Forty years down the road

 It was at the tiny pond, situated right beside the main Euston to Birmingham (at the time) railway line at the very point where the Great Train Robbery had taken place some twenty years previously that my first twenty pound Carp was captured. Bridigo Pond, then on the Berkhamsted AC ticket, on 5th July 1983 my floating "Red Slyme" bait was taken by a, then, huge Mirror Carp of 21 lbs 10 oz.. My diary notes tell me that I was using a size 4 Partridge Z2 hook tied to 12 lbs b.s. Maxima line and that I was using a 10' glass fibre "Gerry Savage" S/U (stepped up) Carp rod, yet strangely there is no mention of the reel choice? Only my second, ever, double and it's a "twenty". I was totally blown away by the capture and certainly hadn't done anything to have deserved such a result at this stage in my angling adventure.

This blurred image, taken using a Kodak 110 camera, still makes me smile.
That Kevin Kegan perm, however, does nothing to enhance the photo of me, or the Carp!

I'd been a member of the Tring Syndicate for a couple of seasons by this point, and I'm sure that it would have been a direct result of rubbing shoulders with far more experienced (and competent) anglers which steered my angling efforts during these wonderful times. It was certainly the advice from, the late, Lester Strudwick (Carpike Speccy Group member) which directed me towards the municipal lake in Welwyn Garden City. Stanborough Lake, aka "The Cracker Factory" as named by Rob Maylin, was to see my carp angling develop into something beyond anything I'd experienced up until that point. I started the campaign on 17th September 1983 and finished it on 25th February 1984. One of the craziest, most enjoyable and rewarding campaigns I've ever embarked upon. My quest had been to land a Carp in excess of 25 lbs (still is) but I finished with a PB specimen of 23 lbs 14 oz and happily walked away from Carp angling knowing that there weren't too many speccy anglers who had a  PB better than mine.

20 lbs 15 oz - Stanborough Lake 12th November 1983

21 lbs 9 oz - Stanborough Lake 9th November 1983

23 lbs 14 oz - Stanborough Lake 25th February 1984

I did go back to the venue occasionally during the following summer, but my sights were already set upon the Wels Catfish of The Leighton Buzzard AC fisheries, particularly Claydon and Tiddenfoot. A story for another post, perhaps? So on with the Carp adventure and there is a huge void in my angling journey because I spent eighteen years totally obsessed by the Kent birding scene (1993 - 2011).It might just be prudent, at this point to add a bit of detail to the events leading up to my moving from Hertfordshire to Kent in August 1993. I'd been working for Brooke Bond, a Unilever company, at the Redbourn factory and, because it was being shut down was offered three options. Redundancy, a move to Manchester with Brooke Bond or to Ashford, in Kent with Batchelors, another Unilever company. Obviously it was that last option which I, and my family, took. What also needs to be mentioned is just prior to this relocation I'd spent time in Florida, catching Barracuda, then Madeira, where I caught Atlantic Blue Marlin in excess of 5m (1,000 lbs) and all of a sudden catching Pike, Perch, Roach or Barbel no longet came into the equation. Kent birding fitted the void perfectly. The whole experience was one of fun, passion, adrenaline rushes and camaraderie. Kent birding did nothing but provide me with some of the best experiences of my entire life and for this I remain eternally grateful to all those characters involved during that period. 

Circa 1990 - Benno doing battle with a Kilchurn Bay Pike.

The roller coaster ride that life provides did deliver a few twists and turns. My first marriage went down the tubes, certainly aided by my, successful, quest to post new record yearlist figures for Kent birding. OCD? Got it in one, but if that sequence of events hadn't happened Bev and I wouldn't now be together. Fate? I don't know, or particularly care, life goes on and that's what really matters. So I now have to fast forward to 15th July 2010, and it's my youngest brother, Sye's, 50th birthday bash in his garden at Aston Clinton, Bucks. The whole gang of family and friends are assembled, beer and wine consumed in some quantity. It is at this point that Benno, my son, pulls the master stroke. Pissed as a pudding he staggers across to where Bev and I are sitting and utters the game changing question. "Dad, can we go back to Loch Awe for one last (Pike fishing) session?" I swear to God (not that it means anything) that up until that moment Bev had no idea that I ever went fishing. I was a birder, no more or less. That positive reply to Ben's question has impacted upon our lives ever since and I'm very happy to remind her of this fact whenever she questions my desire to go fishing. 

Benno and I with a brace of  Kilchurn Bay mid-doubles in April 2012

That 2011 trip back to Kilchurn Bay, on Loch Awe, was to re-ignite a flame which had obviously been simmering, but subdued, during my Kent birding sabbatical? With eighteen years of catching up to do, there was a huge void in my understanding of the current coarse angling scene. Wow, what a wake up call it provided! Basically, if you didn't go Carp fishing you were a "Noddy", or a match angler! From my perspective it was a complete revelation to learn that specimen Perch could be deliberately targeted, Barbel and Bream record weights had surpassed 20 lbs and commercial Carp Fisheries now gave anglers year round access to fish that had been such a niche target during my formative years as a speccy hunter. It was a steep learning curve as I sought to get back into alignment with this modern version of "big fish" angling. So many projects, so many opportunities to explore, I had an absolute blast as I pushed boundaries that hadn't been present during my first incarnation. Barbel, Perch and Chub PB's were all easily improved upon, during those first couple of years, the Barbel project being particularly enjoyable due to my links with Fred Crouch and all that he'd instilled into my approach to these fabulous fish. He was the master of his craft and I'm certain that he'd approve of how I went about my quest for that River Stour PB?

It wasn't until July 2015, however, that anything particularly different occurred. Whatever quirk of fate was involved, that afternoon Barbel session which was curtailed because of EA weed cutting on the river has impacted massively upon my angling outlook ever since. Carp, real wild fish without names or previous capture photos, were discovered out on the flatlands and have been key to all of my Carp fishing ever since. Sure I've dabbled with syndicate and club water Carp fishing but, the real deal is those unknown inhabitants of the drains and dykes of the East Kent marshes.

20 lbs 10 oz of flatlands perfection - 10th July 2015

Eight years ago, almost to the day, I caught my first "twenty" in thirty-one years and the seeds were sown. Not a big fish, by modern standards , but so much more impressive because of where it lives. Every one landed is hard earned and must be appreciated as such. As a direct spin off, Benno and I then got wind of some incredible Carp which inhabited the RMC (Royal Military Canal) and were fortunate enough to cross paths with a few of these fish and included my first split cane caught "twenty". Off grid Carp fishing and everything I could have hoped for? It has been this desire to seek Carp from such venues which continues to drive my serious angling efforts. That I now also have the luxury of being able to experiment with various aspects of my angling techniques down at the club "Carp puddle" has certainly assisted the understanding of what is required to fine tune rigs and bait presentations. 

21 lbs 7 oz Mirror from the RMC. 30th May 2016 and my first "twenty" on a split cane Mk IV

The current state of play is fairly uncertain. I'm now at the start of a project on a completely new section of drain where I've seen a couple of fish, yet have only had two blank sessions, thus far. As much as I adore the stamp of Carp which live in these wild places, it would seem that finding somewhere you can conduct a pre-baiting program and be certain that you'll be the only angler to benefit from the effort is now becoming increasingly unlikely. I have no-one else to blame but myself. Not only have I blogged many times about the successes I've enjoyed out on the East Kent Marshes, but I've also published an article in Catch Cult extolling the thrills of such experiences. If, via my writings, I've inspired others to give it a go, there's no point in moaning about the situation. What I need to do is find myself another challenge and a return to the "dark side" of the RMC might do just that?

Quite possibly the best looking Carp I've ever caught?
22 lbs 3 oz of flatlands perfection - 3rd August 2021

I've not caught a "twenty" since August 2021 and feel that it's about time I targeted a fish of this size again. That I steer well clear of the commercial day ticket-type venues is purely of my own choosing. As a C&DAA member, I certainly have several venues where I could go and be in with a very realistic chance of achieving my goal but ,rubbing shoulders with carp faggots and time bandits, doesn't do it for me either. Nope, just like everything else I enjoy, it must be done my way or not at all. One massive edge, which I now enjoy, is that because I'm retired there are no limits on my ability to spend time on the bank. If conditions look good, I certainly don't have to book holiday leave, I just go fishing. One other positive, which was there right at the start of this Carpie adventure is the fact that I'm confident Carp can be caught during the colder months, thus have no issues with conducting a flatlands campaign once the majority of other anglers have packed it in or targeted other species. Just to highlight this fact, my current Carp PB came from the flatlands on 12th March 2021, not another angler (human being) in sight. 

It was sixty years ago when I first picked up a fishing rod and what a superb journey my involvement with angling has provided. All being well, health and fitness allowing, my aging, arthritic, body will continue to perform it's basic functions and I will be able to enjoy another decade, plus, of bankside antics before it becomes too much effort and angling is consigned to the memory book for ever. That last statement is not meant to sound morbid, in any way, just a summary about getting old.

21 lbs 14 oz of wild Common Carp from another section of the drain
that I'm currently targeting. 30th August 2016