Gardner Tackle’s articles. Written by our team of highly experienced carp and specialist anglers.
After getting off the mark at the Kent Lake the previous week I was obviously keen for a swift return, however with half term coming up I had promised my 2 boys a night out fishing each. There was no way I could handle taking them both to the lake at once, so I planned [...]
In recent years I've had a burning desire to better my PB bream of 16lb 7oz. I always set aside some time each year, with the hope of achieving this. Well this season was no different and I had been putting in a lot of ground work through the colder months in the hope that [...]
During the month of April I had a week trip to France planned with my dad. We left early Friday morning and after a long journey we arrived at the venue during the late afternoon. We spent the evening talking the owner Steve, who filled us in with how the venue had been fishing and [...]
I usually apply my trade on the big Cornish reservoirs, so Anglers Paradise situated in Devon, a holiday complex made up of a number of small waters is not a venue you would usually expect to find me. However, after doing a show at the complex several years ago, I fancied going back and having [...]
Much of my stillwater fishing in recent years has evolved around one technique, introducing groundbait and lots of it, known as the baiting pyramid. The idea is to try and attract a wide range of species to dine in the swim, create competitive feeding and hopefully tricking the fish into making a mistake. This method [...]
March has been full of ups and downs for me with some frustrating fishing whilst trying to make a start on a new venue. The first weekend of March saw me heading straight to the lake to try and put my plans and preparation in to action and after sitting in traffic for a little [...]
There’s an old saying ‘You wait ages for a bus and two come along at once’. This age old adage often applies to occurrences in life, but I never thought it would be one that would be relevant to an incident experienced during one of my fishing trips. I’d like to share with you my [...]
It was time again for the biggest carp competition of the year – the British Carp Angling Championships. It was going to be slightly different this year as I would be competing with my new match partner – one of my best friends and current UK Carp Cup champion Kevin Grout. We joined forces back [...]
After blanking my last 48 hour session on Kracking, I was keen to get back down to the lakes at Angler Paradise and make up for my unsuccessful last session. Having only produced one fish so far this year I was determined not to be too hard on myself despite it being a challenging venue. [...]
I managed to get out for a trip to Linear Fisheries Hardwick and Smiths Lake last week. After arriving, I had a good walk around and after having a chat with a few of the anglers, the story was there wasn't a lot happening, with the odd fish coming out. With little to go on, [...]
This winter has been a real disappointment for my usual winter river fishing exploits due to the excessive flooding across the country that we have had to endure. I love my winter river fishing but apart from a few windows of opportunity resulting in some good grayling and roach fishing, I have had to constantly [...]
Last winter was certainly one of the mildest for many years, and in normal cases I would really have made efforts to get out fishing a good deal more, but sadly with the constant mild temperatures came the relentless rain that caused misery to thousands of people. Living and fishing in the Surrey area that [...]
March was a great month for me! It started with a 48 hour session in a swim where I had seen a fish bosh out whilst I was walking around the pit looking for a sign. I ran and got my gear in the swim, quickly getting it all ready for the night. However, the [...]
The Naked Chod is by no means a new rig and is one that has been well documented for several years now. I have seen the rig used to great effect, yet I have also seen it used incorrectly and in situations where it isn’t really the method I would adopt given the circumstances. The [...]
Right, in Part One I tried to set out a really solid basis for you, the consumer, to understand the really critical information related to the key specifications that generally govern hook design, strength and function. In this second part I’m going to try and offer some more general guidance on what patterns to use [...]
Well as the title suggests it’s been a rather slow start to 2014 for me. I decided that I was going to spend my winter on the water I had been fishing all season, even though it was not known for much if any winter form. Last year I had fished the other lake on [...]
Just look through any magazine or catalogue and you’ll find a dizzying array of hook patterns available – some of which are designed for specific purposes and some that are based on general fundamental principles that offer good mechanics with a wider range of rig applications. The hook that you choose for a certain application [...]
Cool water carp fishing can be challenging in comparison to other seasons. The fish are generally grouped up in numbers, meaning location becomes even more important in the early spring months. With very few shows or signs of fish, location can become difficult and this is where a mobile approach using very little bait can [...]
Here’s a rig that I have been using very successfully on the quiet for several years now. It's one that I have found exceedingly effective when fishing gravel pits targeting bream, tench and carp. Tying the rig is very simple and all you need to construct it is a grain of Enterprise Tackle Pop Up [...]
NAME: Mike Willmott EXPERIENCE: Just the 40-years! FAVOURITE LAKE: Springwood Pool ALL-TIME BEST BAIT: Easy - B5 MY NUMBER ONE RIG IS: The one that catches my next carp! WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE SEEN A CARP DO? Leap out and try to head butt me whilst hanging just above the lake surface from a tree over [...]
