• ISSUE 19
WINTER
2014
MR PINK! HAYDN GETS A NEW PB!
NEW:UNCOVERED JULIAN CUNDIFF
THE FRIMLEY DIARIES HAYDN HOSKINS
RIG TALK
BAIT TALK
KEVIN NASH
THE NEW KEY BAIT!
CONTENTS 4 - 6 IN THE MIX
Keith Jones brings to you an insight into the new things at Nash
10 -13 RIG TALK
'The Boss' Kevin Nash talks about Rig TT
14 - 15 WINTER ZIGS
Alan Blair shares tips on how to fish Zigs in Winter.
18 - 19 WINTER THOUGHTS Simon Crow gives an insight to his winter fishing
20 - 22 WINTER TARGETS With Nash camera man Oli Davies
24 - 26 BAIT TALK Intriducing the brand new Key Bait.
28 - 31 UNCOVERED
Colin Davidson talks to the legend that is Julian Cundiff!
34 - 38 THE FRIMLEY DIARIES
Haydn Hoskins brings us the first edition of an epic 3 part series
40 - 41 UNDERSTANDING ZIGS
Steve Briggs shows us his way of getting to grips with zig fishing
42 - 43 TAKE 5
20 anglers are asked what their top 5 Nash products to take fishing
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NASH TACKLE E-ZINE ISSUE 19 • WINTER 2014
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Remember to follow us on Instagram & Twitter! @officialnashtackle
Editor: Keith Jones Creative Design: Dan Maslanka Web: Kevin Tucker & Colin Davidson Photography: Oli Davies, Dan Maslanka, Tom Forman & the respectable article names
With thanks to: Nash Consultants & The Nash Tackle HQ Team.
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INTHEMIX 4
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this issue. We’ve got words of wisdom from some of the country’s top anglers, details of new ground breaking tackle, and bait products, topped off with some inspirational reading to encourage us all to get out there and angle for some winter carp. R3 : AS GOOD AS IT GETS Amongst the steady stream of new Nash products that have been hitting the tackle shops this autumn and winter I think it’s the R3 alarms that have really grabbed my attention and impressed me the most. For me, the R3 definitely ticks all the boxes and I honestly believe it’s now the best bite alarm on the market bar none. In my opinion, the reason why Nash products stand head and shoulders above the rest is because they are designed by people with a real passion for carp fishing. Those initial designs are then rigorously tested and developed on the bank in real fishing situations by serious anglers who demand the maximum from their tackle. The R3 provides the thinking angler with a real edge. The speed sensitive bite indication allows you to ‘read’ your alarms, false indication from wind, weed movement and undertow soon becomes a thing of the past. This ultimately maximises the chance of banking any carp that makes the mistake of taking a chance with your baited trap.
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inter can be a tough time to catch carp or at least to catch them consistently, but having said that, it’s my favourite time to be out on the bank and when success does come, somehow it’s all the more rewarding. But success is far from guaranteed and we need to stack all the odds in our favour and that’s pretty much the focus of
Everything about the R3 and the remote just looks, feels and sounds right! And I absolutely love that one tone scream when the reel starts to spin and I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about it right now! Kevin says when an R3 sounds you need to take notice and he’s absolutely right. The R3 is a top quality product with an impressive specification to match. This includes independently verified market leading remote performance, variable sensitivity, tone and volume control, high-viz pulsinglatching LED, integrated line guard, fibre optic output for Optics indicators, integral snag ears and ultra-long battery life. All this is topped off with a virtual bomb proof build quality and a soft touch protective case, I’ve been using and deliberately abusing my set for some time and they continue to perform without fault.
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MORE INNOVATION FROM NASH BAIT A long term and intensive development programme, making use of new cutting edge ingredients, many exclusive to us, has brought about some radical changes to the 2015 bait range. Existing products have been carefully scrutinised and if necessary, improved, updated or even replaced. New pop ups and special hook baits, bait soaks and other attraction boosting products have also been added to the range. The new baits have already produced many multiple captures, PB’s and lake records this winter. THE (AMAZING) KEY The new ground breaking Key is causing a real buzz on the carp fishing grapevine. I don’t think anyone can afford to ignore the amazing results so far achieved by this incredible bait. Although you’ll find a comprehensive insight into the new Key range elsewhere in the magazine, I’d just like to bring one particular item to your attention. KEY 6 CULTURED HOOK BAITS I’ve been so impressed with these new hook baits, they are uniquely different to any carp bait that you will have used before. The hardened inner core has a ‘live’ coating with a controlled breakdown time, as the coating dissolves it deposits a residue on the lakebed which also colours and permeates the water around the hook bait. The bait has been designed to emit food signals that closely mimic the ‘eat me’ signals given off by the creatures that make up the carp’s natural diet. The results achieved during the development programme have been truly amazing, this is particularly so on busy waters where conventional Hi-Viz over flavoured singles have appeared to lose their appeal. I get really excited threading a Cultured hook bait onto a hair. Because if I’ve got my winter location right and I’m on fish, I won’t have to wait long after casting out before that R3 bursts into life!
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Research and development is a relentless process at Nash Bait, and during long term tests to evaluate both instant attraction and long term pulling power, the new dark red 4G out performed all other Squid variations fished against it. Those in the know who are already using 4G have gained a real edge in their fishing, 4G is a proven exceptional fish catcher. TG ACTIVE I’ve watched carp feeding on TG Active in summer and also in extreme cold winter conditions and I have to say I’ve been impressed! Even on its first introduction, the fish were straight on it and just couldn’t get enough of it.
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4G SQUID The original Scopex Squid has been emptying carp lakes up and down the country for around two decades and it’s been my first choice bait for many years. During this period, the bait has benefited from a number of subtle improvements and in more recent times, the launch of Monster Squid took the Squid concept to a new level.
This kind of feeding activity massively increases the chance of even the most spooky pressured carp making a mistake with a hook bait. The mid brown coloured TG is a complex bait with a taste and smell to match. TG is very obviously spicy, but beyond that there are many more kind of creamy, fishy subtle undertones. The first time I opened a bag for a quick sniff, I found it almost impossible not to revisit the bait for another sample, the complex odour and taste is almost addictive – TG has the same effect on carp! We already knew these new baits were special but even so, I think we’ve all been impressed by the number of winter catch reports arriving at HQ on a daily basis. The feedback on the new and updated pop ups and related attraction boosting peripheral products has been very pleasing too. Despite my obvious enthusiasm for the new products, it’s important to remember that carp tend to be a lot less active in the colder months. So location and using your eyes, ears and watercraft skills should be your number one priority. Remember -the very best bait and rigs won’t catch if you’re not on them. But - fish well with this gear and you could easily be enjoying your best winter’s fishing ever – good luck!
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THE KEY
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AND IT’S NOT EVEN AVAILABLE YET...
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RIG TALK
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RIG TALK
When designing the new range, it was important to me that we brought some true innovation to the terminal tackle market. A lot goes into turning an initial spark of inspiration into a finished product on the tackle shop shelves. You have the idea; you then have to assess it is viable. Viability doesn’t only mean you can make it at a price that will sell, but many other things such as if its possible to even make it! Assuming you can tick the boxes there, then it goes to design – prototyping – then production. Obviously I have put a very simplistic slant on that, as there is an awful lot of possible processing going on here. Its not only about the product itself... there is the packaging, the artwork (including instruction), translation of the instructions, and whilst all that is going on, the marketing team are photographing and filming and product placing with magazines to time everything up to all (hopefully!) come together at the end. LIQUID TUNGSTEN I see the tungsten liquid as one of those things you never knew you needed until you used it. Then when you did, you will wondered how you ever managed without! Getting my line concealed and hard on the bottom behind the lead is crucial for me, as I have watched carp do a circle round a baited area looking for the line entering the spot. I have fished a lot of weedy waters and previously, before I got my hands on the Tungsten Liquid, I would put blobs of
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here can be a variety of reasons why a new item of terminal tackle is brought out. It could be that I, or someone in the team, comes up with an idea, an angler has bought an idea to us, we see a way to improve an existing product, or we decide on a complete overhaul.
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KEVIN NASH tungsten putty not only along my leader but also up the mainline, to the length of the drop for my cast. It works, but putty does tend to move during the fight, especially when the line is dragged through dense weed. Now I solely use the Cling-On liquid, painting on blobs and building it up because it’s permanent. On your hooklink you can get a lot of interesting permutations in how you apply it, from weighting it down, to stiffening and hinging various elements of the hooklink. I think another great one is to paint it on the hook, just around the bend, to weight the hook to ensure the point always drops first. It’s a pukka innovation which Nash are really proud of. Its just one of the examples of where we are bringing a fresh approach and true innovation to carp angler’s terminal tackle.
CHOD KITS I guess something like 5 or so years ago I became really interested in the Chod as I began to see how effective it was for anglers. What I got out of it at the time was that it wasn’t so much about the rig’s effectiveness, but rather where you could place it – in areas of lakes which are difficult to present a rig and bait in, so the carp felt safe in these areas. One day I hooked an extremely large and angry carp on a choddie. After playing it for a few minutes I had no option but to hold it from smashing through a reed bed. I had this very angry carp on the surface going wild and I could clearly see the lead dangling down just outside its mouth. It shook its head violently and the lead catapulted up dislodging the hook. I sat there shaking, and gutted – pretty peed off! It took me back to another time when I hooked the big silver end mirror in the 80s on a three inch bolt rig, and, just as I went to net it, it also shook its head and the lead pulled the hook out. I didn’t have to be told a third time, and I knew I had to distance the lead from
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RIG TALK
Early experiments with the chod proved the importance of keeping the rig away from the lead.
the short chod rig in the future. The first solution to this that I came up with was to splice a ring in my leadcore 1ft up from the lead. I cut a slit in a soft rubber bead to locate nicely over the ring, and with the chod rig above this ring and bead, if I hooked a carp, the rig would slide down to the bead and then be stopped a safe distance from my lead. That kind of evolved when fishing naked chods to dispensing with the ring and instead threading a section of silicone tube on the line to rest against the lead, acting as a buffer / spacer. One of the important elements for us when designing new gear, is to always make it as user friendly and fool proof as possible. I am thinking (with respect) of the novices, who see an article on a chod rig and go and buy the components, but then by way of example they lose a carp in exactly the same way as I did. So when we recently launched our chod kits, the three systems designed to retain the lead feature the buffer tube. So the angler buys the full kit, which is not only safe to use, but because of my bad experience you won’t have the same problem I had, and possibly lose a big carp. Call it product design by a bad experience! As you may know, I championed lead discharge and will always judge every situation with it in mind. If there is a chance I could lose a carp because of the lead snagging then I will always go for discharging it. I remember another day I was again fishing Chods and in this instance I judged that I had no real weed problems. I could look down 4 feet or so into the 5 or 6ft deep swim and couldn’t see any weed. I didn’t want to lead around as I had seen an enormous common floating about. I sat watching it doing a few circuits of the bay and noted that every time it did a lap at one point it would drop down. So the next time it showed on its circuit I flicked the bait out where it was dropping down. A few minutes later I had a take. The fight was really mad – it was just hard thumps on the rod tip but it wasn’t really taking line. Then, slowly, the fish started moving off towards a snag and I piled on the pressure and it just got heavier and heavier until it became unmovable, but hadn’t reached the snag. A mate 12 www.nashtackle.co.uk
An early lead clip and more recent variations - A typical example of Nash innovation at it's best.
was on the lake and so I shouted to him. He waded out with a landing net pole, feeling down he said it was solid blanket weed. Then I felt the line jolt as he touched it with the landing net pole, and all went slack. He had accidentally knocked the hook out using the landing net pole like a disgorger – I couldn’t blame my friend, I could only beat myself up. I was so bloody cross! What had happened was that carp (which by the way was a common over 50lb – and I am certain of that because I saw it sulking in the snags for the next couple of days) had literally bored into the layer of blanket weed on the bottom which I wasn’t aware of and then swam underneath it until I had an immovable solid snag of weed. So when it became time to start working on a new TT range, I thought, we need to crack this problem and come up with a viable solution which saves anglers messing around tying weak links or tying rigs up with PVA tape or pieces of foam nugget. So our fourth complete chod kit features the carpworlds first bead for fishing chod and helicopter rigs that ejects the weight on the take. THE NEW CHOD BEAD AND LEAD RELEASE There are an awful lot of anglers out there who lose fish time after time because they fish rigs where the weight cannot eject. I can think of a few occasions when I’ve been fishing and I have watched anglers lose fish, only because of their insistence not to fish ejecting leads. I have gone up to them to try and help them, and on enquiring why they aren’t losing the leads I am told, ‘well why would that make any difference?’ They really just don’t understand that in certain situations it can be the difference between landing everything you hook, or losing everything you hook. Of course, at the end of the day it’s down to common sense. You have got to judge each situation, and if you can safely land all the carp you hook without losing the lead, then why would you? Conversely, if the only way you are going to land a big carp is by investing £1 or so in losing the lead to land the carp, then why wouldn’t you?
RIG TALK
We are in! TT development is driven by experience gained on the bank.
Another fish falls victim to the new Nash Chod kits.
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ALANBLAIR WINTER ZIG TIPS There’s a lot more to catching winter carp well off bottom than blindly chucking out some black rig foam as a last resort. Having caught more carp and spent more time fishing with zigs in winter than possibly anyone else at Nash HQ, we asked Operations Director Alan Blair to give us his ten top tips to help you make the giant leap of faith to fishing well off bottom this winter.
How long is a piece of string? How deep should you be fishing? A useful guideline is to start at half the depth in front of you, and then gradually shorten or lengthen your links by six inches at a time. There are conditions when carp can be sat just a foot or two under the surface even though it is freezing cold so don’t be afraid to try much nearer the surface, especially if there are any signs of fish activity.
Where first? Winter zigging is deadly, but venue choice is a major part of how successful you are going to be. In a 100 acre pit with only a handful of carp it is likely to be a waste of time. But on the better stocked venues where you can normally track down a few fish it is a brilliant way of catching carp even in conditions when they aren’t really that interested in feeding. It’s not far off lure fishing for carp – aiming to put something right up in front of their nose that they just can’t ignore.
Five minute wonder Zig fishing is a busy method, or at least it should be if you want to get the most out of it. I try and recast every 15 minutes or so, and often find the first 5 minutes after a bait has been recast is the most productive time of all. The more regularly you recast the more often you have that ‘golden’ five minute window from landing a hookbait close to a carp. Plus, regular casting keeps you warm and comfortable even in very cold weather.
Landing Spot On Once we get into serious cold weather, carp tend to group together and stay in the same place for long periods – often weeks and weeks at a time. It’s more important than ever when carp are inactive to be able to land accurately in the right areas time and time again. Use Spot On Stix to measure the number of wraps required to reach productive areas and Spot On brush on line marker to mark the line. You can use the line markers to help fish slightly longer or shorter to narrow down hot areas even more precisely, and direction markers on the far bank or skyline to search left and right.
Ups and downs Zig Floats are a brilliant tactic that allow you to cast a zig anywhere in any swim and adjust exactly where your hookbait is presented relative to the surface. On waters with fairly uniform depths it’s a fixed zig every time for me but where there are bars, drop offs and other major changes of depth a Zig Float is the only way of being able to put your zig anywhere and fish confidently, knowing exactly where the hookbait is. Feed the float slowly to the surface and then pull it back down to the depth you want to present the bait.
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Tungsten Tip Tangles can be a problem for many carpers when they cast long links using fixed zigs. Always use a Zig Link which acts as an anti-tangle boom to keep the link away from the main line in flight. It’s also essential to feather your cast before the end tackle hits the water – this completely eliminates tangles. The freedom of movement the Zig Link adds to the hookbait also increases the number of takes you get and improves hook holds. Bouncing Bombs I prefer to fish my main line bowstring tight for winter zigging. The ideal is to have the line so tight that as soon as a carp tightens the link the lead will bounce and be pulled backwards towards the rod, helping pull the hook into the bottom lip. I like heavy leads wherever possible, using a Weed safety Bolt Bead to dump the lead if required during the fight. Late Away Zigs can work at any time of day and night, and black Zig Bugs or black foam even produce consistently during the dark hours. As a rule I find winter carp on most waters at their most active in the afternoon, and from 1pm through to dusk is a reliable period to expect carp to be active enough to be tempted on a zig hookbait. Keep an eye on conditions though – some sunshine or milder night time temperatures can see carp nailed on zigs from first thing in the morning. Sandwich a roll If you see any carp rolling, cover the area with at least one if not a couple of rods, and work your zigs hard until you hook a carp or get some feedback that confirms carp are there. Change the depths, change the colours of the hookbaits, try different sprays, dips and soaks. Treat any showing carp as an indication that there are carp there to be caught, at this time of year they won’t be on their own and even one show can give away a cluster of a few dozen fish. Liquid Lovelies A dunk and a dip definitely brings more winter carp whether you are fishing on the bottom or six feet above. I use lots of boosters and dips to try and encourage carp to come and investigate a hookbait, anything that will make a carp move just a few feet where a flavourless bait might not bring the same response. I use the Nectar Zig Juice spray a lot, it has caught me stacks of cold water carp oversprayed on Zig Bugs. Keep an eye out for the soon to be released Nashbait Ace Cards too – there are some amazing liquid boosters in the range that are perfect for dipping a zig hookbait. Moving on up A bit of movement to a bait can be deadly – adding the final element to tease a carp into taking a bait on top of smell and colour. With Zig Floats you can tweak the line by the reel to bounce the hookbait up and down – the line is sometimes pulled out of your hands. With fixed zigs, try lifting the lead off bottom, turning the reel handle half a turn and then setting the indicator again. Takes can come instantly. I’m convinced carp just instinctively snap at the movement if they are close to the bait. Good luck and remember – effort really does equal reward!
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CATCH MORE. CATCH FASTER. GET INSTANT ACTION!
CRAB AND KRILL BOILIES
POP UPS
TANDOORI SPICE
BOOSTER JUICE
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COCONUT CRÈME
BALL MAKER METHOD PELLET
TANGERINE DREAM
HIGH ATTRACT PELLET
BALL MAKER METHOD MIX
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FOR SERIOUS UNDERCOVER WORK
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SIMON CROW
WINTERTHOUGHTS
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With the colder months now upon us I’m sure there are a few of you scouring the net for information on how to approach your winter carping. However, before you start soaking it all up and fishing in the traditional winter methods of single hookbaits and keeping everything minimal, consider the weather conditions that the UK is currently going through. This has been one of the mildest starts to the winter for quite some time, with temperatures well into double figures in late November. Obviously you may be reading this article sometime after it’s been written, but the last time I witnessed this kind of start to winter I remember it carrying on well into December and January. The fish were extremely active compared to normal winters and I ended up catching well over what most would consider to be heavily baited spots. Instead of using small traps and bags etc, I was catching over a kilo or so of freebies, the fish were really on the munch and making the most of the mild weather. My advice is to therefore consider the conditions in front of you before opting for the lighter approach or you could be making a big mistake. You’ve only got to watch fish in a garden pond to see how active they can be in mild winters. If they keep moving they won’t have shut down into their hibernation so will be on the lookout for an easy snack to keep them going. In this situation I much
prefer to apply the bait, a few kilos here and there depending on the biomass of the stock I am fishing for. I have used as much as 5kg at a time in the winter months, but that is at the far end of the scale. A more general figure is to start with half a kilo or thereabouts and work upwards. When using quantities like this in the cooler months, I’ll opt for a broader spread of bait than a tightly grouped one, even on waters where baitboats are allowed. I’ll apply this with the Cybershot or catapult so the fish come across one bait at a time and have to search it out. I’m a big believer in not making things too easy for them in this situation, one bait at a time stimulating them into looking for more which in turn keeps them actively searching. With a more concentrated pile of bait, there is a greater chance of them spending less time in the feeding mood, coming in and taking three or four baits and then disappearing never to
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return. I’ve seen it happen in cold water when watching fish feeding close in at waters like Birch Grove and Orchid Lake. They will approach a tightly baited area with caution and just take a few samples before disappearing. As far as bait is concerned, this is something I pay great attention to at this time of the year. I have my favourites built up over many years of going winter carping. The one thing I can say is that with Nash there is a long history of producing good winter carp baits. I was using their stuff well over twenty years ago and catching at all times of the year, and some of those baits are still working today. At the present moment though, my first choice is the Coconut Crème from the Instant Action range. It was last winter when I first put this bait through its paces, whilst fishing at the tricky Emmotland Pond 3 in East Yorkshire. After having a tough time of things on the water during the winter, I was surprised to hear one of my Sirens singing loud within only a couple of hours of trying this great bait. Thinking that may have been just a coincidence, I went on to land another fish relatively quickly on my next trip down, and from that moment onwards I was using it wherever I went.
winter is on its way through the shift in daylight hours and as a result their environment could change in a matter of hours. They are likely to be hanging around snags, deep holes, reed beds or old weed beds, areas which give them good cover. These would still be my first port of call when I arrive, although in this mild weather I would of course also be considering the shallower areas, especially if the sun has been up all day. Winter carping is always going to be a tricky time of the year because feeding spells tend to be in small windows and can be weather dependent. Consistent results come from experience, having the confidence to sit there for hours on end just waiting for something to happen. You may have to sit through a few blank hours to get yourself a result, but the fact is it will only ever come if you are out there doing it. Good luck this winter, wherever you choose to angle.
Many months on from that day, I’ve since taken the bait all over and had some blinding results on it. It helped me to great success on the Tyram Hall syndicate in South Yorkshire, catching me some lovely fish in late winter and early spring. This included the most sought-after fish in the lake known as The Linear, weighing in at a healthy 37lb, a fish that rarely gets caught. I’ve also had great success on it overseas, catching 60-pounders from two different countries this year. I therefore have utmost faith it will fish really well this coming winter as it’s a bait that responds really well to heavy baiting as well as single hookbaits or alongside small traps. Basically it’s a versatile bait that lends itself to different situations and works from water to water. Even with a good bait, however, it is hard to expect success from winter carping if other aspects of your approach are wrong. The carp may be active in the mild weather but they will still have their preferred winter spots where they will hold up. They will know
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So that time of year has crept back round and as I write this we have just had the first severe frost. Water temperatures are plummeting and from now on the carp fishing is going to get harder but it’s not impossible if you modify your targets and choose the right venue.
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WINTER TARGETS
circulation going and giving you fresh hope. I often switch my attentions to the canal at this time of year as the fish can be found relatively easily and tempted to feed. By fishing a number of different spots you are maximising your chances of putting a bait in front of a carp.
Lots of anglers hang the rods up for the next 3 months but they are missing out on quiet banks and carp in tip top condition. The fishing can be really simple and cheap too. There is no need for lots of bait – it’s location that is the most important factor in winter carping, and also the trickiest, especially when there is little activity from the carp to give away their presence. Depending on the venue there are several ways to approach location. On venues such as canals or smaller lakes it really can pay to move regularly and roam the rods around the swim. Often when you drop a bait right in front of a fish you will get a bite quite quickly. It pays to travel light so that moving isn’t a chore – in fact on those really cold days moving can be one of the highlights getting the
I still continue to fish my regular venues through the winter months too, but my expectations are different to the rest of the year. I know that sometimes it will be a waste of time. However, when it does happen it is all the sweeter. To maximise my chances I try to spend as much time as possible watching the water for clues, especially so after dark. I have found that through the cold months much of the jumping and rolling happens from midnight onwards, so it’s worth staying up late. That one show could be a vital piece of information that allows you to concentrate your efforts on the right area. Take note of liners too. They are also a valuable indicator as to the presence of fish in a swim. On some venues the holding areas are more obvious. Last winter I fished a small lake near home, focussing on short afternoon sessions. I knew that the carp would be in the deep water that ran along one particular margin of the lake. There are also snags that offer the fish cover, so this is where I concentrated my efforts, discounting the other 90% of the lake. Through the summer months I baited quite heavily and regularly because of the huge numbers of roach, and marauding crayfish. However, in the winter I
wanted that attraction but without the food. As a result I came up with a wetter mix, heavy on soluble liquids including Carpmino and tiny ground bait particles, crumbed boilies and low oil pellets, which I could spoon over the top of my rig on the edge of the snags. I was rewarded for my efforts with several fish through January, including the lakes big common. I didn’t fish for longer than 3 hours at a time, showing that you really don’t need to camp out in order to catch. Although heavy baiting isn’t appropriate, trickling in a little bit of bait can keep the fish moving and feeding and increase your chances, and putting a handful in when you leave is a good idea if you plan on returning any time soon. On the canal, I try and make the effort to bait the night before I fish. By baiting I mean perhaps 20 10mm boilies on each spot; just enough to get the fish feeding. It might seem crazy to drive for an hour to put in just a handful of bait but it can be the difference between catching quickly and blanking. Effort equals reward as they say! I often hear of anglers scaling down their tackle when the water cools, but I have never found it necessary to do so.
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WINTER TARGETS
It’s better to use a rig that you know works and that you have confidence in so you can concentrate on the important bit – getting it in the right place. What does change is my bait choice. Everyone has their own favourite hookbaits, and for me there are a couple that I won’t leave home without in winter. The first is the faithful Amber Strawberry – I will always have a bag of 10 millers with me. It’s highly visible and easily digestible – hard for the fish to ignore. Two on a hair and tiny PVA bag of crushed baits is my favourite presentation for the canal. The second is some highly sweetened pop-ups for chod and hinged stiff rig fishing. There are three colours that I always carry; pink, yellow and white. Each colour will bring bites in the coldest weather. Which is best on any given day isn’t an exact science. Sometimes it’s a case of chopping and changing until you find the right one. On some venues the carp have a preference for particular colours so pay attention as to the most effective colour that you find on your water. The last bait I turn to in winter is maggots, specifically white ones which I have found to be more consistent. They really can trigger feeding in lethargic fish, and even if you don’t use them on the hair, a few in a PVA bag along with some crushed Amber Strawberry boilies is a deadly combination. So there are a few of my tips and edges, but the biggest one of all is to get out there and have a go. You can’t catch them sat at home…
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TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO HEAR
FEATURES • Patented microchip Intelligent Sensing eliminates false indications • Market leading extreme range remote performance • One touch mute function - High output variable volume and tone • Pulsing Fibre Optic output compatible with Nash Siren Optics indicators • Supplied with integral rubberised snag ears
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WINTER BAIT TALK
WINTER BAIT TALK NASH BAIT HERITAGE Selecting a bait that will best suit a particular style of angling or specific venue types can be a difficult choice and it’s something that many anglers of all abilities struggle to come to terms with. Choosing a brand and a specific bait from that range and then having the confidence to stick with it through the inevitable highs and lows of winter carping can also be difficult. The problem is there are so many bait companies around these days, and some are little more than ‘garden shed industries’ and are literally ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ affairs. But Nash Bait is different, for the best part of two decades Nash Bait has been the market leading brand, testing, developing and continually pushing forward the boundaries and producing innovative cutting edge products. NEW PRODUCTS FROM NASH GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT Using Nash boilies and peripheral products takes much of the guess work out of bait choice. All Nash baits are designed as top quality carp food, the complex mix of attractors, feeding triggers and stimulants used in the formulations ensure the baits have instant appeal. And because they provide carp with a valuable food source they keep on working throughout the twelve months of the year. Even on busy waters where extreme angling pressure can dramatically limit the effective life span of an overused bait, Nash products just keep on producing and that’s a proven fact. THE KEY The driving force behind the development of the new Key was to produce the ultimate ‘no compromise’ carp bait regardless of cost. It’s been a long and intensive programme, many new ingredients have been sourced, tested and when necessary, using cutting edge aquatic feed technology, tweaked in the Nash laboratory. A great deal of time has also been spent
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focused on a unique attractor package. The end result is a carp super food. The Key is yet another Nashbait Revolution. Without doubt it’s the most nutritionally complex, premium range carp bait commercially available today. Keeping such an effective bait under wraps has been a big challenge. During field testing on many different venues, and sometimes in difficult conditions, multiple captures, new PB’s and lake records have been the norm. The Key is a truly remarkable bait. As well as a boilie, there’s a compressive range of peripheral products designed to provide the ultimate carp catching package. THE KEY BOILIE • Produced in a frozen format only, the Key boilie is a soft centred bait which continually breaks down its own complex proteins into nucleotides, amino acids and other highly stimulatory feeding triggers. It’s a constantly changing bait, The Key continuously generates the most powerful food signal yet achieved in a boilie. • The list of ingredients and additives includes high quality fishmeal, pre-digested fishmeal, kelp, spirulina, milk proteins, yeasts, green lipped mussel, powdered enhancers and a low-level essential oil blend. • In a real fishing situation, even in the depths of winter, carp find it almost impossible to resist investigating small areas baited with the Key. Interestingly, we’ve found the bait is at its most effective when used in small quantities. There’s also no need for prolonged pre-baiting as carp seem to become instantly addicted to this bait. • Fact – during field testing, on venues that were supposedly ‘dominated’ by a particular brand of bait, the Key caught on its first introduction and continues to catch consistently. • Although The Key retails at £14.99 per kilo, compared to a conventional boilie, we estimate that over a typical season, most anglers will only need to purchase half of the quantity they would normally use.
WINTER BAIT TALK
KEY WINTER ESSENTIALS KEY FLAKE Finely flaked, slow sinking Key boilie crumb provides a new dimension for the thinking angler. Key Flake is produced from boiled Key baits taken through a unique milling process to create irregular ‘flakes’ – in essence, minimal feed equals maximum attraction. FROZEN PASTE Available in 100 gram pots, this is the identical paste used to manufacture the Key boilies. Perfect for high attract paste wraps and special hook bait production. This high leakage paste provides almost limitless options for the thinking angler – its already proving to be a bait bucket essential for all members of the team. KEY HARD-ONS These are hardened shelf-life hookbaits that can be confidently left out for long periods of time without the worry of them being nibbled away by small nuisance feeders. Using an extra rod to leave a hook bait in place for the length of your stay on the bank has long been a top tactic for producing a big or elusive fish – Hard-Ons are perfectly suited for this.
POP UPS As you’d expect from Nash, the Key pop ups are user friendly, ultra-buoyant and perfectly suited to chod, hinged stiff rig and other popular presentations. The standard pop ups are closely colour matched to the Key bottom baits plus there are alternative ‘Pastel’ colour options which are designed to mimic a ‘safe’ washed out hook bait which can sometimes be more acceptable to pressured riggy fish. DEDICATED STICK MIX The rapid breakdown Key Stick Mix has been designed to permeate the water with the same powerful ‘eat me’ signals produced by the Key boilie. The mix combines base mix ingredients with other proven high attract water soluble ingredients that help disperse the powerful Key food signal throughout the water column in all water temperatures. Blended with the matching Food Liquid, it’s a deadly combination. A PELLET WITH A DIFFERENCE Not to be confused with standard fish feed pellets, the dedicated rapid breakdown Key Pellet contains all the crucial elements found in the Key recipe. In essence, this is a high quality pelleted food source and has multiple uses. From loose feeding to PVA bag fillings – fishing a matching Key boilie and pellet combination has proven to be a deadly tactic.
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WINTER BAIT TALK
KEY FOOD LIQUID This is a dense but at the same time incredibly reactive bait soak that creates a potent bottom hugging scent trail proven to attract and stimulate even the most lethargic winter feeders. The versatile PVA friendly liquid also permeates the coldest of water from the lakebed to the surface drawing mid water cruisers to the baited trap. We’ve noticed that even when all of the bait has been consumed, the residue left behind by this amazing liquid continues to draw carp to your chosen spots which can provide a winter long edge if you are planning a campaign on a particular venue.
CULTURED HOOK BAITS Saving what many team members consider to be the most exciting new product until last, we have Cultured Hook Baits. These unique hook baits have a soft paste-like highly reactive skin combined with a balanced hardened inner core. As soon as the bait hits the lakebed, it starts to react, leaching out a storm cloud of natural attraction. Formulated and based on what is best described as a ‘living culture’, these ground breaking baits closely replicate the food signals or feeding triggers given off by natural food. Fishing with a Cultured Hook Bait could easily be described as the closest thing to threading aquatic life on a hair. Although the results achieved have been equally as impressive as those relating to the Key boilies, the one thing that has astounded us all has been the speed or the very short period of time required to bank many of these fish.
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FOR HARDCORE CARPERS, EVERY DAY IS GROUNDHOG DAY... More room, less weight, unbeatable price. The new Groundhog Brolly.
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UNCOVERED JULIAN CUNDIFF www.nashtackle.co.uk
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Probably the highest profile carp angler of his generation, Yorkshire star Julian Cundiff all but invented the carp angling celebrity. A time served Nash consultant and perhaps the most prolific writer on matters to do with carp angling that there has ever been, we put Jules on the spot to find out more about the man behind the career helping others catch carp. Best known for…. I often wonder whether what we think we are best known for may well not be so to the carp public at large. I think I am best known for helping people but in all honesty it might be for having long hair. So many people refer to me as ‘the guy with the long hair who catches carp’ that it is probably the more accurate answer! Personal Bests? Mirror 49 lb 6 oz, Common 40 lb 4 oz and Leather 32 lb 8 oz. In my specimen hunter days I also had pike to over 30 lb, tench 8 lb 8 oz, eels over 4 lb and bream over 9 lb. All from this country, I haven’t fished abroad for carp. If I had more time I probably would but it’s a bit far on an overnighter.... How many books, articles and slide shows in how many years? I would hate to even guess. I started writing for Coarse Angler in 1978 but my first major carp articles appeared
from 1986 onwards and I bet I haven’t missed a month since, so 28 years of regular magazine pieces for starters. I was a regular columnist in Angling Times and Carp Talk. I have written for Angler’s Mail and the Selby Post which are also weekly. Monthlies I’ve written for include Carpworld, Crafty Carper, Coarse Fisherman, Total Carp, Catchmore Carp, Big Carp and Advanced Carp Fishing. There was the now defunct Carp Fisher (Carp Society magazine), The Carp (BCSG magazine), Carp Catcher (CAA magazine), Freeline and Specialist Angler (NASG and NASA magazines). Some have been 10 year stints without missing an edition. I have held editorial duties for Carpworld, Crafty Carper, Carp Fisher and ACF too... Add to that questions and answers that appear in all sorts of magazines and it must be a million words plus. Books, I have six to my name - Carp Waters (Carp in Depth series), Practical Carp Fishing, Successful Carp Fishing, Beekay Guide To Starting Carp Fishing, Beekay Guide To Carp Rigs and Short Session Success. I have contributed to 25 other books via chapters, words and forewords. Slide shows I have done literally hundreds, my first in 1987 in Sheffield and my last one in November 2014 in Hull. I have done them countrywide and plenty abroad too including one for Nash with Jim Gibbinson in a cow shed in Germany!
Does being a carp ‘celebrity’ put extra pressure on you to catch? Honestly none at all. I am well known in carp fishing that’s all. It is not a cure for cancer and I have never let it go to my head. The only pressure I feel is my own to give it my best shot each and every time and bugger what anyone else thinks of me and my fishing. It’s what matters to me that is important. I have had some amazing catches where I know I could have done better and some glorious blanks where I know I gave it my best shot. After a session whether I catch or blank I always run through it in my head on the way home and that’s when I know how I performed. If you think you are a celebrity for catching a few carp go and meet Slash, Bon Jovi, or KISS to see
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what a true celebrity is. I caught over 40 Yorkshire twenty pounders in a year back in 1994 and thought I was a big deal, when it fact it was just a number. I got that out of my system over twenty years ago thank God.... One piece of kit Nash can’t have back… For me it’s Diffusion Leaders, I use them for fishing lead clips, helicopter, or running they are the only leader I use. They cast well, sink quickly, are friendly to carp flanks and most importantly disappear underwater. No choosing the right colour to match the lake bed the Diffusion Leader blends in perfectly no matter what it is laid over or in. They are one of those items that some anglers have missed but when I show them at the lake how good they are, they are convinced...for life! If you only ever buy one item of Nash tackle get a leader from the Diffusion range. Oldest bit of Nash kit? Easy - I still have three items that must be almost deemed antique. An original Canvas Overwrap from the mid to late 80s is in the roof together with an original Titan with the silver ribs and poles. I also have some Nashbait Chocolate Powder Palatant that is from 1992 too...Smells divine and tastes it too. On my rods you’ll find…. Diffusion leaders to a Weed Safety Bolt Bead and a 2 oz weed pear lead. Link is 7-14 inches of Combilink or the old Missing Link coated braid and a Multi Rig with a Fang X size 7 and a pop up. In the last 10 years at least 90% or probably more of the carp (not including surface and zig captures) have come to this. I have fine tuned it year in year out but the basic Multi Rig has caught me
thousands of carp, and I mean thousands.....I bet if you looked in 2015 you'd find the same on my rods too. If it ain’t bust don’t fix it. Luckiest carp you’ve ever caught? You got me... I don’t remember any that particularly stand out as lucky or flukey? I guess going to Church Lake and my second bite being 49 lb 6 oz of 'Decade' carp was generous of the Church but lucky or flukey I have never been. I have friends that don’t catch many but when they do they tend to be big ones (on the same waters I fish too) so I wouldn’t class myself as that way ‘enabled’. Sometimes I wish I was! One tip to get a bite when the chips are down… Simple.....fish for one bite at a time and not big hits which seems to be all the rage at the moment. To get a bite you aim for ONE bite not LOTS of bites. So I just think if there was only one carp in the water how would I catch it. Single bait, minimum disturbance and maximum concentration. The bog standard Multi Rig and a bright or dull pop up just off the lakebed on a slack line and a handful of crumb or mush over it is a winner most of the time. Favourite venue and why? Drax in Yorkshire because it was where I learned to carp fish. Willow Park in Surrey because that’s where I learned to winter carp fish and Andy Little showed me what carp fishing at another level was like. My local Three Lakes at Selby because it was the first lake I ran as a syndicate. Savay because it was my 'Redmire' and finally Church Lake because it showed me that you can only catch big fish if you are fishing waters with big fish in them. Yes it’s five but that’s the honest answer. Bye bye letters… you’re a big social media user now? From 1986 I have always made available an address so anglers could write to me, all I asked was they include an SAE but even when they didn’t I still sent an answer back. So I sent literally thousands of letters from 1986 to 2012 and then social media took over my answers. Even now I still get letters for longer answers, requests for signed Nash DVDs and rig sheets so it continues. I can honestly say I have NEVER not answered a letter so that’s something nice to look back on. From 2012 I started to use social media more and both Facebook and Twitter are great for instantly helping others and promoting what I consider to be good items of tackle and bait. It’s a lot easier for me to do it this way but I still love receiving and writing letters....Old school baby, old school. Tell us about the Julian Cundiff away from Nash… I’m a full time Legal Adviser working for the Civil Service in HMCTS which means court work all around North and West Yorkshire five days a week from 9-5pm. Most mornings I’m up at 6am and home after 6pm so I build up flexi time for longer sessions and cram in plenty of overnighters, evenings and Sunday
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nighters. Try doing that for almost thirty years and still loving carp fishing just as much! I have a lovely house in the country, a beautiful girlfriend, a fantastic father and sister and a house rabbit too. Add to that a motorbike for summer use (KTM 950 SM) and a pushbike to keep fit riding 20-60 miles a week on. I love my F1, MotoGP, WWE and MMA. I love live music and via my lovely friend Duff Battye of Duff Press get to meet a lot of my heroes too.... Living That Dream I guess?? The best thing about carp fishing in the 1980s was…. I think the innocence of it all was what I remember most. I was a kid and life had to fit round my carp fishing if I am being honest. Girlfriends were selected on their tolerance of my fishing and whether they had a car to take me fishing in. Work fitted around my fishing and every new lake I fished had the potential to be the next Redmire or Savay. Your strongest and weakest points as a carp angler? My strong points are organisation, planning and having a balance in life that means I don’t blow out and can grind a result out sooner or later. And I guess experience too...if I haven’t learnt how to catch them by now there is no hope for me surely! Weak points are that sometimes I am too heavily planned and organised and don’t try new things quickly enough. I am also not selfish or driven enough to put catching of carp above people and my own morals. I’m not really the greatest long range caster when you are talking 120 yards plus... My good and bad points tend to cancel each other out. Best bit of carp advice you wish you’d been given sooner? Tim Paisley once told me about a certain lady I dated that she would do me damage. The fact that she turned up dressed in leather looking like Pamela Anderson in Barbwire gave him a clue. He was right but I did survive even after ignoring Tim’s advice to be careful with her. Do I wish I’d listened and taken the advice? In carp fishing terms yes but in other ways (cough!) no....Don’t ask!
Where to find me: Facebook: Julian P Cundiff Twitter: @juliancundiff
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FRIMLEYDIARIES PARTONE HAYDN HOSKINS
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H
aving heard an awful lot about Frimley and its magnificent head of big commons, it was a venue I was keen to target with the sole intention of upping my common carp personal best. At this point I'd caught many mirrors over 30lb including several over 40lbs, though a 30lb plus common eluded me. So when a ticket for Frimley came up, I leapt at the chance. I knew very little about the venue at this point other than it comprised of four pits and pit 3 gave me the best chance of upping my personal best. I knew there were two carp around the 40lb mark named Charlie and Charlie's Mate and I had picked up along the grapevine the rough stockings of the place. With an estimated 30-50 carp over 30lbs when I first started, that was all I needed to know. Or so I thought!
FRIMLEY DIARIES PT 1
I found a quiet corner of the lake and flicked out a single hook bait in the margins whilst I put up my brolly and got sorted for the evening ahead. I managed to locate a small firm patch in amongst some weed with my left hand rod so decided to bait with half a kilo of 10mm Scopex Squid Red boilies and fish a whittled down matching fluoro pop up over the top. That rod was sorted and in place and as I sat on my bed-chair contemplating sorting out my right hand rod, the margin bait ripped off. The fish gave an epic battle and as it neared the net I could see it was Gums, the lakes biggest mirror. Trying to remain calm I allowed the fish to take a little line and several times it came close to the net. With one last gasp lunge it headed directly for a snag on my left and I was left with no choice but to clamp down on the reel with my hand to prevent any line being taken. This was when the hook pulled and the rig came flying past me into the overhanging tree behind me. Several curse words later and I'm already thinking what can I take from this?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS Upon arrival at Frimley 3 I was greeted with the sight of around 14 anglers spread between 21 swims. Just happy to be there, I sat back and watched what was going on. Spodding, and lots of it! You see, what I hadn't realised at the time was that in the spring Frimley was very much a maggot dominated water. The anglers knew this too and a self-fulfilling prophecy came into effect whereby anglers were almost competing with each other to see who could put the most maggots in. A gallon per angler per 24 hrs was not unusual. With the introduction of night fishing to all members in the previous year, the lake had surely never seen so many maggots. I joined on the second season of it being a night syndicate and people had caught on quickly to the apparent 'phases' that Frimley goes through. The general consensus was that maggots blew once the weed got up in late May to early June. The next stage appeared to be a short spell where the carp would be keen for lots of corn, this short spell was followed by a spell of general particle feeding in the summer before a more boilie based approach in the autumn. I'm used to feeding them boilies all year, particularly in the spring time. But by my third or fourth night I still hadn't caught a carp and was literally seeing people haul all around me using maggots. I was now unsure whether the carp would eat a boilie and was beginning to consider jumping on the bandwagon myself. I did notice that most of the action seemed to be concentrated around a gravelly island and I never seemed to be able to get into a swim that gave access to this water. Did everyone else know something I didn't?
Being predominantly a short session angler, the benefit of getting my rods out before setting up can always buy an extra bite and there are several occasions where this has happened for me. My mood was lifted a little in the morning when my left hand rod went off and I was rewarded with my first carp from the venue in the shape of a 29.14lb common. Oh well, at least I'd upped my common carp personal best, by all of 2ozs.
FIRST SUCCESS My fifth night on the lake was to be another overnight session and turning up on a Friday after work, I found the lake to be packed with only a few swims left. I decided to take a quick look around pit 4 as it was always fairly quiet. After a couple of laps I wasn't really feeling pit 4 so decided to head back over to pit 3. www.nashtackle.co.uk
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FRIMLEY DIARIES PT 1
DOUBLE BOARDS During those first five nights I noticed that in the early spring there were a few swims doing the majority of the bites and producing all the better fish. One such swim, and a swim that was hardly ever vacant, is the famous 'double boards'. It offers a lot of water and a prominent island that shelves into a gravel slope to finally taper off into silt gullies. Double boards was the first swim I'd heard about before setting foot on the lake and it had a reputation for producing Charlie's Mate, the lakes biggest common, in the early spring. Charlie's Mate was caught on opening day the year I joined from double boards and the swim seemed to be on fire every time I turned up. For my 6th and 7th nights I managed to plan a 48 hour session in the mid-week, hoping the lake would be quieter. I turned up to find double boards free and couldn't walk past it without having a go for myself. This was around the time Nash Bait had released the IC1 bait so I had several kilos with me, maintaining my ‘no maggot’ approach. I've always felt more confident when fishing over a reasonable quantity of bait and although on occasions, it has definitely cost me fish, there have been occasions where this approach has worked tremendously, giving me a session to remember, and this was to be no different. The gulls were being a nightmare, so I waited until dusk and baited up with two kilos
of free offerings. A hook bait was taken from the same bag and tipped with a slither of yellow foam for visual effect and two identical, simple rigs were cast to the spots. I was woken at first light with a take that resulted in a 29lb common in the net. I fired a handful more boilies out and put my rig back on the spot, when at about 7am I had another take that resulted in a 37lb common. I was absolutely buzzing with my new PB common and couldn't wait to get the rod back out. The day passed uneventfully with me repeating the baiting up procedure at dusk with a further two kilos. I anticipated more action. In almost a repeat of the night before I was woken by a take at first light, this time resulting in a common at a little over 30lbs. A couple of hours later and this rod was off again with another common over 30, this time weighing just over 33lb. This is, to this day, one of my most memorable moments from the complex. Itching to get back down, I returned a week later for an overnight session. I couldn't believe my luck, in the middle of the night another 30 plus common graced my landing net. THE BALL AND CHAIN I got married in the May of my first year fishing Frimley, so as you can imagine, my fishing time became seriously limited. It wasn't really until July/August time that I got my head
back into the fishing and despite my success using the IC1, Nash Bait had a new bait called 'Monster Squid' that I was asked to test. I decided that I would try another baiting campaign with a different philosophy to what I'd tried previously. When I started on the lake I baited a totally ignored area for several weeks only to find the area well and truly stitched up when the carp turned up to feed freely. This time, I decided to ‘share the love’ around the lake and accept the fact that some people will no doubt benefit from my baiting up. I baited with 20kgs of boilies and matching Soluballs for an overnight session and returned a week later to hear the fish had been held up all week in the area of the lake I'd been baiting with several captures reported. I plotted up in my beloved double boards and fished a close in spot with a mix of Soluballs, hemp and boilies. The following morning one of the lakes beautiful mirrors made acquaintance with me in the shape of a slate grey 30lb beauty. Down one side was a chain of scales and on its other flank was a cluster of scales in a ball shape. Being the first carp I'd caught since being married, 'ball and chain' seemed an apt name that picked itself. The rest of the summer was topped off by several commons, none of which reached over 30lbs. Many of us had a rule at the time, which I now regret. Commons under 30lb were not photographed and quite often would be unhooked in the
The Double Boards swim
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FRIMLEY DIARIES PT 1
Above: Charlie @ 38lb 12oz Left: The Ball & Chain
net and released straight away if possible. I too fell into this way of thinking with the exception that any carp caught in the winter months would be worthy of a picture. Back to my first season and it's now the last weekend in September. Having achieved my initial target of upping my PB common considerably and landing several other carp over 30lbs, what had eluded me was one of the Frimley 'A' team. I was in a nice little corner swim called the lawns where I had seen some carp feeding no more than two rod lengths out in shallow water. In fact, I couldn't see the carp as the water was so clouded but with vortexes and all the detritus in the water columns, it was obvious carp were feeding hard. I plinked out a few boilies and they seemed to move off so I decided to put a couple more handfuls on the spot for when they returned. As the sun went down, the temperature dropped rapidly and I was soon shivering and wondering whether I should move my rod from the left hand spot in shallow water where carp had been feeding in the heat of the sun. I sat with a young angler called 'Tash' and discussed my concerns. I'd made up my mind, I would make us a cup of tea and then move the rod from the shallow spot. The kettle had been on for all of a minute when my left hand rod signalled a take and was nearly ripped from its rests. Being hooked close in, this fish was very angry and stripped line at ease several times. After several lunges towards the snags I soon had things back in my favour as I saw a long, lean carp make its way into my landing net. At 38.12 it was yet another PB and confirmed by Danny the bailiff, as 'Charlie'. That was mission accomplished and I had caught my first member of the 'A-Team'. WINTER NIGHTS In years prior to joining Frimley I had been a keen winter angler so the prospect of catching a few chunks in the winter was more than welcome. Frimley 3 has an outstanding track record for producing fish in the winter. However, this
particular year, we had what seemed like a mini ice-age with many lakes being frozen for weeks on end. That being said, I did manage to get out for a total of three nights between December and February and actually landed two carp in less than favourable conditions. The first was a low 20 common that fell for a Mutant Corn rig a week or so before Christmas and the second was a 26lb common caught from my favourite double boards in the second week of February. As the lake had hardly produced a bite all winter, I was more than happy with the couple I'd had. The only issue now was, March was upon us and the lake was getting busier by the weekend. This was the point at which I decided to look 'next door' on what was the very lightly fished, pit 4. PIT 4 Having walked around pit 4 several times before, I was always in awe of the beauty of the place and just how quiet it was in terms of angler pressure. I did my first night on the lake in the last weekend in March and immediately fell in love with the place. Crystal clear waters, untold numbers of carp and limited angler pressure, it all seemed too good to be true and to a certain extent it was. Several other anglers had decided to make the leap from pit three to four and with a good 1012 of us fishing, it was quite hard that spring, the angling pressure had easily trebled. Mind you, I remember there being 8 of us on at one time in a lake over 30 acres and we deemed that very busy. My first four nights were fruitless though I did manage to get a good quantity of 10mm Scopex Squid deposited around the lake. The funny part about this is a few anglers didn't believe the amount of bait I was using as they 'didn't see me putting it in', that was kind of the point. By my fifth day I was sat wondering what I was doing wrong and was contemplating a move when my right hand rod burst into life. I played a good common for what seemed like forever and just as my friend went to slip the net under it, an almighty lunge of the head and the hook pulled leaving me to watch the fish swim off. I couldn't believe I'd lost the first fish I'd www.nashtackle.co.uk
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hooked just like on pit 3. Turning the negative into a positive, I soon had all three rods fishing the same presentation with a bright yellow Scopex Squid pop up for the hookbait. About an hour after having my rods back out I was in again and this time I managed to slip the net under an absolute scale perfect 32lb common. I was skipping around to have landed my first pit four fish and that it was over 30lbs made it all the more special. I got that rod back out and as I was clipping my line into my bobbin, it pinged out of my hand and began giving line... I was in again!! At just over 29lb and having had three bites in a day, other anglers had to check out what I was doing. Word soon spread that bright yellow pop ups were the ones and by the end of the night there were literally no less than 20 yellow pop ups in the lake!! I was pleased to see two other anglers catch by employing my tactics and the session was topped off by a 33lb common the following morning. My next four takes were all losses which absolutely gutted me and I couldn't figure out what was going wrong other than I was getting takes from areas that rarely saw a lead and were quite weedy. I did manage a mid 20lb common in early May but could already hear pit 3 calling me back. I resisted this urge for one more session and was rewarded with a 33lb plus common that fought like a steam train. Having had a little fling with pit 4, I felt it was now time to get back on pit 3 in a serious pursuit of Charlie's Mate...but I’ll have to tell you more about that next time.
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T
he Adventures of a Carp Angler is the long awaited book by legendary carper Simon Crow. Covering 40 chapters it details the trials and tribulations of his time chasing carp and working within the angling industry. His quest to target the famous fish of the north are covered, as are his captures of 50s from six different countries, including legendary carp like Black Eye, Arnie, and the finest in all Yorkshire, the Nostell Biggun’. This book is brimming with stories about carping on the circuit and adventure to the unknown, written by one of the world’s most experienced carpers with not one product plug anywhere to be seen. Whether you are new or old to the world of carping, it will entertain and inspire you to get out there and seek the adventures available to the modern day carp angler.
Carp Angler The Adventures of a
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About the author
Simon Crow has been carp fishing for over 30 years and has worked as an angling consultant most of his life. He has an MSc in fisheries and has caught carp from more than 300 different waters around the world, including 50pounders from six countries and 60s from three. Together with his long-time friend Rob Hughes, he was the winner of the first ever World Carp Cup in 1996. His current PB carp is a 71lb, whilst his UK PB is a 51lb. In March 2014 he was
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Book spec inducted into the very prestigious Carp Fishing Hall of Fame. This is his fifth book about carp fishing, a hobby which he describes as his addiction.
40 chapters, 500+ full colour images, 450 pages, story based, page size 243x199mm, limited print run, only 40 leathers available, release date set for 21st November 2014 (at the Eric’s Angling carp night in Yorkshire - venue to be confirmed), price £34.99.
£24.99 INCLUDING FREE HARDCASE
SIREN
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BITE SIZED SIREN TECHNOLOGY
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SteveBriggs
UNDERSTANDINGZIGS
UNDERSTANDING ZIGS
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any years ago, I remember talking to some divers who had been exploring a lake that I was targeting, it was winter and they told me that every fish in the lake were regularly lying one meter below the surface. This meant that my bottom baits were nowhere near the fish. Winter carp will often find a level where they are happy or comfortable and will stay there for long periods and I now know this as fact. This could be down to water temperatures as often the upper layers will be warmer, it could also have something to do with oxygen levels or a combination of the two. When you really start to think about it, if most anglers are fishing either on the bottom or on the top of any lake, this leaves a lot of water in between that never really sees any angling pressure.
time here when they are going through a metamorphic stage from water to air dweller. In the early years of zig fishing most of us were just using pop ups or foam as hook baits. But as our knowledge has grown so have the range of baits available and in recent times the launch of the Zig Bugs has taken the method to a new level. Huge numbers of carp and some very big fish have been caught on Zig Bugs since their release – my biggest UK carp of over 57lb fell to a Zig-Rigged imitation bug! It’s quite possible that much of the feeding in mid water is done by sight but even so, Zig Bugs have proven themselves to work in murky water and also at night. The dedicated range of Bug Juice sprays also significantly boost attraction and are ideal in these low viz situations.
The fish could also be in certain layers because of a food source. Although I don’t think that it’s the primary reason, there are undoubtedly times when food is the driving force behind the carp’s habits. Regardless of how much bait we put into a water, it is unlikely to even come close to matching the mass of food that they can find naturally and one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that when carp are preoccupied on naturals it can be very hard to tempt them away. While many naturals will live in the silt, there are several types which live mid water – or at least they will spend a certain amount of
Above: With the range of Zig buig, Critters and Floaters, there are now plenty of variations and options to choose from.
UNDERSTANDING ZIGS
Colour certainly has an important role to play. Traditionally the two most popular colours for zigs have been black and yellow or a combination of the two. It’s fair to say that black is probably the top colour, but you just never know what will work on the day, so it always pays to experiment. Fishing mid water brings its own set of problems, mainly due to everything being far more visible compared to fishing on the bottom. Lines and hooks have to be as inconspicuous as possible if the method is to be really effective. Fining down can produce extra bites but you have to ensure you fish to land them. My biggest Zig Rig fish was landed on 8lb Zig Flo line and a size 10 hook. But that was in open water.
searching out deep water the adjustable zig floats make the task a lot easier. I usually give it 20 minutes to half an hour before moving the bait up or down. Over time it’s worth covering the entire water column as I’ve caught fish just off the bottom but I’ve also caught them within a few inches of the surface. Ideally you need to present the hook bait just below where the fish are cruising, so as they pass over the bait they have to dip down to grab it. Twitching the line so that the Bug moves and imitates a living creature is also very effective. Some anglers like to fish zigs in isolation, others prefer to cloud up the water with purpose designed ground bait and Riser Pellets, both methods are worth experimenting with on the day. Bite indication is not always as obvious compared to more conventional tactics. But fishing tight lines definitely gives the best indication. Playing a fish on a long hooklink with a lead attached is far from ideal and can result in hook pulls. A Weed Safety lead clip is ideal for dropping the lead quickly and maximizes the chance of landing the fish.
Finding the right depth is vitally important, as a starting point I normally fish at half depth and work from there. If I receive action at one depth then I will then switch all rods to that depth. Casting long hook links can be tricky, laying the rig out behind you on clear ground prior to casting will help but when
Zigs are a selective tactic that could well catch you a special fish or two this winter, there’s nothing to lose and a lot to be gained so why not give it a try?
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TAKE 5
We asked twenty top anglers to name five winter essentials that will help to maximise the chance of success during the coldest months of the year, this is what they had to say.
When wearing the likes of the Nash clothing, you can face all the weather conditions throughout the year!
1 COMFORT ZONES
Being properly kitted out during the winter to ensure we stay warm, dry, comfortable and focussed on our winter targets is the number one priority. The more you think about it the more sense it makes – a few soakings and cold shivery nights on the bank can really dampen the enthusiasm – remember, you won’t catch them sitting at home in front of the fire!
2 SHARP HOOKS
There can be a fine line between winter success and complete failure and using the sharpest possible hook really can make the difference when fishing for cold lethargic winter feeders – once again the now legendary Twister and new Chod variant is the first choice for nearly everyone questioned.
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TAKE 5
3 THE KEY
This bait is an absolute bait bucket essential – even if it’s never been introduced into your chosen venue, the Key will catch instantly. This has been proven over and over on many different waters throughout the twelve months of the year. – Fact not fiction, find those winter fish and you’ll catch them with the Key!
4 ZIGS
Without doubt, if you take time to master the method, zigs will catch you bonus fish this winter. But it should never be used as a ‘chuck it and wait’ approach. Yes, putting out a zig on an extra rod could buy you an extra bite or two. But if you adopt a more pro-active approach and really work those zigs and search out the winter depths, you’ll catch more fish often in difficult conditions when anglers around you who are slaving away with more conventional methods are struggling. Zigs also have a habit of turning up the odd winter monster or elusive rarely caught fish – get on it!
5 TITAN
In a way this confirms our number one answer regarding the importance of being properly prepared for what our wonderful English winter is likely to throw at us! But even so, nearly everyone questioned included some kind of Titan variant in their ‘must have’ list of winter essentials, so we felt it only right to give it a special mention. Regardless of whether you are looking for a compact shelter to squeeze into an over grown neglected swim or plenty of room to spread yourself out in comfort on a long winter session, a shelter from the Titan family is still the number one choice for the vast majority of serious winter anglers – take a look around just about any fishery this winter and you’ll see what we mean!
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ISSUE 19 • WINTER 2014