Keith Jenkins Made In England
Bluebells – memories of my yoof.
Darren Day holds aloft the impressive Burghfield common at 57lb, caught on Odyssey XXX. 140
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A L L
Keith Jenkins
A G A I N S T
Made In England
MADE IN ENGLAND O D D S
A sad note to start on, I’m afraid. As I’ve said before, our obsession with carp fishing really does pale into insignificance in the face of events such as the Burma cyclone or an incestuous Austrian, but these are things we cannot control and, like millions of other people, we have our own lives to get on with, so we do, even though that does not stop us feeling horror or sympathy.
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with Jack, Shoulders, The Koi, and The Lady. ut we have our minor tragedies that Subsequently, they were all moved down the affect our lives in ways that others road to Horton, at the beginning of the ’90s, wouldn’t understand, and so I felt quite and there they all thrived for half a dozen years sad when I recently heard that The Parrot had until the disastrous fish-kill in 1997, which died. No, not the one in the Monty Python saw only The Parrot and Shoulders survive. In sketch, the one in Horton! the following decade, these two old warriors I was one of the lucky ones to catch this great carp, and many more worthy than me had caught it before, and many since, Rest in peace old girl, but it was still a special occasion, thanks for the memories. as it was for all those other captors. I was trying to work out how old she was, and I reckon she must have been over 40 years old. I remember seeing a photo of her when she was in Rayner’s Lane, the distinctive parrotlip was there even then, although she weighed no more than 6lb, and the conjecture was that her mouth had been badly damaged when very young, after been hooked. We were never sure if that was the truth, but the photo was from some time in the earlyhave been the most sought after of the Horton ’70s, so it’s reasonable to assume that she took denizens, despite the younger fish catching and four or five years to attain that weight. overtaking them in weight. Other than when I Her ‘fame’ was sealed in the years after she captured her, I saw her landed twice, and both was moved into Longfield where she became times the captors were elated, even though she part of the famous ‘A’ team, hanging out was far from the prettiest carp in the world!
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I remember seeing a photo of her when she was in Rayner’s Lane, the distinctive parrot-lip was there even then, although she weighed no more than 6lb, and the conjecture was that her mouth had been badly damaged when very young, after been hooked
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My capture of her came the day after the England versus Spain game in Euro 1996 – the game of the famous Stuart Pearce celebration. Her weight of 44lb was almost the heaviest she had ever been, but that mattered not a jot to me and I can still recall emulating ‘Psycho’ by screaming at the top of my lungs as those deformed lips kissed the spreader block in the early morning light – magical. It was nice that she died in the close season; no recriminations, no blame apportioned to the last to have caught her; she just quietly faded away as somewhere, someone whispered, “Who’s a pretty boy, then?” On to a happier subject and a really pretty boy, that being the capture of the Burghfield Common at an incredible 57lb! What an immense fish and how pleased must Darren Day be? She last got caught almost two years ago and has gained a further 5lb in weight since then, so who knows what heights she will scale? A great bit of angling by the sound of it as well because, rather than towing a bait to the far horizon, as can happen on these big waters, he actually stalked it out from the margins – man, what a buzz that must have been. I spoke to Vince about this and he immediately started ranting that there must be lakes out there somewhere with whacking great uncaught carp in them. I tend to agree, because there are quite a few huge lakes with a small head of carp that are quite capable of making serious weight gains – but I doubt that they are uncaught. As I’ve said before, I think that when carp reach middle age they, like humans,
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Keith Jenkins Made In England
Normal service is resumed!
slow down and so less of the food they eat is burnt off as energy, so they steadily begin to gain weight. Take The Eye in Sonning, she was caught in the early-’90s by Pete Springate at 35lb, but less than 10 years later she was astounding the angling world with a weight of 52lb. Now, unbeknown to most of us, she had made a few visits to the bank in the interim, but the two lucky captors were keeping it very much to themselves, until Andy Dodd did us all a favour. I think that it is possible that there are few fish out there capable of these weight gains, but I also think the conditions have to be very favourable for them to do it relatively unnoticed. I remember doing three or four sessions on a huge Thames Valley gravel pit a couple of years ago, a vast, forbidding water of relatively unknown quality. Rumours always abound at
A PB for Conor rounds off a fine weekend.
Largest of my dozen from the Laney weekend.
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this sort of water, and tales filter out of huge, uncaught whackers (usually commons) that smash tackle and leap like Moby Dick when free. But, sadly, the truth is far more mundane, and it didn’t take much investigation to find out that the only notable capture had been a few years earlier and was of a 37lb carp. Now you’re thinking, ‘Hold on Jenks, you just said about The Eye….’ Yes, I know, but the fact is, this fish was caught in a flooded relief channel and it was uncertain that it had even been returned to the lake. Also, fish of this size do get caught again, because they get that size by eating lots of food, especially boilies, so I think that the little band of brothers who have persevered on there for the past few years would definitely have contacted it by now. Or maybe they have, and they’re just keeping schtum! Hmm, must give Piers a call. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to find such a place? The only problem is that there are so few big, unexplored pits around with the potential to produce ‘unknown’ carp. The carp-vine is a very efficient news medium, probably faster than the Internet, and secrets don’t stay that way for long. But I’m sure I know of two or three huge waters that hold big, relatively unknown carp; the problem is, these
I think that it is possible that there are few fish out there capable of these weight gains, but I also think the conditions have to be very favourable for them to do it relatively unnoticed
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Made In England
John Taylor with a fasssttttt growing 41!
Keith Jenkins
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He told me he’d put me in the best swim, which he did, but you have to clutch every straw you can when you’re fishing with Laney, so I milked it for all I could
waters are in excess of 100 miles long and the carp could be anywhere – even back in the lakes they originally came from! Think on. Close to where I live are three very large reservoirs – Weir Wood, Bewl Bridge, and Ardingly – and I know they all hold carp, but due to the fluff-chuckers it’s nigh on impossible to have a really good go for them. Weir Wood opened its gates to carp angling a few years back and my old mate Rob Tough had a good time on there, but although he caught loads, very few were in excess of 20lb and, if memory serves, I think the largest was an old 27lb mirror. With such vast expanses of water, most of it out of bounds, it’s difficult to contemplate a meaningful campaign on such a water, unless the owners decide to open it up to carp fishing for a month or two, like they do for pike fishing. That sounds a bit too much to hope
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for, but maybe a quiet word here and there wouldn’t go amiss, who knows? Talking of Ardingly, my route to work takes me quite close to there, and then on through the Ashdown Forest, and I must say it’s been a joy to go to work over the past few weeks because of the great abundance of bluebells in a lot of the woodland. I love bluebell woods, they really do evoke wonderful memories of childhood for me. One of my nans used to live on the edge of Epping Forest in Essex, and the other lived in Sussex near the Ashdown Forest, so whenever I spent time there in the holidays it invariably involved me charging through the bluebell woods on an imaginary horse, slaying dragons, or climbing the nearest available beech or oak to escape the bears! The bluebells do seem more vibrant this year and, being a sad old thing, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to get a
few photos recently – please indulge me. Oh, I’ve been fishing. Yeah, I know that I said last month how much I enjoyed the close season, but I believe I also said I’d probably wet a line at some point. Well that point came along, and it was with Laney. Since his move to Suffolk and his sudden increase in workload we see very little of each other nowadays, so the opportunity to get up there and spend a couple of nights with the old boy was too good to miss. We fished a nice lake not far from him which had a load of doubles and the odd 20 (although we saw none of the latter) and we spent a nice couple of days catching a few carp, eating and drinking, and just shooting the breeze. What was quite remarkable was that I caught a dozen carp and he didn’t! He told me he’d put me in the best swim, which he did, but you have to clutch every straw you can when you’re fishing with Laney, so I milked it for all I could. However, just to prove that he still has what it takes, he wandered up the far end for 10 minutes just so he could get a run and a fish on video for a forthcoming show he’s doing. Ten minutes later he returned having caught two for the cameras, the little minx!
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Keith Jenkins
RD GEORGE AW A What’s the odds? Just one of four 40s in 24 hours for David Ollif.
The time passed quite swiftly, like it always does, but it was nice to see Conor again, especially as he caught himself a PB on the final morning – chip off the old block! Then it was off down the A12 and home. Nice to get a bend in the rod but, as usual, it didn’t take more than three doubles before I craved something much bigger. So, my thoughts turned to Broad Oak and the coming season. Last season I had caught my target fish, the big common. No, that’s not the way to put it – the one fish that I would have liked to catch was the big common and I was lucky enough to do so. I’ve fished too many waters for too many years not to realise that luck plays such a big part in the carp we catch, and, as much as we might want to catch a certain fish, so much of that capture is down to luck. I’m not saying successful anglers are lucky, it’s usually because they’re bloody good anglers, but the majority of us have to make do with what comes along. That’s not to say I
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Made In England
GEORGE AW A
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So, my thoughts turned to Broad Oak and the coming season. Last season I had caught my target fish, the big common. No, that’s not the way to put it – the one fish that I would have liked to catch was the big common and I was lucky enough to do so
won’t be craving a certain 40lb mirror carp this year, and if I’m lucky enough I’ll put it all down to skill and angling ability! The problem is, if I do manage to catch Alice, will I want to stay on the lake? There are many more fine fish in the lake, and it is a lovely lake, but I fear that I may need another challenge sooner rather than later, although I do seem to be jumping the gun a bit. Last year was a good year, but there were loads of times I didn’t get it right so there’s still loads to learn, it’s just that there are some real Ben with a PB 35lb common.
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big lakes out there, with very few people on them; overgrown, unkempt, secret, mysterious – blimey, I think I’ve just turned into Agatha Christie! Nah, let’s see what this season holds, although I don’t know how much angling I’ll be able to do, what with a summer of rock in front of us, and a trike that is just loving the fine weather at the moment – could be autumn and onwards before I get down to it properly. Talking of the fine weather, once again we seem to have a beautiful spring, much the same
Carl Bullock with a stunning PB from Sandhurst.
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will, inevitably, become my son-in-law, but that’s up to them, for now he’s a good dad and not a bad angler. He suffers, like a lot of working family men, with a lack of angling time and only manages one night a week, but on a recent trip of a few hours he managed to bag himself a personal best in the shape of a 35lb common from a local water. Bloody fine angling and proof that thousands of rod hours aren’t always the answer. (By the way, Ayla’s one next week. Bloody hell, it seems like only yesterday that Chillcott and I were weaving our way towards East Surrey hospital in search of a grandchild. Frightening!). For now, I go in search of bluebells and tranquillity, then it’s off to the O2 to see Roger Waters, followed swiftly by a trip to Brighton to see Mark Knopfler. Old rockers, like old anglers, never die – they just smell that way! Keep battling the odds, your turn will surely come, but maybe not tomorrow. God rest The Parrot, and all the others. We love ’em all. KJ
Keith Jenkins
An Oxfordshire stunner for Matthew Mee at 43lb.
show for that are 20 or so 40lb+ carp reported in a weekly paper, then that’s not exactly a high ratio of 40s per rod hour, is it? Sure, a lot of people don’t report their captures, but what if we’re talking 10% of captures being reported (which I seriously think is an underestimate), that equates to 200 x 40s to very approximately 100 million rod hours! (Work it out – 50,000 x 24 x 7). Still not a high ratio is it, and I reckon it’s probably closer to 100 per 150 million rod hours. So the next time you leave a lake that has one known 40 amongst its stock of 200, and you and the other 20 anglers have failed to catch it that weekend, don’t be downhearted, the odds are so highly stacked against us it’s a wonder we catch anything at all! Well, I hope that’s cheered you up, and congratulations to the lucky few who have beaten the odds and bagged a whacker, though I’ve got to say that David Ollif has been just plain greedy. Not only did he beat the odds, but he beat them four times – in 24 hours!! No, not in France or one of our put-and-take carp waters, although the water in question is famed for its head of large carp, but even so, no one else has achieved this feat, so bloody well done, David – right place at the right time and no mistake. My old mucker CP had a similar result recently whilst fishing a Berkshire water that he’s dabbled on the past decade or so, and in a couple of nights he helped himself to nine carp, six of which were 30lb+ to upper-30s. Marvellous angling, and all on The Grange – you just gotta love that bait. Despite my comments, a lot of 40s are being reported and there isn’t enough space here to mention all of them but I’ll stick in a few photos by way of saying ‘bloody well done!’ As it’s my column, I must mention Ayla’s dad, Ben Musslewhite. I’m assuming he
Made In England
as last year (apart from last month’s snow, of course!) and the carp seem to be responding. I’ve heard of a few lakes where the fish have already started spawning and this could be a very good sign for later on in the year, when they will be healthy and hungry, although they’re not exactly going on a diet at the moment, it would seem. Paul Forward told me a few years ago that if you want to catch TwoTone from Conningbrook then the best time is just after it has been caught, and once again he’s been proved correct. Barely a month after Little John broke the British record with its capture, Jamie Godman has gone and landed the fish at a little over 64lb. A huge fish and one that will definitely be increasing that record further in the near future, I would wager. Talking of scoffing, did you see the fish that John Taylor caught from an Essex lake recently? He banked it at 41.11, yet its last capture was six months ago at 33lb – that’s some amazing weight gain and just confirms what I was saying earlier. These big carp are capable of huge weight gains in short periods of time and although some of that may be spawn, I’m sure it will be way, way bigger than 33lb when it is next caught. There are a huge number of 40s being caught nowadays, but it’s easy to be misled into thinking that you can pop along to your local puddle, lob out some bait, and reel in one for yourself. I was chatting with someone the other day who had gone to a day ticket water that boasted a 36lb common and a 45lb mirror, but while he was there all he managed were a couple of low-singles, and the only notable capture was a low-20. It’s a shame that some people are misled by what they see in the press, because you need to think that on any given day from now until September, there are probably 50-100,000 people fishing for carp, all using at least two rods, and if all there is to
Have you caught a real true-blue whacker? If so, email your catch picture (high resolution please) and capture details to: kjenkins. home@blueyonder.co.uk For one real true-blue capture, each and every month I will be awarding a St. George’s Cross lapel badge, kindly donated by Fox International. Please remember to include your name, address and contact number with your catch details when you email them.
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