ap r il 2 0 17
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ur two vehicles turned off the motorway and drove 15km down winding tarmac roads, and then down an old dirt road for a further 2km, kicking up a rolling dust cloud behind us. The water was so well hidden that at first we drove past the tiny opening in the forest canopy, and had to do a U-turn to backtrack to the spot. My Mercedes saloon and Herve’s large van were finally parked in a secluded section of the forest, and then we walked down the steep slope to view the swim. Zarnon opened up before us, and a high knoll provided a full view across the entire lake. A small peninsular of stony bank provided an option to fan out our rods and cover most of the best-looking areas. The left and right marginal zones could be reached by casting, but a boat would be needed to accurately place rigs along the far-bank zones. Space was tight and our parked vehicles took up valuable room to erect our bivvies. I checked the weather forecast on my phone and it predicted a period of sunny weather, so after further discussion we decided to dispense with overhead cover and simply sleep on our bedchairs beneath a canopy of stars. I had one deflated dinghy rolled up inside my car, and Herve had two inflated dinghies inside his large van. The lake was not vast and all sides were protected from harsh winds, so we opted to only use the smallest of Herve’s rubber inflatables and share it between us. We split the lake in two; Herve chose the left side and I took the right side. My section provided a wider span of the lake, so I let Herve fit one of his three rods in between my own rods so that he could also cover a narrow central section on the tasty-looking far east bank. We took turns to go out in the little rubber dinghy, to check depths on the echo sounder and look for likely-looking areas to place our baits. Once we had thoroughly scanned the complete lakebed, I let Herve row out his rods first. He chose to drop a small double white tiger nut rig tight to a tangled mass of submerged trees and broken branches in the lake’s northwestern corner, and a second tiger nut rig next to the outer branches of a sunken tree in the near southwestern corner. A third rig was baited with two 20mm boilies and rowed out to a fallen tree halfway along the far eastern shoreline. I rowed out alone to an overhanging big tree in the northeast corner, and then lowered a 30mm and 25mm combination rig in deep water at the edge of a slope that levelled off at 30ft. Two large 30mm boilies were threaded on the same Hair, Carpworld ap r i l 2 01 7 157
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NEXT MONTH
THAMES
TREASURE Jack Funnel reveals the outstanding season he had on Britain’s biggest carp fishery, the River Thames.
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