DAVE LANE
IAN CHILLCOTT
A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
I’M A BLANKER!
THE ORIGINAL AND STILL THE BEST
inside
AARON COPP
WIN
AARON DETAILS AN INCREDIBLE START TO HIS TICKET ON AN UNDISCLOSED KENT VENUE
GO LUG RILLAB GA OX UP F GE BUN DL OR G RAB E S
JOHNSON ROSS 2019 CATALOGUE
JUN – 2019 Issue
345 £4.99
JONNY FLETCHER
RUSS WIDGINGTON
PA U L F O R W A R D
JONNY RECAPS ON HIS LAST YEAR’S ANGLING AS
B R I A N S KOY L E S S P E A K S W I T H R U S S A B O U T H I S
DESPITE THE POOR CONDITIONS, MR F HAS BEEN
H E M O V E S O N T O PA S T U R E S N E W
F O R M A T I V E Y E A R S R I G H T U P T O T H E P R E S E N T D AY
RIGHT IN THE THICK OF IT AGAIN THIS MONTH
ALSO: DARRELL PECK ADAM CLEWER IAIN MACMILLAN CHRIS BALL JIM WILSON TIM PAISLEY TONY ATKINS GREG ELLIS LOZ EAST
345cover olive.indd 1
13/05/2019 20:04:44
Pecky’s Progress
What is it they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Not only have we decided against part three of the big interview and reverted back to a standard diary piece, but Darrell’s literary plans have gone up in smoke over recent weeks too. When you’re a slave to fishing, you’re a slave to fishing Darrell Peck
CARPWORLD
345.indb 46
46
13/05/2019 19:44:56
CARPWORLD
345.indb 47
47
13/05/2019 19:45:00
CARPWORLD
345.indb 40
40
13/05/2019 19:44:39
Greg Ellis
RIG
REASONING By his own admission, Greg likes to keep his fishing in a similar vein to himself simple... His no-nonsense approach has seen him catch a string of large carp, from a number of high-profile and very pressured circuit waters over the past four or five years, using no more than the two rigs he details in this feature...
LEFT
A Ronnie rig victim from my time on the North Met in Hertfordshire
CARPWORLD
345.indb 41
41
13/05/2019 19:44:41
Chalk ‘n’ cheese
Jonny recaps his past years angling, going from a quiet, big pit, to a smaller circuit water, which holds some rather large carp Jonny Fletcher
CARPWORLD
345.indb 17
17
13/05/2019 19:43:14
L
ast spring, I started back on the big pit, relishing the hunt and solitude that is has to offer. In years past, the spring had been cruel, but I was eager to make an early start regardless. The peace was appealing, but so too was the element of the unknown. In this day and age, that sort of fishing is rare and with the increasing risk of predation, the wild, low stocked lakes are a ticking time bomb. I have fished there, on and off, for a few years now and have been fortunate enough to catch a few of the special fish that reside in the 70-acre pit. However, there were still a few fish to catch and as much as I wanted to catch them, each year of trying brings me closer to the potential end, which is why I never outstay my welcome. I love having it as a retreat, an escape from the hustle and bustle of the busy circuit waters. The place is a logistical nightmare, requiring a boat and your motor being well away from the water’s edge. Although it is relatively quiet in terms of anglers, it has the urban limitations too and some rather precarious locals prowling the lake. I fished from the boat to avoid them, but in doing so, it also gave me the mobile freedom to move around the lake at will. The pit has a number of islands, which I used to my advantage, as being surrounded by water kept me away from any troublesome situations. The fishing was tough, but getting plenty of sightings of carp kept me going, although catching them was another thing entirely. The weather was cold when I started back in pursuit, chasing them around with single hookbaits had always worked in the past and it was with this tactic that I persisted from the off. Still, it didn’t seem to work and even though I had fished harder than I have ever done before, I couldn’t buy a bite. The lake would normally come alive around May-time and I was praying for the warmer weather to arrive. When it did, it was game on and I started to find them basking in the sun off some shallow ground. I had arrived on the Friday afternoon and found fish straight away, in a normal haunt when the weather was warm. A south westerly wind was trickling across the pit and while sitting out on an island, there was a sheet of flat calm water in front of me. That is where the fish were, so I watched them as the afternoon melted in to evening. Once that happened, the fish began to drift off, so I went out in the boat in search of a few areas to fish. I blocked a few areas up, one really close in and the others around the zone that the carp were spending most of their time. With the water so clear and the wind just gently pushing across the pit, lowering the rigs carefully on to the spots was easy. I placed the bottom bait rigs with precision and dotted a handful of Krill boilies around each spot. With all the traps perfectly set, I sat back to enjoy the last minutes of the sunset, full of
anticipation for the night ahead. I woke early and the wind had picked up, but still carried a fair bit of warmth. It was around 6am when one of the rods was away, which resulted in a 33lb mirror. An hour later I was in again, the fish had clearly arrived back in numbers. With such a low-stock of mirrors, I was shocked when another one twisted and turned in the clear margins in front. This time it was a slightly smaller fish, but equally as magnificent as the first, weighing 29lb 4oz. With the pictures done and just one rod left on the spot, I didn’t want to cause any more disturbance, so left the rods in and hoped for one more bite. Another hour passed and it duly came, with a hectic battle ensuing. This time it was a common, and a nice one at that, weighing 28lb and looking absolutely pristine. That afternoon I went off to make sure they hadn’t moved elsewhere, but I didn’t find a thing, which told me that I was still in the right zone. I put the rigs back on the spots, which had been completely cleared of bait. I topped them up with some fresh bait, dropped the rigs and waited for the morning bite time to arrive. When it did, I was rewarded with a 25lb common, alas that was to be the end of the action and in turn, my weekend’s fishing. Before I left, I put the remainder of my 5kg bag of bait on to each of the spots, ready for a return the following weekend. I had always done well on there when fishing exclusively with boilies. In my opinion, this is for a number of reasons, firstly, the fish absolutely love their Krill. Secondly, when I am putting all of my gear for the weekend in to a little boat, there simply isn’t room for buckets of particles. Lastly, if the fish are happy eating boilies, it is much easier to catch them, especially when compared to putting out big beds of particles in my opinion. I can use big, strong components and don’t have to worry about scaling down anything to match a more delicate bait mixture.
CARPWORLD
345.indb 18
ABOVE
Island life on the big pit! RIGHT TOP
My favourite Krill bottom baits allied with strong, trustworthy rigs RIGHT BOTTOM
The morning just got better and better thanks to this 29lb mirror
18
13/05/2019 19:43:15
Spring on the Kent pit Aaron Copp CARPWORLD
345.indb 28
28
13/05/2019 19:43:43
If you haven’t fished alongside Aaron, you could be forgiven for not knowing who he is. Aaron has kept himself to himself while very successfully targeting big carp from across the Home Counties over the past couple of decades. Following a chat with a mutual friend (and with a little extra pleading thrown in), he kindly agreed to give us an insight into his current fishing somewhere in bandit country... CARPWORLD
345.indb 29
29
13/05/2019 19:43:44
I’m a blanker! Ian Chillcott
Contrary to what people would have you believe, nothing is set in stone and despite modern-day fisheries boasting massively boosted stock levels over and above those available to the laymen 30 years or more ago, Chilly says you’ll still need to put your thinking cap on to reap the rewards I got something to tell you, I’ve got something to say, I’m gonna put this dream in motion, I never let nothing stand in my way. When the going gets tough, The tough get going. Billy Ocean – 1986
CARPWORLD
345.indb 89
89
13/05/2019 19:46:47
I
t may surprise many, but the act of failing to catch a carp can sometimes be just as important, informative and instructional as leading one into your outstretched landing net. Again, much depends on the era that you started your carp fishing adventure. After all, there are infinitely more carp ‘finning’ their way around our waterways today than there were, say thirty years ago – a time when I, and a few other gluttons for punishment, tried to solve the truly exciting mystery of catching carp. Isn’t it funny how time, and it’s passing, change everything at a very basic and fundamental level? Whatever era you come from, you can’t help feeling there’s always something to learn, new things to try, and most importantly, to enjoy the thrill of it all! When I first started to investigate the carp angling world, I was so heavily involved in being a soldier I very rarely had the time to go fishing at all. It often amuses me when people call me a lazy git, behind my back of course, who spends all his time fishing. But they never look back on the 22 years of service, and the most severe limitations it put on my time, and not only for fishing. In 1982 I spent the grand total of 36 hours here, spending the rest of it in eight different countries. Trying to fit a night in then was infinitely more taxing than trying to catch one of the rare carp that inhabited our waters. However, when I did, I learned fast. The military doctrine taught me to do so; I had to learn the hard way through many frustrating mistakes. It’s probably like living on a different planet in the Army these days, but, I remember only too well what used to happen should someone have an accident whilst parachuting. You were all ‘chuted’ up once more, then launched from an aircraft just as fast as time would allow. The psychological effects of a mistake could be cured by trying again, which is what I do... again and again and again! Thank goodness I walked away from a few scary moments, but it sure kept me on my toes! I suppose when you are shaped by a way of life, the others things you come across are treated the same way. The situation can be a little confusing, especially for all those who are new to carp fishing. Your decisions can be moulded by those trying to sell some tackle or bait to you. Understandable, of course, and something that occurs in every other walk of life. The problem is compounded however, by some who make ove- the-top fishing propaganda. They do so from pre-baited swims, and over a course of time which no one else could ever give to the pastime they love so much. In essence, the pursuit of carp is dominated by what others have told you to do, rather than the information your eyes and other senses have told you. For one, it is infinitely more exciting when you have discovered something for yourself, and secondly, will probably cost far less in terms of time and money. This keeps you happy, and just as importantly, those around you. It’s very easy to remember the things that were said to me many moons ago, when I was eventually
CARPWORLD
345.indb 90
90
13/05/2019 19:46:49
Next Month
In the July issue
Myles Gibson Myles is back! We catch up with him as he continues his pursuit of Black Swan’s big linears after a winter of working on his hous. Tony Atkins Tony continues his travels in search of solitude, tranquility and the occasional Leney Echoes – Steve Briggs Our monthly round-up of continental captures contains Neil Spooner’s epic 70lb+ Cassien mirror Loz East Our intrepid day-ticket explorer casts an eye over Berners Hall in Essex and also finds the time for a dabble on his syndicate venue On sale: Friday 21st June 2019 | Subscribe now to have next month’s issue delivered to your door! www.gifts4anglers.co.uk
CARPWORLD
345.indb 178
178
13/05/2019 19:50:48