My journey to the World Carp Classic started earlier this year when myself and Graham fished in a Dutch qualifier at the fantastic Resort Du Der run by Hans Sissingh in France. It was a bit of a last minute decision to fish the competition, but as our luck turned out we managed to win [...]
I started the month of with a visit to Longleat for a session to celebrate a mate’s birthday. We had two days to play with and after finding a few fish, I soon got the rods out and was confident of a bite. I soon had one in the net, only a small mirror around [...]
After enjoying a mega trip to Le Queroy last year, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to beat the result. This year I went with a more relaxed approach of enjoying myself and trying to get a few bites throughout the week. After a ferry trip lasting seven hours in one of the most [...]
I haven’t done any carp match fishing since I won a local match 2001, however when I was made aware of a pairs event at Upper Tamar Lake, I quite fancied having another go! Southwest Lakes Trust (SWLT) have been holding some match fishing events in recent years at Upper Tamar. These events are professionally [...]
I count myself extremely fortunate as I have had an absolutely fantastic year this year, having fished on two very different venues that both have syndicates made up of like-minded anglers that get on and enjoy their angling… On a couple of occasions, turning up late at both venues I have been nudged in the [...]
As I arrived at the lake for my latest session, for once the low pressure that had been forecast had moved in. Straight away I saw fish, they were behaving differently to the last few weeks and I knew if I could get in the right zone I had a good chance of a bite. [...]
I chose to try a relatively un-fished venue which is known not for the size of its fish but the beauty of the carp that live there (a bit off a change to my normal angling). In the past I have been previously unsuccessful on this venue and wanted a challenge. This 2 acre, oval [...]
I started the month of August on my syndicate lake, I had been catching consistently all year and with a good head of big scaley fish to target, I saw no reason to change venues. After a good look around I decided to setup in a swim that rarely gets any attention. After getting the [...]
As work had been super busy, I was really looking forward to having two weeks off and getting some bank time in whilst on holiday. I had recently finished a feature for the Angling Times on the Kracking Carp Lake at Anglers Paradise and I found myself with another three deadlines looming. Two of the [...]
My youngest daughter Lucy was itching to do a few nights out on the bank, so I picked her up straight from school and we made the 3 hour drive to my syndicate water. As it was a Friday, it was no surprise when we arrived to be greeted by an almost full lake. With [...]
In my experience there is nothing better than donning the waders, coupled with a prodding stick and venturing into the wet stuff analysing viable spots on the lake bed in which to present a bait on to start priming for later sessions to create a feeding spot. Having a long handle rake is helpful to [...]
With a three day session ahead of me, I made sure to have a good look around the lake before deciding what swim to settle on. As the sun began to make an appearance, the carp started to show at the very top end of the lake. Not wanting to waste any time, I grabbed [...]
The months of July and August can be a funny time of year, many fish are low in weight after spawning and can often look a little drained by the ordeal. I often use this time of the year to catch up with friends in the scene. With this in mind a few friends arranged [...]
It was last knockings as usual, around 7.30pm and I decided to get in a quick over night session before work the following day. I’ve been struggling of late and the with a weather forecast of thunder and lightning I thought to myself ‘If you can’t catch anything tonight, you never will!’ With this in [...]
After a leisurely drive from the ‘Fishing With The Stars’ event at Linear Fisheries; getting stuck in the odd traffic jam and a quick burger stop, I soon made it to the syndicate water and with a big smile on my face. Pulling into the car park it was soon evident I had the lake [...]
My first trip of the month was a planned filming trip to the Big Lake on my syndicate with Alan Stagg to shoot some bits for the Gardner You Tube Channel. I met Alan first thing and we quickly loaded all the kit on to the barrow and made our way to the first bank [...]
After my last session I had planned a three night trip to Cottington Lakes in Kent, with my girlfriend Konge. After catching at Vinny during my last session, it seemed mad not to return, so I loaded my car with two bed chairs sleeping bags and my two man Armo. I arrived early and after [...]
I arrived at the fishery late afternoon as I knew the park would start to quieten down around this time. After a good walk around, I decided against fishing the snaggy areas that I tend to favour, as I had spotted some fish held out in the open water area near the main area of [...]
With the school holidays upon us, my fishing time became more restricted, and my mid-week time would now need to be spent splitting days off with my wife to look after the children and work. That said, I knew I’d still be able to do one overnight session per week and on these overnight sessions [...]
