Carpworld May 2017

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ISSUE 320 MAY 2017

ISSUE 320 | MAY 2017 | MONTHLY £4.75

simon crow ian chillcott darrell peck tim paisley

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BRITAIN’S BIGGEST CARP-ANGLING MAGAZINE

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MYLES GIBSON’S DINTON SEASON

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THIS ISSUE C A R P I N G A L L E G E D LY

TA C K L E W O R L D

RETURN TO HORTON

In another hilarious instalment Bill Cottam discovers the secret to eternal youth

We test the brand-new ‘S’-Lite rod from Free Spirit , and take a look at the latest Mitchell reel

Hot on the heels of banking five 40s from the Church Lake, Dave Levy lands a new 50

INTERNATIONAL CARPER

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THE LATEST CATCHES AND FEATURES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE 22/04/2017 12:37

C O N T E NTS T h e C a r p w o r l d C o n t e n t s / I s s u e 3 2 0 / m ay 2 0 1 7

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Sticky Baits Competition Your chance to win one of 40 prize packs of the new Signature Squid range worth an overall £979.60.

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Return To Horton Dave Levy After a short break from his campaign, Dave was once more treading the hallowed banks, but what would the rest of the year have in store for him?

ON THE COVER: miles gibson with a heavilyscaled mirror from black swan

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Editor’s Comments This month Steve reveals why a huge chunk of luck helped him catch, and why it’s always a good idea to turn your alarms on!

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

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BaitWorld Featuring Joe Turnbull This month Joe looks at Duster Baits, Mainline, and FeedStimulants. Plus, BAF’s new Pop Up Mix, Nash Baits Key Cray, Bait-Tech and much more.

58

Greys and Penn Competition An awesome chance to win a set of three Greys Apex rods, and three Penn Affinity II reels worth over a £1,000.

carpworldmagazine.com

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Carping Allegedly Bill Cottam It isn’t often that a carp angler makes a life-changing discovery, but Bill has. He also talks reels, and the very soon-to-be-launched range of very carpy Carping Allegedly clothing, which will be this year’s must-have bankside fashion.

68

Pecky’s Progress Darrell Peck As the end of Darrell’s winter campaign on Bayeswater looms on the horizon, he tries to cram in as much time as possible while it’s prolific.

75

Think Tank People often write about targeting individual fish from a water, but is this is actually possible, or is it just a case of keep catching until you get the one you’re after? Here our panel of experts give their views.

81

Bait-Tech Competition We’ve teamed up with the guys at Bait-Tech to give five lucky readers the chance to win bait packages of their brand new Triple-N Range, worth a combined total of £464.45, don’t miss out.

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Old Father Thames Jack Funnel Something keeps drawing Jack back to try his hand on Britain’s largest river, the Thames. Here he reveals some of his successes, and talks tackle, and tactics unique to this mighty waterway.

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Ask The Experts Our panel of experts answer questions on what are the best rigs for pop-ups, how to use the baiting pyramid technique, and the effects of the weather. There’s also £250 of Mainline bait to be won.

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Back to Black Myles Gibson Northwest angler Myles brings us up to speed on his season so far on Black Swan, a water near Reading, and explains how difficult this place can be to tackle, especially if you are a travelling angler.

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Small Wonder Darren Belton Darren reveals why he believes that small waters can often be tricky, and how best to approach them. He explains the differences between small commercial venues and tiny natural lakes, and how to catch from them.

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Letter To A Small Island Simon Mansbridge Simon looks at the small spots that produce bites and how to fish them. He also talks rigs, and blows some of the latest carpfishing myths, the difference between good and bad silt, and how to locate feeding carp.

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

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RigWorld featuring Mike Kavanagh Mike checks out the new Reform Chod Link and Chod Hooks from Deception Angling, Avid Carp’s DS Leads, and Nash Floater Bugs. Plus, Carpworld’s Choice.

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AN AMAZING DYNAMITE OFFER ON | PAGE 126

94

Chilled Out Ian Chillcott Chilly finishes his winter campaign on a high note.

101

Crafty Catcher Competition Gives eight lucky readers the chance to win some of their Big Hit bait range, worth a total of £455.28.

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Kingsmead Chaos

Greg Ellis Continues his adventures on this prolific water on the RK Leisure’s, Horton Complex, but he’s beginning to get itchy feet and looking for a new challenge.

FOR THE WORLDWIDE ANGLER

F Word Paul Forward Mr F looks at Zigs, critical depths and Wraysbury triumphs and despair. Sounds like it’s been a busy old time for our intrepid Kent based hero.

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TackleWorld This month, we take a look at the new Free Spirit ‘S’Lite range, plus gear from Fox, Chub, Mitchell, Vision, Cygnet and much more.

Still Carping On Tim Paisley Tim talks about The Carp Society and it’s future, takes a look at some new predation issues, and prepares for his up-coming trip to the awesome Rainbow lake.

including

I N T E RN A T I O N A L

scarred fish atover

149 156

90lb SIMON CROW

STEVE BRIGGS

p156 On the reality, risks, an d rewards of overseas carping

p163 St e v e an d j oan he ad of f t o t he b e aut i f ul b r i g ue ui l

Echoes

p171 w hy he can ’ t g e t e n oug h of b adg e r s holt an d i t s i n hab i tan t s

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I n Ec hoes t hi s m o n th , th e r e a r e so m e v e ry im pr e s s ive c ap t u res f rom a r o u n d th e g l o b e , in cl u d i n g A 9 0 lb f rom G ravi ers, A m o n ste r f r o m a b b e y la k e s, pl u s c at c hes f rom A f r ica , H u n g ry, f r a n ce , i ta ly, spa i n , and T hai l and. Si m o n Cr o w is a m a ssi v e ly e x pe r ie nc e d t ravel l i ng ang l e r w h o ta lks a b o u t th e r e a l i ty o f overs eas adve n tu r e s. Ste v e b r i g g s v isi ts th e l ove ly Bri g u eu i l , and h a s so m e g r e at su cce ss. F i n a l ly, Ke ith w i l l i am s tal ks a b o u t h i s e x pe r i e n ce s o n B a d g e r s Ho lt.

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Overseas Directory Carpworld may 20 17

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This Carping World Simon Crow

KEITH WILLIAMS

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from globe echoes thearoundbestthecatches

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22/04/2017 15:43

F EA T UR E

MYLES GIBSON

BACK TO LACK Northwest angler Myles brings us up to speed on his season so far on Black Swan on the Dinton complex, near Reading, and explains how difficult this place can be to tackle, especially if you are a travelling angler.

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started back on Black Swan in the middle of February, and straight away it struck me how little weed there was. Normally it is choked, but the algae bloom seemed to have killed it all, and the only real area where the carp could feel safe was at range.

The lake was getting busy and everything was pointing towards the longer spots out of a couple of swims. Fish are regularly seen showing out there, but it takes quite a bit of effort to get rocking.

The spots were over 170 yards, and I needed the wind to assist me to ensure I could get out there. When fishing at that kind of range, I didn’t want to be recasting regularly, so I ensured that my hookbaits were totally birdproof. I usually fish with sweet, fruity little bright ones in the spring, but an army of coots which littered the area would have destroyed them. I opted to fish with out-of-the-tub Krill pop-ups –

match the hatch, if you like. I didn’t want to go mad with the bait, so I took 30 with me to bait up from the boat, with a long Hinged Rig fished over the top.

The first trip was a successful one, and I landed eight carp to over 34lb. The mirror was unreal, a solid example of why I love the lake so much. I caught a variety of carp, small commons both long and dumpy, scaly mirrors and plain ones; there really is a very diverse stock.

I dropped back in the same spot the following week, but needed a westerly to help me get out to the area. Thankfully, the conditions were on my side and I landed another four fish, topped by the Big Ghostie at over 38lb.

I was back in same swim the following week, and I noticed that the fish had pushed across slightly to the other side. I caught a couple of 20s, but I knew where I needed to be for my next trip.

TOP: The lake is often busy with boats and kids, especially during the school holidays.

LEFT: Smashing them long to clips.

It took a few goes, but Myles didn’t stop until they were bang on.

BOTTOM: A near-30 common, caught from Peg 4 at range.

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22/04/2017 09:22

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F EA T UR E

DARRELL PECK

PECKY’S PROGRESS As the end of Darrell’s winter campaign on Bayeswater looms on the horizon, he tries to cram in as much time as possible while it’s prolific.

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n the weeks since my last piece, word has spread that the 5-month drought at Bayeswater is over and lambing season is well and truly under way. Its once deserted banks are now host to the bivvy version of musical chairs, which is the usual game there in spring, and like it or lump it, if I wanted to catch them I would have to get involved.

I spent the weekend of March 18/19th at home, frequently glancing at my calendar, and plotting my next moves. I could see I was completely free for 2 weeks, and at that moment, I was half-tempted to throw it all in the van and disappear abroad, but that would certainly be a financial gamble so early on. In the end, I decided the venues I had in mind were probably not quite ripe enough yet, and I should give Bayeswater some more attention, with some of its stock due an appearance on the bank.

I arrived around 4.00 o’clock on the morning of Monday 20th March, and after a quick lap, I arrived at me old mate Phil the Can’s pitch. He was snoring his head off in Swim 2. Initially, all seemed normal with the world, with beer can carnage strewn around his umbrella, and I could also see he had a prisoner. Having not seen any activity on my lap, I thought it was as good a position as any to keep watch, and as the sun rose over the horizon, I intensely scanned the surface for signs.

Nothing concrete was seen anywhere, and after Phil’s pictures and him leaving for work, I was left to decide where to start.

Obviously, Phil’s capture was concrete information, but just because he had caught didn’t mean I would. He’d caught casting towards the corner of the island, and for me, it was more of an area where they just passed by than actually gathered. Despite these thoughts, I was drawn there more than anywhere else. The fact that I had seen them show in open water there a few weeks back, coupled with his capture, made my mind up.

I spread my Zigs out across the area, with two near the island and two in open water where I had previously seen them show. In the blink of an eye, 2 nights passed without event and the swims started to empty around the lake. There were moves to be had, but I wasn’t sure which way to turn. The wind had changed to a northerly for the first time in weeks and was blowing into swims 3 and 4, and I was aware how easily the carp could suddenly appear in there on a fresh breeze.

Steve Bugg, and his brother-in-law Danny, had just doubled up in Swim 4, and with their eight lines across that zone, I was left wondering what to do. Swim 9 was the back of the wind option, but Geezer Grant had only just vacated the area a few hours ago. In the end I did nothing, thinking along the lines that I had just as much chance of a fish swimming around the corner of the island as I did anywhere else.

The third night brought the same result.

Nothing! I was feeling nonchalant about

ABOVE: The 31lb common which fell to a 3ft Zig.

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F EA T UR E

OLD FATHER THAMES

Something keeps drawing Jack back to try his hand on Britian’s largest river, the Thames. Here he reveals some of his successes, and talks tactics unique to this mighty waterway.

JACK FUNNEL 82 Carpworld m ay 2 0 17

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AN EXPLOSIVE DEAL

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Both bait packages come with 3kg of 15mm boilies and matching liquid attractant, which can be used to boost the baits to add even further attraction. They are supplied with Fluro Pop-ups and Dumbells, which can be used as hookbaits on their own or as tippers when combined with a bottom bait on the Hair.

Both varieties of bait come with a Dynamite Carp Bucket, which has a fitted tray in the top that is perfect for storing any pop-ups, liquids or PVA bags. The only difference between the two bait packages is that the Tiger Nut package comes with a 100ml bottle of concentrate dip, which is perfect for dipping baits before casting to give higher attraction. The Red-Amo package comes with a tub of Hardened Hookbaits which are ideal for waters with more nuisance species, or when leaving the rods out for a longer period of time.

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F EA T UR E

Experienced carper Simon Crow discusses the reality, risks, and rewards of overseas carping.

SIMON CROW 156 Carpworld m ay 2 0 17

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TOP: A 40 apiece for me and Rene Hawkins, from the 10,000-acre Lac du Der Chantecoq.

BOTTOM: Making the most of my only trip to Rainbow Lake in 2013, with the famous Thousand Scale.

I

f there’s a side of my carp fishing I prefer more than any other, it has to be the overseas adventures. Nothing beats the excitement of going to a new country, with good mates, to fish for carp. Watch the YouTube videos that Alan Blair and the Nash team have put together, entitled Euro Banx; these films encapsulate what comes with this kind of fishing. There is no certainty from a trip, other than you must plan it as best you can and then work to make things happen.

It might be hard graft, but the memories you make along the way are what makes this form of fishing so enjoyable.

If I think back to the first time I ever went to France, in 1991, I couldn’t sleep the night before because I was so ‘up’ for the trip. It’s fair to say we had no exact plan of where we were going to fish on that occasion, other than Rob Hughes had a rough idea of a couple of wild pits which contained carp. It was very much a case of looking on a map for a bit of blue and going from there. Thankfully, we caught some lovely carp, but we certainly had a few hiccups along the way.

The first lake we fished, we got thrown off for night fishing after doing only one

night, and then we settled on a lake nearby after visiting half a dozen other venues which didn’t take our fancy. We managed a few fish from there, but we had a slight problem on the last morning. As we were about to leave for the ferry, Rob’s car bottomed out on the track. It ripped off the exhaust, which needed to be fixed into place with my trouser belt and some old guy rope we had attached to the dinghy!

It set us back by an hour, and it sounded like a tractor engine by the time we sorted it, but thankfully, the old Escort held together and we made the 3-hour journey back to the ferry in one piece. The exhaust fell off again just as we went over the ramp to board the boat! We had no insurance and neither of us could speak much French, but we look back at that trip and smile a bit.

Of course, the carp captures and laughs make the trips extra special, but for every good trip there are some low ones mixed in there too. Only a few years back, I was stuck in France for a couple of days because the car had a blowout on run-flat tyres. There was no spare, and the AA cover we bought had been purchased through a broker, so it didn’t do what we thought it would. It was an absolute ’mare Carpworld m ay 2 01 7 157

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NEXT MONTH

perfection

Guaranteed Iain Macmillan talks about boats and their use.

CARPING ON

YOU R C H A N C E TO W IN

LETTER TO A SMALL ISLAND

TIM PAISLEY REVEALS THE UPSAND DOWNS OF HIS LATEST TRIP TO RAINBOW LAKE, NEAR BORDEAUX

WE’VE GOT A SET OF THE VERY LATEST FREE SPIRIT ‘S’-LITE RODS, AND A MATCHING SPOD ROD TO GIVEAWAY

SIMON MANSBRIDGE TALKS BAIT CHOICE, AND HOW CRITICAL IT IS FOR CONSISTENT SUCCESS

ON SALE: F R IDAY 2 ND J UNE 2 0 17 S U B SCRIB E N OW TO H AVE N E XT MONTH ’S IS S UE DE L IV E R E D TO YO UR DO O R ! W W W.TH E C A R PS TO R E .C O M nextmonth_CW320_v3.indd 1

22/04/2017 15:32