How to fish Decoy Lakes
Angling Times can this week lift the lid on the tactics of one of the country's best venue experts, who is taking Decoy Lakes apart after recently winning eight open matches in as many weeks.
Former Essex County match fishing ace John Whincup is on fire at the famous Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire bagging water with a string of top-up weights to more than 180lb, predominantly made up of big F1 carp.
He has also finished second twice and third three times during a purple patch of form which has seen him propelled up to 368 AT County Championship points, the second highest in the country.
Fox and Bait-Tech-backed John relies on two main methods to win at Decoy Lakes - the long pole and the open-end feeder.
To see how John fishes these methods, click on the video image below.
How to catch massive carp on the pole from margin swims
One man has dominated a popular West Midlands fishery - winning around 30 matches per year and scoring over 320 points in the current Angling Times County Championship - by pole fishing for carp ultra tight to the margins, in only inches of water.
The name Mal Watson is synonymous with Moorlands Farm, where the Daiwa Gordon League angler has amassed a constant string of frame places and weights to 187lb in recent weeks, fishing just inches from the concrete structures, or tight into the bank itself.
Venue expert Mal is the fishery manager, and since starting the job in 2004 he has cottoned on to a method of fishing close in that often sees up to 25 big fish netted in the latter stages of a match.
To see just how Mal pole fishes tight to the margins of his favourite commercial carp water, watch the video below.
Simply click on the image below to play the video.
If the video doesn't load automatically, press Ctrl and F5.
How to pole fish dapping style for carp off the top
Anglers such as Graham Eden have been taking commercial carp fisheries apart recently by dapping bread and dog biscuits on the surface, with waters such as Lincolnshire's Willow Lakes having their match records broken with huge weights.
An ultra-simple approach, using just 2ft of line, a big hook and a piece of crust, has proved deadly at the Foston, Lincolnshire venue, where the carp just cannot resist a bait dangled on the top.
But if you thought Willow Lakes was just another bagging water, think again. Its feature-filled lakes have not been stocked with 'proper' carp since 2003 and the existing fis, says local ace Graham, are among the cleverest in the country.
To see how Graham fishes this devastating technique, click the play button on the image below.
How to fish Rycroft's New Canal
A three-year scheme to create the perfect bagging water has been hailed a success after the first match on the venue saw every angler take 100lb of carp.
Bosses at Derbyshire's Rycroft Fishery have worked tirelessly to make the New Canal one of the best waters in the country and the early signs have been encouraging, with competitors landing a chunky fish every drop in to eventually share over 1,000lb between them.
To find out more about the lake, AT visited the prolific complex to meet Middy and Bait-Tech backed ace Luke Bamford and fishery expert Martin Braithwaite.
New Maver Abyss feeder and float rods
If you are on the hunt for either feeder or float rods capable of controlling commercial fishery carp you ought to take a look at the new range of Maver Abyss rods.
Every single rod in the new range costs under £40, and they sure are impressive as Mark Sawyer found out when he took a couple, equipped them with new Maver reels, and put them to the test at a nearby commercial carp water.
Maver Match This 2011 competition
The brand new Maver Match This fishing competition is one of a kind. It's a chance in a lifetime opportunity to win £100,000 tax-free cash by winning the final which takes place at Larford Lakes on Saturday 20th August 2011.
This simple-to-enter fishing competition has been organised and funded by Maver's Phil Briscoe - the brains behind this incredible event.
And here, in this exclusive video, Phil wets a line at Larford Lakes and explains clearly how you could enter this most prestigious fishing match.
All details regarding qualifying, entry fees, the pre-match ball, how the prize funding works and what spectators can expect to see on the day of the final are all covered in great detail.
Phil, who owns the famous Larford Lakes complex, also provides an insight into how the lake ought to be fished too.
Entry details can be found in the match fishing section of the Angling Times. Alternatively click HERE to enter online, or telephone Maver Match This hotline direct on 01527 406300.
To watch this exclusive video, click the play button on the image below.
If the video doesn't automatically display, press Ctrl and F5 to refresh the page.
The basics of pole fishing
For newcomers and beginners to pole fishing, using a pole can be a little daunting. As can buying a pole, feeding with a pole, shipping a pole out and generally using a pole - it's all quite complicated if you don't have anyone to show you how.
Here ex-match angler and now all-round angler Jan Porter shows exactly how to go about pole fishing for the first time, sharing his intimate knowledge of how to instantly get the most out of your new pole.
He details what to look out for when buying a new pole in terms of spares, pole quality and smoothness of the sections, through to detailing typical elastics to use, how to ship a pole in and out, how to feed your swim accurately and how to ensure you don't become tangled when using your new pole.
You're sure to learn masses from this in-depth video that covers and details everything you will need to know to ensure you maximise your first few sessions fishing with a pole.
To watch the video click the play button on the image below.
Enjoy!
How to catch using paste in the cold
An unseasonal paste approach has helped a top match angler outscore his opponents on a weekly basis and rack up four wins on the trot.
Former Division 1 National champion Steve Ellis has been using an ultra-positive tactic at Scunthorpe's Messingham Sands and has been cleaning up on the prolific Tripp Lake.
While his rivals have adopted a sensitive approach in search of crucians and F1s, Steve has been using a robust paste rig that those on the next peg snigger at. That's until they have been taught a lesson or two during the contest...
In this video Steve shows exactly how he tackles the water using his heavy baiting technique, clearly showing how it's done.
To watch the video, click the image below. If the video doesn't load automatically, press Ctrl and F5.
How to catch a huge weight using just 100 maggots
Pete Gleadon has set a new match record at Dragon Carp Watermeadows Fishing, in Skegness, by bagging 148lb 15oz using scarcely more than 100 maggots and 200 micropellets!
The 74-year-old proved that age is no barrier by taking 50 carp and two barbel, booking his place in the prestigeous Fish For 5K Final. It was the third match he had won at the Skegness venue in as many weeks.
Incredibly he only started fishing commercials only 18 months ago after being a stout roach and bream man for over 50 years. Now he admits he can't get enough of them!
Pete has been winning using delicate rigs not too dissimilar to his roach days in his native South Yorkshire, presented accurately three-quarters of the way across the 14m wide Match Lake.
Soon after meeting him it became obvious he is one of the true characters that makes angling the sport that it is.
To watch the video of Pete in action, and to see the methods and techniques he uses at Dragon Carp Watermeadows, click the play button on the image below.
If the video doesn't load automatically, press Ctrl and F5.
How to fish Alders Farm Fishery
Regulars at popular commercial complex Alders Farm in Buckinghamshire claim their venue has become the first to hit summer bagging mode after it has sprung to life and produced ton-up hauls from virtually every peg in less than a fortnight.
To find out more, Angling Times met up with GOT Baits aces Trevor Price and Ian Pretty...
New Tri-Cast Senator XS 16m pole
The name Tri-Cast is synonymous with producing powerful poles capable of stopping big, hard-fighting carp, and this brand new offering from their Rochdale premises is no different.
It's the 16m Senator XS - another power pole produced for the discerning commercial carp angler.
It boasts phenomenal wall strength and a very impressive spares package that will provide any new and proud owner with all the necessary elastic configurations to confidently attack any commercial water in the country.
Mark Sawyer managed to get his hands on one of the first examples of this superior strength pole and took it to the Barford Lakes complex in Norfolk to put it through its paces.
You can see just how he got on with the pole's features and performance by watching the video below...
TRI-CAST SENATOR XS 16m FACTFILE
Price: RRP £1,799. SSP £1,199.99
Spares package: Match top-3 in the pole, 1 spare match top-4, 3 spare match top-3s, 3 spare big-bore power top-2s, 80cm mini butt extension, Xtra stiff top-2 cupping kit, 2 cups (large and small), angler's towel and deluxe holdall with tubes.
Extra: A free promotional voucher which entitles you to receive either another match top-3 kit or a big-bore power top-2 kit.
Now watch the video
To see Mark's verdict on this new power pole click the video play button below. If the video doesn't load automatically press Ctrl and F5.
How to catch at Rockells Farm
Rockells Farm is being billed as the UK's most prolific commercial fishery, after posting the heaviest match weight of the year so far - a whopping 238lb to Tony Wynnick.
In an action packed session Tony caught a fish a chuck up-in-the-water and had to feed masses of bait - a tactic more akin to fishing in summer that a cold, wet and damp February.
The potrential of the Saffrom Walden, Essex, lake was underlined in 2008 when Gary Huth reportedly banked 661lb of carp to 20lb on a short pole and paste.
Rockells sounds like it's carp soup, but what is it like to fish?
The Angling Times met up with Tony Wynnick on the banks of this fabulous water to find out exactly that.
To watch the video of Tony in action, click the play button on the image below. If the video doesn't automatically load press Ctrl and F5.
New Shimano Fireblood 16m pole
Shimano has just released a brand new 16m Fireblood pole, and here Mark Sawyer took a sample to a local commercial carp fishery to put it through its paces.
This is the pole that both Steve Ringer and Alan Scotthorne have been using, so you just know it's going to be pretty damn good!
Alan actually used this pole during the 2010 European and World Championships, to provide an individual win in the Euros and a team gold in the World Champs.
The pole itself isn't a cheap model, but we've found out it's one of the very best for all-round use on UK waters, offering the strength to cope with carp, but the speed and rigidity required to fish our vast canal and river systems for smaller species.
And as it comes supplied with a very generous spares package, you can quite easily equip yourself with all the elastics you'll ever need to fish watever waters you wish.
POLE PACKAGE FACTFILE
8 x Gen-X match top-3 kits
2 x generic fourth sections
Cupping kit
Deluxe nine-tube holdall
Price: £2,699.99 SSP £2,100
To watch the video, please click the play button below. If the video doesn't automatically display, refresh the page by pressing Ctrl and F5.
How to pole fish at 20m
Jamie Masson has been winning matches at Nottinghamshire's Little John Lakes by fishing poles up to 20m long!
After an initial run of fish captured at 'normal' pole fishign lengths of 14.5m and 16m, rather than follow the fish out with a waggler or a feeder set-up, Jamie has been reaching for his additional parallel pole sections and chasing the fish as they slowly make their way towards the sanctuary of isalnd margins.
He adopts a simple pellet approach, either fishing hard on the bottom or up-in-the-water, and this technique has already given him a series of match wins since the start of 2011.
In this video, below, you can see Jamie in action. He also explains why he tends to follow the fish out by adding extra pole sections rather than opt to use a waggler or a feeder.
To watch the video, click on the play button below. If the video doesn't load automatically, press Ctrl and F5 to refresh the page.
How to catch F1s in winter
Kieron Rich is no stranger to commercial carp waters countrywide, having taken part and won countless matches.
He's mastered the art of catching commercial carp, including F1 carp, as quickly as possible, and this was proven recently when he visited what could be one of the country's hottest bagging-up waters - Blundells Fishery in the north west.
It's recently been stocked with over 5,000 F1 carp into the 61-peg water and already weights have been taken over the 100lb mark, in dire conditions too.
Here, in this exclusive video, Kieron shows the techniques and rigs he uses to catch these plump little carp in cold conditions.
To play the video, click the image below.
How to catch using bread discs
To catch a decent run of commercial carp through the colder winter and spring months requires a little extra thought.
It's no good using the same bait and techniques as you'd normally use at other times of the year - you need to be cunning with the hookbait you use, and feed very little, if anything at all.
One angler who knows just how to get the most from any commercial carp water in the cold is Andy Buckley, who recently bagged an astonishing 165lb of carp using just two slices of white bread.
He relies on the colour of the bread to attract the fish to the bait, and also relies on the versatility of the bread to ensure that his bait is either presented flat on the bottom, or wafting just off the bottom.
Here, in this exclusive video, we caught up with Andy on the banks of Quarry Pool in Bridgnorth to see exactly how it's done.
To play the video, click the image below...
How to catch at Heyford Fisheries
Once written off as dead, Heyford Fisheries in Northamptonshire has produced one of the biggest weights of the winter.
Two years ago Heford was closed and lying in ruins with most of its stock gone and its banks overgrown and unfishable.
But thanks to the efforts of Ian and Fiona Wills - the couple who rescued the match venue and undertook a restoration project - great weights are now returning.
One such angler to maximise on the water's reborn potential is Dan Jones. He recently took 45 carp to 6lb from peg 13 for a 200lb-plus total when most venues struggled to produce in the cold conditions.
Here, in the video below, Dan explains the techniques and rig he used to catch the best commercial carp match-winning weight of this season.
Click on the play button below to watch the video.
How to catch 100lb of carp on one slice of bread
One of the nation's best match anglers has managed to bag a winning 103lb haul by fishing with just a single slice of white bread.
Mark Pollard - Fox Match product manager - tackled Buckinghamshire's Oakfield Fishery on a bitterly cold day and managed to catch 15 times the weight of the second-place angler and all he used was one slice of white bread, and no feed.
And despite spending an hour of the match clearing enough ice to enable him to fish, Mark remained confident that his tactics would catch a few fish.
We met up with Mark on the bank to find out exactly how he fished bread to great effect - to watch the video click on the play button on the image below.
How to pick the perfect pole cup
With so many different pole cups, pots and feeding devices on the market, which one is the best? Which one can you use safe in the knowledge that you aren't going to spill the feeder all over the place, or overfeed the fish?
Well Lee Kerry has the answer, and here's his simple and straight-to-the-point guide on which pole cup you should be using, particularly if you are a regular visitor to commercial carp waters...
How fish a Method feeder in winter
Many anglers think that fishing a Method feeder is a summer-only tactic, producing carp after carp. While this is true, the Method feeder can also still be used throughout the winter as Kieron Rich proves in this short video.
Top match angler Kieron Rich is a firm beliver in using the Method feeder when it's cold as it can still account for enough carp to win a match on a commercial fishery.
He still uses very similar tackle to how he fishes this technique during the summer, but he makes just a few minor changes to ensure that he still gets the most from the tactic despite the low water temperatures.
