'I lost count of bests'

16-year-old Dean Owens celebrated his GCSE results by landing four fish to 52lb in just six hours at a French lake.

The teenager became Cultured Carp Baits’ first apprentice and was taken to Barnview Lake with the company.

He said: “After just a few weeks of working for the company my boss Mark Hallin asked if I fancied a trip to France as part of a trial run for a guided carp fishing holiday Cultured Carp Baits are looking to launch in the near future.  I jumped at the opportunity and was hoping for some success but little did I know just how successful the trip would b – I lost count of the times I caught a new PB!”

All fish were caught on Fruits of the Sea 20mm corkball pop-ups fished in PVA bags. Rigs incorporated 25lb Korda Supernatural hooklinks and size 6 Korda Wide Gape hooks.

 


Catch 22 double hit

Winning 10kg of bait and shunning traditional hotspots helped John Fielding bank two new personal bests in a single session.

The 59-year-old from Bolton, Lancashire, decided to go against accepted wisdom at Norfolk’s Catch 22 and was handsomely rewarded with commons of 30lbs 8oz and 38lb.
John had won 10kg of Cultured Carp Baits’ Fruits of the Sea boilies and used them to bait up a spot about 90 yards out.

He said: “It was my first visit to the water, which I was told has been dominated by Mainline baits. So, wanting to do something a bit different, I decided to scatter Fruits of the Sea baits over an area well away from the known patrol routes.

“This seemed to pay dividends and produced some magnificent unmarked and hard-fighting fish which gave good accounts of themselves on the Diawa Infinity and Shimano Long Cast combination I used for this session.”

John used 11-inch reverse hinged rigs incorporating size eight Korda Kurve Shank hooks and 2.5-ounce tournament leads.

 

 


Huge eels from pond

Big eels often turn up in the most unlikely spots as David Lambert found out when he netted a trio of fish to 7lb 2oz during a session on a farm pond.

The Brighton-based rod made his debut trip to the water close to his home and legered a small dead roach alongside a handful of chopped up freebies.

Fish of 5lb and 6lb were banked but the memorable session was capped off when his new personal best found the hookbait.

“I’d experienced a number of blanks on a large water and all I really wanted was a run to get back into the swing of things. Thankfully, I got a lot more than a bargained for with three fantastic specimens,” explained David.

 


New national a huge success

National championships held on commercial carp lakes are here to stay after the first ever event of its kind was branded a ‘huge success’.

The 2013 ‘Stillwater Championship’ was held at Lindholme, Hayfield and Hallcroft fisheries in the Doncaster area last month with 18 teams of 10 entering the prestigious event that was won by the legendary Ultimate Barnsley Blacks.

These commercial venues had been controversially chosen to host the 2013 Division Two National but, following complaints from traditionalists, who were opposed to moving the event from a ‘natural venue’, the match was moved to the Great River Ouse and the Stillwater Championships was created as a trial to gague the demand for a ‘commercial only’ event.

Due to the resounding success and popularity of the competition it will now be a permanent fixture on the match calendar running alongside more traditional ‘Nationals’ staged on the UK’s rivers and canals.

The Angling Trust, which organises the new event, has already booked Cudmore Fishery and Heronbrook Fishery in Staffordshire for next year and the organisations Chair of Competitions Mick Turner is of the opinion that the Stillwater Championships will only get bigger.

“You’ve only got to look at the entries for open matches to see there is a market for a ‘commercial national’,” Mick told Angling Times.

“I’m confident more teams will enter next year when they realise what is involved as the match produced 11 weights over 100lb and Barnsley received £3,500 for winning.

Steve Sanders, captain of Daiwa Dorking, the most successful team in the country, is all for a permanent team event on commercial fisheries and he added: “Any match, which puts plenty of anglers on the bank is worth fishing, whatever the venue.

“We didn’t put a team in this year because it was a four to five hour drive away, but we are seriously considering entering the next one because the 2013 event has been such a success.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Visit Nick's Lake on Hartleylands For A 300lb Net

THE FISHING at Hartleylands has really taken off this year and if proof were needed than look no further than recent open results on the venues Nick’s Lake where nets over 300lb have been the highlight.

This prolific 38 pegged lake is ideal of those looking for a commercial style bag-up session. It is full of carp averaging around 4lb along with the odd bigger lump and more notably some huge barbel to 12lb. To have a chance at landing one of these stillwater beasts, use strong tackle and fish with cubes of meat in the margins, especially if you have an overhanging tree in your peg. This lake also contains some huge perch to 4lb and these can be caught on red maggot, fished on the deck, again in the margins. For the carp though, there are not many better baits here than the humble pellet. Fish it banded on the pole or pellet waggler, loose feeding plenty of 4-6mm pellets over the top for a bite a chuck action. For the bigger carp, it may be worth feeding a separate line on a top two or three with paste to add to help bump up your catch.

It is not just Nick’s where anglers are leaving with a smile. The venue’s Reservoir Pond, the oldest on the complex is also fishing really well this year. This is less of a bagging water and more of a carp crunching lake full of lumps. Fish to 25lb lurk in here and pleasure anglers often target the biggest fish by fishing on the surface with bread or dog biscuits or with bigger pellets fished on the deck. However, the majority of carp weigh around 8-10lb and match anglers fish for these with the pellet waggler, hair rigging 8mm pellets and feeding 6mm versions over the top, or by using the Method feeder. On a good day 35-40 carp weighing 10lb each can be landed on here. Roach sport can also be prolific and offer great cool weather sport, with nets exceeding 50lb from every swim on the lake.

TIP: When fishing on the Farm Reservoir Pond, try alternating your depth regularly during your session as fish are often found at varying depths.

Prices: £10 one rod, £12 for two, concessions £7 one rod, £9 for two
Contact: 01580 720319, www.hartleylandsfishery.co.uk
Location: Swattenden Lane, Hartley, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 3PS
Rules: Barbless only, no loop, paternoster or fixed rigs, fish over 4oz to be landed, no braid, no keepnets, no boilies


27 fish in three nights at Linear's Oxlease

Gallons of maggots helped Kraig Scott blaze a trail on Linear Fisheries’ Oxlease Lake as he scored 39 runs in a three-night session.

The Bicester rod landed 27 of them, with four 20s up to 28lb 6oz and more than 15 doubles.

Kraig, who used the same tactics to bank two 30s to 33lb 14oz on his previous two visits to the water, explained: “The session started as a 48-hour social with a friend but I ended up doing another night as I was doing well!”

The plasterer found a spot on the back of a gravel bar 60 yards out and introduced a total of eight gallons of maggots during his stay.

He said: “I baited heavily to start with, introducing 40 spods. The swim began to fizz and erupted with my left-hand rod ripping off with the first fish at 26lb 4oz.”

Kraig went on to introduce five spods after every fish and two every hour if there was no action.

“I was baiting like a matchman, little and often,” said Kraig, “and the fish just kept coming. This was my best session on Oxlease and best session full stop.”

The successful rigs featured Korda’s N-Trap soft with the last inch peeled back and a size 10 Gardner Mugga hook fished mag aligner style.

 


Huge holiday haul

Gran Canaria might be more associated with sunny holidays than carp fishing, but Jon Neafcy proved its angling potential with a 21-carp haul.

The 40-year-old angling coach and noted pike fisherman took nine 20s and three 30s during a three-day session over the August bank holiday.

Targeting an upland reservoir, Jon fished scopex and pineapple boilies over groundbait on long hooklinks attached to drop-off leads to combat the tough underwater terrain.
“The island’s carp are the most stunning carp I’ve seen,” said Jon, who was holidaying with Dave Beecham of Carp Gran Canaria, “the big plated and fully scaled mirrors are certainly very impressive, very wild, fish.”

 

 


Measles at 36lb 10oz

Fresh from partnering Ian Russell and Iain Macmillan at Linear’s Fish with the Stars event, Mike Smith used some of the knowledge he gained to smash his personal best with this 36lb 10oz lump.

The mirror, known as Measles, fell to a zig rig at Lancashire’s Pendle View Fisheries and bettered the Liverpudlian’s previous best by more than 10lb.

Mike explained: “After fishing with bottom baits and solid bags, changing to pop ups and having no luck, I decided to switch to zig rigs. After an hour I had a 10lb common and then lost another.

“The fishing then went quite for the remainder of the day and as we started to pack our gear away my left hand-rod gave two beeps , followed by a pause , then screamed off.”

After a 15-minute fight, venue regulars identified the fish as the lake’s second biggest resident and Mike “didn’t have to think twice” about jumping into the water for the photos.

The fish fell to a size 12 Korda Mixa hook and an Avid Zig Lite.

 


Big chub after work

Tom Martin finally broke his personal best chub from his local River Wensum with this fine 6lb 10oz specimen.

The 33-year-old from Norwich presented a piece of link-ledgered cheese and garlic paste close to his own bank, during a quick fire evening stint on the river after work.
It fell to 6lb Drennan Specimen Plus line direct to a size 8 hook and put up a terrific scrap, repeatedly diving for near bank snags.

“I’ve fished various stretches of the River Wensum and Yare for as long as I can remember and have had numerous specimen chub over 5lb with a personal best of 6lb 3oz, so I was delighted to get this fish. I have been keeping a chub fishing diary for a number of years and now have a large collection of diaries, pictures, maps and drawings. Come the winter I’m sure this stretch will produce a 7lb plus Wensum chub,” he said.

 


Nene barbel pair go 31lb

One of the UK’s fastest up-and-coming big barbel rivers has produced a brace of specimens with a combined weight of 31lb 7oz.

Steve Russell smashed his personal best for the species when he slipped the net under this fin-perfect 16lb 6oz specimen during a session on the River Nene.

This year the venue has produced its best ever form for the species and certainly proved that it’s big barbel credentials compare with the likes of the Rivers Avon, Kennet, Derwent and Trent when the Oxfordshire specialist backed up his new ‘pb’ with a fish weighing 15lb 1oz.

In order to ensure that his rig was presented perfectly among the weed on the river bed Steve threaded his 15lb Drennan braided hooklink through the middle of a PVA bag and both fish were fooled with two CC Moore 10 mm Meteor boilies.

It’s a catch that comes just a few weeks after he banked a 15lb 5oz barbel from the same venue.

“This river has been in such great form this year and I can’t wait until winter to see how much these fish put on when they reach their optimum weights,” Steve told Angling Times.
“I arrived early in the morning and only had one small barbel to show for my efforts, but as soon as the light began to fade my rod was literally ripped off the rest by this huge fish that put up such an epic fight.”

“The advantage of threading your hooklink into the bag as opposed to just nicking the hook through it is that ensures nothing gets caught up especially when you casting into weedy areas.

“It’s a 160-mile round trip to get to this river, but it’s worth every bit of effort because there are so many big fish to target.”

 

 

 

 


Devon cat a surprise

A carp fishing session took an unexpected twist for Simon Winters when he banked this 48lb catfish from Anglers Paradise.

The Manchester-based rod was on holiday at the Devon complex and set up on the Main Lake.

A scattering of boilies were fed over a silty patch and a 15mm Mainline Cell hookbait was cast over the top. Several carp to 35lb fell during the trip but he was forced to endure a nerve-wracking 30-minute battle before his new personal best slid over the net.

His angling companion Ryan Owen also got in on the action and used a similar attack towards the island for a pb 45lb cat.

For more details on the fishery visit www.anglers-paradise.co.uk


Trio of Severn zander

The bank holiday weekend produced a trio of double figure zander for predator angler Barry McConnell.

Fish of 13lb 6oz, 12lb 7oz and 10lb 4oz fell to the Peak District-based man during a stint on the River Severn.

All his fish fell to bleak deadbaits, with the heads removed to release as much blood and scent as possible and legered in mid river on a 15lb wire trace and two size 8 double hooks. As his bites were very delicate so carefully weighted rollover indicator was used.

“I’ve caught 90 zander so far this summer, but only eight of them have been above 8lb, so you have to wade through the smaller fish at this time of year and eventually the bigger ones come along,” said Barry.

 


Track down a river carp

After a hot summer there's plenty of life left in rivers, and stalking carp in moving water is one of the best ways to spend the last weeks of summer.

Dan Sales is a versatile river angler who has caught specimen fish of all sizes - including carp from spots plenty of anglers might neglect. Here he gives you his top tips for enjoying some explosive sport on small rivers. 

Keep mobile
Take bare essentials, too much kit will weigh you down. Utilise the many backpacks and bags that are on the market. The 16-litre Fox bucket carryall is perfect for roaming around. The bucket section can carry all of your bait while the pockets house your rig bits and essentials. It comes with a padded flap which sits on top creating a cushioned seat for your bum after a long walk finding fish.

Keep your eyes peeled
Always keep your eyes on the water. Look for bubbles, disturbance or, even better, cruising fish. River carp don’t see as much pressure as your average lake fish so they will usually be more willing to give away where they are. Polarised sunglasses are a must.

Think outside the box
Where do people feed the ducks? If you know a spot where they are fed on a regular basis then chances are the carp won’t be too far away. They feed on the small pieces of bread which the frantic ducks miss and will happily munch away with all the commotion going on above them. Call it free pre-baiting!

Feature finding
Carp love a feature or cover. Moored boats, trees, bushes and undercut banks are all great places to find them, but don’t forget the obvious near-margin drop offs which are a magnet for patrolling, hungry fish. Lilybeds are my favourite feature, not many carp can resist a small piece of floating crust lowered on to their noses.

Tackle up
Be prepared for a big fish in a tight situation. Sometimes I will be fishing under my rod tip in a tiny gap between two trees so my tackle needs to be suited to the job. I use the Fox Stalker 9ft carp rods in 2.75lb test curve. The shorter but heavier action rod is perfect for sticky, hit-and-hold situations. It also pays to go heavy with your mainline. I prefer Gardner’s GR80 in 12lb or 15lb. You need to crank down hard when a wild river fish heads for the roots!
Rigs can be kept very simple, in fact the more basic the better. Most of the time you can watch the fish take the bait and strike on sight, so I’ll opt for a bait directly on a big hook.

Bait and wait
Once you have found a fish or two don’t lose out by casting at the fish and potentially spooking them. Introduce a small amount of free feed in an area close by or in front of where they are heading. See how they react, wait for positive feeding, then introduce a baited hook.
If you find a nice spot but no carp then try baiting the area, leaving it for an hour while you go in search of other spots and return later on. You will be surprised how quickly river fish will turn on to bait, they are usually hungry as hell.
My favourite bait of all time is the humble white loaf. If I can get away with using bread then I love nothing more than pinching a big fluffy piece around a size 4 wide-gape hook and lowering it in!

 

 

 

 


A bass best at Watchet

Mark Hugh enjoyed one of his best ever sea fishing sessions when he landed this huge 12lb 2oz bass from a popular south-west mark.

The Taunton-based angler was fishing 20 metres off the harbour wall at Watchet in Somerset around three hours before high tide using half a fillet of mackerel when he struck into the fish, which is believed to be the biggest of the species caught from the area this year.


Long walk rewarded by frantic perch action

A three-mile trek in search of a huge perch ended with Sam Edmonds banking a series of specimens to 3lb 13oz during a session on a southern river.

The Abu Garcia angler took advantage of favourable conditions and set his stall out at first light to target a number of hotspots.

His dad Gary had joined him on the expedition and it was him who kick started the action, with a 3lb 8oz fish falling to a drop-shotted split tail lure on the first cast of the day.

After several hours of prolific sport they headed back to the car but the outing had not yet hit its peak.

“We had a few more casts in pegs we had already visited and all of a sudden I received a quick take which ended with the biggest perch of the session going in the net,” explained Sam.

“We returned to another section of the river in the evening, ending with 22 fish between us by the end of the day,” he added.

 


Halfpenny Green's Two Amazing Lakes

Amongst the vineyards of Halfpenny Green lie two magnificent lakes, both of which are providing anglers with some amazing fishing this summer. One of them, Heron, has only been opened to the public since June and has already seen nets close to 100lb being caught.

The venue is also planning to open a third lake sometime next year but it is the original Moorhen Lake which is the most prolific. Every one of the lakes 28 pegs offers the chance of a net over 100lb with match weights having been recorded close to 200lb this year. This lake is predominantly a carp water with fish averaging around 3lb but there are also the odd bream to around 8lb as well as tonnes of roach to 2lb. It is important to take plenty of bait with you for these fish as the 194lb match weight this year was landed by using up to no less than eight pints of micro or 2mm pellets as feed and then fishing a bigger 4 or 6mm banded expander pellet over the top. Keep the pinging or toss potting the feed in and keep moving the bait for more bites. At this time of year the mainstay of the catches are being made shallow or in the margins where paste or corn can also work. From pegs 23-25 or 12-14 you can reach the island using the pole and these can be good pegs on harder days.

Heron Pool (29 pegs) is deeper, averaging around 9ft, and is well-stocked with a whole host of different species including carp to 15lb, bream, ide, barbel and chub averaging around 1lb as well as golden and blue orfe. Fishing on here therefore provides you with a sense of un-expectancy, as you never know what you are likely to hook next. Successful baits on here include corn, meat and pellets, with typical commercial tactics paying dividends. The island at 20m can also be targeted with a cage feeder filled with maggots and pellets. Like Moorhen though, the fish are currently feeding well up in the water at present.

Tip: Plummet accurately on Moorhen Lake as there are plenty of depth variations and underwater features to aim at.

Prices: £6 a day, £5 concessions, one rod per ticket

Contact: 07905 031327 or 01384 820861, www.halfpenny-green-vineyards.co.uk

Location: Halfpenny Green Vineyards, Tom Lane, Halfpenny Green, South Staffordshire, DY7 5EP

Rules: All nets must be dipped at the poolside, no keepnets, barbless only, landing nets must be used for fish over 4oz, no groundbait, no Method feeders

Facilities: Toilets, café

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Stuart bags The Big Orange twice in a week

Yateley’s historic Car Park Lake provided Stuart Daborn with one of its prized residents TWICE in a week.

The ‘Big Orange’, one of the original mirrors in the famous Hampshire venue, weighed over 40lb both times and is seen here first time around at 40lb 10oz.

On both occasions the fish fell to an 18mm Solar Club Mix boilie soaked in Solar’s Marine 17 liquid.

Stuart’s rig comprised a Solar Stronghold 101 hook and an 80lb Contour Unleaded leader.