330 March 2018

KNOW YOUR CARP STRAINS? KEVIN CLIFFORD REVEALS ALL

- New series -

loz east discovering day tickets

THE ORIGINAL AND STILL THE BEST

WIN

D I S TA N C E K EEPER FOUR TO BE WON A WEEK ON MIRROR PO OL FOR THREE PEOPLE

INSIDE

Darrell Peck GOES HUNTING FOR BITES

Dave Lane

TELLS US WHY NOW IS CARP TIME!

Julian Cundiff

H O W T O H AV E A M O R E SUCCESSFUL 2018

Ends 2017 on a high Myles Gibson

TIM PAISLEY NOMAD BY FATE PAUL FORWARD IAN CHILLCOTT AND MUCH MORE...

Issue

330

£4.75

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

MAR – 2018

Issue 330 M a rc h

Contents

2 01 8

86 Discovering day tickets

The first in his new day ticket series sees Loz visit Butterley Reservoir in some hard winter conditions - Loz East

132 Competition

A week’s exclusive holiday for three to Mirror Pool in France worth £930 - Mirror Pool

08 Editor’s Comment

18 Rig-Or-Mortis!

Tim talks predation, the Angling Trust, and the political representation of anglers

editor@carpworld.co.uk

It may surprise many readers that Chilly finds rigs just about the least interesting subject in carp fishing.

When you consider most anglers rather strangely credit all their successes to their rigs, it’s odd that Ian has written so little about them over the years. He’s decided to put that right...

- Carpworld

- Ian Chillcott

- Carpworld

14 From the Bivvy A few little highlights from the world of carp fishing this month. If you’ve got something to share email us at

Editor-in-Chief Tim Paisley e: editor@carpworld.co.uk

Advertising Director Bev Clifford e: bev@carpworld.co.uk t: 07811 108785

Design Andy Day e: andrewdaydesign@outlook.com Alex Southerington e: alex@carpworld.co.uk

Advertising Sales Manager Richard Newman e: richard@carpworld.co.uk

Subscriptions Emma Goodhand e: subscriptions@carpworld.co.uk t: 01430 440624

Distribution Seymour Distribution Printed by Acorn Web Offset Published by Carpworld Sandholme Grange Newport East Yorkshire HU15 2QG e: infor@carpworld.co.uk t: 01430 440624

Accounts Mick Clifford e: mick@carpworld.co.uk t: 01430 440624

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28 Carp Diary

72 Pecky’s Progress

115 Baitworld

Myles Gibson continues his run of form on Dinton Pastures, ending the year on a high

A few blanks and Pecky was looking for some action – so a bit of a ‘runs’ water was in order. A couple of visits to Blasford Hill and it all started coming together when a carp stuck its head out and gave the game away

In Baitworld this month we have a look at the Supa Fruit range from DT Baits, Mainline’s Hi-Visual Pops-Up, a few bits from CC Moore, British Aqua Feeds, Blakes Baits plus the new Dynamite Baits Monster Tiger Nut Pellets

- Myles Gibson

38 Competition We’ve got four Distance Keepers up for grabs worth over £550 - Distance Keeper

41 F Word Despite some cold weather a few fish have been coming to Mr F’s rods, although Lady Luck and a little help from a friendly Robin may have played a not insignificant part in the proceedings. Paul wins a bet, drinks a bit too much booze on the BBQ, and gets in a ziggy mood

- Darrell Peck

- Carpworld

80 Rig World

120 Subscription Offer

This month there is plenty to look at including the new range of Nash Pin Point hooks and sharpening tools, the handsharpened hook just launched from Gardner plus bits from Korda, VMC and Fox

We’ve got a mega subscription offer worth over £120 in this issue from the guys at DT Baits which can be yours for just £65 - DT Bait Developments

- Carpworld

122 A Man for all Seasons

94 Straining Credulity

At this time of year subtle changes are taking place – Dave gives his thoughts on how this affects location, baiting and zigs – but most importantly, how you should always have an open mind...

With the new Fox RX+ alarms under the spotlight, the Shimano TX Ultra rods plus products from Nash, New Direction Tackle and many more, there is loads to feast on in this month’s Tackle world

Everyone’s heard of Leneys and Dink strains, some may even think they’ve caught Italians and Royals. Kevin Clifford believes most of this strain malarkey is smoke and mirrors (pun intended), and what anglers generally catch, in the majority of waters, are fish that are a mixed up, interbred patchwork of carp strains

- Carpworld

- Kevin Clifford

All the latest catch reports from around the globe – don’t forget to send us yours via our website –

56 The 70% Gang...

106 Ask the Experts

- Carpworld

This month, Jules offers Part 1 of his guide that detail the 10 factors he has seen, copied and, in some cases developed himself, that can make any reader, yes any of you, more successful in 2018

This month the experts from Mainline answer questions on when to change your hookbait, fishing boilie over particle and targeting carp

144 Happiness is only real

- Paul Forward

49 Tackleworld

- Julian Cundiff

65 Think Tank

- Dave Lane

135 Echoes

www.carpworldmagazine.com

when shared

109 Carp and poppies in the

A filming trip for Salvatore Perrone to a Slovakian border reservoir resulted in bags of action for him and his lady companion

Fields of Flanders

- Salvatore Perrone

- Mainline

In last month’s feature from Paul Forward, he explains why he’s convinced single baits are the answer during winter. What are your thoughts on this tactic during the winter months?

Raf Swinnen explores the history of his great-grandfather’s time in the Great War and pays a homage by visiting the scene of the historic Belgian battle on the banks of the Yser River

- Carpworld

- Raf Swinnen

Tim closes this month’s issue with subjects that include cold-water carping, The Mangrove and Birch Grove - Tim Paisley

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154 Still Carping On

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J u l i a n C u n d i ff

The 70% Gang...

This month, Jules offers Part 1 of his guide that detail the 10 factors he has seen, copied and, in some cases developed himself, that can make any reader, yes any of you, more successful in 2018

Once you have decided what carp fishing means to you then to improve or better your results you need to stretch yourself a little CARPWORLD

I have read on numerous occasions that 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish, and whilst this may have been true way back in the day (the 60s to late-1970s possibly?) it certainly is not true nowadays. When carp fishing exploded in the 1980s it truly was possible to have a massive edge over others with a new tactic, bait or even tackle item. I know that on my local waters, when I was the first one in on something new, the results were crazy compared to previous years and other angler’s current results. The hair rig, boilies, mass baiting, long-range rods and reels, fishmeals, the bent hook, etc... Each and every one of these that I used was devastating and I would conservatively guess tripled the results pre that ‘edge’ – ahh, those were the days my friends... However, with the explosion in the popularity of carp fishing came an explosion in the numbers of those doing it, and pressure always equals a slowing down in results. Nonetheless, edges could be kept and with a degree of subterfuge (what me you gasp!) you could stay one step ahead of fellow anglers and the carp – just! That, of course, did not last long as carp magazines sprang up to meet the demands of more carp anglers and those magazines that catered for match and coarse anglers started to devote huge chunks of their magazine to carp fishing knowledge, and the spread of it. Add to that the growth of the

56

ABOVE Course it’s hard work but you have to get on with it ABOVE LEFT Consistently successful carp anglers tend to radiate confidence

internet (anyone remember carp fishing forums?) followed by the last nail in the coffin of secrecy – social media providing instant information to everyone.

So, with all that, you could be forgiven for thinking that we all fish on an equal par to each other – yet how come some angler’s still seem to catch more than others? How can that be? I know we could go to the good old backstops of “they have more time/ bait, etc”. Well, of course, that’s true to a certain extent but believe me that those are not the real reasons behind their success – not at all. Having fished with all sorts of successful anglers from the mid-80s onwards, I know that anyone can be more successful than they currently are no matter how little time and money they have at their disposal. Anyone can get to what I call

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“70% effectiveness” but the hard bit is to take it beyond that. The remaining 30% is what separates the average from the great if I am being brutally honest.

So, this month, I am going to detail the 10 factors I have seen, copied and, in some cases developed myself, that can make any of you, yes any of you, more successful in 2018. You will, hopefully, notice that not one of these factors is bait, tackle, rigs, etc. but is simply down to individual effort without any real financial cost – so no one can accuse me of alienating those less well off or toeing the party line, gear-wise. Next month I will delve into the more technical side of carp fishing, looking at rig, bait and tactical changes that can make you even more ruthless percentage wise. So, in no particular order of importance, other than maybe the first one here goes:

Lo z e a st

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Butterley

Reservoir

Butterley Reservoir was built to initially service the Cromford Canal but, in recent years, the Ripley and District Angling Club have done a superb job in making the reservoir a great place to wet a line or two.

The reservoir is located just off junction 28 of the M1 and not far from the Ripley turn off on the A38.

The easiest way to find it from any direction is to follow the National Heritage signs for the Midland Railway Centre. The postal code is DE5 3QZ CARPWORLD

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ABOVE One side of Ripley and District Angling Club’s Butterley Reservoir LEFT To get from one side of the reservoir to the other, you have to cross over the bridge

I’m led to believe the reservoir holds around 1200 carp at present and some absolute stunners at that

straining credulity

K e v i n C l i f fo r d

ABOVE Carp being netted in the Netherlands in the early 1900s, from the fish farm that Donald Leney obtained his carp to stock into UK fisheries

I

I’ve been interested in the different races and strains of carp, and their history, for a long time. It’s a complex and somewhat ambiguous subject and not everyone’s cup of tea – after all it matters nothing to the process of actually catching a carp. And, of course, when it comes down to the nitty-gritty and anglers start arguing, you’re going to end up with disputes about what constitutes a ‘strain’ and if that differs from a ‘race’. As far as I am aware there is no consensus amongst aquaculture geneticists (or other responsible bodies) for the definition of a fish strain. I think most people have an understanding of what constitutes a race, and accepted definitions are readily available on the internet. So, to begin with, here is my definition of what constitutes a carp strain: A strain is established when the fish demonstrate consistent, repeatable and distinct morphological

CARPWORLD

characteristics. How do you demonstrate that? With difficulty.

On the other hand, sticking a couple of carp together, one from Redmire and one from Savay, getting them to spawn, and calling it a new strain is nonsensical.

By this point you’ve either turned the page or you are one of the relative few that are interested – perhaps one of those folk who have expressed views on the matter on social media and in the angling press, and I have to say, with all due respect, that a lot of what I have read is utter tosh. I reckon the first example of it dates back to when I had just joined the British Carp Study Group – sometime around 1970, I guess. I attended a get-together at Capesthorne Hall, in Cheshire, and was sat in the pub with most of those attending, and unsurprisingly the subject of Redmire carp came up. A chap named Roy Parfitt,

94

Everyone’s heard of Leneys and Dink strains, some may even think they’ve caught Italians and Royals. Kevin Clifford believes most of this strain malarkey is smoke and mirrors (pun intended), and what anglers generally catch, in the majority of waters, are fish that are a mixed up, interbred patchwork of carp strains

ABOVE Brood stock being transferred to the Dubisch ponds for breeding at the Heidemaatschappij fish farm in the early 1900s – the Dutch supplier from whom Donald Leney subsequently purchased his small carp

from Kent – and long deceased I believe – stated in a self-assured manner, that the Redmire carp had been introduced from Spain, from a place named Galicia, and that’s why they were called Galician carp. I didn’t know any better, so that statement stuck with me for a while, until I did a bit of digging and learnt the truth. Now that must be getting on for something like 45 years ago, but, believe it or not, that one is still doing the rounds. On theanglersforum.co.uk in 2009, a poorly informed individual, writing on a thread titled ‘The Great Leney Debate’ came up with this: “Galicians were the very first of the fish obtained by Don Leney and actually came from a region in Spain. After that Mr Leney just travelled around and picked the best looking strains from around Europe.”

And this is part of the problem; someone makes a uniformed

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statement and all of a sudden it becomes folklore. The subject of carp strains and races is riddled with uncorroborated statements, half-truths, fantasies, hearsay, misunderstandings and total baloney.

Here’s another bit of nonsense I came across in 2017 on a forum: “Ropsha (Hungarian carp) – although usually associated with Hungary and widespread in large European rivers... the fish were named Ropsha as they were introduced from the river into the grounds of the Ropsha Palace.... in the mid-18th Century.”

Well, the facts are rather different, although a little complicated. The Ropsha carp has nothing whatsoever to do with Hungary. In 1887 Galician carp were introduced from Poland to the Dombalya fish farm, at Antoniny, in the Ukraine.

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Dav e L an e

A Man for All Seasons

At this time of year subtle changes are taking place – Dave gives his thoughts on how this affects location, baiting and zigs – but most importantly, how you should always have an open mind...

I am always faced with the same dilemma around this turn of the calendar pages – where to fish and what type of bet to put down

I

I hope you are reading this on the bank because, by my estimations, the publication date will be the middle of February and that’s carp time in my book. The last two weeks of the month, and very often the start of March, is the big wake up time – the period where everything comes out of its winter slumber and we get a chance to put a bend or two in the rod again.

I am sure that it all starts on a sub-silt level and I am also fairly convinced that it is more to do with daylight hours than it is with temperature, air pressure, moon phases or anything else atmospherically related. Way down there in the primal

ooze there are wiggly things starting to stir and the chain reaction that follows will, hopefully, let the carp know that it’s time for food – and mine will already be out there waiting for them.

I am always faced with the same dilemma around this turn of the calendar pages – where to fish and what type of bet to put down. Do I slide just a few chips across the metaphorical card table and stick to my winter venues, where the chances will suddenly rise from fairly good to very, very good indeed or do I go ‘all in’ on the top table and return to a ‘proper’ lake and sit it out for a big payday? In the past I have

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Back on the big lake

Next Month

In the April issue

Alistair White Writes about his fishing on the chalk ‘n’cheese Wraysbury venues in recent times Loz East Follow Loz as he continues his day-ticket travels via the banks and boards of Drayton reservoir in Northants Julian Cundiff Join Jules as he continues to explain his theories with the 2nd part of The Seventy Percent Gang Ian Chillcott This month’s offering turns to bait, and the nonsense that is often written about various aspects of its use. More words of wisdom from our straight-talking Chilly

On sale: Friday 23rd March 2018 | Subscribe now to have next month’s issue delivered to your door! www.gifts4anglers.co.uk

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