carpworld may 2013

S O U T H A F R I C A

ISSUE 272 / MAY 2013 / MONTHLY £4.50 I N T H I S I S S U E

SHAUN HARRISONTERRY DEMPSEYPAUL FORWARD

BILL COTTAMTIM PAISLEY

IAN STOTT

a n g l i n g p u b l i c a t i o n s . c o . u k / c a r p w o r l d

I N C L U D I N G I N T E R N A T I O N A L C A R P E R F U L L O F Y O U R W O R L D W I D E N E W S

BRITAIN

’S BIG

GEST C

ARP A

NG

LING

MA

GA

ZINE

ww

w.a

ng

ling

pu

blic

atio

ns.c

o.u

kISSU

E 272 MAY 2013

DA N N Y G O E S T H E D I S T A N C E

S H I M A N O ’ S N E W B A B Y

B I G P I TW e c h e c k o u t

t h e b r a n d n e w c o m p a c t U l t e g r a

r e e l t h a t p u n c h e s w e l l a b o v e i t s

m e a g r e w e i g h t

D AV EL A N EW hy a d i a r y i s t h e b i g g e s t a s s e t yo u c a n a d d t o yo u r a n g l i n g a r m o u r y

O u r m a n f r o m K o r d a o n t h e l o g i s t i c s o f t r a v e l l i n g5 , 7 0 0 m i l e s t o c a t c h g i a n t c o m m o n s l i k e t h i s

£ 2 , 4 0 0

W O R T H O F

P R I Z E S F O R

YO U T O W I N !

01_Cover_CW272.indd 1 19/04/2013 16:34

4 Carpworld May 2013 May 2013 Carpworld 5

Contents

T h e C a r p w o r l d C o n t e n t s / I s s u e 2 7 2 / M a y 2 0 1 3 F : f a c e b o o k . c o m / C a r p w o r l d M a g a z i n e / T : @ C a r p w o r l d M a g

R E G U L A R S

6 Editor’s Comment Steve Broad

Mr Broad’s settling into the hot seat quite nicely thank you, and here’s what he’s been up to during the last month.

8 GazetteWe bring you up to date with

all the news and views from around the world of carp angling.

42 Rig World Mike Kavanagh

�is instalment features part two of his chat with Sean Leverett, and takes a look at new gear from the likes of Ace, Fox and Jag, with a special look at how to ensure your hooks are as sharp as possible.

64 Open Access Waters Simon Crow

�is is the last Open Access Waters for the time being! It’s been a long, hard road for Crowy, and here’s the story behind his travels.

96 Bait World Featuring Joe Turnbull

Seven pages of bait talk for the ardent carper, including a look at Solar’s new Seafood Take-Away, Custom Baits’ Fenspice, and interviews, chat, and product reviews galore.

105 Ask �e ExpertsIan Chillcott and

Scott Callison answer readers’ questions on baiting up and how to �sh low-stock venues.

139 �ink TankWhat do you prefer,

braid or mono main lines? �at’s the question Jerry Hammond, Ed Betteridge, Colin Davidson and Roy Russell answer this month.

F E A T U R E S

14 Ne’er Cast A Clout Till May Is Out

Dave LaneAs Dave has found out, you can’t take the weather for granted, but what does that mean for angling in spring?

20 Six Of �e Best – Part Two

Matt Ridley�e title says it all; Matt reveals just how he tempted some of the best carp in the country to try out his baits.

28 Historic Carp Waters Chris Ball

Dela�elds may not ring too many bells with carp anglers, but this Bedfordshire water is now known as a venue many of you will have heard of – Rackley Hills.

37 A Liquid Edge Leon Bartropp

Do carp like a liquid lunch? You bet they do, and Leon reveals his favourite liquids and how to get the very best from them.

50 Dawn Of Grenville Lake – Part One

Shaun HarrisonHere’s the story of how it all began at Cambridgeshire’s famous Grenville Lake, and how it �ts into the modern carp scene.

57 Carping Allegedly Bill Cottam

Why do some carp ‘count’ when others don’t? Why is our Mr Broad getting grief, and what’s this about a black panther? Bill will reveal all, with some South Yorkshire wit thrown in for free.

75 F Word Paul Forward

Our regular diarist has been out in the cold, cold snow trying to catch a few carp. Did he manage it? Turn to page 75 to �nd out.

81 Basic Fizzics Rick Golder

Here’s a tale about just how important it is to spot the �sh before you settle in for a session, and seeing bubbles �zzing in the water is just the ticket.

87 Common Goal Ian Stott

What are your goals and dreams? Can you achieve them? In this piece Ian tells an epic tale that ends in success.

110 Something To �ink About

James WillsmerJames wants us to think outside the box a little more. �ere’s advice for bait-makers, plus a little tip for the rig manufacturers among us.

126 �e Baiting Game – Part Two

Terry Dempsey�is month Terry reveals the strategies behind the approach which led to the capture of some of the country’s outstanding carp.

146 Carping On Tim Paisley

You can’t keep a good man down! What retirement? Tim’s got plenty to talk about this month, with a whole mixed bag of goodies.

64

ON THE COVER – Danny Fairbrasswith a cracker of a �sh from Donaldson Dam in South Africa. Turn to page 182 for the full story.

004-005_Contents_CW272.indd 1 22/04/2013 16:55


T h e C a r p w o r l d C o n t e n t s / I s s u e 2 7 2 / M a y 2 0 1 3 F : f a c e b o o k . c o m / C a r p w o r l d M a g a z i n e / T : @ C a r p w o r l d M a g

IN INTERNATIONAL CARPEROur 40-page International Carper

magazine is packed with features from

around the world. This month we bring

you all the news and catch reports in

our regular Echoes From Around The

World, plus Danny Fairbrass starts a

four-part series on fi shing in South

Africa, Steve Briggs tackles a new

big-fi sh lake called Iktus, and in part

two of Big Water Adventures, Max

Nollert takes on the task of fi shing

some of Europe’s inland seas. Top all

this off with a closer look at no fewer

than three superb holiday venues,

and there’s an action-packed, bigger

and better International Carper.

TACKLE WORLD

159 Tackle World� is month, our new-

look Tackle World features eight pages of all that’s good and great in the world of tackle, including an in-depth look at Shimano Ultegra reels, and a new specialist pod from Midland Precision Engineering.

UP FOR GRABS

34 Solar CompetitionHere’s your chance to win

Solar’s new bait, Seafood Take-Away, to keep you going for ages.

116 Nash CompetitionZig � shing is all the

rage, and the new range of Zig Bugs from Nash can be won in this superb competition.

134 Carp In Focus� ere are prizes

to be won if your angling photo is featured in the Carp In Focus competition.

154 Blues Lake Competition

How do you fancy a trip with your mates to Belgium’s Blues Lake? � at’s the prize that’s on o� er in this competition.

CHECK OUT OUR SUBS OFFER ON PAGE 152

004-005_Contents_CW272.indd 2 22/04/2013 16:55


FEATURE Ne’er Cast a Clout T i l l May Be Out Dave Lane

So, here we are in May at last, o�cially the beginning of summer if you believe in the May Day celebrations, or

the Irish version known as Bealtaine. �is falls during the �rst week of the month and celebrates the ‘cross quarter’ day, which is when the sun is halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Both the equinox and solstice periods have long been associated with improved catch rates, but I think a lot of it still relies on the speci�c weather around these times. As we all know though, living in the UK, we can take absolutely nothing weather-related for granted, and the best

forecast is o�en the one that starts by sticking your head out of the window and seeing which way your ears spin.

Last May we underwent an almost instant transition, from a wet and soggy spring into a scorching heatwave, and it was practically overnight. For those of you who don’t remember this period, on Saturday 19th May it was a modest 11°, but by the Monday lunchtime, most of the country was languishing in temperatures in excess of 30°C – that’s 90° in old money!

I remember it so precisely because I had just started a very rare week-long session at a lake in Northamptonshire. I only usually manage a two-night stint each week, but due to the wife being away and the kids having all been shipped o� on various school trips, I had a full four nights and �ve days ahead.

Rather than dancing around the maypole with joy like the rest of the country, I was more worried about the adverse e�ect that the sudden warm spell would have on my �shing; quite o�en a huge rise in temperatures will be the

kiss of death at this time of year, rather than a much-needed trigger as far

as feeding �sh are concerned.As it transpired, the �shing

did, indeed, su�er, and I spent most of the week just walking and looking, trying to �nd a group of �sh that weren’t just sunbathing

D A V E L A N E

N E ’ E R C A S T A C L O U T T I L L M A Y B E O U T

I n p l a i n E n g l i s h , t h e t i t l e m e a n s ‘ d o n ’ t d i s c a r d y o u r w i n t e r c l o t h i n g u n t i l a f t e r M a y ’ , a n d i t ’ s t r u e ! A s D a v e h a s f o u n d o u t , y o u c a n ’ t t a k e t h e w e a t h e r f o r g r a n t e d , b u t h o w d o e s t h a t a f f e c t t h e f i s h i n g ?

ABOVE A storm in May put paid to the hot spell.BELOW It can still get cold in May.

014-017_Clout_CW272.indd 1 17/04/2013 10:51


Ne’er Cast a Clout T i l l May Be Out Dave Lane

at range, or idly milling about on the surface with no real intent or direction.

As is o�en the way though, when we are treated to an early touch of summer, a good old British thunderstorm was triggered by the oppressive heat and the end of the week was saved. Just as the normal populace was running for the cover of beachside �sh and chip stalls with their newspapers folded into amusingly-shaped hats, I was busy landing a couple of big scaly mid-30s from a wind- and rain-lashed lake.

One thing I did notice that week though, and something that I have come across many times on big pits during May and early June, was how quickly the �sh split up into two distinct groups. �e bigger �sh, o�en the females, will pick an area as soon

as the water starts to warm up, while the males continue to charge around the lake and act like carp should, feeding on new winds and jumping in the waves.

Obviously, the biological clock is ticking and the �sh are fooled by an early burst of unseasonably hot weather into thinking it’s later than it is, or maybe they just need to make the most of the chance in case it disappears again. A bit like the birds that lay extra eggs in a prolonged or early warm spell.

�ere was an area at the Northants lake where shallow gravel bars came to within a couple of feet of the surface at huge range, and this is where the bigger �sh spent most of the early summer, right up until the �rst spawning took place. It seemed almost impossible at times to interest them in anything at all, whilst the males were comparatively easy to catch.

I could, quite literally, just follow the wind for weeks and �nd the same group of smaller carp everywhere I went; I even had recaptures of them as they fed with abandon prior to the once-a-year orgy that was to follow. �e females, on the other hand, would happily just sit there, a

few inches away from a bait, and ignore it for days on end.

I am sure there is some biological

reason for this; I have heard it said

that they take on water when they are full of spawn

and have no need of extra nourishment, content to wait until everything is at the correct temperature to drop their spawn. Whether this is true or not, well you would have to ask someone like Simon Scott who knows a lot more about the mechanics of a carp than I will ever do.

All I need to know is what I have learnt by trial and error over the years, and there is de�nitely a division by size at this time of the year, and the bigger ones are always the harder to catch. I saw this e�ect at its most pronounced back when I was �shing at Sonning. I suppose because the lake was 240 acres in size, it

made it more noticeable, and the larger �sh picked an area a

full 800 or 900yds away from the bulk stock

of smaller carp. �is segregation went on for weeks, with the smaller carp out to play at

the north end of the lake and the big

’uns �rmly ensconced in a deep secluded bay

in the southeast corner. Of course, I �shed in the Bay of Pigs,

where all the big girls could be seen lazing in the sun every day, safe in the protective custody of the overhanging snags. I did manage to tempt a few over the course of May and early June, but all of these were taken by laying traps for them as they came in and out of the area during the early morning or evening. Once the carp were in situ, the same as with the Northants �sh, they were totally disinterested in feeding.

I’m aware that during most seasons, there is o�en a time when the big spawn-laden females can indeed

“ I c o u l d , q u i t e l i t e r a l l y , j u s t f o l l o w t h e

w i n d f o r w e e k s a n d f i n d t h e s a m e

g r o u p o f s m a l l e r c a r p e v e r y w h e r e

I w e n t ”

TOP A couple of monsters warming up in the snags. The one on the right was 57lb.BELOW A nice common taken the evening before the frosts fell.

014-017_Clout_CW272.indd 2 17/04/2013 10:51


FEATURE Dawn of Grenvi l le Lake Shaun Harr ison

S H A U N H A R R I S O N

of

T u c k e d a w a y i n t h e C a m b r i d g e s h i r e c o u n t r y s i d e i s a l a k e t h a t s u d d e n l y ,

o u t o f t h e b l u e , b e g a n t o b e n o t i c e d . H e r e ’ s t h e s t o r y o f h o w i t

a l l b e g a n , a n d w h e r e i t i s n o w .

050-053_Grenville_CW272.indd 1 12/04/2013 14:17


Dawn of Grenvi l le Lake Shaun Harr ison

I joined the Grenville syndicate in 2007 and have been absolutely amazed by the progress of this incredible water, which has been

cleverly managed by Paul Ward. Never before have I known a � shery come on so quickly, let alone having been in the fortunate position of being able to angle on a quality � shery whilst watching it develop. But this rapid acceleration didn’t just happen by accident. Blood, sweat, and tears were shed over a prolonged period of time to put Grenville where it is today, for so many to be able to enjoy.

Away from Grenville there seem to be quite a few stories related by those who have been told something by someone else, and some of these things are accepted by some as actually being true. Spending my life talking to anglers all day, both during my working and time out hours, I � nd some of this quite strange, and o� en feel it’s a case of sour grapes when some of these untruths are told. I have even heard it mentioned on several occasions that the Grenville � sh are imports because of the weights they have attained. Now these remarks, which are so far from the truth, would make me smile and shake my head at any other time, because those saying this have got it so very wrong. But also this has hit a nerve and I � nd myself defending the truth, rather than walking away. � ere has been a ridiculous amount of work, and indeed money, injected into Grenville, so for a long time I have felt that the truth should be told and the facts laid bare for all to see, and it’s my duty as a paying member of the syndicate to defend what a special place Grenville is.

It was out of the blue that I received a call from Steve Broad asking how I felt about covering the amazing story of Grenville in a miniseries for Carpworld. Well, a� er what I have just said, I was more than pleased to have a crack at this, if only to put the record straight

and document the true story of this incredible venue, covering as much as I can, from the initial digging to the present day. So, if you want to come along on this journey with me, I will tell the story of the birth and growth of the most amazing water I know, a water that has really opened so many eyes as to what is possible within our own shores, with stock that has been born and bred in England. As you will see, some of these carp are the most incredible-looking � sh you will � nd anywhere in the world, thanks to Paul Ward’s sensible choice and mix of the strains of carp stocked.

Going back 26 years, Tarmac struck a deal with a Cambridgeshire farmer and the fascinating story began to unwind, a story that would amaze so many people in the years that followed. It showed the carp-angling world just what it is possible to achieve in such a relatively short time span provided you have the motivation, the vision and the drive, along with a certain amount of stubbornness and a strong and committed work ethic to make your dreams come true.

It was in 1987 that the � rst of the Tarmac vehicles drove o� the main roads, past a farm, onto a huge � eld surrounded by drainage ditches, and started to dig out their � rst few bucketloads of earth, sand, clay and gravel. � at was to be the home for much of the plant for the next eight years whilst teams of diggers excavated the hoped-for

natural resources. � ey were obviously very successful at � nding exactly what they wanted because the hole they dug ended up being 40� deep in places, with a large percentage of the excavated area being over 30� . A few hard areas were le� at roughly 16� or so, and these have since proved to be invaluable as a source of weed, and thus natural food.

On a totally di� erent scale, I know from when I dug the natural

pool in my garden that every bucket I dug

out miraculously managed to turn

itself into 1½ bucketfuls when out of the ground. I really can’t

imagine the volume that was

removed from that Cambridgeshire

� eld. � e track to and from the lake must have been

almost as busy as the A1 which runs close by, with the lorries moving what had been excavated onto new sites that were in need of it. A� er eight years of excavation and removal, I would imagine the Tarmac team were pleased to see the back of this cavernous 72-acre hole, for holes without water are not exactly the most attractive places to view. � e dust in the summer months must have been horrendous down there, and as for the sticky, glutinous clay that abounds, well, I just can’t imagine what life must have been like on that job.

� e digging � nished in 1995, but the water wasn’t allowed to � ood into what would later become known as Grenville until the following year, which gave ample time for lots of insect

“ I w i l l t e l l t h e s t o r y o f t h e

b i r t h a n d g r o w t h o f t h e m o s t a m a z i n g

w a t e r I k n o w , a w a t e r t h a t h a s r e a l l y o p e n e d

s o m a n y e y e s a s t o w h a t i s p o s s i b l e w i t h i n o u r o w n

s h o r e s ”

ABOVE The driving force behind Grenville fi shery – Paul Ward.RIGHT The start of it all – the aggregates being removed.BELOW The thickness of the seam resulted in the great depth of the lake.

050-053_Grenville_CW272.indd 2 12/04/2013 14:18


BAITWORLD

This month: Black Country Baits’ Keith Winwood

B l a c k C o u n t r y B a i t s w a s f i r s t s t a r t e d b a c k i n 2 0 0 0 ,

a l t h o u g h c o m p a n y o w n e r K e i t h W i n w o o d h a s b e e n

c r e a t i n g b a i t s f o r 3 0 + y e a r s . I t ’ s a l w a y s n i c e t o

f i n d s o m e o n e w h o i s d e t e r m i n e d t o k e e p i t h o w i t

s h o u l d b e , b y c r e a t i n g a n d s e l l i n g b a i t s a s t h e i r

o w n c r e a t i o n . I s p o k e t o K e i t h a b o u t h o w h e k e e p s

t h e q u a l i t y o f h i s b a i t s u p t o s c r a t c h , a n d s o m e

o t h e r e x c i t i n g t h i n g s i n t h e p i p e l i n e b e c a u s e

h e l i k e s t o k e e p t h i n g s s t r i c t l y o l d s c h o o l .

until the noise and smells meant it was time to seriously look at commercial premises, and in 2000, with a little inheritance money in the bank, Black Country Baits was born.

At the beginning, what was your most

popular bait, and do you still make it?

Our most popular bait that we still make and sell a lot of to old and new customers is the Red Hot Tuna, which I started putting together in 1999. It’s a really hot red �sh mix with the optimum levels of chilli powder, paprika, green lipped mussel, seaweed, betaine, liver powder, kelp, tuna meal and our own tuna �avour, but at low levels.

Regarding ingredients,

how do you make sure the

quality is up to scratch?

Being a smaller company, I like to make up manageable 100kg batches of mixes, with all the ingredients either coming from quality �shmeal and birdfood suppliers, or direct from the human food chain supplies. �ese usually get rolled to �ll up our freezers weekly, or

if it’s an online/phone order, it gets freshly rolled, then dispatched and delivered without freezing so that the customer gets fresh bait and not half-thawed baits! Semi shelf life baits are also done as fresh to order, with dispatch dates being as soon as possible.

I understand you have a new

particle range out. Could you

tell us a bit more about that?

�ey’re not new Joe. We’ve been producing these since 2005, but unlike most other companies, our prepared particles were dispatched in buckets,

which led to transportation problems, so I had been

looking for a solution for a long time. �en it suddenly dawned on me one day –

why not use jerrycans? �ey’re easier to transport, and if dropped will not

JT: How did it all come about,

you setting up to make bait?

KW: Well, Joe, I’ve been �shing most of my life and we used to have three pools locally that we played by as kids. A�er learning to catch the roach and perch, etc., I got into the tench �shing in a big way, and with the top lake holding the tench record at 10lb 2oz and my PB being 9lb 8oz, I wasn’t far away.

Anyway, this brought the specimen hunters to the pools with their bivvies and Heron alarms, which made me move on to the bottom pool for a bit of quiet tenching. Early one morning, in the summer of 1976, a�er spending the night, the �oat slid under and I had a bite. For one brief moment I saw this giant carp before it tore along the pool with my �oat, taking all my line as well. So o� I went to �nd all the material I could on carp �shing and baits, and from then on a carp angler was born!

I read a lot about bait and its make-up. Anything from Fred Wilton’s PYM (Phillips Yeast Mixture) to Hutchy’s particles, to the extreme information of Tim Paisley talking about amino acids! My �shing went from carp �shing to big-carp �shing at Pool Hall, Patshull Park, and Redesmere. At the time I was catching 20+ commons, which were big at the time, but I wanted a 20+ mirror, so Savay was next on the list. �e only problem was that I could only �sh days on there, but what will be will be, no problem! I would travel down on a Friday a�er work and sit listening to people such as Clive Diedrich, Malcolm Winkworth, Hutchy and a young Lockey. Basically the who’s who of carp �shing. Bait parties were quite regular, with bigger and bigger quantities

BELOW Proof of the pudding – Keith’s bait doing the business.

096-103_BaitWorld_CW272.indd 3 22/04/2013 15:05


spoil your planned session. �ese can also be stored in the boot of your car ready for a quick session. �ey have a 12-month shelf life, with natural preservatives and a proven range of �sh attractors in a can. �e range includes Hemp, Chilli Hemp, Parti Mix, Spod Mix, Maize, Tiger Nuts, Jumbo Tiger Nuts, and Chopped Tigers.

What are your thoughts regarding

nutrition and amino acids

Well, since carp are cold-blooded animals, digestion and utilisation of high protein levels depend on a few factors, with some control being out of our hands, i.e. the weather. All our baits contain the right dietary and protein levels for the �sh. Most amino acids can be destroyed by high heat sources or freezing, and I felt the best way to combat this and enable a

balance of aminos within the baits was with the inclusion of both powdered and liquid amino pro�le additions. With regards to flavours, how do you

source them in such large amounts?

Because we don’t use large amounts of arti�cial �avourings, it isn’t necessary to source too many because our baits rely on built-in inherent natural attractors within the base mixes. We do not supply a high-level �avoured bait which will blow quite quickly.

I understand you supply a Worm

Boilie and a new Nut Boilie. Could

you enlighten us a little?

�e Worm came about in 2003, when I found that worms have a very high natural amino acid pro�le that is attractive to most �sh. I got in touch with a local worm supplier to send us

some samples, which were then liquidised in a blender. I added some other bits and pieces to a very �shy mix, and hey presto, the prototype Worm Boilie was created. We then started testing it, with very good results, but the whole process was speeded up when I sourced some dry-freeze worms. �e live worm liquid is still created in-house – much to the slight disgust of the breeder – and we use no arti�cial �avours in these baits either.

Finally, do you have anything

else in the pipeline?

Yes Joe, but like most of our baits they get tested and tweaked for a few years before they either get put on hold for a bit longer, or go from the testers to the bait team, and then, hopefully, the public. So don’t hold your breath for instant carp bait because we never like to put out any bait just for the sake of it.

ABOVE Another batch of Black Country Baits, fresh off the press.

096-103_BaitWorld_CW272.indd 4 22/04/2013 15:05


I ’ v e h a n d e d o v e r t h e L e a d e r , o r e d i t o r i a l , t o o u r e s t e e m e d e d i t o r B r o a d y, s o I ’ v e h a d t o c o m e u p w i t h a n e w t i t l e f o r w h a t m a y p r o v e t o b e a l e s s - t h a n - f r e q u e n t

c o l u m n . B e f o r e t h e e d i t o r i a l b e c a m e C a r p L e a d e r i t w a s c a l l e d C a r p - Ta l k , a t i t l e I g i f t e d t o t h e p e r i o d i c a l o f t h a t

n a m e w h e n K e v i n C l i f f o r d , C h r i s B a l l a n d I l a u n c h e d t h e w e e k l y i n 1 9 9 4 . A f t e r p o r i n g o v e r a l l m y t h e s a u r u s e s

I ’ v e d i s m i s s e d n u m e r o u s h i g h - f l o w n a l t e r n a t i v e s a n d s e t t l e d f o r t h e t i t l e w h i c h a p p e a r s a b o v e , i n t h e h o p e

t h a t I ’ m n o t p l a g i a r i s i n g t h e t i t l e o f s o m e o n e e l s e ’ s r a m b l i n g s ! I f I a m , I w i l l n o d o u b t s o o n b e t o l d !

The aforesaid Carp-Talk recently carried a report of the auction at the Carpin’ On

Show conducted by Jim Davidson OBE, at which I bid a ridiculous �gure of £650 for the number one copy of the leatherbound A History of Yateley. In fact I have never been concerned about the numbering of leatherbounds, it is the fact that they are limited editions that is the attraction, and the more limited the better. Most publishers know that I like to have number 7 of a leatherbound run, but that requirement is not carved in stone. �e big attraction of the Carpin’ On auction was that the particular copy up for sale was the only one to be signed by all the contributors, which

puts added value on a limited edition publication. �e Carp-Talk report failed to mention the ‘fully signed’ aspect, and it occurs to me that they may not have been aware of it. �e fact that the proceeds of the auction in their entirety were destined for the funds of Stoney & Friends, of which I’m honoured to be president, heightened my interest in the bidding. In fact, in the later stages there were only two bidders for the book, yours truly and Richard Stangroom (referred to by Jim Davidson during the auction as the ‘serial killer’ because of the sinister beard and moustache that he is now sporting). I had reached the stage that I was pushing Richard along to see how far he would go. My �nal bid was the one that obtained the book, but by that stage Richard had got the

impression that I was going to bid forever and dropped out! Me and my mouth…

It’s probably already been said elsewhere within these pages, but our thanks to Jim for coming to Carpin’ On at a di�cult time in his life. He made light of it on stage but the accusations against him must be of great concern to him. Good luck with it all fella, and thanks for the great support you have given us at the last two Carpin’ On shows. Jim is on tour this summer, and a group of us will be going to sunny Scunthorpe to see him perform, no doubt as outrageously as his act always seems to be when he has his professional head on!

Briggsy has introduced me to the Iktus resort, where we spent a week in mid-March, a session

covered by Steve in this and next month’s International Carper section. In advance I wasn’t at all sure what to expect, and arriving in the dark on a very cold March evening didn’t exactly �re us with enthusiasm. In fact, Julie and I thought we would have to �ght our way into

St i l l Carping On Tim PaisleyCOLUMNIST

ABOVE Jim Davidson at Carpin’ On; thanks for your support during a difficult time Jim.

T I M PA I S L E YSTILL CARPING ON

146-149_CarpingOn_CW272.indd 1 17/04/2013 16:52


the caravan through the clutter of bait and tackle to bed down for the night, but Iktus owner, the charming Jérémy Fournier, really couldn’t have been more helpful. He made a chalet available to us for the night (and as a base throughout the session) and we enjoyed dinner in the on-site restaurant, run by Frédèric. I wouldn’t dream of eating chips at home but in distant restaurants and on ferries they are always top of the menu, although the trout and chips I enjoyed somehow suggests a clash of cultures!

My reservations about Iktus disappeared as the week went by, and by the end of the session Julie and I loved the place. I managed four � sh, biggest 47lb 4oz, while the proli� c Steve landed 15, biggest also 47lb 4oz. � e snow came as a surprise, not just to us but to the locals, too. � e lake is only about an hour from the Spanish border, and the Pyrenees; we had seen the snow on the distant mountain range as we approached Pau, but we were assured by the locals that the snow we ‘enjoyed’ was their heaviest since

1985! � e story of my life in France, I’m afraid; I’m becoming notorious for either taking awful conditions to lakes with me, or causing them to switch o� when I’m � shing there. � at sounds like an alibi for failure, but it’s a fact. But while the snow was a bit of a dampener on the � shing at the time, the fact that it resulted in two trophy shots in the snow was something of a bonus.

At 85 acres, the gravel pit is big enough to make location a gamble, and heavily featured to the point that bait positioning requires some understanding of the spots most likely to be frequented by the carp at any given time of year. Local wisdom suggested 28� was likely to be favourite, but Steve’s experience of Cassien – which I was more than happy to go to school on – meant that he knew the � sh would prefer shallower areas than that until the water warmed

St i l l Carping On Tim Paisley

up. In fact most of our � sh came at depths from 8-12� . I had � sh showing repeatedly over a deeper area but couldn’t get a pickup there.

I’ve � shed with Steve (and Joan) a fair amount over the years, both in matches and on sessions, and he has a couple of things going for him that may not be apparent from his somewhat laid-back writing. In sessions, his mindset in moving whenever he feels it necessary amazes me, particularly when he and Joan are � shing as a pair, which, on sessions, is frequently. At Iktus they started o� in a swim which they thought would produce, but a day and a half in Steve decided it wasn’t going to, and they moved 200yds up the bank. Quickly said, but less easily achieved when they had all the trappings for a week’s camping with them! When I congratulated Steve on the remarkable Cassien session he and Joan enjoyed this last winter, he commented, “It was great, but it took me two weeks to catch and we had to move twice to get on the � sh!”

� e other great thing he has going for him is his understated understanding of carp. In terms of location and approach he just does it, and it works. His results have been remarkable wherever he has � shed, and I think the only credit I can take in terms of approach for our two World Cup wins is that he had never used PVA bags until I suggested it might be a good idea during our trial run at the Euro Championships at Fishabil prior to the 2000 World Cup. On the St Lawrence I was torn between maize and boilies, but

“ W h i l e t h e s n o w w a s a b i t o f a d a m p e n e r o n t h e f i s h i n g a t t h e t i m e , t h e f a c t t h a t i t r e s u l t e d i n t w o

t r o p h y s h o t s i n t h e s n o w w a s s o m e t h i n g o f a b o n u s ”

ABOVE An unexpected snow scene at Iktus. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but loved the place, and caught carp in the snow.TOP RIGHT Hard-core session anglers Steve and Joan during a diffi cult session we shared at Gigantica some years back.

146-149_CarpingOn_CW272.indd 2 17/04/2013 16:52


South Afr ica Danny Fairbrass

D A N N Y F A I R B R A S S

S O U T H A F R I C A

T H E F O R G O T T E N P A R A D I S E – P A R T O N E

In the first instalment of a four-part miniseries, Danny takes at look at the logistics of fishing over 5,700 miles from home.

182-188_DannyF_CW272.indd 1 19/04/2013 14:04


South Afr ica Danny Fairbrass

182-188_DannyF_CW272.indd 2 19/04/2013 14:05

n o w a v a i l a b l e a t : W W W . T H E C A R P S T O R E . C OTheCarpStoreF O R M E R LY T H E A N G L I N G P U B L I C AT I O N S S H O P

TheCarpStoreF O R M E R L Y T H E A N G L I N G P U B L I C A T I O N S S H O P

A N G L I N G P U B L I C A T I O N S ’available � om

brand new online shop...

FATHER’S DAY - JUNE 16THgreat gifts from the carpstore

ArmoLife Cutlery Set

£7.99 + £1.95 P&P

Keep Calm Go Fishing Keyring

£1.95 + £1.95 P&P

Keep Calm Go Fishing Mug

£4.99 + £1.95 P&P

Bank Tramps Beanie Hats

£8.50 + £1.95 P&P

Korda Carp Distressed T-Shirt

£16.99 + £1.95 P&P

Korda Carp Bubbles T-Shirt

£18.99 + £1.95 P&P

Bivvy Tramps Book

£11.99 + £1.95 P&P

Carp Up Close

DVD £14.99 + £1.95 P&P

BLU-RAY £19.99 + £1.95 P&P

Korda Thinking Tackle 7 DVD

£19.99 + £1.95 P&P

AP_GiftAd_CC188.indd 1 08/03/2013 14:35ad template.indd 1 22/04/2013 16:11

carpworld may 2013

Documents

n t e r n

t i o n s

o n t h e

e s t o c

n t c o

t e g r

e t h i s

d c o n t e n t s i