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AUG – 2018
inside
Issue
ROBERT GIBSON
335
TURNING MY BACK ON C I V I L I S AT I O N
£4.75
IAN CHILLCOTT
T H I S W H E E L’ S O N F I R E
NICKY MILLS Walthamstow and the Lockwood Common
TOM DENTON
S P R I N G I N PA R A D I S E
IAIN MACMILLAN
DARRELL PECK
A WEEK IN THE SUN
DIVING INTO SUMMER
ALSO: TIM PAISLEY JULIAN CUNDIFF CLIVE GIBBINS MIKE KAVANAGH DAVE LEVY IAN RUSSELL MARK WALSINGHAM PAUL FORWARD DAVE LANE
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Nicky Mills
Walthamstow reservoirs
&
the Lockwood Common Essex-based Nicky has been quietly going about his fishing over the past few seasons, building an enviable portfolio of carp from some tough venues. Just recently he managed to capture one that had been part of an on/ off affair with a tricky London lake for a number of years
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Spring in Paradise
Tom Denton recounts the story of his recent exploits, angling on a truly special lake that holds some incredible carp, as well as the odd mystery too... - Tom Denton
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LEFT
The Long Island mirror, an incredible carp, weighing 40lb 6oz
RIGHT
Returning a very special fish
BOTTOM RIGHT
Being able to check the spots and find carp from the boat was great
BELOW
It was a wonderful and peaceful place to angle
I
BOTTOM
By nature, it was a snag-infested pit
had heard about this place for years, and it was always one of the most exclusive places going. A few friends had fished it back in the late 80s and early 90s, before I started seeing and hearing a lot more about the place again in recent times. It has always been kept under wraps, and with good reason too. Before last season, there were only a couple of lads allowed to fish it. Knowing what was in here, allied to the fact that only a couple of lads could fish it, meant I didn’t really give it too much thought over that period. It was one of those places that you just had to accept you wouldn’t be able to fish. However, in 2017, a small syndicate was formed and within it were a few close friends. As the ticket was due to start in September, one of the lads dropped out and my name was put forward. To my surprise, and delight, I was offered the place and I didn’t hesitate in taking it. The lake is around 47-acres, fairly shallow overall, with clear water, bars, gullies, huge weed beds and a jungle of snags. I have never seen so many snags in a lake; they don’t just frequent the margins, they are also out in the open water, covering the bars. I wouldn’t like to say how many acres of snags there are out there, but the fish do spend a lot of time in them, especially when there is a bit of pressure on the lake, the fish will retreat to the snags for safety, which can always make things tricky. They also dictated the way you fished too, in terms of the gear used, in order to fish safely. There isn’t an exact number in terms of stock, as it was closed in 2000 for the foot and mouth disease. Since then there has been a handful of people fishing it, so knowing the numbers without CARPWORLD
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Pecky’s
Progress After a brief period of repatriation with the family, following on from another of his European jaunts, Darrell heads to familiar pastures – albeit at an unfamiliar time of year, on the hunt for an enormous common... Darrell Peck Timing is key when fishing anywhere and, despite having not wet a line there in months, I had a sneaky feeling I was rolling up at exactly the right moment
A man for all seasons
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Every picture tells a story
August has never been particularly kind to Dave but here are one or two tales of when the gods did smile down upon him
I
Dave Lane
assume that you have all heard the saying ‘every picture tells a story’ – well that is particularly relevant here, or not, as the case may be, so let me explain. Because this series is relevant to the month of publication it is actually a lot easier for me to write, when compared to a diary-based piece, as I can pull up all the old photos from previous years and look for patterns in captures, tell stories and draw conclusions about carp angling at that specific time of year. All my fishing photos are stored on my computer and various backup drives, in separate folders, and they are labelled with the name of the lake and then the month. Just one scan of those drives tells me that August is not exactly the most productive month of the year as I have practically none that say August at the end. I always fish throughout this month and I must have caught something so bear with me as I delve deeper in to the vaults and see what I can find. Okay, I am back now and, although a struggle, I have found a few memories that were created during this mid-summer lull in proceedings but, more than anything, it’s made me question just why that lull occurs? July, it would seem, is often full of
carpy happenings and September is one of my favourite months of the year but, for four weeks, stuck in the middle of these two, the carp seem to go off the boil somewhat. I think if we look at the overall picture then we can see a few possible reasons, not least the fact that they have been fished for continually since either April or June, depending on the season’s start on any particular venue. It is also the time that the weed is at its heaviest and the oxygen levels may be a bit low, particularly if it is a hot year. This leads to a bit of lethargy on the carp’s side and, often, they spend most of their time just laid up in weed beds, or under the canopies of weed where we can’t get to them. During August we often suffer from a succession of high pressure systems as well, these are traditionally broken in September when the first of the big winds move in and often some of the best fishing of the year starts right then. I have hundreds of photos and stories about September so next month is going to be a breeze for me when it comes to sitting here behind the keyboard. Floater fishing can often break the deadlock and a few hours with just a rod, a net and a bag of dog biscuits can yield a better result than two days in a bivvy – although I often dispense with the bivvy in summer and just sleep out in the open.
silver linings With Ashmead closed to afford its residents some privacy during their annual ritual, Mark has some time on his hands for once and can view his beloved fishery and its glorious surroundings in finer detail Mark Walsingham
T
he Ashmead wetland is closed to angling at the moment, to allow the carp to spawn in peace. We run a flexible closed season around the needs and activity of the carp and, whilst it’s always a challenge to get the timing right each year, we try to shut in advance of spawning and then leave it for a couple of weeks after spawning has taken place before re-opening. Being in a part of the country that enjoys a fairly warm and predictable climate and given the shallow and heavily-weeded nature of Ashmead, spawning takes place at the end of May or very early in June on most years. We close for four weeks from mid-May to mid-June, although guests booked to fish immediately before or just after this period are aware that their plans may be disrupted. We have regular groups who book for the closing and opening weeks, who understand the need for flexibility and the importance of fish welfare at this sensitive time. I’ve always believed the female carp are most vulnerable to damage before they spawn, when the eggs are ready for release and any stress or physical trauma can be fatal. I’ve never understood anglers who continue to fish at spawning time, nor fishery managers who don’t close a fishery to protect their stock. Just because the entire stock isn’t spawning, all over the lake, doesn’t mean that the fish are not vulnerable and in need of a break from angling pressure at this critical time. Fishery management should always have fish welfare at its heart! The other benefit of having a closed season is that it creates the excitement of a ‘last day’ (or ‘last week’ in the case of Ashmead, because of the way we book the fishery) and of an ‘opening night’ as the closed season comes to an end. I always loved these highlights in the angling calendar and I still fish the traditional opening night every year, even though the old closed season on lakes is long gone. The last week at Ashmead this year was wonderful and it was fished by one of our regular groups of guests, who have become old friends
with the passage of time. After a hard winter and unsettled spring, it seemed as if the carp only just started to feed properly as the season ended and the anglers caught well over 20 fish between them. The highlight of the week came when I was sitting with a group of the guys on the north bank of Goat Willow, enjoying a beer in the sunshine. Suddenly the shout went up that Dave Tranter had hooked a fish from Five Ways Point. We decided to stroll around and have a look, even though it was “just a small one” and we arrived in Dave’s swim to find him in shock. Far from being small, the fish cradled in the margins was a fabulous common of 40lb 4oz. I had never seen this fish on the bank at 40-plus before and I was nearly as thrilled as Dave. I won’t go into the details here but, from a personal perspective, the timing of this success for Dave was rather special and it came at the end of a very emotional year. It’s moments like these with the friends with whom we share Ashmead that bring me the greatest pleasure in running the fishery. It isn’t just the carp that need a break from angling at this time of the year. The other wildlife needs a bit of peace as well, to breed and rear their young. I must admit I also enjoy the break myself and it is an annual pleasure for me to wander the wetland with a camera instead of a fishing rod, trying to photograph the wildlife that thrives in the absence of regular human disturbance. When the birds are nesting in the dense bankside vegetation and the great crested newts and other amphibians are gathered to mate, Ashmead comes alive and nature is at its most approachable. Every year is different and every spring brings some new ABOVE
A fabulous common of 40lb 4oz MIDDLE
The other wildlife needs a bit of peace as well FAR RIGHT
Ashmead comes alive
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Next Month @tomgibson_99
In the September issue 30th Anniversary Special Kevin Nash September sees the start of our big interview with one of the bestknown forerunners of the modern carp scene, Kevin Nash. Echoes All the latest catch reports from around the globe, including a number of very big fish, such as this one to the rods of Sven Frank. Kevin Clifford To help mark our 30th anniversary, Kevin goes back some way further, in his article Redmire Remembered. Dave Lane, Darrell Peck, Myles Gibson, Ian Chillcott, Tim Paisley, Julian Cundiff. Plus, Think Tank, Ask The Experts, and some huge prize giveaways...
On sale: Friday 24th August 2018 | Subscribe now to have next month’s issue delivered to your door! www.gifts4anglers.co.uk
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