‘What I wish I’d known at 20’ - Julian Cundiff

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, so for this series we asked some of angling’s stars what nuggets of wisdom they would share with their 20 year-old selves and why. It makes interesting reading...

Julian Cundiff - well-known carp angler

“Leather trousers, a heaving bosom, lots of vodka, a mass of blonde hair and an adventurous nature may be physically appealing, but they certainly take your eye off the ball when it comes to fishing.
“I’d started work at the local magistrates court in 1980 and by 1983 things were ticking along nicely. Living at home with mum and dad and paying not that much rent left me plenty of money for fishing, girls, gigs and motorbikes.
“I’d been fishing since 1976, specimen-hunting (as it was known) since 1979, and carp had started to become more than just another fish to me and kind of an obsession.
“Side-hooked trout pellet paste, basic Optonics, glass-fibre rods and Abu Cardinals were the order of the day.
“I didn’t have a car then, preferring motorbikes for picking up girls. If I’m being honest, my KLX 25O was definitely not road-legal when loaded up, I can tell you!”